Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, remains a revealing benchmark for modern hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination shows a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-threaded performance ensures high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p, but the RTX 2060 SUPER becomes the limiting factor as resolution scales toward 4K, where even the Low preset only manages an average of 63 FPS. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides clear settings recommendations based solely on the data.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a sharp and predictable decline in average FPS as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 90 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 36 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, a significant drop that clearly indicates the GPU is shouldering the bulk of the rendering workload. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 26 FPS loss, demonstrating that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the pixel count at 3840x2160.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At the Low preset, the average FPS scales from 155 at 1080p down to 107 at 1440p and 63 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 44 FPS, which is a larger absolute loss than the 48 FPS drop seen from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are hitting a performance cliff as the pixel workload increases. The frame time data for the Medium preset confirms this trend, with the minimum FPS falling from 100 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p and 40 at 4K, while the maximum FPS drops from 136 to 93 and 55 respectively.

The scaling behavior indicates that the Intel Core i5-14400F is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between 1080p and 4K performance, as the resolution increase would not add significant CPU overhead. Instead, the consistent and large FPS drops across all presets point directly to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER as the component dictating performance at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU's high single-core performance is able to feed the GPU adequately, allowing it to reach 155 FPS on Low, but the GPU's architectural limits prevent it from translating that headroom into 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Thief?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 155, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 63 on the Low preset; the High, Medium, and Ultra presets all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 36, 48, and 35 FPS respectively.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops from 107 on Low to 59 on Ultra at 2560x1440, a difference of 48 FPS. This shows a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F holding back the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and High presets at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset averages 118 FPS, while the High preset averages 90 FPS. This is a 28 FPS difference, indicating that the High preset has a substantial impact on the GPU workload.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance in Thief compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, which is a delta of -0.4%. This indicates the desktop RTX 2060 SUPER performs nearly identically to that mobile part in general benchmarks, though game-specific results may vary.

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. In Thief, a game from 2014 that is not heavily threaded, the CPU's high boost clock is more critical than its core count. The measured FPS data supports this, as the system achieves high frame rates at 1080p, indicating that the CPU can efficiently process game logic and draw calls to feed the GPU. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and single-core score of 3055 place it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, which is a strong result for a mid-range desktop part.

The CPU's role becomes less prominent as resolution increases. At 4K, the average FPS on the Ultra preset is 35, which is a 51 FPS drop from the 1080p Ultra average of 86. This massive drop is not caused by the CPU, as the workload per frame for the CPU does not change with resolution. Instead, it is the GPU that is unable to maintain its 1080p throughput when tasked with rendering four times the number of pixels. The data shows that the i5-14400F provides a solid foundation, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (avg score 32233, deltaPct 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (avg score 32226, deltaPct 0.2%), indicating it is a competitive performer in its class.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) contribute to its ability to handle the game's data streaming without causing stutters. The minimum FPS recorded at the Medium preset at 1080p is 100, which is a strong indicator of consistent frame pacing. While the CPU is not the star of the show in this GPU-bound title, its performance headroom ensures that it does not become a limiting factor, allowing the RTX 2060 SUPER to operate at its full potential. The processor's 65W TDP also suggests it can sustain its boost clocks without thermal throttling in a standard desktop configuration, which is beneficial for maintaining stable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance, with the Low preset achieving an average of 155 FPS. The Medium preset is also highly playable, averaging 118 FPS with a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 136 FPS. The High preset averages 90 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, averages 86 FPS, showing only a 4 FPS drop from High. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not prohibitively expensive at 1080p, making it a viable option for gamers with high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. The Low preset averages 107 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset averages 59 FPS, dipping just below the 60 FPS mark. This resolution presents a trade-off: users must choose between High settings at 62 FPS or Medium settings at 81 FPS for a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 SUPER is clearly overmatched. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, averaging 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 55 FPS, which can lead to noticeable stuttering in a stealth game that requires precise timing. The High and Ultra presets average 36 and 35 FPS respectively, which are not suitable for smooth gameplay. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, 1440p is playable with settings compromises, and 4K is only viable on the lowest settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The data shows that this GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate in Thief, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's average benchmark score is 18093, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159 (deltaPct -0.4%).

In Thief, the GPU's performance is directly tied to the resolution and settings. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames at a rate that is high enough to be limited by the CPU's ability to submit draw calls, resulting in the 155 FPS average on Low. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the bottlenecks. The 4K results are particularly telling: the Ultra preset's average of 35 FPS is less than a quarter of the 1080p Low average, showing a severe scaling penalty. The GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not sufficient to handle the shader complexity of the Ultra preset at 4K.

The GPU's memory configuration also plays a role. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the texture data and frame buffer requirements may exceed the available bandwidth, leading to the significant FPS drops observed. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p and 1440p GPU for this title, but it is not designed for 4K gaming. The performance delta between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (63 vs 35 FPS) highlights the GPU's struggle with the increased shader and texture workloads.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For gamers with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers an average of 86 FPS with no minimum FPS data suggesting drops below playable levels. The performance cost from High to Ultra is minimal (90 to 86 FPS), so there is little reason to sacrifice visual quality at this resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p also offers a strong experience with a 118 FPS average, but the Ultra preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 1440p, the recommendation is more nuanced. For a 60Hz display, the High preset is the best choice, averaging 62 FPS and providing a solid visual experience. The Ultra preset falls just short at 59 FPS, which may result in occasional dips below 60 FPS, so it is less ideal. For gamers with a 144Hz display at 1440p, the Medium preset, averaging 81 FPS, is the recommended choice, as it offers a significant performance boost over High (62 FPS) while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The Low preset at 1440p, averaging 107 FPS, is also an option for competitive play, but it sacrifices too much visual detail for a stealth game.

At 4K, the data suggests that this hardware combination is not well-suited for the game. The Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 63 FPS. This will require significant visual compromises, but it is the only way to achieve a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is borderline, but the minimum FPS of 40 indicates potential stuttering. The High and Ultra presets at 36 and 35 FPS respectively are not recommended. For the best experience with this setup, users should target 1080p with Ultra settings, or 1440p with High settings if a higher resolution is preferred, as these configurations provide the best balance of performance and visual quality based on the measured data.