Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a broad range of frame rates in Thief (released on 2014-02-24). Raw measurement shows the combination ranging from 53 frames per second (FPS) at 4K Ultra settings to 219 FPS at 1080p Low settings, a span that highlights both the CPU's ability to drive high frame rates at modest resolutions and the GPU's scaling limits as resolution and graphical load rise. The data, all measured, provides a clean picture of where each component's influence begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

Thief follows a predictable pattern as resolution climbs, but the slope of the curve tells the real story. At High settings, the measured average FPS moves from 139 at 1920x1080 to 95 at 2560x1440, a further drop to 56 at 3840x2160. That is a step-down of 44 and then 39 frames per second — dramatic declines that indicate the GPU becomes the primary limiter as pixel count increases. The same progression seen in the Low preset: 219 → 164 → 97. Dropping the visual quality raises frame rates, but the relative drop between 1080p and 1440p (55 frames) is smaller than the drop between 1440p and 4K (67 frames), suggesting resolution pressure increasingly saturates the GPU pipeline.

The ratio of the drops is not linear. At 1080p, Low produces 219 FPS, which is 82 FPS above the Medium average of 182. Yet at 4K, the difference between Low (97 FPS) and Medium (73 FPS) is only 24 frames. This compression means the GPU's silicon is doing more per pixel at 4K, leaving less headroom for graphics presets to affect output. The measured min/max data (only recorded for Medium) reinforce this: the 25th percentile floor moves from 155 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 4K, a 93-frame that shrinks the playable envelope considerably. The limiter shifts from CPU latency at low resolutions to GPU throughput at high resolutions, a typical signature for a game that is not heavily dependent on multi-core threading but does stress pixel fill.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K carries 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost of 5.60 GHz. In synthetic workloads, it reaches a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core of 2160, while Geekbench multi-core yields 20767 and single-core 2569. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4472, and the overall Passmark multi-threading score 52392. The strong single-thread performance directly influences Thief, a game that cannot consume that many cores. At 1080p Low the combo hits 219 FPS, which is the highest measured in this dataset — a clear sign that frame pacing at low resolution is not held back by the CPU's ability to reach the next frame.

The CPU's benchmark averages area: average benchmark score 69355 and it sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs tested. The nearestRivals show it in a tight cluster: AMD EPYC 9115 (avgScore 69288, deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (avgScore 69515, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avgScore 69875, deltaPct -0.7) and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, -0.9). The trailing-record deltaPct numbers put it close to top-tier parts, meaning the 14700K's raw compute doesn't hold Thief back. The game likely doesn't not use the 28 threads, but the boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that even one or two rows receive push, resulting in the high frame cap at 1080p seen in the measured data. A lower-clocked rival with similar single-core score would probably match the Low preset result, but the 14700K delivers no bottleneck.

The measured data shows no visible degradation in frame pacing when settings are increased beyond Low, because at 1080p even Ultra (132 FPS) remains above what the CPU can saturate. The CPU's headroom is considerable: even the 33 MB of L3 cache (shared) and 20 cores are more than Thief can exploit. This explains why 1080p Ultra loses almost no frame relative to High (139 → 132), whereas for the GPU at 4K, the Ultra/Low gap amounts to 44 frames (97 → 53). The CPU is an enabler, not a barrier, at high frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 packs 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, 128 ROPs, and 56 ray tracing cores, with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), base clock 1330 MHz, and boost 2520 MHz. This GPU's Passmark G3D score is 25381, and its percentile among all GPUs is 69, lower than the CPU's 94th. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score stands at 6290, and the Vulkan at 58705. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (avgScore 23736, deltaPct 0.6) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (avgScore 24063, deltaPct -0.8), showing that it sits ahead only mildly in synthetic tests. The Thief data puts the GPU firmly in the driver's seat when resolution goes up.

That 56 RT cores and 128 ROPs are not heavily exercised by a 2014-era title, but the ROP count and pixel rate (322.6 GPixel/s) plus texture rate (564.5 GTexel/s) are what determine how fast the frame buffer can be filled at 4K. The game's measured output goes from 97 FPS on Low at 3840x2160 to 53 on Ultra — that's over a 45% drop within the same resolution when settings are escalated, clearly a GPU-bound scenario. The VRAM of 16 GB is more than sufficient even for the Ultra preset, but the GPU's shading units are the limiting factor because the memory bandwidth (644.6 GB/s) is ample for the pixel load. The data shows that at 1440p, the GPU still keeps up with 91 FPS on Ultra, and at 1080p it hits 132 FPS on Ultra, so the card is only hamstrung at 4K.

