Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination delivers a consistently strong experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains surprisingly demanding at higher presets. Across the 12 measured configurations—four quality settings at three resolutions—the average frame rates range from 49 FPS at 4K Ultra to 209 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating a system that is capable of smooth play in most scenarios but requires careful settings selection for 4K displays. The data shows a clear pattern: resolution and settings both exert significant leverage on performance, with the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor at higher detail levels, while the CPU’s high core count and boost clock ensure the frame pacing stays consistent even at lower resolutions where CPU headroom might otherwise be strained.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K show how the system scales with pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 209, falling to 151 at 2560x1440, and then to 89 at 3840x2160. That is a drop of 58 FPS from 1080p to 1440p (a 27.8% reduction), and a further drop of 62 FPS from 1440p to 4K (a 41.1% reduction). The overall scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 57.4% of the original performance—the 4K value is 42.6% lower than the 1080p value. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, since the RTX 3070 Ti’s pixel output rate becomes the limiting factor.

At Medium settings, the measured averages are 167 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 53 FPS (31.7%), and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 47 FPS (41.2%). Notably, the 4K Medium result of 67 FPS includes the only min/max data provided in the entire set—57 FPS minimum and 77 FPS maximum—which suggests that even at this mid-tier preset, the frame time variance is relatively contained. The scaling pattern at Medium is similar to Low, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

At High settings, the numbers are 127 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 40 FPS (31.5%), and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 36 FPS (41.4%). At Ultra, the pattern continues: 121 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 38 FPS (31.4%), and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 34 FPS (41.0%). Across all four settings, the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently around 41%, while the 1080p-to-1440p drop hovers around 31-32%. This consistency indicates that the resolution scaling is largely independent of the settings preset—the GPU is the limiting component across the board, and the CPU does not become a constraint at any tested resolution.

The data suggests that for a 4K display, the system will require Medium settings to maintain an average above 60 FPS (67 FPS average), while High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS (51 and 49 FPS, respectively). At 1440p, all settings exceed 80 FPS, and at 1080p, all settings exceed 120 FPS, making the system well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It contains 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory clocked at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6X memory is arranged on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The pixel rate is 169.9 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 339.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS and FP16 equal to the same 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Thief, a game that is not known to exceed that amount at the tested settings, and the high bandwidth ensures that texture streaming remains fluid. The GPU’s compute performance, as measured by synthetic benchmarks, places it in the 75th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. In the nearest-rivals comparison, the RTX 3070 Ti is on par with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (which has an avg score of 30095, a delta of -0.5%), and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783, +0.5%). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30433, -1.6%) by a small margin. These rivals are all older or equal-generation cards, and the RTX 3070 Ti’s position indicates that its overall compute capability is well-matched to the tested game’s demands.

The GPU’s clock behavior in this game is not directly measured, but the frame-time data implies that the boost clock is being maintained, given the relatively high FPS at 1080p. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s becomes the limiting factor, and the observed 4K scores (67 FPS at Medium) align with what this pixel rate would suggest. The GPU’s 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes provide adequate bandwidth, and the 290 W TDP is within bounds for the system, though the power connector is a single 12-pin that requires an adapter—a minor practical note that does not affect the benchmark results.

Settings Recommendations

For each resolution, the measured data points provide a clear picture of what settings are appropriate. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver high average FPS: Low is 209, Medium is 167, High is 127, and Ultra is 121. The difference between High and Ultra is only 6 FPS (4.7%), so the Ultra preset is recommended for 1080p users who want the best visual quality without sacrificing meaningful frame rate. The data shows that 1080p Ultra still provides 121 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and appropriate for 120 Hz displays.

At 2560x1440, the options are 151 FPS at Low, 114 FPS at Medium, 87 FPS at High, and 83 FPS at Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra is 4 FPS (4.6%), similar to the 1080p difference. The High preset provides 87 FPS, which is sufficient for a 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitor, while Ultra at 83 FPS is only marginally slower. Given the small difference, Ultra is the recommended preset for 1440p, as it delivers a 83 FPS average that remains above 60 FPS for the majority of gameplay. The min FPS values are not provided for High or Ultra, but the Medium preset shows a min of 97 FPS and max of 141 FPS, indicating that frame pacing is stable.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Ultra provides only 49 FPS and High provides 51 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play on most displays. Medium offers 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, which is the first preset that averages above 60 FPS. Low gives 89 FPS, but the visual downgrade from Medium to Low is significant in a stealth title where lighting and shadow details matter. The recommended preset for 4K is therefore Medium, as it is the only setting that balances visual quality with playable performance, delivering 67 FPS average while remaining within a 57-77 FPS range. Users with 4K 60 Hz displays should accept Medium; those with 120 Hz 4K panels would need to drop to Low to approach 89 FPS, but the 89 FPS average is still not enough for 120 Hz. The data indicates that 4K Ultra is not viable for smooth play at any refresh rate above 60 Hz.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti achieves a rank of 1101 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief, placing it within the top 30% of all systems. This percentile ranking reflects the system’s ability to maintain high frame rates across the tested resolutions. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all configurations, and the system’s strong performance at 1080p and 1440p contributes to this result. The rank of 1101 is not a top-tier placement, but it is a solid mid-to-upper range score, indicating that the system is well above the median but not among the absolute best. The 4K performance is the main factor holding the rank back, as the 49 FPS at Ultra and 51 FPS at High are below the thresholds that would push the rank higher.

