Thief

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a commanding performance in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains demanding at higher presets. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that excels at high refresh rates, even at 4K, while offering a clear hierarchy of performance across settings and resolutions. The combo holds the 473rd position out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the top 13% of all entries in the database. This page analyzes the measured FPS data, settings recommendations, and the respective roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear directive: the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, and is arguably the optimal experience for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset yields an average of 165 FPS, a significant jump from the High preset's 149 FPS. The frame time consistency is also strong, with a minimum of 140 FPS and a maximum of 189 FPS, showing a smooth range. This is a substantial drop from the Low preset's 182 FPS, but the visual quality increase is substantial, making Medium the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, Medium again stands out, averaging 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS. This keeps the experience well above 120 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh displays. The High preset is also playable, but the 118 FPS average is a noticeable step down. For Ultra at 1440p, the average drops to 113 FPS, which is still playable but not as fluid as Medium.

The 4K Medium preset (3840x2160) presents a more compelling case, as it reaches an average of 91 FPS, a substantial 21 FPS advantage over High (70 FPS) and 25 FPS more than Ultra (66 FPS). While 4K Ultra is not quite at the 60 FPS mark (66 FPS is close but under), Medium at 4K delivers a playable experience that is 37% faster than Ultra. The 4K Medium also shows a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS, indicating a consistent frame times.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. It provides a substantial visual uplift over Low while keeping frame rates high enough to fully utilize a 165Hz or 144Hz monitor at 1080p and 1440p. For 4K, Medium is the only preset that consistently maintains a 90+ FPS average, and the only one that feels truly fluid. Ultra is best reserved for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data suggests it costs a significant amount of performance. The Low preset is mostly useful for competitive or latency-sensitive play, but the Medium gains are worth the performance cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the primary performance driver at the tested resolutions, given its 12 GB of GDDR6X VRAM on a 192-bit bus, and its base clock of 2310 MHz and boost clock of 2610 MHz. The GPU's compute capability is substantial, with a FP32 throughput of 40.09 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s, which are the main parameters that handle the rendering of the game's geometry and lighting. The 4070 Ti's 84th percentile among all GPUs is reflected in the frame rates, particularly at 4K where the GPU is heavily utilized.

The GPU's 12 GB VRAM is a key factor in how the game scales with settings. At 1920x1080 and Low, the game uses a lower amount of VRAM, but the transition to 4K and Ultra will likely pressure the memory subsystem. The data shows a 49% drop in average FPS from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium (165 to 91), which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering. The GPU's 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth is sufficient to handle these resolutions, but the FPS loss is directly tied to the increase in pixel count and render load.

The GPU's the GPU's clock behavior is not directly measured, but the relative scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution tells the story. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 182 to 147 FPS (a 19% drop). At 1440p, the spread is 160 to 113 FPS (a 29% drop). At 4K, the spread is 120 to 66 FPS (a massive 45% drop). This demonstrates a GPU that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the Ultra setting is a heavy load, but the Medium preset remains a strong option. The RTX 4070 Ti's performance is not limited by the CPU at 4K; the GPU is the primary limiter.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K illustrate the GPU's load. At Medium settings, the 1080p average is 165 FPS, dropping to 145 FPS at 1440p (a 12% drop) and 91 FPS at 4K (a 45% drop from 1080p). This is a classic scaling curve: the GPU has to render 4 times as many pixels at 4K compared to 1080p, and the frame rate reflects that.

The pattern is also visible at High and Ultra. For High, the 1080p average is 149 FPS, dropping to 118 FPS at 1440p (21% drop) and 70 FPS at 4K (53% drop). Ultra goes from 147 FPS at 1080p, to 113 FPS at 1440p (23% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K (a 55% drop). The Low preset shows a different curve: 182 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p (12% drop), and 120 FPS at 4K (34% drop). This suggests the Low preset is still GPU-bound at 4K, but the drop is smaller because the GPU is not as stressed with graphics.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is relatively modest, which indicates the CPU is still providing enough performance to feed the GPU. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU becomes clearly the limiting factor. The 4K Medium at 91 FPS is the best indicator of the GPU's actual performance ceiling in this game. The data shows a direct correlation between resolution and frame rate, with the 4K Ultra being the most demanding setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. At 1080p, it averages 165 FPS, which is 16 FPS higher than High and 18 FPS higher than Ultra. At 1440p, it holds a 145 FPS average, well above the 118 FPS of High and 113 FPS of Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti handle 4K in Thief?