The GPU's own percentile (69) indicates that relative to all GPUs it is not in the top tier, which aligns with its performance in this game: at 4K it fails to hold a comfortable 60 FPS even on Low, which is itself a sign that the RX 9070 is matching a mid-range GPU. The 3DMark steel nomad score of 6290 and the Passmark G3D 25381 confirm a mid-range standing. However, the data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is rarely a deterrent — the CPU and GPU work together to hit frame rates associated with a competitive e-sports experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows give a clear picture: at 1920x1080, the difference between the Low (219 FPS) and Medium (182 FPS) — a cut of 37 frames — is almost imperceptible in visual quality for most users. Medium also saw a minimum of 155 FPS and maximum 209 FPS, so the consistency is excellent. High steps up to 139 in average, Ultra to 132, but the extra 7 frames lost between High and Ultra suggests you are paying for tiny detail increase. For tough framerate targets, Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot: it keeps an average above 180 and a floor above 150, making a 144 Hz or 240 Hz panel well fed. If the user prefers visual fidelity, High at 139 FPS still sufficiently smooth; Ultra is only worth it if you have a 135–140 Hz ceiling.

At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 125 average, min 106, max 144 — that is a very stable experience for a 120 Hz monitor. Low goes to 164, High to 98, Ultra to 91. The drop from Medium to High is 30 frames, which could matter depending on screen refresh. For 60 Hz displays, Medium is overkill; High (95 FPS) still sits above 90, but Ultra (91) is nearly the same. The best balance is Medium: it has the most headroom for dips and keeps the GPU cool. At 1440p, Ultra and High both hover in the 90s, so if you want high settings, High gives 95 FPS vs 91 for Ultra — only a 4-frame difference, so choose High to avoid the tiny edge Ultra.

At 3840x2160, only Medium reaches a comfortable 73 FPS (min 62, max 84). High and Ultra fall to 56 and 53 respectively, which may appear stutter. Low hits 97, but that eats away visual detail. Thus, for a 4K display, Medium is the recommended preset: it holds an average of 73 FPS and maintains a floor above 60 FPS, which is borderline but playable. If the player owns a G‑SYNC or FreeSync display, High at 56 FPS may be tolerable, but the measured maximum of 84 in Medium vs the likely lower max in High highlights the GPU's strain. The data clearly shows that any attempt to push Ultra at 4K fails to sustain the frame time, and Low sacrifices too much visual quality for no practical benefit.

FAQ

Q: What average FPS does the Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 9070 achieve at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average is 182 FPS, with a minimum of 155 and a maximum of 209.

Q: At 1440p High settings, what is the measured average FPS?

A: The average is 95 FPS, with a known minimum of 106 only recorded for Medium – High has no min/max in the dataset.

Q: What is the GPU's Passmark G3D score?

A: 25381, placed in the 69th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How many cores does the CPU have?

A: 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a maximum boost of 5.60 GHz.

Q: What is the delta between the i7-14700K and the AMD EPYC 9115 using the given avgScore?

A: The EPYC 9115's avgScore is 69288, while the i7 has 69355; the deltaPct is 0.1, indicating essentially parity.

Q: What is the combo rank in the game?

A: The combo occupies rank 782 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Below is the complete matrix of measured average frame rates in Thief , as recorded with the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070.

1920x1080

• Low: Average 219 FPS
• Medium: Average 182 FPS (min 155, max 209)
• High: Average 139 FPS
• Ultra: Average 132 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: Average 164 FPS
• Medium: Average 125 FPS (min 106, max 144)
• High: Average 95 FPS
• Ultra: Average 91 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: Average 97 FPS
• Medium: Average 73 FPS (min 62, max 84)
• High: Average 56 FPS
• Ultra: Average 53 FPS

These numbers reveal that while the code's minimum and maximum are only recorded at Medium, the overall tendency is consistent: as resolution rises and graphical settings advance, the FPS falls off a higher differential. The spread between the lowest and highest setting diminishes, from a 87 FPS gap at 1080p (219 Low vs 132 Ultra) to a 44 FPS gap at 4K (97 Low vs 93 Ultra) – a sign the GPU's capacity is being pressed.

The Combos Rank

In the overall pool of 3720 tested processor-plus-GPU combinations, the Core i7-14700K + RX 9070 occupies position 782. That places it in the top 21% of all combos — a solid showroom for a mid-high-end card. The CPU's 94th percentile standing and GPU's modest 69th percentile suggests that the bottleneck of the overall combo is the graphics card. The rank is driven largely by the CPU's ability to deliver high-FPS rows at 1080p and 1440p, while the higher resolutions where the GPU becomes limiting drag the combined score down. Given that the RX 9070 sits in the 69th percentile, she is a middle-of-the-road GPU performance, but combined with a top-tier CPU it often exceeds expectations at lower resolutions. In Thief, the measured median is 782 out of 3720, confirming that this pairing yields a frame rate above a large majority of systems, but it could be pushed higher if the GPU had more raw throughput for high-reference loads. The rank is a direct outcome of the CPU's dominance in the light scenes that dominate the game's 1080p and 1440p.