Thief

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Thief with the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT show a clear progression as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination produces 81 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at Ultra drops that to 53 FPS, a reduction of 28 FPS. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls further to 30 FPS, which is exactly half of the 1080p Ultra result. This scaling pattern indicates the render workload is expanding rapidly with pixel count.

Looking at Medium settings, the 1080p result is 131 FPS, the 1440p result is 86 FPS, and the 4K result is 48 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 45 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 38 FPS. The reductions are not linear in percentage terms. From 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium, the frame rate falls by 34.4%. From 1440p Medium to 4K Medium, it falls by another 44.2%. This steeper relative decline at the higher resolution step suggests the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as the pixel count approaches 8.3 million.

At Low settings, the pattern shifts. The 1080p Low result is 166 FPS, 1440p Low is 109 FPS, and 4K Low is 60 FPS. The 4K Low figure is exactly 60 FPS, which aligns with a typical display refresh interval, but the data does not indicate any frame pacing or sync details. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is a 34.3% drop, similar to the Medium preset. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is 44.9%, again the steeper step. This consistent pattern across settings indicates that as resolution climbs, the limiting component is the graphics processor. The CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but at 4K the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant factor.

The High preset shows 104 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 33.7% and 44.9% respectively. The 4K High result of 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS Low result, confirming that preset quality has a substantial impact at this resolution. The data indicates that the RX 6650 XT, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is not the bottleneck, even with 20 cores and 28 threads available.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the combination. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz and boost clock reaches 5.60 GHz. The processor uses a 10 nm process node and has a 33 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2160 in single-core. The Geekbench multi-core score is 20767, and single-core is 2569.

In Thief, the CPU's role appears secondary at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 166 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires strong per-core performance. The i7-14700K's boost clock of 5.60 GHz and single-core Cinebench R15 score of 313.5 support this throughput. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 81 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 30 FPS. The decline is far larger than the CPU's multicore headroom would suggest, so the data points to the GPU as the binding constraint.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all tested processors indicates it is a high-performance part. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with an average score delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7-14700K is effectively tied with that processor. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is -0.7% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is -0.9% behind. For a game like Thief, which is a 2014 title with a stealth genre focus, the CPU is likely over-provisioned. The frame rates at 1080p Low and Medium, 166 and 131 FPS, are high enough to indicate the CPU is not limiting those results.

The processor's memory support includes DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus. The 33 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores. In Thief, which has large city environments and many AI-driven NPCs, the cache can help with draw call and AI processing. However, the measured FPS data does not show a CPU-bound scenario at any resolution. The lowest frame rate recorded is 30 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is far below what the CPU's single-thread performance would permit if the game were CPU-limited. The CPU's role in this combination is to keep the GPU fed with data, and the results indicate it does so without becoming a bottleneck.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT uses the Navi 23 chip on a 7 nm process. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The base clock is 2055 MHz, the boost clock is 2635 MHz, and the game clock is 2410 MHz. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 10.79 TFLOPS.

In the database, this GPU holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m with a delta of -0.6%, the AMD FirePro D300 at +0.7%, the AMD FirePro W7000 at -0.7%, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 at +0.8%. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating the RX 6650 XT is placed in a dense cluster of similar-performance graphics cards.

The measured FPS data in Thief shows the GPU's memory configuration matters. At 4K High, the average is 38 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it is 30 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game's era, but the 128-bit bus and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth may limit texture streaming at high resolutions. The 4K Medium result is 48 FPS with a min of 41 FPS and max of 55 FPS. The 4K Low result is 60 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 12 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 10 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 8 FPS. This shows diminishing returns as settings increase, which is consistent with the GPU's compute and memory resources being progressively saturated.

At 1080p, the GPU delivers 166 FPS on Low, 131 FPS on Medium, 104 FPS on High, and 81 FPS on Ultra. The gap from Low to Ultra is 85 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings produce 109, 86, 69, and 53 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS. At 4K, the settings produce 60, 48, 38, and 30 FPS, a gap of just 30 FPS. This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is running out of resources, particularly pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 168.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is being taxed heavily at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 166, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9115, scores 69288, a delta of +0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, a delta of -0.2%.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The lowest average FPS is 30, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: What memory configuration does the GPU use?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 6650 XT ranks in the 65th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: At which resolution does the frame rate drop below 60 FPS on the Medium preset?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset produces an average of 48 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 86 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2383rd out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the lower third of the database, specifically at the 64th percentile of the tested combinations (2383 divided by 3720 is 0.64, meaning 36% of combos rank lower). The rank reflects the GPU's position in the performance hierarchy, as the CPU's 94th percentile ranking is much higher than the combo's overall rank.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking is close to the combo's 64th percentile rank, which suggests the GPU is the determining factor for this pairing. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X or the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, would not change the combo rank substantially if paired with the same GPU, because the GPU holds the performance ceiling. The rank of 2383 out of 3720 means there are 1337 combos that rank lower and 2382 that rank higher. The data indicates that the combination is not a top-tier configuration for Thief, but it is also not at the bottom. The frame rates at 1080p are playable, and the 1440p results are acceptable on Medium and High settings.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 69355 places it near the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996). All of these processors are within 1% of each other. The GPU's average score of 19765 is within 1% of the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (19885), the AMD FirePro D300 (19637), the AMD FirePro W7000 (19905), and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19602). This tight clustering shows that the combination is built from components that are each in a competitive mid-range position, and the game's results follow the GPU's lead.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports different settings choices depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset produces 81 FPS, which is above the typical 60 FPS threshold. The High preset produces 104 FPS, Medium 131 FPS, and Low 166 FPS. For a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the best experience because it delivers 81 FPS while using the highest quality settings. The gap between Ultra and High is 23 FPS, but the visual quality increase from High to Ultra is often substantial in this genre of game.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 53 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. The High preset produces 69 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. Medium produces 86 FPS. For a 1440p display, the High preset is the best choice because it maintains a 69 FPS average while keeping quality high. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS may be acceptable for some users, but the recorded data shows it falls below the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset at 86 FPS offers a smoother experience but with reduced quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset produces 60 FPS exactly, Medium produces 48 FPS, High produces 38 FPS, and Ultra produces 30 FPS. For a 4K display, the Low preset is the only one that reaches 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is a compromise, but it is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High and Ultra presets are not advisable for a smooth experience. The data shows that this GPU is not capable of maintaining high quality at 4K in Thief, so users with a 4K display should expect to use Low or Medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four settings levels for each resolution. At 3840x2160, the Low setting averages 60 FPS. The Medium setting averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The High setting averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 30 FPS. For the Medium setting at 4K, the spread between min and max is 14 FPS, which is the only row with both min and max values recorded.

At 2560x1440, the Low setting averages 109 FPS. The Medium setting averages 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS. The High setting averages 69 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 53 FPS. The Medium spread at 1440p is 26 FPS, larger than the 4K spread, which indicates more variability in frame times at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Low setting averages 166 FPS. The Medium setting averages 131 FPS, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS. The High setting averages 104 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 81 FPS. The Medium spread at 1080p is 39 FPS, the largest of the three resolutions. This suggests that at 1080p, the combination has more headroom, and frame times vary more as the GPU works through scenes.

The progression across settings is consistent. For each resolution, the frame rate decreases as settings increase. The absolute drop from Low to Ultra is 106 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The relative drop is 63.9% at 1080p, 51.4% at 1440p, and 50.0% at 4K. This indicates that the performance penalty for Ultra settings is proportionally smaller at higher resolutions, because the GPU is already heavily loaded by the pixel count. The min and max values for Medium settings show that the frame rate can fluctuate significantly, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU and GPU are both active.