Thief

# Thief with Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a playable but uneven experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. Across the measured configurations, the combo produces average frame rates ranging from 35 FPS at 4K Ultra to 159 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-threaded performance keeps 1080p frame rates high. This analysis walks through the CPU and GPU roles, resolution scaling behavior, overall ranking, and settings recommendations based solely on the measured results.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and it carries a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results show a strong all-around performer: it scores 40,642 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 5,737 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 4,096 in Cinebench R15 multi-core. Its PassMark single-thread score is 4,500, and it achieves 47,985 in PassMark multithread. The CPU sits at the 93rd percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63,173.

In Thief, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates reach 159 FPS at Low settings. That figure suggests the processor can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a 2014 title, which was designed for far less capable hardware. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz likely contributes to the strong 1080p results, as Thief's engine benefits from fast single-core performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,737 places this CPU among the top tier for legacy gaming workloads.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tightly clustered group. The Intel Core i7-13790F has an average score of 63,080, which is 0.1% lower than the 265HX. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G scores 63,331, putting it 0.2% ahead. The AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 trails by 0.5% at 62,839, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX is 0.7% behind at 62,738. These small deltas indicate that the 265HX is squarely in the middle of its performance tier, with no meaningful advantage or disadvantage over immediate competitors in general compute workloads.

For Thief specifically, the CPU's contribution is likely secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average frame rates drop to 35-64 FPS depending on settings, which points to the graphics card as the bottleneck. However, at 1080p Low, the 159 FPS result demonstrates that the CPU is not holding back performance in less demanding scenarios. The processor's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support provide adequate data throughput for the game's assets, though the game's age means it likely does not stress modern memory subsystems heavily.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card has 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

In the GPU benchmark suite, the RTX 5060 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 20,891 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 10,899. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3,628, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 112,787 and 113,321 respectively. The GPU sits at the 72nd percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26,331. This places it in the upper-midrange tier, capable of handling modern titles at 1080p and 1440p, but with limitations at 4K.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a mixed competitive picture. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26,401, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5060. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 matches at 26,421, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26,553, 0.8% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT trails at 26,011, which is 1.2% lower. These small deltas suggest the RTX 5060 performs similarly to integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, though its real-world gaming performance in Thief may differ.

In Thief, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures and geometry at all tested settings. The measured results show that at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor: High settings yield 37 FPS, Medium 49 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K reach a playable 64 FPS. At 1440p, the GPU manages 60-109 FPS across settings, and at 1080p it delivers 88-159 FPS. The boost clock of 2497 MHz and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth appear adequate for this older title, which does not require the latest rendering features. The RTX 5060's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than enough for Thief's DirectX 11-era workload, but the card's 48 ROPs and 128-bit memory bus limit its fill-rate performance at higher resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 159 FPS at 1080p to 109 FPS at 1440p, then to 64 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31.4% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41.3% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 59.7%, meaning the system loses nearly two-thirds of its frame rate when moving to 4K.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 121 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31.4%, and from 1440p to 4K is 41.0%. The overall reduction from 1080p to 4K is 59.5%. These consistent percentages across Low and Medium settings indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rate scales roughly with the pixel count increase (2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, and 4x from 1080p to 4K).

High settings show a steeper decline: 92 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31.5%, and from 1440p to 4K is 41.3%, for a total of 59.8% from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 88 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, with drops of 31.8% and 41.7% respectively, totaling 60.2%. The near-identical scaling percentages across all four settings strongly suggest that resolution, not graphical complexity, is the dominant factor in frame rate reduction.

The minimum FPS data available for Medium settings provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 103 FPS with a maximum of 139 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum drops to 71 FPS with a maximum of 95 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 41 FPS with a maximum of 56 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale similarly to averages, indicating no unexpected stuttering or frame-time spikes at any resolution. The spread between minimum and maximum remains roughly 36-38% of the average across all three resolutions, suggesting consistent frame pacing.

The resolution scaling data points to the GPU as the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at higher resolutions rather than continue declining. Instead, the consistent percentage drops with each resolution increase indicate that the RTX 5060's rendering capabilities—particularly its 48 ROPs and 128-bit memory interface—are the constraining factors. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 5,737 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p but cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 2,438 out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief. This places the combo in the 34.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 65.5% of tested combos perform better in this game. Given that the CPU ranks at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, the combo's lower ranking in Thief suggests that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU relative to other workloads, or that the specific pairing is not optimal for this title.

