Thief

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers playable performance in Thief, but the data reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions. Across the measured rows, the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom, while the GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus become the primary constraint as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the pair reaches 120 FPS average, but at 4K Ultra, that figure collapses to 27 FPS average. This pattern indicates that Thief’s engine, released in 2014, does not heavily tax the modern Alder Lake processor, leaving the GTX 1660 SUPER to dictate performance scaling.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and it carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302, while Geekbench shows 12137 multi-core and 2157 single-core results. These numbers place the processor in the 79th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct -0.3), AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (deltaPct -0.3), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (deltaPct -0.3) — all within a fraction of a percent of the i5-12600KF’s average score.

For Thief, a stealth game from 2014, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle game logic, AI, and physics. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 120 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at that setting. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 66, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and the PassMark single-thread score of 3925 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for older game engines like Thief that may not scale perfectly across many threads. The 16 threads are more than sufficient; Thief was designed for an era of quad-core CPUs, so the i5-12600KF’s hybrid architecture — though the fact pack lists no performance/efficiency core split — provides far more computational headroom than the game requires.

The boost clock of 4.90 GHz is particularly relevant. Thief’s frame times at lower resolutions often depend on single-threaded draw call processing. With a Geekbench single-core score of 2157 and a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1386, the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at 1080p. However, the measured FPS drop from 120 at 1080p Low to 82 at 1440p Low (a 31.7% reduction) and then to 48 at 4K Low (a 41.5% reduction from 1440p) indicates that the GPU, not the CPU, is the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the FPS at 4K Low would remain closer to 1080p Low numbers, but it does not.

The CPU’s PCIe Gen 4 interface (20 lanes) and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support are modern, but Thief’s bandwidth demands are modest. The processor’s 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest enthusiast-level tuning potential, yet the game’s performance is already constrained by the GPU. In summary, the i5-12600KF is overqualified for Thief, providing a stable foundation that never becomes the weak link in this pairing.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Thief?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 120, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or setting combination reaches that figure.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, putting it 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (score 27712) and 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (score 27896) and Intel Core i9-10900K (score 27872). The deltas are within 0.3%, making them effectively equal in aggregate performance.

Q: At which resolution and setting does the combo dip below 30 FPS?

A: At 3840x2160 (4K) with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 27, which is below the 30 FPS threshold. The 4K High preset also falls short at 28 FPS average.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and how does it affect performance?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. In Thief, the 4K Ultra preset (27 FPS) versus 4K Medium (37 FPS) shows a 10 FPS gap, suggesting that texture-heavy settings strain the VRAM capacity, though the fact pack does not isolate VRAM usage directly.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 82. At Medium, the average drops to 62, still above 60. At High, it falls to 47, and at Ultra, to 45, both below 60.

Q: How does the GPU rank against all GPUs?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER is in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 580 (score 12928, deltaPct 0.4) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (score 12940, deltaPct 0.4).

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the average is 120 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 82 FPS — a 31.7% decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls to 48 FPS, which is a 41.5% decrease from 1440p and a 60% decrease from 1080p. This steep decline at low settings is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance, since low settings reduce CPU workload (fewer draw calls, simpler shadows) while the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At High settings, the pattern repeats: 69 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p (down 31.9%), and 28 FPS at 4K (down 40.4% from 1440p). The consistency of these percentages across settings — roughly 32% for the 1080p-to-1440p step and 40% for the 1440p-to-4K step — indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the dominant constraints. The GPU’s pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s, but those figures are fixed; the game’s resolution scaling directly taxes those resources.

For Ultra settings, the numbers are 66 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p (down 31.8%), and 27 FPS at 4K (down 40% from 1440p). The fact that the 1080p-to-1440p drop is nearly identical for Low, High, and Ultra (around 31-32%) strongly suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at any setting. If the CPU were limiting, the percentage drop would be smaller at higher settings (where GPU load is heavier) or larger at lower settings (where CPU work becomes relatively more significant). Instead, the uniform scaling points to a GPU that hits its memory bandwidth ceiling (336.0 GB/s) as resolution increases.

The 4K Medium preset records a minimum FPS of 31 and a maximum of 42, with an average of 37. This narrow range (11 FPS spread) contrasts with 1080p Medium, which spans 77 to 105 FPS (28 FPS spread). The tighter range at 4K further confirms that the GPU is saturated — there is little headroom for frame time variation because the render pipeline is constantly maxed out.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 120 FPS average
• Medium: 91 FPS average, with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 105
• High: 69 FPS average
• Ultra: 66 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo is highly playable across all settings. The jump from Low to Medium costs 29 FPS (120 to 91), but the jump from Medium to High costs 22 FPS (91 to 69). High to Ultra is only a 3 FPS drop (69 to 66), suggesting diminishing returns at the top end. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 77-105 shows some frame pacing variance, but the average of 91 is solid.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 82 FPS average
• Medium: 62 FPS average, with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72
• High: 47 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

At 1440p, the combo remains playable for Low and Medium (both above 60 FPS), but High and Ultra fall below 60. The Medium preset’s min of 53 FPS indicates occasional dips below the refresh rate of a 60 Hz monitor. The High-to-Ultra gap is only 2 FPS (47 vs 45), matching the 1080p pattern where Ultra adds little over High.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 48 FPS average
• Medium: 37 FPS average, with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 42
• High: 28 FPS average
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

At 4K, only Low achieves a playable average (48 FPS), and even that is below 60. Medium is borderline at 37 FPS, while High (28) and Ultra (27) are effectively unplayable for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra min is not listed, but the 4K Medium min of 31 shows how close this combo gets to stutter territory. The 1 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K (28 vs 27) indicates that Ultra’s extra effects are negligible at this resolution because the GPU is already maxed out.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture (TU116 chip) using a 12 nm process from TSMC. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1530 MHz, with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and memory clock at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). It has 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 5.027 TFLOPS, and the GPU is in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986.

