Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a wide performance envelope in Thief, ranging from a fully playable 148.6 FPS average at 1080p Low to a borderline 37.8 FPS at 4K High. The data shows a system that is fundamentally capable of running the game smoothly across most common configurations, but which requires careful settings selection at higher resolutions to maintain the 60 FPS threshold. The combination ranks in the 74th percentile of tested configurations, with a combo rank of 2774 out of 3720, indicating that while it is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it outperforms the majority of systems tested for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Arc B580 delivers excellent performance across all four presets. The Low preset produces an average of 148.6 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 114.6 FPS, still a very comfortable margin. The High preset yields 87.9 FPS, while the demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 83.5 FPS. All four settings at 1080p clear the 60 FPS line with substantial headroom, making this resolution entirely unrestricted by the game’s graphical demands.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably but remains strong. The Low preset delivers 104.7 FPS, a steep but expected decline from the 1080p figure. Medium provides 78.8 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS target. High drops to 56.5 FPS, just below the playable threshold, while Ultra falls further to 53.8 FPS. This resolution presents a clear dividing line: Low and Medium are playable, while High and Ultra are not, based on the data.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B580’s limits become apparent. Low settings produce an average of 63 FPS, barely clearing the threshold. Medium drops to 46 FPS, and High falls to 37.8 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, yielding only 32.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is nearly 30 FPS, highlighting the significant cost of the higher presets at this resolution. Only the Low preset at 4K is playable according to the data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, are the Intel Xeon 6505P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, and AMD EPYC 7313P. The i7-14700F scores 0.2% below the Xeon 6505P, 0.3% above the Xeon Phi 7290, 0.6% above the Ryzen 9 7900X, and 0.8% above the EPYC 7313P. These deltas are all within one percentage point, meaning any of these processors would deliver essentially identical frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU. The practical performance difference between the i7-14700F and these alternatives is negligible for gaming.

On the GPU side, the Arc B580 sits in a tight cluster of comparable graphics cards. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% slower, the RTX 3080 is 0.7% faster, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% slower. These differences are minimal, so a system with any of these GPUs and the same CPU would produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the measured results. Users coming from an RTX 2080 or RTX 3080 would see similar Thief performance, while those with a RX 580 2048SP would be nearly identical.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes relatively less important as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 65.1 FPS (148.6 vs. 83.5), which demonstrates that the GPU is still heavily taxed by the preset changes. However, the i7-14700F’s strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 4958 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures that it is not limiting frame rates at this resolution.

Scaling to 1440p, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 50.9 FPS (104.7 vs. 53.8), indicating the GPU is becoming more dominant. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 30.2 FPS (63 vs. 32.8), a smaller absolute spread but a larger proportional drop. The data shows that the Arc B580’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample headroom even with the most demanding settings.

The CPU’s role is more relevant at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the 148.6 FPS average requires the CPU to feed frames quickly, and the i7-14700F’s 5.40 GHz boost clock supports this. The benchmark scaling from 1080p Medium (114.6 FPS) to 1440p Medium (78.8 FPS) shows a 31% reduction, which is consistent with the GPU’s fill-rate limits rather than CPU constraints. Ultimately, the GPU dictates playability at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU is sufficient for all tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2774 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 74th percentile. This means roughly 26% of all tested systems perform better, while 74% perform worse. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is a high-end part with a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s high percentile (91) and the combo’s lower rank (74) confirms that the Arc B580 is the performance limiter. A stronger GPU would push this combo significantly higher in the rankings, as the i7-14700F has substantial headroom. The GPU’s 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs is more aligned with the combo’s overall position, suggesting that the system’s performance is largely determined by the graphics card in this title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Thief at 1080p Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 83.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: Medium is the best setting that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 78.8 FPS. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which produce an average of 63 FPS. Medium (46 FPS), High (37.8 FPS), and Ultra (32.8 FPS) all fail to reach the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the RTX 2080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the RTX 2080 scores 22895, making the Arc B580 0.6% faster in aggregate.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are within 0.8% performance, indicating it is not the limiting factor in the tested configurations.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low?

A: The average FPS drops from 148.6 at 1080p Low to 63 at 4K Low, a reduction of 85.6 FPS or approximately 58%.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that remains playable, delivering an average of 83.5 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing the 60 FPS target, leaving over 20 FPS of headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the best playable setting, with an average of 78.8 FPS. While High (56.5 FPS) and Ultra (53.8 FPS) are below the threshold, Medium offers a solid balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, Low is the only playable preset, averaging 63 FPS. This is a narrow margin above the 60 FPS threshold, so users should expect occasional dips in complex scenes, but the average remains acceptable.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief, but the playable experience depends entirely on the resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset providing 83.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (104.7 FPS) and Medium (78.8 FPS) are playable, while High and Ultra fall short. At 3840x2160, only Low (63 FPS) meets the playable standard.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at maximum settings, 1440p is playable up to Medium, and 4K is playable only at Low. The system’s 74th percentile ranking reflects this mixed capability—strong at lower resolutions, but insufficient for high-preset 4K gaming. Users targeting 1080p or 1440p Medium will find a smooth experience, while 4K enthusiasts should adjust expectations to Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.