Thief

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for this Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs, but the shape of that curve is revealing. At 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 157.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 104.7 FPS, a 33.6% reduction. Pushing further to 4K Low yields 61.9 FPS, which is 60.7% below the 1080p baseline. This aggressive scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as pixel count rises.

The story is similar but even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At Ultra settings, the frame rate goes from 86.7 FPS at 1080p to 58.5 FPS at 1440p, then down to 33.1 FPS at 4K. That 4K Ultra result is just 38.2% of the 1080p Ultra figure. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution also widens with higher pixel counts: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 70.9 FPS, but at 4K it shrinks to 28.8 FPS. This narrowing delta suggests that at 4K, even the Low preset is already pushing the GPU near its limits, leaving little headroom for additional visual fidelity.

What does this imply about the limiting component? The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is clearly not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low can reach 157.6 FPS demonstrates ample processing headroom. However, the dramatic falloff at 4K — where even Low settings cannot maintain 62 FPS — points squarely at the RTX 2060 SUPER as the constraining factor. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated as the render target expands. The data suggests that for this game, the i5-14600KF has significant untapped potential at 4K; the GPU simply cannot feed the CPU enough frames to keep it busy.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 1126 out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief. That places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is notable given the individual component profiles. The CPU alone sits in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 63rd percentile among all graphics cards. The substantial gap between those percentiles — 30 points — explains why the combined rank is relatively modest: the GPU is dragging down what would otherwise be a top-tier CPU pairing.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals provides context. The i5-14600KF posts an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K (49166) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062). It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5% (49595). These are all extremely close margins, indicating that the CPU is performing as expected for its class. The GPU, meanwhile, shows a similar pattern among its rivals: the RTX 2060 SUPER averages 19774, which is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19706), 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19680), and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19623). It leads the NVIDIA Tesla K40m by 1.3% (19519).

The rank of 1126 out of 1642 suggests that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU is holding this combo back relative to other pairings. For a stealth game like Thief, which is not typically considered a GPU-stressing title, this ranking still places the system in a workable range, but it is far from the top. The data implies that many other tested combos with stronger GPUs achieve better overall performance, even if their CPUs are less capable.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1470 MHz, boosting to 1650 MHz. The Turing architecture, built on TSMC's 12 nm process, houses 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. These specifications directly influence the measured FPS in Thief, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and fill rate become critical.

At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 33.1 FPS, which suggests the GPU is heavily taxed. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are being pushed to their limits when rendering 3840x2160 with high-quality assets. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for this 2014 release, but the bandwidth constraints become apparent. The difference between 4K Low (61.9 FPS) and 4K High (39.0 FPS) is 22.9 FPS, showing that even modest quality increases at 4K exact a significant toll.

The GPU's FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and this shows in the frame rates. The RTX 2060 SUPER's percentile rank of 63 among all GPUs is reflected in the data: it is a mid-range card that can handle 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K. The measured results indicate that Thief's rendering workload scales heavily with resolution, and the GPU's compute resources are the limiting factor. The 175 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest a card that is efficient but not designed for extreme resolutions. For this game, the GPU's role is decisive: at 1080p it provides playable to excellent performance, but at 4K it falls below 40 FPS on High and Ultra presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The full dataset of measured FPS across all twelve resolution/settings combinations paints a complete picture. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 157.6 FPS on Low, 120.1 FPS on Medium, 90.3 FPS on High, and 86.7 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium costs 37.5 FPS, while the step from Medium to High is 29.8 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 3.6 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns at the top end of settings at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the figures are 104.7 FPS on Low, 83.8 FPS on Medium, 61.9 FPS on High, and 58.5 FPS on Ultra. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly one-third across most settings: Low drops by 52.9 FPS, Medium by 36.3 FPS, High by 28.4 FPS, and Ultra by 28.2 FPS. The consistency of these drops suggests a uniform scaling factor tied to pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls further: 61.9 FPS on Low, 51.1 FPS on Medium, 39.0 FPS on High, and 33.1 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: Low loses 42.8 FPS, Medium loses 32.7 FPS, High loses 22.9 FPS, and Ultra loses 25.4 FPS. Notably, the 4K Low result (61.9 FPS) exactly matches the 1440p High result (61.9 FPS), indicating that halving the resolution and dropping quality can yield identical performance. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is mostly smooth, and 4K is only playable on Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643, plus a Geekbench multi-core score of 15636 and single-core score of 2778. These numbers place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs.

For Thief, a game released in 2014, the CPU is unlikely to be a bottleneck at any resolution. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 157.6 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is often what older games rely on. The PassMark single-thread score of 4273 and multi-thread score of 38697 indicate that both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads are handled with ease.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is well-positioned in its class. The i5-14600KF's average score of 49367 is 0.4% above the i5-14600K and 0.6% above the Ryzen 9 5950X, while trailing the EPYC 4345P by 0.5%. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming. In Thief specifically, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU without being a limiting factor, and the data suggests it does so effectively. The 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for this title, and the high clock speeds ensure smooth frame delivery. If the GPU were more powerful, this CPU could likely push much higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where it has headroom.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but the choice between them involves trade-offs. Ultra runs at 86.7 FPS, which is smooth, but High at 90.3 FPS is nearly identical and might preserve better visual quality per frame. Medium at 120.1 FPS offers a significant boost for competitive play, while Low at 157.6 FPS is the clear choice for maximum smoothness. For most players at 1080p, High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the difference between High and Ultra is just 3.6 FPS.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. High and Ultra yield 61.9 FPS and 58.5 FPS respectively, which are acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Medium at 83.8 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a substantial improvement over High while maintaining good visuals. Low at 104.7 FPS is the choice for those prioritizing frame rate above all else. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p gives the best overall experience, as it stays well above 60 FPS while retaining reasonable quality.

At 4K, the options are limited. Ultra at 33.1 FPS is borderline unplayable, and High at 39.0 FPS is still quite choppy. Medium at 51.1 FPS is usable but not ideal. Low at 61.9 FPS is the only preset that consistently clears 60 FPS. For 4K, the recommendation is to use Low settings, which provide a playable experience. If visual fidelity is paramount, Medium at 51.1 FPS might suffice, but the data indicates that Low is the safest choice for a smooth experience. Across all resolutions, the pattern is clear: favor Medium at 1440p, High at 1080p, and Low at 4K for the best balance of performance and quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Thief?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the most comfortable performance, with all presets exceeding 86 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 83.8 FPS, which is also good. 4K is only playable on Low, at 61.9 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER perform relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN, 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070, 0.8% ahead of the Quadro K5200, and 1.3% ahead of the Tesla K40m.

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

A: At lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU has ample headroom, with frame rates up to 157.6 FPS. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as even Low settings drop to 61.9 FPS, indicating the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 2560x1440 at Ultra settings is 58.5 FPS. This is playable but below the 60 FPS threshold, so Medium at 83.8 FPS might be preferable for smoother gameplay.

Q: How does the i5-14600KF compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-14600KF scores 49367 on average, which is 0.4% above the i5-14600K and 0.6% above the Ryzen 9 5950X. It trails the EPYC 4345P by 0.5%. These differences are minor.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 1126 out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile, while the GPU is in the 63rd percentile, which explains the mid-tier overall ranking.