Thief

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B580 produces a highly variable performance profile in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that predates the GPU's architecture by a decade. The data shows a configuration that is heavily dependent on both resolution and graphics settings, with the Arc B580’s 12 GB of VRAM and 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth proving sufficient across all tested configurations. This combo ranks in the 21st percentile of all tested combinations, indicating that while it is far from the top of the charts, it delivers playable frame rates in most scenarios, with notable exceptions at 4K with higher settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 152.0 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling of the configuration's performance in this game.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with the highest settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 30.9 FPS. With High settings at the same resolution, it reaches 32.4 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is not the only demanding option at 4K.

Q: Is the Arc B580 more of a bottleneck at 1080p or 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes a significant limiting factor at higher resolutions. Scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at High settings reduces performance from 84.9 FPS to 32.4 FPS, a drop of 61.8%, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its closest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166. It sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 0.9% above the AMD EPYC 4345P, and 1.0% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H. It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4%.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 103.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 57.1 FPS. This represents a performance increase of 80.6% when moving from Ultra to Low settings.

Q: Is the combo's ranking in the database based on measured data?

A: Yes, the `dataIsMeasured` field is set to true, confirming that the frame rate results are from actual testing rather than estimates. The combo is ranked 1295 out of 1642 total tested combinations for this game.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the primary driver of frame rate variance in this configuration. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Thief's 2014-era textures and geometry. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz, a fixed frequency that helps maintain consistent performance. The card's 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs are responsible for the raw pixel throughput, rated at 213.6 GPixel/s, which becomes a critical factor at higher resolutions.

The benchmark results show that the Arc B580's performance scales predictably with workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the GPU is not the limiting factor, allowing the 14-core, 20-thread i5-14600K to push the frame rate to 152.0 FPS. However, as resolution increases to 3840x2160, the GPU's fill rate and compute capabilities are taxed more heavily. The frame rate at 4K High (32.4 FPS) is less than half of the 1440p High result (58.0 FPS), demonstrating that the B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12_2 feature level do not appear to provide an advantage in this title, as the game's engine is older and likely uses earlier DirectX versions. The passmark DirectX 11 score of 128 and DirectX 12 score of 76 suggest that the card's performance in legacy APIs is adequate but not exceptional. The 190 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate that this is a mid-range power draw, but the data shows that thermal or power limits are not preventing the card from reaching its specified clock speeds in this benchmark.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Thief, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B580 holds the 1295th position out of 1642 total combinations. This places it in the lower 21% of all tested systems, suggesting that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is also not among the worst. The rank is a composite measure that likely accounts for performance across all resolutions and settings, penalizing the very low 4K results but rewarding the strong 1080p numbers.

The CPU's individual standing is much higher than the combo rank. The i5-14600K sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166. This indicates that the processor is a high-end part that should not be the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 49062, which is a 0.2% difference, placing them in the same performance tier. The GPU, however, is less impressive in relative terms, sitting in the 66th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 23021. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23181, which is 0.7% higher.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (93) and the GPU's lower percentile (66) explains the combo's overall rank. The data suggests that the Arc B580 is holding back the i5-14600K in Thief, especially at higher resolutions. The combo's rank of 1295 is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to keep pace with the CPU's capabilities in this specific workload, particularly at 4K where the frame rates dip below 35 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the combo's behavior across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the configuration is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings. The Low preset achieves 152.0 FPS, which drops to 111.3 FPS at Medium, 84.9 FPS at High, and 83.7 FPS at Ultra. The small difference between High and Ultra (1.2 FPS) suggests that the CPU is nearing its limit in this scenario, or that the Ultra preset adds minimal GPU load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limitations. The Low preset produces 103.1 FPS, which is a 32.2% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset yields 76.8 FPS, High produces 58.0 FPS, and Ultra drops to 57.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is less than 1 FPS, indicating that both settings are equally demanding on the GPU. The 1440p results show a clearer separation between settings, with Low being 80.6% faster than Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. The Low preset manages 62.4 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 45.7 FPS, High to 32.4 FPS, and Ultra to 30.9 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 1.5 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is saturated and additional settings have diminishing returns. The 4K Low result is notable, as it is only 39.5% slower than the 1440p Low result, showing that the Arc B580 can handle 4K when the visual load is minimized.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the nature of the limiting component in this system. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 84.9 FPS at 1080p to 58.0 FPS at 1440p, a 31.7% reduction, and then to 32.4 FPS at 4K, a 44.1% reduction from 1440p. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload, where the pixel count increases quadratically with resolution.

The Low settings scaling tells a different story. From 1080p (152.0 FPS) to 1440p (103.1 FPS), the drop is 32.2%, which is similar to the High settings drop. However, from 1440p to 4K (62.4 FPS), the drop is 39.5%, which is less severe than the High settings drop of 44.1%. This indicates that at Low settings, the CPU still has some influence on performance at 1440p, but the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor at 4K.

The data suggests that the i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for Thief's engine, even at 1080p with Low settings where 152.0 FPS is achieved. The Arc B580, with its 192-bit memory bus and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, is the component that determines the resolution ceiling. The 4K Ultra result of 30.9 FPS is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making this combo unsuitable for 4K with high settings. For 1440p, the GPU provides adequate performance (58.0 FPS at High), but users seeking higher frame rates would need to lower settings to Medium (76.8 FPS) or Low (103.1 FPS). The sweet spot for this configuration in Thief is 1920x1080 with High settings, where 84.9 FPS is achieved, balancing visual quality with smooth motion.