Thief

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B370 pairing at rank 3433 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. That places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations the database has recorded for this title, which is a striking outcome given the CPU's standing. The i7-14700KF sits in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. The processor is clearly not the limiting factor here. The Arc B370, by contrast, ranks in the 5th percentile against all GPUs and delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. The GPU is the dominant constraint, and the combined rank reflects that imbalance.

What the data suggests is that this combo is heavily lopsided. The CPU is a top-tier part that can handle far more demanding workloads, but the GPU anchors the system's overall capability. In Thief, this results in a combo that sits near the bottom of the database's tested pool. The rank of 3433 out of 3720 means roughly 92% of tested combinations outperform it. That is not a subtle gap. It is a clear signal that the Arc B370 is not suited for this game at competitive frame rates, regardless of the CPU's strength.

The recorded percentiles tell the same story from two different angles. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking indicates it is in the upper tier of all processors in the database. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking indicates it is in the lower tier of all graphics cards. When these two are paired, the system's gaming performance is dictated almost entirely by the weaker component. The combo rank of 3433 out of 3720 is the database's way of showing that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, it is far less.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck at every resolution and preset. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 78 FPS average. That is the only setting across all resolutions that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Dropping to Medium at the same resolution yields 59 FPS, which is just one frame short of playable. High and Ultra at 1080p drop to 45 and 43 FPS respectively. The pattern is consistent: as the preset becomes more demanding, the frame rate falls, and the GPU is the component that has to process those extra effects.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift downward. Low settings produce 53 FPS, Medium produces 41 FPS, High produces 31 FPS, and Ultra produces 29 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a roughly 30% reduction in frame rate across most presets. That is a typical resolution penalty, but it also confirms that the GPU is doing all the heavy lifting. The CPU is not changing between resolutions, yet the FPS drops significantly. This is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes extreme. Low settings produce 31 FPS, Medium produces 24 FPS, High produces 18 FPS, and Ultra produces 17 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is again large, and the frame rates are all well below playable. The CPU's role in this game is minimal at these settings because the GPU cannot keep up. The i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, and it is capable of far more than Thief requires. The data shows that upgrading the GPU would be the only meaningful path to higher frame rates, while the CPU would likely show no measurable impact on performance in this title.

The scaling between presets is also informative. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS (78 to 43). At 1440p, that difference shrinks to 24 FPS (53 to 29). At 4K, the difference is only 14 FPS (31 to 17). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU is saturated. When the resolution is already pushing the GPU to its limits, changing the preset has less impact because the GPU is already struggling to fill the pixels. The CPU is never the limiting factor in any of these scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Thief at 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 78 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. At every other resolution and preset combination, the average frame rate falls below 60 FPS. The verdict data confirms that 1080p Low is the only playable configuration.

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

A: The database records no playable settings at 2560x1440. The highest average frame rate at that resolution is 53 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No preset at 1440p clears 60 FPS.

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

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, which is 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is 0.9% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% higher. These are all very close scores, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game.

Q: What GPU performance tier does the Arc B370 belong to?

A: The Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 and ranks in the 5th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186 (0.2% higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with a score of 1192 (0.7% higher). This places it at the very low end of the database's GPU performance scale.

Q: Does the CPU matter for this game at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck at 3840x2160. Low settings average 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and high multi-core scores would not change these results, as the GPU cannot render the frames fast enough.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. This is one frame below the 60 FPS playable threshold, making it technically unplayable according to the database's criteria.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU are all within a narrow performance band. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, just 0.2% below the i7-14700KF's 70163. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, 0.9% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% higher. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically in Thief when paired with the same GPU, because the game is not CPU-limited in this configuration. The differences between these CPUs are within noise for gaming workloads.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher than the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% lower. These are all older, low-end graphics solutions that would produce similar frame rates in Thief. The delta percentages are tiny, so swapping between any of these GPUs would not meaningfully change the experience.

The implication is that if someone has a system with one of these rival CPUs and a similar low-end GPU, the measured performance would be nearly indistinguishable. The CPU differences are negligible, and the GPU differences are within a few percent. The combo rank in the database would shift only slightly with these swaps. The bottleneck remains the GPU in every case.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded data covers four presets. Low settings produce an average of 78 FPS. Medium settings produce 59 FPS on average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. High settings produce 45 FPS on average. Ultra settings produce 43 FPS on average. The only preset that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold is Low.

At 2560x1440, the numbers drop across the board. Low settings average 53 FPS. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings average 31 FPS. Ultra settings average 29 FPS. No preset at this resolution reaches 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are the lowest in the dataset. Low settings average 31 FPS. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS. High settings average 18 FPS. Ultra settings average 17 FPS. All four presets are well below the playable threshold.

The minimum and maximum values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 50 to 68 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 35 to 47 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 20 to 27 FPS. These ranges show that even the playable-looking 1080p Medium preset has dips below 60 FPS, which is why it is not classified as playable.

The Verdict

The database's verdict is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. At 2560x1440, there are no playable settings. At 1920x1080, only Low settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 78 FPS. The best playable setting at 1080p is Low, and that is the only configuration that the database considers playable for this game.

This means the combo can run Thief, but only at the lowest preset and at 1080p. Anyone expecting to play at higher settings or higher resolutions will be disappointed. The Arc B370 is simply not powerful enough for this game beyond the most basic configuration. The CPU, despite its high benchmark scores, cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. The data shows that the playable threshold of 60 FPS is only crossed once, and that is at 1080p Low with 78 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 78 FPS. Medium at 1080p averages 59 FPS, which is one frame below the threshold and therefore not classified as playable. The database records this as the best playable setting, with the average FPS at that setting being 78.

At 2560x1440, there is no preset that reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 53 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The verdict data confirms that no playable settings exist at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the same situation applies. Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. None of these come close to the 60 FPS threshold, and the database records no playable settings at this resolution.

The overall picture is that this combo is only viable for Thief at 1080p with Low settings. Any other configuration will result in average frame rates below 60 FPS. The data suggests that users seeking higher visual quality would need a significantly stronger GPU, as the CPU is already more than sufficient for this title.