Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a broadly capable experience in Thief, but the data shows a sharp drop-off at 4K Ultra settings. At 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, the combo clears 60 FPS at every preset, while 3840x2160 requires a reduction to Low settings to stay above that threshold. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component scaling, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average frame rate of 102.8 FPS. The data shows no preset at this resolution falls below the playable threshold; even Ultra maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Lower presets yield progressively higher averages: Medium hits 137.6 FPS, High reaches 108.1 FPS, and Low tops out at 185.2 FPS. The gap between Ultra and Medium is notable — roughly 34 FPS — but all settings remain fluid.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is again Ultra, with an average of 71.9 FPS. This is a tighter margin than at 1080p, but still safely above the playable threshold. High produces 71.5 FPS, which is nearly identical to Ultra, indicating that the Ultra preset adds visual quality without a significant frame rate penalty at this resolution. Medium delivers 95.3 FPS, while Low reaches 125.7 FPS. The difference between Ultra and High is negligible — only 0.4 FPS — suggesting the Ultra preset’s additional demands are minimal here.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 73 FPS. This is the only playable setting at 4K. Medium drops to 56.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and High manages 43.7 FPS. Ultra is the worst performer at 42.7 FPS, making it the least suitable option. The data indicates a steep scaling penalty from Low to Medium — a drop of 16.3 FPS — and a further decline at High, meaning 4K users must accept Low settings for smooth gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU’s role diminishes. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 102.8 FPS (Ultra) to 185.2 FPS (Low), a spread of 82.4 FPS. This wide range suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU is not fully saturated, and CPU performance — with the i7-14700F’s 20 cores and 28 threads — allows the GPU to run at high utilization. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 4958 in Cinebench R23 single-core supports this, as Thief’s gameplay logic and draw calls benefit from fast single-core throughput.

At 2560x1440, the frame rate spread narrows to 53.8 FPS (from 71.9 FPS at Ultra to 125.7 FPS at Low). The reduction in variance compared to 1080p indicates that the GPU is beginning to become more relevant, as higher pixel counts increase the workload on the RTX 4060’s 3072 shading units. However, the CPU still has headroom: the i7-14700F’s multi-core score of 35122 in Cinebench R23 means it is unlikely to bottleneck at this resolution, but the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s and 128-bit bus start to matter more.

At 3840x2160, the frame rate spread compresses further to 30.3 FPS (from 42.7 FPS at Ultra to 73 FPS at Low). This is the clearest evidence of GPU-bound behavior. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are the limiting factors, as the CPU’s role is largely static across resolutions. The i7-14700F’s performance does not change with resolution, yet frame rates drop by roughly 30-40% from 1440p to 4K at each preset — for example, High falls from 71.5 FPS to 43.7 FPS. This scaling confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU is sufficient at all tested settings.

Comparatively, the transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a moderate drop (e.g., Ultra from 102.8 to 71.9 FPS, a 30% decrease), while 1440p to 4K shows a similar relative drop (e.g., Ultra from 71.9 to 42.7 FPS, a 41% decrease). This indicates that the GPU’s rendering load scales superlinearly with pixel count, and the RTX 4060 lacks the raw power to maintain high presets at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination holds a comboRankInGame of 1843 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the 49.5th percentile — essentially at the midpoint of all configurations tested for Thief. This ranking is somewhat lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest: the CPU sits in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combined rank indicates that the GPU drags the overall performance down, as the CPU is far more capable than the GPU in this pairing.

For context, the combo rank means that roughly 1877 other combinations deliver higher frame rates in Thief, while 1843 deliver lower. Given the game’s 2014 release, this rank is acceptable for modern titles but not exceptional. The data shows that the RTX 4060’s mid-tier positioning limits the combo’s overall standing, despite the i7-14700F’s high-end CPU performance. This imbalance suggests that users seeking higher ranks would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade, as the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck in most scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU, several alternative combinations would behave similarly to the i7-14700F + RTX 4060.

