Thief

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a playable but not exceptional experience in Thief, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The combo ranks in the 56th percentile of all tested combinations, indicating that while it handles 1080p and 1440p well, it struggles to maintain smooth framerates at 4K, particularly on higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic performance drop as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo averages 94 FPS, but moving to 1440p reduces that to 65 FPS—a 31% decline. The step from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing: Ultra settings at 4K yield just 38 FPS, which is a 59% reduction from the 1080p result and a 42% drop from 1440p. This steep scaling curve indicates that the Radeon RX 9060’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the limiting factors once resolution climbs past 1440p.

The pattern holds across all settings tiers. At High settings, the combo produces 99 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is barely above the 30 FPS threshold and falls well short of the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer. At Medium settings, the numbers are 130 FPS (1080p), 89 FPS (1440p), and 52 FPS (4K). The 4K Medium figure of 52 FPS is the only 4K result that approaches playability, yet it still requires a compromise on visual fidelity.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution further illustrates the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, Low produces 171 FPS versus 94 FPS at Ultra—a 45% penalty for maxing out settings. At 1440p, the gap is 117 FPS (Low) versus 65 FPS (Ultra), a 44% penalty. At 4K, Low yields 69 FPS while Ultra drops to 38 FPS, a 45% penalty. The consistency of this ~45% penalty across resolutions suggests that the RX 9060’s compute resources are being saturated by the Ultra preset’s effects, regardless of pixel count.

Notably, the 4K Low result of 69 FPS exceeds the 1440p Ultra result of 65 FPS. This indicates that the game’s Ultra preset at 1440p imposes a heavier load on the GPU than simply increasing resolution to 4K while keeping settings low. For users targeting 4K, dropping to Low settings is the only viable path to a stable framerate, as the 69 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F 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 4.70 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and single-core score of 3,055 demonstrate substantial headroom for gaming workloads. In Thief, a title from 2014, the CPU’s role is largely relegated to feeding the GPU with draw calls and physics data, and the data suggests it performs this task without becoming a limiting factor.

Evidence for the CPU not bottlenecking comes from the resolution scaling analysis. If the i5-14400F were the constraint, we would expect framerates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload stays constant while GPU load increases. Instead, the measured FPS drops substantially from 1080p to 4K at every settings tier, confirming that the RX 9060 is the performance ceiling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 171 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and indicates the CPU can sustain high frame generation rates.

The CPU’s benchmark profile reinforces this assessment. Its PassMark single-thread score of 3,701 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,058 place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms most processors in the database. Relative to its nearest rivals, the i5-14400F is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% faster), Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% faster), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% slower). This clustering suggests that any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical results in Thief, further confirming that the GPU dictates the combo’s performance.

The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 16 threads provide ample resources for the game’s stealth-based AI and physics systems. However, because the measured FPS scales so cleanly with resolution, the data shows that even a significantly weaker CPU would likely produce similar framerates at 4K, where the GPU is clearly saturated. The i5-14400F’s 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node are efficiency-focused, but in this context, the CPU’s primary contribution is ensuring the GPU never starves for data at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1,586 out of 2,851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 56th percentile. This is a middling result, reflecting the GPU’s 59th percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU’s 83rd percentile among all CPUs. The combo’s rank is dragged down by the GPU, which is the weaker component in this pairing.

The RX 9060’s average benchmark score of 16,014 puts it just behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (which scores 16,129, a 0.7% advantage) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862, a 1% deficit) and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852, a 1% deficit). This places the RX 9060 in direct competition with last-generation mid-range cards, and the Thief results reflect that positioning. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus provide 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards and explains the steep 4K performance drop.

In the context of Thief specifically, the combo’s 56th percentile rank means that 44% of tested combinations perform better. This is not a top-tier pairing for this game, but it is far from the bottom. The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data: the combo handles 1080p and 1440p well, but the 4K results fall below the thresholds that would boost it into the upper quartile. Users with 1440p monitors will find this combo adequate, while 4K users will need to compromise on settings or consider a faster GPU.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show that the i5-14400F is not the source of the combo’s mid-pack ranking. With an average benchmark score of 32,279, the CPU sits within 0.5% of its closest competitors, all of which are mobile or older desktop parts. This indicates that the CPU is performing as expected for its class, and the combo’s rank is almost entirely determined by the RX 9060’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers strong results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 171 FPS, Medium yields 130 FPS with a minimum of 110 and maximum of 149, High achieves 99 FPS, and Ultra drops to 94 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is just 5 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual effects that are not particularly taxing on the GPU at this resolution. All 1080p results exceed the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Ultra preset maintains a comfortable margin.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains solid but begins to show strain. Low settings average 117 FPS, Medium drops to 89 FPS (minimum 76, maximum 102), High produces 68 FPS, and Ultra falls to 65 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 65 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but only barely, and the gap between High and Ultra narrows to 3 FPS. This suggests that at 1440p, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, and the Ultra preset’s additional effects are pushing the RX 9060 closer to its limits.

At 4K, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium produces 52 FPS (minimum 45, maximum 60), High falls to 40 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 38 FPS. The 4K Low result of 69 FPS is the only 4K configuration that clears the 60 FPS bar, and even that is with minimal visual quality. The 4K Medium result of 52 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the 4K High and Ultra results are below the 45 FPS that many players consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay.

The minimum and maximum FPS data available for Medium settings provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the range is 110 to 149 FPS, a spread of 39 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 76 to 102 FPS, a spread of 26 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 45 to 60 FPS, a spread of 15 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is more consistently saturated, reducing framerate variability. This is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the workload is more uniform.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K with playable framerates?*

A: Only at Low settings, which average 69 FPS. Medium settings average 52 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS, all of which are below the 60 FPS target.

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

A: At 1080p, all settings presets exceed 90 FPS, with Ultra averaging 94 FPS and Low reaching 171 FPS. At 1440p, Low through High settings all exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra drops to 65 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. FPS scales dramatically with resolution, dropping from 171 FPS at 1080p Low to 69 FPS at 4K Low, which indicates the RX 9060 is the limiting component.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9060 scores 16,014 on average, which is 0.7% slower than the RTX 3060 Ti (16,129) and 1% faster than both the R9 370X (15,862) and RX 7700 (15,852).

*Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Thief?*

A: The combo ranks 1,586 out of 2,851 tested combinations, placing it in the 56th percentile. This is a mid-pack result driven by the GPU’s modest performance.

Q: Does the CPU hold back performance at any resolution?

A: No. The i5-14400F’s 83rd percentile standing and consistent FPS scaling across resolutions indicate it provides sufficient headroom, with the GPU always becoming the limiting factor first.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The combo averages 94 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is only 5 FPS slower than High (99 FPS) and 36 FPS slower than Low (171 FPS). Since the framerate remains well above 60 FPS, there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality.

For 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance. High averages 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, while Ultra drops to 65 FPS—a marginal difference of 3 FPS. Medium averages 89 FPS but requires turning off Ultra effects. Given the small gap between High and Ultra, High is recommended to maintain a safety margin above 60 FPS, while Ultra is viable for users who accept occasional dips.

For 4K, the data points to Low settings as the only acceptable option. Low averages 69 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium averages 52 FPS, which is playable but may feel sluggish in fast-paced stealth sequences. High and Ultra, at 40 FPS and 38 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. Users prioritizing 4K should accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent framerate range, with minimums of 110 FPS (1080p), 76 FPS (1440p), and 45 FPS (4K). However, this consistency does not compensate for the visual fidelity lost compared to High or Ultra. The recommended presets are Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and Low at 4K.