The combo’s rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides ample processing power, but in Thief, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The GPU, with its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth, is the component that determines the system’s absolute capabilities. The RTX 3070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 29945 places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, and its performance in Thief is consistent with that general compute capability. The rank of 1101 out of 3720 is a quantitative measure of how this system’s combined CPU-GPU pairing performs relative to other pairings in the database, and the data shows it is a competent, mainstream choice for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 14th-generation Core processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has 20 cores (likely a combination of performance and efficiency cores) and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it has 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes. The 65 W TDP is relatively modest for a 20-core processor, which is notable for systems with constrained cooling. The CPU is not multiplier-unlocked, so the boost clock is the maximum achievable frequency.

In terms of synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 35,122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,958 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 19,620 multi-core and 2,429 single-core. Passmark results show a multi-thread score of 41,317, single-thread of 4,257, and a physics score of 2,455. The CPU’s percentile is 91st among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-end processor in the overall population. Its nearest rivals on an average score basis are the Intel Xeon 6505P (53,701, -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469, +0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53,288, +0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206, +0.8%). These competitors have similar average scores, showing the i7-14700KF is positioned with strong multi-thread performance, though the single-core performance is what matters more for gaming.

In Thief, the CPU role is minimal at the test of these settings. The frame rates are nearly identical between High and Ultra presets at each resolution, and the scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this game. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 2,429 in Geekbench and 4,958 in Cinebench R23 suggests that it can handle the game’s threading model, but the game does not make use of the 28 threads. The 33 MB of L3 cache helps with game data, but the CPU’s main contribution is maintaining a high frame ceiling at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully saturated. At 1080p Low, the 209 FPS result shows that the CPU is capable of pushing frames far beyond the GPU’s limit at that resolution, and the 1080p Ultra 121 FPS indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is not a weak point in this configuration, but it is also not the primary driver of the game’s performance; the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured dataset is as follows.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: average 89 FPS
• Medium: average 67 FPS, minimum 57 FPS, maximum 77 FPS
• High: average 51 FPS
• Ultra: average 49 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: average 151 FPS
• Medium: average 114 FPS, minimum 97 FPS, maximum 131 FPS
• High: average 87 FPS
• Ultra: average 83 FPS

At 1920x1080:

• Low: average 209 FPS
• Medium: average 167 FPS, minimum 142 FPS, maximum 192 FPS
• High: average 127 FPS
• Ultra: average 121 FPS

The data shows a clear pattern: the average FPS decreases monotonically from Low to Ultra in each resolution, with the only min/max values provided being for Medium at each resolution. At 4K, the Medium preset has a 57-77 FPS range, meaning the average of 67 FPS is near the middle of the possible range. At 1440p Medium, the min-max range is 97-131 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the range is 142-192 FPS. The relative spread (max minus min) is 20 FPS at 4K, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 1080p, which indicates that frame times are more consistent at higher resolutions, where the GPU is more constrained. The High and Ultra presets do not have min/max data, so the frame pacing at those settings cannot be analyzed beyond the averages.

The ratio of Low to Ultra FPS at each resolution is 209/121 = 1.73 at 1080p, 151/83 = 1.82 at 1440p, and 89/49 = 1.82 at 4K, showing that the difference between the lowest and highest presets is roughly similar across resolutions. The ratio of 1080p to 4K FPS at each setting is 209/89 = 2.35 at Low, 167/67 = 2.49 at Medium, 127/51 = 2.49 at High, and 121/49 = 2.47 at Ultra. This consistency indicates that resolution scaling is uniform across all presets, which is typical of a GPU-bound title.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS that this system can achieve in Thief?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 209, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the minimum average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The minimum average FPS is 49, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: What preset provides the best balance for 4K gameplay?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only one that averages above 60 FPS, with 67 FPS. High and Ultra average 51 and 49 FPS, respectively, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the frame range for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured range is 97 FPS minimum, 114 FPS average, and 131 FPS maximum.

Q: Which component is the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions and settings. The RTX 3070 Ti’s performance caps the frame rate, as shown by the consistent 31-41% FPS drops when moving from 1440p to 4K at every preset.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti rank among other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti is in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,945. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 5070 Mobile (29,928, +0.1%), the RX 6800 (30,095, -0.5%), the RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, +0.5%), and the RX 6700 (30,433, -1.6%).

Q: What is the rank of this specific CPU and GPU combination in Thief?

A: The combination ranks 1101 out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the upper third of the database.