Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, is often used as a benchmark for legacy DirectX 11 performance. The data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed toward GPU limitations at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom at 1080p. The measured frame rates show a clear progression of bottlenecks as resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrowing significantly at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The performance curve from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, though with some interesting nuances at the lower settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 209 FPS, which drops to 184 FPS at 1440p and 114 FPS at 4K. This represents a 12% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, but a much steeper 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The 1080p result is 189 FPS, falling to 147 FPS at 1440p and 87 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 22% and 41% respectively, showing that the increased shading and texture work at Medium settings amplifies the resolution penalty. The High preset tells a similar story: 164 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K, with drops of 32% and 41%. Interestingly, the Ultra preset shows the tightest scaling: 156 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K, with reductions of 31% and 41%.

The data reveals that the gap between Low and Ultra settings shrinks dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread is 53 FPS (209 vs 156), but at 4K, it narrows to 51 FPS (114 vs 63). This compression suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER is so heavily loaded that even the difference between Low and Ultra settings has a diminished impact on average frame rates. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is only 3 FPS lower than the 4K High result of 66 FPS, underscoring that the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the dominant constraints at this resolution.

The 1440p results are particularly telling for this configuration. With High settings delivering 112 FPS and Ultra reaching 107 FPS, the combo sits in a comfortable range for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 147 FPS, which is notably higher than the High and Ultra results, suggesting that the game's Medium preset reduces certain GPU-intensive effects that disproportionately impact performance. The 4K Medium result of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS shows that the frame time variance is acceptable, though the average is well below the 1440p figures.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings substantial processing power to this pairing. With 14 cores and 20 threads, it combines 6 performance cores and 8 efficient cores, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The architecture is Raptor Lake-R on a 10 nm process, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core. This CPU sits in the 90th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF posts a 0.3% higher average score than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, a 0.4% advantage over the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, and a 0.8% lead over the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. However, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 leads this CPU by 0.8%. These margins are minimal, indicating that the i5-14600KF is competitive with top-tier processors from both AMD and Intel in synthetic workloads like Cinebench R23, where it scores 32544 in multi-core and 4594 in single-core.

In Thief, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 200 FPS on Low settings. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 209 FPS while 4K Low only reaches 114 FPS points to the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's single-thread performance, demonstrated by a Geekbench single-core score of 2445, ensures that the game's main thread is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo maintains 156 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many gaming monitors.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, with a Passmark multithread score of 38697, suggest that Thief's engine, which is not known for heavy multi-threading, is unlikely to stress all 20 threads. The game's reliance on a few primary threads means the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is more important than the raw core count. This is reflected in the fact that the 1080p results scale almost entirely with GPU settings rather than showing any CPU-induced plateau.

The 14-core configuration also provides headroom for background tasks and streaming, which could be relevant for gameplay capture or overlays. However, the benchmark data does not show any frame rate dips that would indicate CPU limitations. The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings, with 161 FPS at 1080p, 125 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K, all of which are respectable and indicate stable frame delivery.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Thief?

A: The highest average FPS is 209, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that exceeds 200 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 63 FPS, which is 93 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 156 FPS. This represents a 60% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p Medium?

A: The 1440p Medium result of 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS, suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4594 in Cinebench R23 indicates it can handle the game's logic without bottlenecking at this frame rate.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low settings achieve 114 FPS while Ultra achieves 63 FPS, a difference of 51 FPS. This gap is smaller than at 1080p, where the difference is 53 FPS, indicating GPU-bound scaling.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K across all settings?

A: Yes, all measured 4K settings exceed 60 FPS. The lowest result is 63 FPS at Ultra, while Medium achieves 87 FPS, High reaches 66 FPS, and Low hits 114 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49228. This is a negligible difference in synthetic testing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 359 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 9.7% of all configurations. This is a strong ranking that reflects the balance between the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial rasterization power. The rank is likely helped by the fact that Thief is an older title that does not require the latest ray tracing or mesh shading features, allowing the RTX 4070 SUPER to operate at its full potential without modern API overhead.

The RTX 4070 SUPER itself sits in the 83rd percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals show that it is closely matched with the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% higher), the RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% higher), and the Quadro M6000 (0.2% higher), while the RTX 4090 Mobile leads by 1%. This indicates that in synthetic GPU benchmarks, the 4070 SUPER is competitive with these other cards, but its real-world performance in Thief is what drives the combo rank.

The combo's rank of 359 out of 3720 suggests that there are many configurations with higher frame rates in Thief, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or higher-tier RTX 40-series cards. However, the top 10% placement shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable 4K gaming, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of the rank, as the CPU's 90th percentile standing is not as high as the GPU's 83rd percentile, but the combination still lands in a favorable position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 209 FPS average, Medium achieves 189 FPS with a minimum of 161 and maximum of 217, High reaches 164 FPS, and Ultra manages 156 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, and even the lowest Ultra result comfortably exceeds 144 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a clear step down. Low settings average 184 FPS, Medium delivers 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 169, High achieves 112 FPS, and Ultra reaches 107 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 12% at Low to 32% at High, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel processing are becoming more significant factors.

At 3840x2160, the combo still provides playable frame rates across all settings. Low averages 114 FPS, Medium achieves 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100, High hits 66 FPS, and Ultra reaches 63 FPS. The 4K results show that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the GPU's raw compute limits prevent higher frame rates. The minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (74 FPS) are notably lower than the average, suggesting occasional frame hitches that could be noticeable on a 60 Hz display.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience on a 1440p monitor with a 144 Hz refresh rate, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. The measured 147 FPS average, with a minimum of 125 FPS, ensures that the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate, providing smooth motion without screen tearing if V-Sync is enabled. The jump from Medium to High costs 35 FPS (from 147 to 112), which is a significant reduction for what may be marginal visual improvements in a 2014 title.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is recommended for users prioritizing visual fidelity, as the 156 FPS average still exceeds most standard 144 Hz monitors. However, for competitive play or maximum smoothness, the Low preset's 209 FPS provides an exceptionally high frame rate that can take advantage of 240 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced middle ground at 189 FPS, but the visual difference between Low and Medium in Thief is likely more noticeable than the difference between High and Ultra.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS. This is significantly better than the High and Ultra presets, which average 66 FPS and 63 FPS respectively, and risk dropping below 60 FPS during intense scenes. The 4K Low preset at 114 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality reduction may be too severe for a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and shadows. The data shows that 4K Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, keeping the frame rate well above the 60 FPS console-standard threshold.