Thief

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Thief with the Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B570 shows a clear and steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 133 FPS. Dropping the resolution to 1440p Low reduces that to 91 FPS, a substantial 31.6% decline. Moving to 2160p Low yields 54 FPS, which is another 40.7% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions; the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 77 at 1080p, to 53 at 1440p, and down to 31 at 2160p. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory: 73 FPS at 1080p, 50 at 1440p, and 29 at 2160p. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 30% across High and Ultra, while the jump from 1440p to 2160p is steeper, around 40-42%. This suggests that the GPU's 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly constraining as the framebuffer demands grow.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (133 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) is 60 FPS. At 2160p, that gap shrinks to 25 FPS (54 vs 29). This behavior is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: at 4K, the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth dominate the workload, and shader complexity (which scales with settings) has less relative impact. The data indicates that at 2160p, even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers 25 FPS, which is insufficient to reach a smooth 60 FPS target.

The 2160p Medium preset shows an average of 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47. This is the only resolution where the Medium preset's min/max data is recorded, and it reveals a tight frame-time distribution. The 35 FPS minimum is notably low, suggesting occasional stutter or heavy scene complexity. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 69 FPS with a spread of 59 to 79, which is a wider range relative to the average, indicating more variance in frame pacing at this resolution. The 1080p Medium preset averages 101 FPS with a range of 86 to 116, showing that the combo has ample headroom at this resolution for a consistent experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 are relevant for feeding the Arc B570. In Thief, a game from 2014, the CPU's role is often secondary to the GPU at high resolutions, but the data suggests the i5-13400F is more than adequate.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 22604, and PassMark multi-thread score is 25032. Single-thread performance is also solid, with Cinebench R23 single-core at 3191 and PassMark single-thread at 3634. For a stealth game like Thief, which relies on complex AI and physics calculations, these scores are ample. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and 8-thread score of 5591 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's thread scheduling without becoming a bottleneck.

At 1080p Low settings, where the GPU has less work, the combo achieves 133 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the i5-13400F is not holding back the Arc B570. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would plateau regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the measured data shows a consistent decline in FPS as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of GPU limitation. For instance, at 1080p Ultra, the average is 73 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra it drops to 50 FPS. This 31.5% reduction aligns with the pixel count increase, confirming the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU's percentile ranking is 77th among all processors, which places it above the median. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with a delta of 0% and the Intel Core 5 120 with a delta of -0.3%. These comparisons show that the i5-13400F is competitively positioned for gaming workloads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and 2-thread score of 1880 are moderate, but Thief's engine likely benefits more from the CPU's 16 threads, as evidenced by the strong multi-thread scores.

In summary, the benchmark results show that the i5-13400F provides sufficient compute headroom for the Arc B570 in Thief. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, combined with its 4.60 GHz boost clock, ensure that the GPU is the primary constraint across all tested configurations. The data does not indicate any CPU-bound scenarios, even at the lowest resolution and settings where the FPS peaks at 133.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this combo for a 60 FPS experience?

A: According to the measured data, 1080p High settings produce an average of 77 FPS, and 1440p Medium yields 69 FPS. Both configurations exceed the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K, no tested preset reaches 60 FPS; the highest 2160p average is 54 FPS at Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 133 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p, a 31.6% reduction. At High settings, the decline is from 77 to 53 FPS, a 31.2% drop. The scaling is consistent across presets, indicating a GPU-bound workload.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B570 in this game?

A: No. The FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of GPU limitation. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 indicate ample processing power. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 133 FPS, showing the CPU is not holding back the GPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings average 91 FPS, while Ultra settings average 50 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in performance when maxing out the settings. The Medium preset lands between them at 69 FPS.

Q: Are there any frame rate consistency issues at specific settings?

A: At 2160p Medium, the minimum FPS is 35 and the maximum is 47, with an average of 41. This narrow range suggests consistent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 59 to 79 FPS around a 69 average, showing more variance. The 1080p Medium preset has a range of 86 to 116 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20534 with a delta of 0.1%. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 with a delta of -0.1%, indicating near-identical performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2296 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places the combo in the 19.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 80% of combos perform better in this game. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the data shows that this pairing is not optimized for Thief's specific demands.

