Thief

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 570 pairing in Thief delivers a playable but modest experience, with the data showing that the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Measured FPS ranges from 75 at 1080p Low to 17 at 4K High/Ultra, confirming that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming at reduced settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10‑core, 16‑thread desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost of 4.70 GHz, and it carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In the benchmark suite, the CPU returns a multi‑thread score of 21,645 in Cinebench R23 and a single‑core result of 3,055, placing it at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs.

For a 2014 stealth action game like Thief, the i5-14400F provides substantial compute headroom. The game’s workload is primarily GPU‑bound at the tested settings, as evidenced by the scaling of FPS with resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU is uncontested and does not appear to impose any meaningful limitation—the measured 75 FPS average at that setting is far above what most users would consider smooth. Even when the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions (the 1080p to 1440p transition shows a 16‑24 FPS drop across presets), the CPU is not the factor throttling performance.

The nearest CPU rivals, within a 0.5% performance delta, are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2%). These differences are negligible, but they place the i5‑14400F in a performance tier that easily satisfies Thief’s modest demands. The 10‑wide configuration and strong single‑thread performance ensure that even if the game were to spawn many AI actors, the CPU would remain far from a limiting factor.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is an older Polaris‑based card (GCN 4.0) with a 14 nm process. It houses 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with peak clock speeds of 1,168 MHz base and 1,244 MHz boost. The memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256‑bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate 159.2 GTexel/s, both of which are moderate for modern standards but adequate for Thief.

The GPU role in this combination is decisive. Look at the measured results: at 1080p Low, the card reaches 75 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 41 FPS. Scaling upward to 2560×1440, the same preset brings 51 FPS at Low and 28 FPS at Ultra. The steepest declines occur when moving to 3840×2160, where even Low becomes a marginal 30 FPS and High/Ultra fall to 17 FPS. These figures align with the GPU’s modest pixel fill and texture throughput, which become the primary constraint at higher pixel counts.

The RX 570’s 4 GB VRAM is a practical asset at 1080p where most textures fit within that capacity, but the game engine is old and well within the limits. The high‑resolution data does not explicitly indicate a VRAM limit (no minimum FPS data is supplied), but the sharp FPS drops at 4K are consistent with a chip that runs out of fill rate and bandwidth. The GPU also sits at the 74th percentile among all GPUs by benchmark score, and its nearest rivals (RX 6800M, R9 M295X, RX 470, Quadra RTX 8000) subsume a similar performance range. In Thief, the RX 570’s capabilities mirror its overall standing: acceptable at 1080p and increasingly less so as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS list exactly how this pair scales with resolution. At 1080p, the average FPS spans from 41 (Ultra) to 75 (Low). Moving to 1440p, those same presets drop to 30, 38, 51, and 51 for Ultra, High, Medium, and Low respectively. The percentage drop per step is telling: Medium goes from 57 to 39 FPS (a 31.6% decrease), High 43 to 30 (±30.2%), and Low 75 to 51 (−32%). Ultra shows 41 to 28 (−31.7%). This consistent ~30% decline between 1080p and 1440p across presets is characteristic of a graphics‑peak workload, where the GPU’s fill rate or shader throughput is the ceiling.

At 4K the picture becomes much harsher. From 1080p to UHD, the FPS falls by 47% (Low), 60% (Medium), 60% (High), and 36% (Ultra). Curiously, the Ultra drop is smaller in percentage because the baseline at 1080p Ultra is already only 41 FPS. The 4K values (30 Low, 23 Medium, 17 High, 17 Ultra) are all below playable thresholds for a fast action game; only the Low setting gets close to 30 FPS, but the frame time is likely to be spiky.

The fact that FPS collapses as resolution increases while remaining relatively stable across settings at 1080p indicates the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The CPU could easily feed higher FPS, as seen from the 1080p low preset does 75 FPS, but as the GPU’s pixel production drops, the CPU has nothing more to give.

