Thief

Thief, a stealth title from 2014, remains a relevant benchmark for modern hardware combinations. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B370, a combination that ranks 2634th out of 2851 tested combos in this game. The data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics component, with the CPU's substantial processing power largely left untapped at higher resolutions. The measured FPS across various settings and resolutions paints a clear picture of a pairing that is only capable of smooth gameplay at its lowest graphical presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and exposes the Arc B370 as the definitive bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 78 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 25 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 31 FPS, meaning the move from 1080p to 4K at Low settings results in a 47 FPS loss, or approximately a 60% reduction in performance. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is being saturated by the increasing pixel count, leaving little headroom for the CPU to influence the outcome.

This pattern is consistent across all quality presets. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 45 at 1080p to 31 at 1440p and finally to 18 at 4K. The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with averages of 43, 29, and 17 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The consistent, substantial drops suggest that the limiting factor is the fill rate and shading power of the Arc B370, not the processing capability of the CPU. If the i5-14400F were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The data implies that this is a GPU-bound scenario in virtually all tested configurations. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames to a more powerful graphics card. However, the Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, appears to be overwhelmed by the demands of 1440p and 4K rendering. The only resolution where this combination approaches playable frame rates is 1080p, and even then, only at the Low and Medium presets. The scaling behavior indicates that for a better experience, the GPU would need to be upgraded, as the CPU has ample performance to spare.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055. This places the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all tested CPUs, indicating strong overall processing power. In the context of Thief, a game from 2014, this CPU's capabilities are far beyond what is typically required for the game's logic and AI.

The game's performance data, however, shows that the CPU's power is not being fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 78, which is the highest recorded for this combo. While this is a decent frame rate, it is not proof of the CPU's strength, but rather a reflection of the GPU's ability to keep up at this lower resolution. The fact that the frame rate drops so dramatically when the resolution increases suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. If the i5-14400F were limiting performance, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS regardless of resolution, as the CPU would be unable to process game state updates any faster.

Instead, the data suggests the CPU is waiting on the GPU. The i5-14400F's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055, is ample for Thief's engine, which is not known for being heavily multithreaded. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, but this advantage is nullified when the GPU is the limiting factor. In this pairing, the CPU is essentially a bystander, waiting for the Arc B370 to finish rendering each frame. The benchmark results indicate that the i5-14400F is a capable processor that would perform significantly better in this game if paired with a more powerful GPU. Its role here is to ensure that it is not the cause of any stuttering or frame drops, a task it handles with ease.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It features 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory for VRAM, with bandwidth being "System Dependent." This is a critical detail, as the performance of the GPU is heavily influenced by the speed and bandwidth of the system's DDR4 or DDR5 memory. The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is very low.

This low percentile is directly reflected in the measured FPS in Thief. The GPU's 20 ROPs are a severe limitation, as they handle the pixel fill rate, which is crucial for high-resolution rendering. The pixel rate is listed as 48.00 GPixel/s, which sounds adequate on paper, but in practice, it is insufficient for the demands of 1440p and 4K gaming. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 17, and even at 1080p Ultra, it only reaches 43 FPS. The GPU's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is also relatively low, limiting its ability to handle complex shaders and effects.

The most telling comparison is to its nearest rivals, which include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, both of which are much older, low-end mobile GPUs. The Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 is within 0.7% of these older parts, indicating that its raw performance is at a similar level. This explains the poor frame rates at higher settings. The GPU is simply not powerful enough to maintain high frame rates in Thief at resolutions above 1080p. The "System Shared" memory configuration is also a potential source of performance loss, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which can cause stutters and frame drops. The data clearly shows that the Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2634th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, highlighting its poor gaming performance relative to the rest of the database. This low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a high-performing part that ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests that this is a severely imbalanced pairing, where a strong CPU is held back by a very weak GPU.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-14400F's average benchmark score of 32279 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, the Intel Core i9-11900, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS, with delta percentages of 0.1%, 0.2%, and -0.2%, respectively. This indicates that the CPU's performance is on par with these other mid-range to high-end processors. However, the GPU's nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are ancient parts by comparison. This juxtaposition of a modern, efficient CPU with a GPU that performs on par with hardware from over a decade ago is the core reason for the combo's low rank.

The combo rank of 2634 is a direct consequence of the GPU's 5th percentile ranking. The CPU's high performance is irrelevant to the gaming experience when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. The data implies that if this CPU were paired with almost any other discrete GPU, the combo rank would be significantly higher. The combination's low rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities, but rather a clear indicator that the GPU is the sole reason for the poor gaming performance. This is a textbook example of a bottleneck, where the system's overall performance is limited by its weakest component.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Thief?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 78 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F or the Intel Arc B370 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, while the CPU has ample performance to spare.

Q: How does this combo's overall performance rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2634th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations.

Q: At 1440p resolution, what settings preset provides a playable frame rate?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low settings preset is the only option that provides a playable average frame rate, which is 53 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 41 FPS, and High and Ultra are below 31 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 78 FPS at Low settings to 43 FPS at Ultra settings, a difference of 35 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all other GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it performs worse than 95% of all other graphics cards in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following measurements were taken for the Intel Core i5-14400F + Intel Arc B370 combination in Thief. All values represent average FPS unless otherwise noted.

1920x1080

• Low: 78 FPS
• Medium: 59 FPS (min 50, max 68)
• High: 45 FPS
• Ultra: 43 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: 53 FPS
• Medium: 41 FPS (min 35, max 47)
• High: 31 FPS
• Ultra: 29 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: 31 FPS
• Medium: 24 FPS (min 20, max 27)
• High: 18 FPS
• Ultra: 17 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase. At 1080p, the combo can manage playable frame rates at Low and Medium settings, but struggles at High and Ultra. At 1440p, only the Low preset is playable. At 4K, the combination is not capable of producing playable frame rates at any setting. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset show that there is some frame pacing instability, with the 1% lows being significantly lower than the average. This is likely due to the "System Shared" memory configuration, which can cause hitches when the GPU needs to access memory that is also being used by the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the user's target resolution and acceptable frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, there is only one viable option: 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which achieves an average of 78 FPS. This setting sacrifices visual quality but provides the most headroom for consistent performance.

If the user is willing to accept a slightly lower frame rate, 1920x1080 with the Medium preset is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The average FPS is 59, which is right at the threshold for smooth gameplay, but the minimum FPS of 50 indicates there may be occasional dips. This is the highest setting at which the game maintains an average above 55 FPS.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 53 FPS. This is a playable, though not ideal, experience. All other presets at this resolution fall below 41 FPS, which is likely to be a subpar experience. At 4K, there are no recommendations, as even the Low preset only achieves 31 FPS, which is not smooth enough for a stealth game that requires precise timing. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as the performance cost is substantial for minimal visual gains over High settings, and it only yields 43 FPS at 1080p. In summary, for the best experience, users should play at 1080p and choose between the Low and Medium presets based on their preference for frame rate or visual quality.