Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B370 in Thief shows a clear performance ceiling imposed by the graphics solution. Across all measured resolutions and presets, the average frame rates remain modest, and only the lowest settings at 1080p approach what could be considered fluid gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently low. The High preset delivers an average of 18 FPS, while Low improves to 31 FPS. Medium sits between them at 24 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 20 FPS and maximum of 27 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding configuration, producing just 17 FPS on average. None of these figures come close to the 60 FPS threshold, and even the best case, Low at 31 FPS, is roughly half of what would be needed for smooth play.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains constrained. High settings yield an average of 31 FPS, identical to the 4K Low result. Low settings reach 53 FPS, which is the highest average recorded at this resolution. Medium produces 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. Ultra drops to 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 24 FPS, showing that preset selection has a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the data reveals the only playable configuration in the entire set. Low settings deliver 78 FPS on average, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 59 FPS, just one frame short of the target, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. High settings produce 45 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 35 FPS, indicating that visual fidelity comes at a significant cost to frame rate at this resolution.

The minimum and maximum values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 4K, the range is 20 to 27 FPS, a narrow band of 7 FPS. At 1440p, the range widens to 35 to 47 FPS, a 12 FPS spread. At 1080p, the range is 50 to 68 FPS, an 18 FPS spread. This pattern suggests that as resolution decreases, frame time variability increases even as average performance improves.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data identifies playable settings as those that maintain an average of at least 60 FPS. Applying that standard to each resolution yields a very short list.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the threshold. The best average is 31 FPS on Low, which is 29 FPS short of the target. High, Medium, and Ultra all fall further behind, with averages of 18, 24, and 17 FPS respectively. The database records no playable settings for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same conclusion applies. No preset reaches 60 FPS. Low comes closest at 53 FPS, a 7 FPS deficit. Medium averages 41 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The recorded data lists no playable settings here either.

At 1920x1080, exactly one preset qualifies. Low settings produce 78 FPS on average, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 18 FPS. This is the best settings configuration for this resolution, and the only one in the entire measurement set that meets the playability standard. Medium at 59 FPS is the nearest miss, falling just 1 FPS short. High and Ultra, at 45 and 43 FPS, are further from the mark.

The practical takeaway is straightforward: this combination can run Thief at playable frame rates only at 1080p with the Low preset. Any attempt to raise the preset or increase resolution moves the average below 60 FPS, often by a considerable margin.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the Intel Arc B370, an integrated-class graphics solution, is the dominant constraint in this pairing. The Intel Core i9-14900K is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 32 threads, and its benchmark scores place it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. This mismatch is reflected in the frame rate scaling.

The evidence for GPU limitation appears in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the average is 78 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 53 FPS, a 32% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 31 FPS, another 42% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern of steep declines with increasing pixel count is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain more consistent across resolutions, as the processor workload is largely resolution-independent.

Preset scaling provides additional confirmation. At each resolution, moving from Low to Ultra produces a substantial frame rate penalty. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 35 FPS, from 78 to 43. At 1440p, the drop is 24 FPS, from 53 to 29. At 4K, the drop is 14 FPS, from 31 to 17. These reductions track with the increased GPU workload of higher presets, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance.

The CPU's role is not entirely absent, but the data suggests it is not the bottleneck. The i9-14900K has ample headroom for a game from 2014, and its single-thread performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, is more than sufficient for the demands of Thief. The GPU's 25 W TDP and shared memory configuration indicate a design aimed at low power consumption rather than high frame rates, which aligns with the observed results.

In summary, the recorded measurements show that the Intel Arc B370 limits performance at all resolutions and presets. The CPU's capabilities are largely untapped, and the frame rates scale with GPU workload rather than CPU capacity.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: No. The highest average at 3840x2160 is 31 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. No preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best playable settings configuration for this system?

A: The only playable configuration, defined as an average of at least 60 FPS, is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces 78 FPS on average.

Q: How close does Medium settings at 1080p get to 60 FPS?

A: Medium at 1920x1080 averages 59 FPS, which is 1 FPS below the threshold. The recorded minimum is 50 FPS and the maximum is 68 FPS.

Q: Which component is holding back performance in this game?

A: The GPU, Intel Arc B370, is the limiting factor. Its benchmark percentile of 5 among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the CPU's 95th percentile, and frame rates decline steeply with resolution and preset increases, which is typical of GPU-bound performance.

Q: Does the Intel Core i9-14900K make a difference in Thief at these settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck. The processor's high benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, indicate substantial capacity, but the GPU's low performance caps the frame rates at every measured configuration.

Q: Is there any resolution where Ultra settings are playable?

A: No. The highest average at Ultra settings is 43 FPS at 1920x1080. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 29 FPS, and at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 17 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what hardware would behave similarly in this system. These comparisons come from the database's benchmark scores, not from game-specific measurements, so they indicate general performance equivalence.

For the Intel Core i9-14900K, the closest competitor is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, with an average benchmark score of 79371, which is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K's score of 79097. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6% higher, and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2% higher. On the lower side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower. These deltas are all within 2%, meaning any of these CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rival is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, with an average score of 1186, which is 0.2% higher than the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. These are all older or lower-end parts, and the deltas are similarly small, so swapping the Arc B370 for any of these would yield comparable performance, meaning the same playable settings at 1080p Low and similar sub-60 FPS results elsewhere.

The practical implication is that this system's performance in Thief is defined by the GPU tier. Upgrading the CPU to a slightly faster or slower model would not change the outcome, as the GPU remains the limiting factor. Replacing the GPU with a similarly ranked part would also produce nearly identical results.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear and consistent with the measured data. This PC cannot run Thief at playable frame rates at 3840x2160 or 2560x1440 under any preset. The highest average at 4K is 31 FPS on Low, and at 1440p it is 53 FPS on Low, both below the 60 FPS threshold. The database records no playable settings for these resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system can run the game, but only with the Low preset. The average at Low is 78 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS standard by a comfortable margin. Medium settings fall 1 FPS short at 59 FPS, and High and Ultra are further behind at 45 and 43 FPS respectively.

The overall assessment is that this combination is suitable for Thief only in a limited configuration. Players who require 60 FPS must accept 1080p resolution and the lowest graphical preset. Any preference for higher visual quality or higher resolution will result in frame rates below the playable threshold, often substantially so.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested combinations for Thief, this pairing of Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B370 holds the 3433rd position out of 3720 total combinations. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems for this game.

The rank reflects the severe imbalance in this configuration. The CPU is among the top 5% of all processors, but the GPU is among the bottom 5% of all graphics solutions. The game's performance is dictated by the weaker component, and the resulting frame rates place this combo well below the median tested system.

For context, the measured 1080p Low average of 78 FPS is the only point of success, while the 4K and 1440p results are all below 60 FPS. The ranking suggests that most other tested combinations, even those with less capable CPUs, achieve better results in Thief because they are paired with more powerful GPUs. The data indicates that this combo is not competitive for this game, and the ranking reflects that reality.