Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers playable frame rates in Thief at 1080p and 1440p, but the data clearly indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep, with the gap between low and ultra settings widening dramatically, which points directly at GPU-bound rendering at higher pixel counts. This combo ranks near the bottom of the database, specifically 1476th out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the 10th percentile of all configurations for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable and severe drop as resolution climbs, confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 117.7 FPS, which is an excellent baseline. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 84 FPS, a 28.6% reduction, and then to 4K Low it falls to 50.4 FPS, a further 40% decline from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the render target grows.

The situation becomes more pronounced at higher quality presets. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 63.9 FPS, which is already below the 1440p Low result of 84 FPS. When pushing to 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 29.3, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The difference between 1080p Low (117.7 FPS) and 4K Ultra (29.3 FPS) represents a 75.1% performance loss, a massive penalty that underscores how the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory interface struggle with the increased resolution. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 50.4 FPS average is borderline.

At 1080p, the scaling between presets is moderate: Low yields 117.7 FPS, Medium drops to 92.3 FPS, High to 66.9 FPS, and Ultra to 63.9 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is only 4.5%, indicating that the Ultra preset adds little graphical overhead relative to its performance cost, or that the CPU is starting to contribute to the frame time at those lower resolutions. At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with a larger spread: Low at 84 FPS, Medium at 63.3 FPS, High at 45.5 FPS, and Ultra at 44.2 FPS. The 4K results show the most dramatic preset sensitivity, where Low (50.4 FPS) is nearly double the High (28.8 FPS) and Ultra (29.3 FPS) figures, proving that the GPU is fully saturated at that resolution.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER is the dominant performance determinant in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Thief, a game from 2014, this memory configuration is generally sufficient for 1080p, but the 4K results indicate that the 6 GB capacity and bandwidth become strained at higher resolutions. The GPU's base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the 1408 shading units deliver a peak FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU's directx_11 score is 104, which is relevant because Thief relies on DirectX 11 for its rendering path. This score is notably lower than the directx_9 score of 189, suggesting that the GPU is not optimized for the specific workload Thief presents. The passmark_g3d score of 12699 places the GPU in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, which is mid-pack, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (avgScore 14314, deltaPct -0.2) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (avgScore 14315, deltaPct -0.2). These rivals are within 0.7% of the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 14286, indicating that this GPU is not a performance outlier in either direction.

The 4K Low result of 50.4 FPS compared to the 1080p Low result of 117.7 FPS reveals the GPU's fill rate limits. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is the theoretical ceiling, and the data shows that the GPU cannot maintain that rate when outputting to a 3840x2160 display, even at Low settings. The texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s is also a factor, but the memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is likely the primary constraint at 4K, as the game must stream more texture data per frame.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a capable processor that does not appear to bottleneck the GPU in Thief, based on the frame rate scaling. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and 3dmark_16_threads score of 5873 indicate strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance, which is important for a game that may not fully utilize all 12 threads. The CPU's passmark_single_thread score of 3456 is particularly strong, and its cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15935 shows it can handle heavy workloads.

The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (117.7 FPS Low) that the CPU is likely keeping up with the GPU's output. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions at the same settings, but the data shows a clear GPU-bound pattern. For example, the drop from 1080p High (66.9 FPS) to 1440p High (45.5 FPS) is a 32% reduction, which is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game assets, and its memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 with a dual-channel bus is standard.

The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 77 indicates it outperforms most CPUs in the database, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 (avgScore 19831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i5-11600K (avgScore 19771, deltaPct 0.4). These rivals are within 0.4% of the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850, showing that the CPU is competitive with last-generation and current mid-range parts. In Thief, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the measured FPS suggests it does so without imposing a hard limit. The 1080p Low result of 117.7 FPS is not a typical CPU-bound ceiling; it is a GPU-bound result that could be higher if the GPU were faster.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1476th out of 1642 tested combinations for Thief, placing it in the bottom 10% of all configurations in the database. This low ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component benchmarks, as the CPU is in the 77th percentile and the GPU is in the 55th percentile. The ranking suggests that other combinations with more powerful GPUs (or more balanced pairings) achieve significantly higher frame rates in this title.

The rank of 1476 out of 1642 means that only 166 combinations perform worse, which is a poor showing for a system with this CPU. The data indicates that the GPU is holding the combo back, as the CPU is capable of driving much higher frame rates if paired with a faster GPU. The combo's position in the rankings is likely due to the fact that Thief is a GPU-intensive title at higher settings, and the GTX 1660 SUPER's mid-range performance cannot compete with the high-end GPUs that dominate the top of the list. The deltaPct values for the CPU's rivals (e.g., Intel Core i7-9700 at 0.1% and Intel Core i5-11600K at 0.4%) and the GPU's rivals (e.g., AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT at -0.7%) show that swapping either component for a similarly performing part would not change the ranking significantly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is comprehensive, covering 12 different combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 117.7 FPS, Medium 92.3 FPS, High 66.9 FPS, and Ultra 63.9 FPS. These are all playable frame rates, with Low and Medium providing smooth performance and High and Ultra dipping into the 60 FPS range.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 84 FPS, Medium 63.3 FPS, High 45.5 FPS, and Ultra 44.2 FPS. The Low and Medium presets remain playable, but High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, making them less ideal for fast-paced gameplay. The jump from Medium to High is a 28% drop, which is significant.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 50.4 FPS, Medium 35.1 FPS, High 28.8 FPS, and Ultra 29.3 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, while all others are below 36 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K is only 0.5 FPS higher than High, indicating that the GPU is completely saturated and additional settings have minimal impact.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, yielding 92.3 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining visual quality. For players who prioritize frame rate, 1080p Low at 117.7 FPS is the best option, but Medium is a better balance of performance and fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the recommended preset is Medium at 63.3 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Low at 84 FPS is also excellent, but Medium offers better visuals without sacrificing playability. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended due to their sub-60 FPS averages.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is Low at 50.4 FPS, which is below 60 FPS but still playable for a stealth game that does not require fast reactions. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K are all below 36 FPS, which will result in noticeable stuttering and should be avoided. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 1080p (63.9 FPS) is a better choice than High at 1440p (45.5 FPS) if visual quality is the priority, as it offers higher frame rates with similar settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Thief?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the best resolution, with all four presets exceeding 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS, while at 3840x2160, only the Low preset reaches 50.4 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 14286, and its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (avgScore 14314, deltaPct -0.2) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (avgScore 14315, deltaPct -0.2). These rivals are within 0.7% of the GTX 1660 SUPER's score, indicating similar performance levels.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's passmark_single_thread score is 3456, and its 3dmark_single_thread score is 910, which are strong. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a GPU-bound pattern, not a CPU-bound one.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Thief?*

A: The combo ranks 1476th out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 10% of the database. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU's mid-range performance.

*Q: Can this combo play Thief at 4K?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 50.4 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K yield 35.1 FPS, 28.8 FPS, and 29.3 FPS respectively, which are below playable thresholds.

Q: Which preset provides the best experience at 1080p?

A: Medium at 92.3 FPS is the best balance of performance and visual quality. Low at 117.7 FPS is faster, but High at 66.9 FPS and Ultra at 63.9 FPS are also playable, though they offer diminishing returns over Medium.