Thief

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a decisive performance profile in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. Based on measured data, this combination provides high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the only limitation appearing at 4K with Ultra settings. The CPU, which sits in the 90th percentile of all tested processors, and the GPU, in the 81st percentile, combine to offer a smooth experience that scales predictably with resolution and preset changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear hierarchy across the three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly powerful. On Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 208.2 FPS. Moving to Medium yields 191.6 FPS, while High settings produce 148.1 FPS. Even at the most demanding Ultra preset, the average stays high at 137.9 FPS. This resolution shows no signs of strain, with all presets delivering far above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but begins to show the expected scaling. Low settings average 175 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 1080p result but still exceptionally smooth. Medium settings produce 135.1 FPS, High settings reach 99.6 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 94.7 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is notable, showing a reduction of roughly 5 FPS, but the experience remains fluid throughout.

The 3840x2160 results are where the GPU starts to work harder. Low settings average 101.1 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings yield 77.3 FPS, and High settings come in at 62.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 57 FPS. This marks a clear boundary for 4K gaming with this hardware, where High is the ceiling for a consistently smooth experience.

The data shows a consistent pattern: resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by roughly 15-30% depending on the preset, while moving from 1440p to 4K cuts performance more steeply, particularly at higher settings. The Ultra preset at 4K is the single point where the combination fails to maintain 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU separately provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitors are the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 with a score of 49228 (a 0.3% difference), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% difference), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 (0.8% difference), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796 (-0.8% difference). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, as the game is not particularly CPU-intensive at these settings.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37628 (0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (0.4% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 (-1.3% difference), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37157 (1.3% difference). The extremely small deltas here suggest that swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these alternatives would result in virtually indistinguishable performance in Thief. The RTX 4080 Mobile is slightly faster, while the Radeon PRO W6400 is slightly slower, but all fall within a range that would not meaningfully alter the playability verdicts at any resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in Thief across all resolutions, but the CPU's contribution becomes more relevant at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1920x1080, the CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2445 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594, helps push frame rates to very high levels. The scaling from Low (208.2 FPS) to Ultra (137.9 FPS) shows a 34% reduction in performance, which is primarily driven by GPU load as pixel count and shading complexity increase.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's role grows more prominent. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset is significant: for example, High settings fall from 148.1 FPS to 99.6 FPS, a 33% reduction. This suggests the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as the pixel count increases by 78%. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, has ample headroom and is not likely to bottleneck at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p, and the frame rates reflect this. Low settings drop to 101.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57 FPS, showing a 73% reduction from Low to Ultra at this resolution. The CPU's role here is minimal; its performance, as measured by a PassMark multithread score of 38697 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32544, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU. The data shows that the scaling between resolutions is steepest at 4K, confirming that the RTX 4070's compute resources, including its 5888 shading units and 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance, are the primary determinant of playability.

The preset scaling within each resolution also highlights the GPU's dominance. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 34%, while at 4K the same preset change reduces FPS by 44%. This indicates that the GPU is handling an increasing share of the workload as resolution rises, with the CPU maintaining a consistent but secondary role.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can run Thief at 60 FPS or higher in most configurations, with a single exception. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low (208.2 FPS), Medium (191.6 FPS), High (148.1 FPS), and Ultra (137.9 FPS) — clear the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margins. At 2560x1440, the same is true: Low (175 FPS), Medium (135.1 FPS), High (99.6 FPS), and Ultra (94.7 FPS) all average above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system maintains playability on Low (101.1 FPS), Medium (77.3 FPS), and High (62.7 FPS) settings. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 57 FPS, which is 5% below the threshold.

The verdict is clear: this combination is fully capable of running the game smoothly at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, and at 4K with High settings or lower. The single sub-60 FPS result at 4K Ultra is a minor limitation that does not detract from the overall playability of the title.

Best Settings per Resolution

For players aiming to maintain an average of at least 60 FPS, the best settings per resolution are as follows. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 137.9 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays well above the threshold. This is the optimal choice for maximum visual fidelity with no performance concerns.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also provides the best experience, with an average of 94.7 FPS. This is 58% above the 60 FPS threshold, offering a comfortable margin for demanding scenes. The High preset at this resolution averages 99.6 FPS, but Ultra provides better visuals without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the best option, averaging 62.7 FPS. This is just 4.5% above the threshold, so there is limited headroom, but it remains the highest-quality preset that maintains playability. The Medium preset averages 77.3 FPS and would be a safer choice for those who prefer a larger buffer against frame drops, but High is technically playable. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS target.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 597th out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the top 16% of all configurations, reflecting its strong performance in this specific title. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU's high average benchmark score of 37648 and the CPU's equally strong score of 49394, both of which are well above the median for their respective categories.

The ranking indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of other systems tested with Thief, and the measured FPS data confirms this. The combination excels at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers frame rates that are more than double the playability threshold at most settings. Even at 4K, it remains competitive, with only the Ultra preset falling short. This rank of 597 out of 3720 suggests that users of this hardware can expect a top-tier experience in Thief, with the only caveat being the 4K Ultra limitation. For the vast majority of gaming scenarios, this system provides exceptional performance.