Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, remains a demanding benchmark for modern hardware, particularly at higher resolutions. The data for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination provides a clear picture of a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint. This analysis walks through the measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers reveal about the balance between the CPU and GPU in this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 155 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain a very high output. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average FPS drops to 107, a reduction of 48 FPS. This is a significant drop, but the frame rate remains highly playable. When resolution is increased again to 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to 63, a further reduction of 44 FPS. The pattern continues across all settings, indicating that the rendering load is scaling directly with the number of pixels.

The most telling data point for identifying the limiting component is the scaling from 1080p to 4K at the High preset. At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 90. At 2560x1440 High, it drops to 62. At 3840x2160 High, it falls to 36. The frame rate nearly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K (from 90 to 36 FPS). This steep, near-linear decline in performance with resolution is a definitive indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 2060 SUPER is working at its maximum capacity to fill the increasing number of pixels, and its performance ceiling is what determines the final frame rate.

Conversely, the CPU's role becomes less of a factor at higher resolutions. The fact that the 1080p Low preset hits 155 FPS shows the processor is not a bottleneck at that level. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat regardless of resolution. Instead, the data shows a consistent and substantial drop at each higher resolution step. This confirms that for this combination, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the component that dictates performance in Thief, particularly at 1440p and 4K, where the demand on the GPU's pixel processing and memory bandwidth increases exponentially.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Thief?

A: The highest measured average frame rate for this combination is 155 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle Thief at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is possible, but with compromises. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 48, with a minimum of 40. At High settings, the average drops to 36 FPS. Both are below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p compare to 1080p for this setup?

A: At 1440p, the system delivers substantially lower frame rates than at 1080p. For example, on the High preset, the average FPS drops from 90 at 1080p to 62 at 1440p. On the Low preset, it drops from 155 to 107 FPS. While still playable, the performance hit is significant.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference between the Low and Ultra presets is 69 FPS. The Low preset averages 155 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 86 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The steep drop in frame rates as resolution increases, such as the drop from 90 FPS at 1080p High to 36 FPS at 4K High, is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU cannot sustain that performance as the pixel count increases.

Q: Does the game have a frame rate cap or vsync that could affect these numbers?

A: The provided data does not include information on frame rate caps or vsync settings. The measured values are presented as the average, minimum, and maximum FPS observed during testing, with no indication of external software limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, based on the Turing architecture, plays the decisive role in this game's performance. Its specs, including 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, are crucial for handling the texture and geometry data at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock is listed at 1650 MHz, and its performance is measured by a Passmark G3D score of 16462, which places it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-range card by today's standards, and the data reflects that in a demanding title like Thief.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a key factor. The data shows that at 4K, the average FPS on High settings is 36, and on Ultra, it’s 35. The minimal difference between High and Ultra at this resolution, compared to the larger jumps seen between Low and Medium, suggests that the GPU is not just limited by raw compute power, but also potentially by memory bandwidth or capacity. The 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth must feed the GPU's 64 ROPs and 136 TMUs, and at 4K, this becomes a significant challenge. The card's FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is the raw compute horsepower available, but the data shows it is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher settings.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals, as shown in the benchmark data, is very tight. It scores slightly lower than the AMD Radeon RX 460, which has an average score of 18373, a delta of -1.5%. This close grouping indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance class in synthetic benchmarks is well-established. In real-world gaming, the data shows this translates to a card that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with ease, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Thief. The transition from 1080p Medium (118 FPS average) to 1440p Medium (81 FPS average) and then to 4K Medium (48 FPS average) clearly shows the GPU's performance scaling with resolution, reinforcing its role as the primary performance limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2591 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class. The data indicates that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU is not, and the overall system ranking is pulled down by the graphics card's inability to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions.

This ranking of 2591 out of 3720 means that roughly 70% of the tested systems in the database perform better than this combination in Thief. It is important to contextualize this rank with the resolution used for the ranking. The rank likely reflects an aggregate of performance across settings, but the underlying data shows a system that is excellent at 1080p but falls behind at 4K. For instance, the 155 FPS average at 1080p Low is a very good result, but the 35 FPS average at 4K Ultra is not.

The CPU itself is a top-tier performer, with a percentile ranking of 91 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, which has a delta of 0.6%, meaning the i7-14700F performs essentially on par with it. However, this CPU strength is not fully utilized in Thief due to the GPU bottleneck. The system's overall rank confirms the fact that in gaming, the GPU is often the more critical component. The data suggests that pairing this powerful CPU with a more capable graphics card would result in a significantly better ranking, as the current bottleneck is clearly on the graphics side.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and the player's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. The data provides clear choices for each resolution tier.

For 1920x1080, the system has enough headroom to play at any preset. The High preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 90 FPS. The Ultra preset is also viable, with an average of 86 FPS, providing the highest visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset is a strong alternative, averaging 118 FPS for those who prefer a higher refresh rate experience.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is playable and close to the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages 59 FPS, which is also acceptable but begins to show signs of strain, and the Medium preset provides a smoother experience at 81 FPS. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot at this resolution, balancing visual quality with a playable frame rate.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Medium preset is the only one that approaches a playable frame rate, with an average of 48 FPS and a minimum of 40 FPS. The High preset (36 FPS) and Ultra preset (35 FPS) are below the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended setting, but players should be prepared for a less fluid experience compared to lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS data for this hardware combination in Thief.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 155 FPS.
• Medium: Average 118 FPS, with a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 136 FPS.
• High: Average 90 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 86 FPS.

At 1080p, the system demonstrates exceptional performance. The jump from Low to Medium is a 37 FPS drop, while the drop from Medium to High is 28 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal at only 4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's extra visual features have a negligible impact on performance at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 107 FPS.
• Medium: Average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93 FPS.
• High: Average 62 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 59 FPS.

At 1440p, the frame rates are still solid but show a clear downward trend. The performance cost of moving from Medium to High is a 19 FPS drop, and the cost of moving from High to Ultra is only 3 FPS. This pattern is similar to 1080p, where the Ultra preset is not much more demanding than High, but the overall performance is lower.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 63 FPS.
• Medium: Average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 55 FPS.
• High: Average 36 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 35 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The system can only achieve a 60+ FPS average on the Low preset. The Medium preset is the highest setting that provides a somewhat playable experience, but it falls below the 60 FPS mark. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical in performance, with averages of 36 and 35 FPS respectively, indicating that the GPU is completely saturated at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are very strong, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. In the database, it ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 41317.

In Thief, however, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 155 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that demonstrates the CPU's capability to handle the game's logic and draw calls efficiently. The i7-14700F's high single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958, is likely sufficient to prevent any CPU-side bottlenecks in this title.

The evidence for a GPU bottleneck is that the frame rates scale directly with the GPU load. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions. Instead, the data shows a clear drop in performance as resolution increases. For example, at High settings, the FPS goes from 90 at 1080p to 36 at 4K. This is a 60% reduction in performance, which is entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU's powerful 20-core configuration is underutilized in this scenario, as Thief is unlikely to scale perfectly across all 28 threads. The data suggests that the i7-14700F is more than capable of supporting a much more powerful GPU, and in this combination, it is effectively waiting on the RTX 2060 SUPER to deliver frames.