Thief

Thief, the 2014 stealth classic, remains a demanding title when pushed to modern hardware extremes. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 shows a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions but begins to buckle under the weight of 4K Ultra settings. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor, with the CPU providing ample headroom to maintain frame pacing across all tested settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and predictable reduction in average frame rates, clearly identifying the AMD Radeon RX 9060 as the performance bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 171 FPS, which is a very high figure indicative of a system that is not being heavily taxed. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 117 FPS, a 31.6% reduction, and then to 4K Low at 69 FPS, a further 41.0% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline shows that as the pixel count increases, the rendering workload grows exponentially, and the GPU's compute and memory resources become the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern holds true across all settings, but the impact is most severe at the highest visual presets. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 94 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p and finally to 38 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result, demonstrating a non-linear scaling cost that is typical for a game with heavy texture and shader usage. The data suggests that the 13400F is not the limiting component in this scenario; if it were, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. Instead, we see consistent scaling from 1080p to 1440p, confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes. The CPU appears to be capable of feeding the GPU adequately, even at the lowest settings and highest frame rates, as evidenced by the 171 FPS average at 1080p Low.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, plays the decisive role in Thief's performance. The memory configuration provides a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, which is a critical resource for a game that streams large amounts of texture data. The measured FPS results show a clear correlation between the GPU's workload and the average frame rate. At 4K Ultra, the game demands the most from the GPU, resulting in a 38 FPS average. This is likely due to the combination of high-resolution textures and complex shading effects exceeding the optimal capacity of the 8 GB frame buffer. The 4K Medium setting, with a 52 FPS average, represents a more balanced load where the memory and compute resources are not as overtaxed.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. The boost clock of 2990 MHz is high, and the game clock of 2400 MHz is likely the sustained frequency during typical gameplay. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is capable of delivering 171 FPS at 1080p Low, which indicates that the silicon itself has the raw compute power. However, the performance drop to 38 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that the memory subsystem, specifically the 8 GB capacity and 128-bit bus, is insufficient to maintain high frame rates when the resolution and texture detail are maximized. The data implies that the 9060 is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for Thief, but its memory configuration holds it back at 4K with higher presets. The lack of min/max FPS data for the Low and Ultra settings at all resolutions makes it difficult to assess frame time consistency, but the Medium settings show a reasonable spread, such as 45-60 FPS at 4K and 110-149 FPS at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 99 FPS average is an excellent choice, offering a smooth and responsive experience that is likely well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS is also viable, but the 5 FPS gain from High to Ultra is minimal, suggesting that the visual fidelity improvements at that level may not be worth the potential for slight frame dips, even though no min FPS is listed for that setting. For users with high refresh rate 1080p displays, the Low preset at 171 FPS is the only way to truly maximize the panel's potential, though it will compromise visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides a solid 68 FPS average, which is playable for most gamers. The Medium preset at 89 FPS is arguably the sweet spot, providing a significant boost over High while maintaining a frame rate that is smooth. The data shows a 21 FPS difference between Medium and High, which is substantial. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visuals over a higher frame rate, but it is only 3 FPS lower than High, making High the more efficient choice. For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 69 FPS is the only setting that achieves a comfortable 60+ FPS average. The Medium preset at 52 FPS is borderline playable but may suffer from noticeable dips, as indicated by the 45 FPS minimum. High and Ultra at 40 and 38 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience, as the frame rate is likely to feel stuttery in action sequences. In summary, the data recommends 1080p Ultra or High, 1440p Medium or High, and 4K Low for the best balance of performance and visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination at 2560x1440 with High settings is 68 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The only 4K preset that achieves an average above 60 FPS is Low, with a 69 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 52 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 40 and 38 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the GPU's memory affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The data suggests this is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but it appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 38.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers an 89 FPS average, which is a significant improvement over the High preset's 68 FPS. This makes Medium the recommended choice for a high refresh rate 1440p experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, suggesting the CPU is not holding back performance. The 13400F's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604, support this.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 99 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. The difference is only 5 FPS, making High a more efficient choice for a marginal visual trade-off.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F serves as the supporting pillar in this configuration, and the data suggests it is more than adequate for Thief. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability that is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Geekbench multicore score of 11068 and a Passmark multithread score of 25032. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single_thread score of 3634, which is crucial for game logic and physics in titles like Thief that may not scale perfectly across all cores.

The CPU's role is to ensure the GPU is fed with data and commands. The measured FPS data implies that the 13400F is successful in this task. At 1080p Low, where the GPU load is relatively low, the system still manages 171 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not introducing a bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings, as the CPU workload would remain constant. However, the FPS scales down significantly as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU becomes the limiting factor first. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 also contribute to its ability to maintain smooth frame pacing. The 13400F sits at the 77th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing part that is unlikely to be a weak link in this gaming scenario. The nearest rival data, showing a 0% deltaPct against the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS in average benchmark score, further contextualizes its performance level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this CPU and GPU combination in Thief is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 171 FPS with no minimum or maximum values reported. The Medium preset averages 130 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 149 FPS. High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 94 FPS, with no min/max data for the latter two. Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 117 FPS. Medium averages 89 FPS, with a range of 76 to 102 FPS. High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 69 FPS. Medium averages 52 FPS, with a range of 45 to 60 FPS. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS.

These numbers reveal a clear hierarchy of performance. The 1080p results are all well above 60 FPS, making the game highly playable at any setting. The 1440p results are mostly above 60 FPS, with only the High and Ultra presets dipping below that threshold. The 4K results are the most challenging, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS. The presence of min and max FPS data for the Medium settings at all resolutions provides insight into frame time stability. For example, the 1080p Medium setting has a 39 FPS spread between min and max, which is a significant variance that could be perceptible. The 1440p Medium setting shows a 26 FPS spread, and the 4K Medium setting shows a 15 FPS spread. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more consistent, likely due to the GPU being consistently saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Thief, the combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1586 out of 2851 tested combos. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is a reasonable result given the GPU's profile. The GPU's percentile against all GPUs is 59, and its average benchmark score is 16014. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has a deltaPct of -0.7%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700, which has a deltaPct of 1%. This indicates that the RX 9060 is performing in a similar tier to these cards in synthetic benchmarks. However, the actual in-game rank of 1586 out of 2851 suggests that the specific combination of CPU and GPU is not exceptional for Thief, likely due to the GPU's memory limitations at higher resolutions.

The CPU's rank in the overall scheme is more favorable. The 13400F sits at the 77th percentile against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25292 puts it in a competitive position against its nearest rivals. For example, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has a deltaPct of 0%, meaning they are statistically tied in average score. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D are both 0.3% slower. This suggests that the CPU is a strong component that is not holding the system back. The relatively mid-pack rank of the entire combo in Thief is therefore primarily a reflection of the GPU's performance ceiling, particularly at 4K, rather than a deficiency in the CPU. The data shows that for a system to rank higher in this game, it would likely need a GPU with more memory or a wider memory bus to sustain higher frame rates at high resolutions.