Thief

FAQ

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

A: The i5-14600K posts an average benchmark score of 48,618, placing it 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4345P (48,470). It also leads the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX by 0.7% (48,287) but trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 by 0.8% (48,995).

Q: What is the GPU's synthetic performance standing relative to its nearest competitors?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21,035, which sits 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21,153) and 1.0% below the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21,237). It is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20,713) and 1.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21,379).

Q: What is the best playable setting at 4K resolution for this combo in Thief?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 66 FPS, while Medium drops to 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS. High and Ultra average 38 FPS and 36 FPS respectively, so Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 1440p at the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo averages 124 FPS with a 106 FPS minimum. Moving to 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 85 FPS with a 72 FPS minimum. That represents a 31.5% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested system combinations in Thief?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1,710th out of 2,851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 40th percentile of all tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU have a significant performance advantage over the GPU in raw benchmark terms?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 48,618, while the GPU's is 21,035. The CPU holds a 131.1% higher average benchmark score, which aligns with the CPU's 90th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 66th percentile.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process node. It operates at a 3.50 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support spans both DDR4 and DDR5 across a dual-channel bus, and the chip includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though discrete graphics are used in this benchmark configuration.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-14600K demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 24,491, while the single-core score is 2,064. The Geekbench multi-core score reaches 16,673, and the single-core score is 2,491. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 38,682 and a single-thread score of 4,270. These figures place the CPU at the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 48,618.

For Thief, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining a stable frame pipeline, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The processor's high boost clock of 5.30 GHz and 20 threads provide substantial headroom for game logic, physics, and AI systems typical of a stealth title. At 1080p, the combo achieves 164 FPS on Low settings, which suggests that the CPU is not limiting performance in less demanding scenarios. The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1% of its average score, indicating that the i5-14600K is positioned in a tightly contested performance band. However, in Thief specifically, the measured FPS results show that the CPU can push well beyond 144 FPS at 1080p Low, so the limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions shifts to the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a chip designated GB207. It contains 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 113.4 million per mm². The GPU has 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. It also includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The base clock is 2,317 MHz with a boost clock of 2,572 MHz, and memory runs at 2,500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU's pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s, texture rate is 205.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 13.17 TFLOPS. The card has a 130 W TDP and requires a 300 W suggested PSU, using a single 8-pin power connector. It interfaces via PCIe 5.0 x8 and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5050 scores 17,326 in PassMark G3D and 9,184 in PassMark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,502, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 90,334 and 89,381 respectively. The GPU sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,035.

In Thief, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's demands at most settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 36 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily stressed. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals—all within 1.6% of its average score—suggests it is a mid-tier card that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably but struggles at 4K with higher presets. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 5050 provides playable frame rates up to 1440p High (65 FPS) but requires the Low preset to exceed 60 FPS at 4K (66 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1,710th out of 2,851 tested combinations in Thief. This places the combo in the 40th percentile of all tested systems, meaning approximately 60% of tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. Given that the CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors and the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU's comparatively lower standing.

The rank of 1,710 out of 2,851 indicates that this is not a top-tier combination for Thief, but it is far from the bottom. The CPU's high synthetic scores (48,618 average) are not fully utilized in this game because the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's performance ceiling for this title. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 36 FPS, showing that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 13.17 TFLOPS compute are insufficient for maximum settings at that resolution.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 5050's performance is closely matched with several older or lower-tier cards. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is only 1.6% slower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster. This tight grouping suggests that the RTX 5050 is not a significant generational leap in raw performance, which contributes to the combo's mid-pack ranking in Thief. For players seeking higher rankings, a stronger GPU would be the primary upgrade path, as the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck at any resolution below 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data for Thief, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at the same resolution averages 95 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate, Medium at 1080p offers the best balance, but High and Ultra are also playable if visual fidelity is preferred.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 85 FPS with a 72 FPS minimum, making it the recommended setting for a consistent experience. High averages 65 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the boundary. Ultra at 1440p drops to 62 FPS, which is barely above 60 FPS and may experience occasional dips. Low at 1440p averages 112 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is significant. For 1440p gaming, Medium is the recommended preset.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable average frame rate of 66 FPS. Medium drops to 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is below the 60 FPS standard. High and Ultra average 38 FPS and 36 FPS respectively, which are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires the Low preset, or alternatively, the player should accept lower frame rates on Medium.

The measured rows show that the Medium preset consistently provides the best balance between frame rate and visual quality across all three resolutions, with the caveat that 4K Medium is marginal. For the best experience per the data, 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium are the standout choices.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 164 FPS, making it the fastest setting. Medium averages 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High averages 95 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 74 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, frame rates drop considerably. Low averages 112 FPS, which is a 31.7% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium averages 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra averages 62 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 50 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall further. Low averages 66 FPS, which is a 41.1% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS. High averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30 FPS, which is narrower than at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is saturated at 4K and settings have less impact on frame rate.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the combo can push well beyond 120 FPS on most settings, while at 4K, even the Low preset barely exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (106 at 1080p, 72 at 1440p, 43 at 4K) provide useful data on frame time consistency, with the 1440p Medium result being the most stable above 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the combo scales from 1080p to 4K across the four settings presets. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 164 FPS at 1080p to 112 FPS at 1440p (a 31.7% reduction) and then to 66 FPS at 4K (a further 41.1% reduction from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low is 59.8%, which is substantial but not unexpected for a GPU of this class.

At the Medium preset, the average frame rate drops from 124 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p (a 31.5% reduction) and then to 50 FPS at 4K (a 41.2% reduction from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 59.7%, nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. This suggests that the GPU is consistently the limiting factor across resolutions, as the relative performance drop is similar regardless of settings.

At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 95 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p (a 31.6% reduction) and then to 38 FPS at 4K (a 41.5% reduction from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at High is 60.0%. At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops from 90 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p (a 31.1% reduction) and then to 36 FPS at 4K (a 41.9% reduction from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 60.0%.

The consistency of these scaling patterns—all four presets show approximately a 31-32% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 41-42% drop from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the system is GPU-bound across all settings. The CPU's performance headroom is sufficient to maintain frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering capacity is the sole determinant of frame rate as resolution increases. The 4K results, where even the Low preset only achieves 66 FPS, confirm that the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution gaming without significant preset compromises.