The low ranking is primarily attributable to the Intel Arc B570's performance profile. The GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 65th, which is decent, but its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 with a delta of -0.1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a delta of 0.1%. These are mid-range GPUs, and Thief's engine appears to favor other architectures. The CPU's ranking is 77th percentile, which is above average, but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to deliver high frame rates at demanding settings.

The measured FPS data shows that the combo struggles to maintain smooth performance at 1440p and 2160p. At 1080p, the combo achieves playable frame rates across all settings, with the lowest average being 73 FPS at Ultra. However, at 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 50 FPS, and at 2160p, the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS. These numbers are below the 60 FPS target that most gamers seek, which explains the low combo rank.

Compared to the 2851 total combos, this pairing is in the bottom 20%. This is a stark contrast to the individual component rankings, which are both above the 50th percentile. The discrepancy highlights that Thief is a demanding title for this specific hardware combination. The game's 2014 release date does not guarantee that modern mid-range hardware will excel; the engine's optimization for certain GPU architectures can significantly impact results.

For context, the combo's rank suggests that users seeking high-refresh-rate or 4K experiences in Thief would need to consider alternative hardware. The data does not show any configuration where the combo achieves 60 FPS at 2160p, and even at 1440p, only the Low preset (91 FPS) and Medium preset (69 FPS) reach that threshold. This limits the combo's versatility for Thief, making it more suitable for 1080p gaming or for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 133 FPS. The Medium preset averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116. High settings produce 77 FPS on average, while Ultra settings yield 73 FPS. All 1080p configurations are playable, with even the most demanding Ultra preset remaining above the 70 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops off significantly. Low settings average 91 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 69 FPS with a range of 59 to 79, putting the minimum just below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 53 FPS, and Ultra settings average 50 FPS. This resolution is playable at Low and Medium, but High and Ultra presets may introduce noticeable stutter during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is marginally below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47, indicating that frame drops are common. High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 29 FPS. None of the 2160p configurations provide a consistently smooth experience, and the Ultra preset's average of 29 FPS is borderline unplayable for a stealth game that requires precise timing.

The data also shows that the scaling between Medium and High settings is consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Medium (101 FPS) and High (77 FPS) is 24 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 16 FPS (69 vs 53). At 2160p, the difference is 10 FPS (41 vs 31). This suggests that the GPU's shader throughput becomes a larger constraint as resolution increases, reducing the impact of settings changes.

The Ultra preset's performance is particularly telling. At 1080p, Ultra averages 73 FPS, just 4 FPS less than High. At 1440p, Ultra averages 50 FPS, 3 FPS less than High. At 2160p, Ultra averages 29 FPS, 2 FPS less than High. The diminishing returns between High and Ultra across resolutions indicate that the Ultra preset's additional effects have minimal performance cost relative to the resolution scaling, but the absolute frame rates are too low at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For a 60 FPS experience, the 1080p resolution is the only one where all presets exceed this threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced experience with an average of 101 FPS and a minimum of 86 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. For users who prioritize visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 73 FPS on average, which is acceptable for a stealth game.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for a smooth experience. It averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target but may occasionally dip below. The Low preset at 1440p averages 91 FPS and provides a significant safety margin, making it the best option for those who want consistent frame rates without any drops. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p average 53 and 50 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter.

For 2160p gaming, the data indicates that no preset provides a fully smooth experience. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is close to 60 but not guaranteed. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable frame drops (minimum 35 FPS). Given these constraints, 2160p is only viable if the user accepts frame rates in the 30-50 FPS range. The Medium preset at 2160p offers a better visual experience than Low while maintaining an average above 40 FPS.

The best overall experience, balancing visual fidelity and frame rate, is the Medium preset at 1080p. It provides an average of 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, ensuring that even the most complex scenes remain fluid. This configuration also leaves headroom for potential frame rate spikes, as the maximum recorded is 116 FPS. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering 69 FPS average and acceptable minimum performance.

If the user's priority is maximum visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1080p is the only configuration that delivers high fidelity with playable frame rates (73 FPS average). At 1440p and above, the Ultra preset's performance drops below 60 FPS, making it less suitable for consistent gameplay. The data suggests that this combo is best utilized at 1080p with Medium to Ultra settings, or at 1440p with Low to Medium settings, to achieve a satisfactory balance between visuals and performance.