A: The card runs 4K Low at an average of 120 FPS, but the more realistic preset is Medium, which averages 91 FPS. Ultra and High are also playable, with 66 FPS and 70 FPS respectively, but they leave little headroom for 60Hz displays.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows the CPU is not a significant limiter. The 1080p Low average is 182 FPS, and the 1440p Low is 160 FPS, a difference of only 12%. This indicates the CPU can feed the GPU well above the 60 FPS threshold, though the gap between 1080p and 1440p is still present.

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with all settings?

A: At 1440p, the measured averages are 160 FPS for Low, 145 FPS for Medium, 118 FPS for High, and 113 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Medium preset compare to 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Medium average is 91 FPS, while 1080p Low is 182 FPS. This is a 50% lower frame rate, showing the GPU scaling cost of 4K resolution.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution?

A: For the Medium preset, the minimums are 140 FPS at 1920x1080, 123 FPS at 2560x1440, and 78 FPS at 3840x2160. The maximums are 189 FPS, 167 FPS, and 105 FPS, respectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combo ranks 473rd out of 3720 total tested combinations, placing it in the top 12.7% of all tested combos. This is a strong performance, showing that the pairing is well above the median for this game. The ranking is a direct reflection of the measured FPS, with the 4K Medium and 1440p Medium results being the most demanding. The CPU's 84th percentile among all CPUs and the GPU's 84th percentile among all GPUs indicate a balanced pairing, and the combo's rank is consistent with these high individual percentiles. The 4070 Ti's nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile, which is 0.8% slower in average score, and the RTX A6000, which is 1.6% slower, but these are synthetic benchmarks. In-game, the combo is a high-end performer.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F, with 10 cores and 16 threads, is a strong processor that is not the bottleneck in this game. The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and base clock of 2.50 GHz provide the necessary single-thread and multi-thread performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 3055 in single-core and 21645 in multi-core, and it has a Geekbench single-core score of 2058 and multi-core of 11268. These results place the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% slower) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% slower).

In Thief, the CPU's role is visible in the 1080p results, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the average is 182 FPS, and the Medium preset is 165 FPS. The 1440p Low is 160 FPS, which is only 12% lower, showing that the CPU can still feed the GPU. The 4K Low is 120 FPS, which is a 34% drop from 1080p Low, but the GPU is the main cause of that drop. The CPU's performance in this game is more than adequate to keep the GPU fed, and the data shows no sign of CPU-induced frame rate limitations.

The 4070 Ti's performance at 1440p and 1080p demonstrates a balanced system. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are not fully utilized by a game of this era, but the strong single-core performance is what matters for frame pacing. The 4.7 GHz boost clock is a key factor. The CPU is a solid match for the GPU, and the combo's 473rd rank reflects a high-end pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table outlines the measured average FPS for each resolution and preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 182 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 165 | 140 | 189 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 149 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 147 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 160 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 145 | 123 | 167 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 118 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 113 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 120 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 91 | 78 | 105 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 70 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 66 | N/A | N/A |

The 1080p results show a tight grouping: Low at 182 FPS, Medium at 165, and High at 149, and Ultra at 147. The Ultra and High presets are only 2 FPS apart, suggesting that Ultra is a minor upgrade over High in this title. The Medium preset has a very stable frame range, with a 49 FPS difference between the minimum and maximum.

At 1440p, the spread widens. Low is 160 FPS, Medium 145, High 118, and Ultra 113. The gap between High and Ultra is just 5 FPS, but the gap between Medium and High is 27 FPS. The Medium preset has a 44 FPS range (123 to 167), which is still smooth.

The 4K results show the most significant scaling. Low is 120 FPS, Medium 91, High 70, and Ultra 66. The drop from Medium to High is 21 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 4 FPS. The Medium preset has a 27 FPS range (78 to 105), which is tighter than the 1440p Medium. The 4K Ultra is the most demanding setting in the entire data set, and it is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS minimum, at 66 FPS.

The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti is best suited for 1080p and 1440p at High and Medium, while 4K requires Medium to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset is the most consistent, but the visual drop is not recommended for a game like Thief. The 4K High and Ultra settings are playable for 60Hz displays, but the 4K Medium is the most fluid option.