Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a performance profile that is firmly above the playable threshold for Thief across most configurations, with the data showing a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra where the average frame rate dips below 60 FPS. This combination of a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake CPU and an Ada Lovelace GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory produces a measurable FPS spread that shifts from CPU-leaning at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at higher ones, making the component balance a key factor in how the game scales.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each sit near specific rivals in aggregate benchmark scores, which helps contextualize what other hardware would produce similar in-game behavior. For the Intel Core i7-14700K, the nearest rival is the AMD EPYC 9115 with an average score of 69288, a delta of only 0.1% — essentially a statistical tie. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is -0.2% relative to the i7-14700K, meaning the two are within a rounding error of each other in synthetic workloads. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (-0.7%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 (-0.9%) are also extremely close, all four rivals staying within a 1% band. In practical terms for Thief, any of these CPUs would likely produce near-identical frame pacing and minimum FPS, since the game's measured performance at 1080p suggests the processor is not the limiting factor at that resolution.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 versus the RTX 4070's 37648 — a 0.1% delta that places them side by side. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 trails by 0.4% with a score of 37507, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is actually 1.3% ahead at 38135. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3% behind at 37157. These deltas are small enough that in a game like Thief, which is from 2014 and not particularly demanding by modern standards, the visual output at identical settings would be indistinguishable between the RTX 4070 and these rivals. The RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs and the i7-14700K's 94th percentile among CPUs indicate that this is a high-end pairing, but the specific rival scores suggest that users with any of those nearby parts would see similar FPS numbers, particularly at 1440p and 1080p where the GPU has more headroom.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Thief becomes apparent when examining the scaling of average FPS across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 217.5 FPS, which is more than three times the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to Medium at the same resolution drops the average to 190.8 FPS, a reduction of 26.7 FPS, while High yields 144.9 FPS and Ultra drops to 137.9 FPS. The relatively small gap between High and Ultra at 1080p (7 FPS) suggests the GPU is handling most of the load, but the large jump from Low to Medium (26.7 FPS) indicates that the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately at lower settings. The i7-14700K's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 4472 passmark single-thread score and 313.5 Cinebench R15 single-core result, is more than sufficient for this game's engine, which was designed for the hardware of its 2014 release era.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern shifts. Low settings produce 176 FPS, Medium drops to 134.9 FPS, High hits 102.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 94.6 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 81.4 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than at 1080p (where the Low-to-Ultra gap is 79.6 FPS), but the percentage reduction is similar. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced here, as the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are being taxed more heavily by the higher pixel count. The CPU's influence wanes slightly, but the fact that Ultra still clears 90 FPS shows that neither component is a bottleneck at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. Low settings average 105 FPS, Medium drops to 78.1 FPS, High falls to 62.9 FPS, and Ultra sinks to 55.9 FPS — the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 49.1 FPS drop, which is proportionally larger than at lower resolutions. This indicates that the RTX 4070's 12 GB frame buffer and 192-bit memory interface are the limiting factors at 4K Ultra, while the CPU is essentially idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The verdict data confirms this: at 3840x2160, only High, Low, and Medium are playable, with Ultra excluded.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo performs at every resolution and preset combination, with average FPS values recorded for all 12 configurations. At 1920x1080, the lowest average FPS is 137.9 FPS at Ultra settings, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average at this resolution is 217.5 FPS at Low settings, followed by 190.8 FPS at Medium and 144.9 FPS at High. This ordering is intuitive, but the relatively modest drop from High to Ultra (7 FPS) suggests diminishing returns from the highest preset. At 2560x1440, the range spans from 94.6 FPS at Ultra to 176 FPS at Low, with Medium at 134.9 FPS and High at 102.9 FPS. The Medium-to-High gap of 32 FPS is the largest between any two adjacent presets at this resolution, indicating a significant visual quality jump that taxes the GPU. At 3840x2160, the numbers compress considerably: Low averages 105 FPS, Medium 78.1 FPS, High 62.9 FPS, and Ultra 55.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 49.1 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 7 FPS — the same absolute difference seen at 1080p between those two presets, but now it pushes the system below the playable threshold. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on averages, but the consistency of the scaling pattern across resolutions suggests stable frame pacing.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 55.9, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists only High, Low, and Medium as playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best 4K preset that stays above 60 FPS?

A: High settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 62.9 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that clears the playable threshold at that resolution.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Ultra compared to 1440p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 137.9, while at 2560x1440 Ultra it drops to 94.6. That represents a 43.3 FPS reduction when moving up one resolution tier.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1440p?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, even Ultra settings hold 94.6 FPS, which is well above the threshold. The GPU's role grows at this resolution, but the i7-14700K's strong single-thread scores (4472 in passmark single-thread, 313.5 in Cinebench R15 single-core) prevent it from becoming a bottleneck.

Q: Is the 1080p Low setting performance indicative of a CPU bottleneck?

A: The 217.5 FPS average at 1080p Low is likely near the engine's frame rate ceiling for this hardware. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, provide ample headroom, so the limit is more likely the game's older engine than either component.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Thief?

A: It ranks 554th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 15% of all combinations in the database for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the optimal settings are determined by identifying the most demanding preset that maintains an average FPS at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which delivers 137.9 FPS on average. This is the highest preset available, and it clears the threshold by a wide margin, leaving substantial headroom for any potential frame drops. At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 94.6 FPS. This is 34.6 FPS above the playable threshold, providing a comfortable buffer for action-heavy scenes. At 3840x2160, the best settings drop to High, which averages 62.9 FPS. This is only 2.9 FPS above the threshold, so while it is technically playable, it leaves little margin for variance. The verdict data confirms this ordering: the playable settings list at 4K includes High, Low, and Medium, but not Ultra, while 1440p and 1080p include all four presets as playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 554 out of 3720 tested combinations places it in the 85th percentile of all systems tested for Thief. This is a strong showing, but the ranking is more reflective of the GPU's 81st percentile position among all GPUs than the CPU's 94th percentile standing. The i7-14700K's high percentile is somewhat wasted in this game, given that Thief's engine is not heavily threaded and the measured performance at lower resolutions suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor. The GPU's 81st percentile, combined with the fact that the RTX 4070's nearest rivals are all within 1.3% of its average score, means that the ranking could shift significantly with a different GPU. For example, a system with an RTX 4080 Mobile (which is 1.3% ahead in GPU score) might rank higher despite having a weaker CPU, while a system with an RX Vega 56 (0.4% behind) would likely rank lower. The rank of 554 out of 3720 indicates that this combo is well above average, but not at the top tier, which is consistent with the 4K Ultra result falling below 60 FPS.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 can run Thief successfully across most of the tested configurations. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with Ultra settings delivering 137.9 FPS — more than double the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear the threshold, with Ultra holding 94.6 FPS, which is comfortable for a game that rewards smooth stealth gameplay. However, at 3840x2160, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on Ultra, averaging 55.9 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The verdict data lists High, Low, and Medium as playable at 4K, with High being the best playable preset at 62.9 FPS. This means the system is fully capable of running the game at high frame rates on 1080p and 1440p displays, but 4K users must settle for High settings or lower. The data shows that the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth and 12 GB capacity are the limiting factors at 4K Ultra, while the CPU's performance is never a concern. For a game released in 2014, this combo delivers an excellent experience, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra is just out of reach.