The Intel Xeon 6505P has an average benchmark score of 53701, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-14700F’s score of 53620. This server-grade CPU would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Thief, though its platform requirements differ. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% higher than the i7-14700F, making it a close match in CPU throughput. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288, 0.6% lower, offering similar multi-threaded capabilities for gaming. Finally, the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, 0.8% lower, which is also within a negligible margin.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average score of 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060’s score of 17639. This is a surprising rival given the HD 7790’s older architecture, but the benchmark data shows they perform comparably in aggregate. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, 0.3% lower, making it a near-match for integrated graphics. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% lower. All four GPUs would produce frame rates within roughly 1% of the RTX 4060 in Thief, meaning users with these alternatives should expect similar FPS numbers at each resolution and preset.

Combining these, a system with a Ryzen 9 7900X and a Radeon 780M would likely mirror the i7-14700F + RTX 4060’s performance, though the integrated GPU’s thermal and power characteristics differ. The Xeon 6505P with a Radeon Pro 560 would also be a close equivalent, though server platforms often have different memory configurations that could affect real-world gaming.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Thief at 1920x1080 Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 102.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: The only playable preset at 4K is Low, which achieves an average of 73 FPS. Medium drops to 56.7 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold, and High/Ultra average 43.7 and 42.7 FPS respectively.

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

A: The i7-14700F’s average benchmark score is 53620. The closest rival is the Intel Xeon 6505P at 53701 (0.2% lower), followed by the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53469 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X at 53288 (0.6% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7313P at 53206 (0.8% lower). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more important for performance at 2560x1440?

A: The GPU becomes more relevant at 1440p, but the CPU still has headroom. The frame rate spread from Low to Ultra is 53.8 FPS (125.7 to 71.9), narrower than at 1080p, indicating GPU-bound scaling. The i7-14700F’s high single-core score of 4958 in Cinebench R23 ensures it does not bottleneck.

Q: What GPU alternatives perform similarly to the RTX 4060?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509 (0.7% lower). All are within 1% of the RTX 4060’s score of 17639.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1843rd out of 3720 tested combinations for Thief. This places it at roughly the 50th percentile, with the CPU’s 91st percentile performance offset by the GPU’s 61st percentile.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 can run Thief successfully, but the experience varies dramatically by resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset, including Ultra at 102.8 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this combo, offering a smooth experience with maximum visual fidelity. Players can also use High (108.1 FPS) or Medium (137.6 FPS) for higher refresh rates, or Low (185.2 FPS) for extreme frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the system remains fully playable at all settings. Ultra runs at 71.9 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold, while High matches at 71.5 FPS. Medium and Low deliver 95.3 FPS and 125.7 FPS respectively. This resolution is a strong choice for users with 1440p monitors, as the visual quality of Ultra is retained without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Only Low settings achieve playable performance at 73 FPS. Medium falls to 56.7 FPS, and High/Ultra dip to 43.7 FPS and 42.7 FPS, respectively. Users with 4K displays must significantly reduce visual quality to maintain fluid gameplay, making this resolution unsuitable for high-fidelity play.

In summary, this PC is a solid 1080p and 1440p performer for Thief, but it is not a 4K-capable machine beyond low settings. The CPU’s high rank (91st percentile) ensures no CPU bottleneck, but the GPU’s mid-tier standing (61st percentile) limits high-resolution performance. For users prioritizing 4K, a more powerful GPU would be necessary; for 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers a strong experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average frame rates for the i7-14700F + RTX 4060 in Thief. No minimum or maximum frame rate data was recorded.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 43.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 73 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 56.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 42.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 71.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 125.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 95.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 71.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 108.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 185.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 137.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 102.8 |

The data reveals a consistent pattern: at each resolution, Low settings provide the highest frame rate, while Ultra provides the lowest. The largest absolute gap between Low and Ultra occurs at 1080p (82.4 FPS), while the smallest is at 4K (30.3 FPS). This compression at higher resolutions confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload. Notably, at 2560x1440, High and Ultra are nearly identical (71.5 vs 71.9 FPS), suggesting the Ultra preset’s incremental cost is minimal at this resolution. Conversely, at 4K, the drop from Low to Medium is 16.3 FPS, and from Medium to High is 13 FPS, indicating steep scaling penalties that make only Low viable. These measurements are directly observed and provide a complete picture of the combo’s performance across all tested configurations.