Setting The Stage — Measured FPS at Each Resolution

1920×1080

• Low: 75 FPS avg
• Medium: 57 FPS avg (min 48, max 65)
• High: 43 FPS avg
• Ultra: 41 FPS avg

2560×1440

• Low: 51 FPS avg
• Medium: 39 FPS avg (min 33, max 45)
• High: 30 FPS avg
• Ultra: 28 FPS avg

3840×2160

• Low: 30 FPS avg
• Medium: 23 FPS avg (min 19, max 26)
• High: 17 FPS avg
• Ultra: 17 FPS avg

FAQ

*Q: Can the i5‑14400F / RX 570 run Thief at 1080p Ultra?*

A: Yes, but not at 60 FPS. The measured average is 41 FPS at 1920×1080 Ultra, whereas the Low preset achieves 75 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 1440p with this hardware?

A: The data shows that only the Low preset maintains an average of 51 FPS; Medium is 39 FPS, High 30 FPS, and Ultra 28 FPS. For a 60 FPS target the 570 cannot meet any preset at 2560×1440.

Q: How does this combination perform at 4K UHD?

A: The only preset with an average above 30 FPS is Low at 30 FPS, but that is still barely minimum playability. All other settings fall to 23 FPS or lower, making the game unplayable at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The FPS scaling from 1080p to 1440p is approximately a 30% average drop across presets, which closely follows the pixel‑rate increase (2560/1920 = 1.333, –33.3%). This implies the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What does the overall rank for this combo mean?

A: In the database of 3,720 tested combo results for Thief, this configuration ranks 3551st, which places it in the lower few percent. The low rank is dominated by the GPU’s limited performance at high resolutions.

Q: Which resolution and preset give the best experience?

A: The sweet spot is 1920×1080 Medium, which yields 57 FPS average, dipping to 48 FPS minimum and reaching 65 FPS. This provides smooth frame times with good image quality. Low is also fine at 75 FPS if you want a stable high FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested GPU‑CPU pairs for Thief, this particular IN combination is ranked 3551 out of a total of 3720 combinations. That places it at the 95.5th percentile, meaning about 4.5% of tested configurations are faster. The rank reflects the GPU’s age and resolution limitations. While the CPU is above average (83rd percentile overall), the RX 570 (74th percentile GPU) reduces the overall speed. Because the game is known for being sys, the GPU’s weakness outweighs the CPU strength.

In terms of the CPU’s actual contribution, the i5‑14400F is paired with cards like the RX 570, RX 580, or GTX 1060 in many tested builds; the combo results that place above are those that use a stronger GPU. Since the CPU is not a bottleneck, its influence on the rank is secondary. The nearest CPU rival comparisons show the i5‑14400 is essentially at parity with the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Core i9‑11900, so any difference in the game from the CPU side is negligible. The other component—the GPU—decides the FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For a user that wants a playable session, the data points directly to 1920×1080 with Medium settings: the average frame rate is 57 FPS, with a documented minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS. That preset provides a comfortable experience in a stealth game where quick reactions are not critical. Dropping a step to Low yields 75 FPS average, but the graphics downgrade might reduce visibility of important surroundings. High (43 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) are not recommended if you need a stable 60 FPS, as they sit below that threshold. At 1440p, the only playable setting in the pragmatic sense is Low (51 FPS), but the 48 FPS minimum is too close to the edge for those who demand consistent 60 Hz. A compromise of Medium at 1440p might be acceptable if you can tolerate 39 FPS, but the measured min and max (33‑45) show frame pacing is inconsistent. At 2160p, all settings are below 30 FPS; the 30 FPS average on Low is the only one that reaches the “playable console” threshold, while everything else dips into single‑digit or low teens.

Takeaway: the gear is most at home at 1080p with Medium, offers a viable fallback at Low, and is not suited for higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Resolution: 3840×2160

− High: 17 FPS avg

− Low: 30 FPS avg

− Medium: 23 FPS avg (min 19, max 26)

− Ultra: 17 FPS avg

Resolution: 2560×1440

− High: 30 FPS avg

− Low: 51 FPS avg

− Medium: 39 FPS avg (min 33, max 45)

− Ultra: 28 FPS avg

Resolution: 1920×1080

− High: 43 FPS avg

− Low: 75 FPS avg

− Medium: 57 FPS avg (min 48, max 65)

− Ultra: 41 FPS avg

These numbers are the recorded output for the Intel Core i5‑14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570, measured in the database with the game played normally. The data clearly shows the GPU is the performance limiter, and the CPU is never a constraint even at the highest achievable FPS.