The combo rank of 2,438 out of 3,720 indicates that this system is below average for Thief specifically. This is notable because the individual components rank much higher in their respective categories. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking places it among the top 7% of processors, and the GPU's 72nd percentile puts it in the upper third of graphics cards. Yet, in Thief, the combo performs worse than most other tested configurations. This discrepancy likely stems from the game's age and its engine's characteristics, which may not benefit fully from the modern architecture of these components.

The gap between component-level rankings and the in-game combo ranking highlights that Thief's performance profile does not align with the strengths of this hardware. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance (40,642 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) is largely irrelevant for a 2014 game that likely uses only a few threads. Similarly, the GPU's modern features like ray tracing cores and tensor cores are not utilized by this title. The game's performance is likely limited by raw rasterization throughput, where the RTX 5060's 48 ROPs and 128-bit memory bus are modest compared to higher-end cards.

The combo's rank of 2,438 suggests that users seeking high frame rates in Thief would benefit from different hardware, possibly a GPU with more ROPs or wider memory bandwidth. However, the measured results show that the combo is still capable of playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, with only 4K Ultra and High falling below 40 FPS. The ranking should be interpreted as a relative measure against all tested combos, many of which may include desktop-class components or higher-tier GPUs that are better suited to this game's rendering demands.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the highest frame rates, with averages ranging from 88 FPS at Ultra to 159 FPS at Low. At 1440p, averages range from 60 FPS at Ultra to 109 FPS at Low. At 4K, only Low settings reach 64 FPS, while Ultra drops to 35 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63,173. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13790F (63,080), 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (63,331), 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 (62,839), and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX (62,738).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and how does it compare to rivals?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26,331. It is 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401) and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26,421), 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26,553), and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26,011).

Q: Does the combo maintain consistent frame rates at Medium settings?

A: The measured data for Medium settings shows a minimum of 103 FPS and maximum of 139 FPS at 1080p, a minimum of 71 FPS and maximum of 95 FPS at 1440p, and a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS at 4K. The frame time spread is consistent across resolutions.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Thief?

A: The combo ranks 2,438 out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief. This places it below the median, indicating that most other tested configurations achieve higher frame rates in this game.

Q: What are the GPU's key specifications for gaming?

A: The RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. It has a base clock of 2280 MHz and boost clock of 2497 MHz, with 3,840 shading units and 48 ROPs. Its FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with Low delivering 159 FPS, Medium 121 FPS, High 92 FPS, and Ultra 88 FPS. For players prioritizing smoothness, Medium settings at 1080p provide a strong balance, offering 121 FPS average with a minimum of 103 FPS, which is well above typical 60 FPS targets. High settings at 1080p also remain viable at 92 FPS, and even Ultra holds above 85 FPS.

At 1440p, the data shows that Low settings yield 109 FPS, Medium 83 FPS, High 63 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, Ultra settings at 1440p just barely achieve this with an average of 60 FPS. Medium settings provide more headroom at 83 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming. High settings at 63 FPS are also acceptable for those who prefer visual quality over frame rate headroom.

At 4K, only Low settings achieve a playable 64 FPS. Medium drops to 49 FPS, High to 37 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS. For 4K gaming, Low settings are the only viable option for smooth gameplay, though players may accept the 49 FPS Medium preset if they prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The 4K Medium minimum of 41 FPS suggests occasional dips below 40 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced stealth sequences.

The data indicates that the best overall experience is at 1080p Medium, which delivers 121 FPS average with a 103 FPS minimum. This combination provides excellent smoothness while retaining moderate visual quality. For 1440p users, Medium at 83 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, Low settings are recommended for playable frame rates, though users with lower frame rate tolerance may opt for Medium.

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

1920x1080:

• Low: 159 FPS average
• Medium: 121 FPS average, 103 FPS minimum, 139 FPS maximum
• High: 92 FPS average
• Ultra: 88 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 109 FPS average
• Medium: 83 FPS average, 71 FPS minimum, 95 FPS maximum
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 60 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 64 FPS average
• Medium: 49 FPS average, 41 FPS minimum, 56 FPS maximum
• High: 37 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up reduces frame rates by roughly one-third, and each settings tier up from Low to Ultra reduces performance by approximately 45-50% at any given resolution. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 71 FPS (159 to 88). At 1440p, the spread is 49 FPS (109 to 60). At 4K, the spread narrows to 29 FPS (64 to 35), indicating that the GPU becomes increasingly saturated at higher resolutions, compressing the performance differences between settings levels. The Medium settings rows provide the only minimum and maximum data, showing that frame times remain stable with a consistent spread of approximately 30% around the average across all three resolutions.