In Thief, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the 6 GB VRAM is sufficient, and the high bandwidth (336.0 GB/s) allows the GPU to keep pace with the CPU. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 and PassMark G3D score of 12699 indicate mid-range performance, which aligns with the observed FPS. The 4K Low result of 48 FPS is particularly telling: even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS because the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160 exceeds what the 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate can deliver in this engine.

The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct 0.4), AMD Radeon RX 580 (deltaPct 0.4), and AMD Radeon 740M (deltaPct 0.9). All are within 0.9% of the GTX 1660 SUPER’s average benchmark score, so the measured FPS in Thief would likely be similar with those GPUs. The GPU’s 6 GB VRAM is a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture quality likely exceeds the available memory, though the fact pack does not provide VRAM usage metrics. The 4K Medium to High drop (37 to 28 FPS, a 24.3% decrease) is larger than the 1080p Medium to High drop (91 to 69, a 24.2% decrease), showing that the GPU’s rasterization and texture units are saturated regardless of resolution — but the absolute numbers are far lower at 4K.

The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 means it can run Thief’s API of choice, but the game’s 2014 release date means it likely uses DX11. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 104 (versus 50 for DX12) suggests the GPU is more efficient in DX11, which favors this older title. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 125 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector are modest, but the fact pack does not link power consumption to FPS — only the performance metrics matter for this analysis.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance: 91 FPS average with a minimum of 77 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the min/max range (77-105) is acceptable. High (69 FPS) and Ultra (66 FPS) are also playable, but the 3 FPS difference between them means Ultra provides no meaningful benefit over High. Low (120 FPS) is overkill for most displays and sacrifices visual fidelity for headroom that the GPU doesn’t need at this resolution. Therefore, for 1080p, Medium is the recommended preset.

At 1440p, the Medium preset remains the best choice: 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS. While the average is above 60, the min dips below, so users with variable refresh rate monitors will see occasional drops. Low (82 FPS) is a safer option for consistent 60+ FPS, but Medium provides a superior visual experience at the cost of 20 FPS (82 vs 62). High (47 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) are not recommended because they fall below 60 FPS and offer only a marginal visual upgrade over Medium. For strict 60 FPS locking, Low is the only guaranteed option; for a balance of visuals and performance, Medium is acceptable.

At 4K, the situation is dire. Low (48 FPS) is the only preset that approaches playability, but it still misses 60 FPS by a wide margin. Medium (37 FPS) is borderline, with a minimum of 31 FPS that risks stuttering. High (28 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are unplayable for any action-heavy stealth gameplay. Given the data, the best experience at 4K is Low settings, but even that is suboptimal. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this combo; the 1440p Medium preset offers a far better experience (62 FPS vs 37 FPS at 4K Medium) with a modest resolution penalty.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Medium provides the best FPS-per-setting ratio, while Ultra is a waste of performance. The 4K Ultra’s 27 FPS average is only 1 FPS lower than 4K High (28 FPS), so Ultra’s additional effects are essentially free in terms of FPS but still result in an unplayable experience. For users who prioritize frame rate, the 1080p Low preset (120 FPS) is the best option; for visual quality, 1440p Medium (62 FPS) is the sweet spot.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 3179 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the bottom 14.5% of all system pairings, which is expected given the GPU’s mid-range standing (53rd percentile among GPUs) and the CPU’s high positioning (79th percentile among CPUs). The rank of 3179 indicates that the GPU drags down the overall performance relative to the CPU’s capability. In other words, the i5-12600KF is capable of driving far more powerful GPUs, but the GTX 1660 SUPER limits the combo’s standing.

To contextualize this rank: the combo sits at the 85.5th percentile of all combos when counting from the bottom, meaning only about 541 tested combinations perform worse. This aligns with the GPU’s average benchmark score of 12986, which is near the middle of the pack (53rd percentile). The CPU’s nearest rivals (Intel Core i9-10900K, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE) all have similar average scores, but they would likely rank higher when paired with a stronger GPU. The combo’s rank in Thief specifically reflects the game’s GPU-bound nature — the 10-core CPU offers no advantage over a 6-core or 8-core processor in this title because the frame rate is dictated by the GTX 1660 SUPER’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

The 1080p Low result of 120 FPS is the only metric that approaches high-end performance, but even that is modest compared to what a modern GPU could achieve with the same CPU. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is firmly in the unplayable range, and the 1440p Ultra result of 45 FPS is only marginally better. The combo’s rank of 3179 out of 3720 is a direct consequence of the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, which are insufficient for Thief’s higher settings at 1440p and 4K. In summary, this pairing is CPU-heavy and GPU-light, resulting in a rank that reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s strengths. For users with this exact combo, the data suggests that 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the only settings that justify the system’s capability, and upgrading the GPU would yield a far larger rank improvement than upgrading the CPU.