Thief

Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti deliver a high-refresh-rate experience in Thief across all tested resolutions. The data shows a system comfortably positioned within the top 7% of tested combinations for this title, making it a formidable pairing for the game's stealth-focused environments.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a classic performance curve as resolution increases, with the most significant drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At the High preset, the system delivers 172 FPS at 1080p, which scales to 118 FPS at 1440p, and finally settles at 70 FPS at 4K. This represents a 59% reduction in performance from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% reduction moving from 1440p to 2160p. The progression is not linear, with the 4K Ultra preset producing 66 FPS, indicating that the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, but the jump to 4K is more severe, suggesting that the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and its bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the sheer pixel workload at 4K begins to outpace the GPU's capabilities. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is not the bottleneck; the 172 FPS at High is likely near the ceiling of what the game engine can provide, regardless of the graphics card.

Benchmark results indicate that at 4K, the combination of the i7-14700K and RTX 4070 Ti is still capable of a buttery-smooth experience, with the average FPS never dropping below 66 FPS even at the Ultra preset. The data shows a 45% reduction in average FPS between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra, proof of the high resolution workload placed on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is equipped with 20 cores and 28 threads, divided into performance and efficiency cores, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This processor, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, delivers high single-thread and multi-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and multi-core score of 33440.5.

In Thief, a game released in 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU and maintain high frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p, the system is able to achieve an average of 219 FPS on Low settings, which indicates the CPU is capable of saturating the RTX 4070 Ti. The i7-14700K's 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth and dual-channel memory support ensure that the game's data is delivered to the cores without a bottleneck.

Despite the game's age, the i7-14700K does not become a limiting factor for this benchmark. The multi-core benchmark scores, including a PassMark multithread score of 52392, illustrate a processor that can handle any game from the era without issue. However, the performance of the GPU is the primary determinant of the FPS at higher resolutions, as the CPU's job is largely complete once the data is sent to the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the centerpiece of this build, with a boost clock of 2610 MHz and a base clock of 2310 MHz, paired with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 192-bit bus. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and the 288 GB/s of L3 cache are critical for maintaining high frame rates in Thief, a game that is not particularly demanding on VRAM but does benefit from a high-bandwidth memory subsystem.

The GPU's 7680 shading units and 240 TMUs are substantial, and it achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024. In the game's benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Ti shows a strong performance curve, with the 1080p Ultra preset achieving 164 FPS and the 1440p Ultra preset at 113 FPS. The GPU's capabilities are also reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 31624, which places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a high-tier card.

The RTX 4070 Ti's compute capabilities, represented by its GPU compute benchmark of 18396, also play a role in the game's performance, though Thief does not utilize advanced compute features to the extent of modern titles. The GPU's raw performance is the main driver of the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and its limitations become apparent only when pushing the resolution to 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 118 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, providing a smooth experience for high-refresh monitors.

Q: Is the system able to run Thief at 4K with smooth gameplay?

A: Yes, the combination delivers an average of 70 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, and 66 FPS at Ultra, which is suitable for a fluid gaming experience.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p on the lowest settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 219 FPS, indicating the system is not limited by the CPU at this resolution and preset.

Q: What are the differences in FPS between the Medium preset at different resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 198, with a min of 168 and max of 228. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 155, with a min of 132 and max of 179. At 4K Medium, the average is 91, with a min of 78 and max of 105.

Q: What is the performance at the Ultra preset compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset yields an average of 113 FPS, which is 5 FPS lower than the High preset's 118 FPS, a modest reduction for the additional visual fidelity.

Q: Is the system's performance in Thief better than average?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 244 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the upper 6.5% of all systems tested for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 219 on Low to 198 on Medium, with a minimum of 168 and maximum of 228. The High preset yields 172 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 164 FPS. This shows a relatively small gap between High and Ultra, but a significant drop from Low to High.

At 2560x1440, the system achieves 193 FPS on Low, 155 FPS on Medium, 118 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 132 and a maximum of 179, showing a wider variance than the 1080p Medium results.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 120 on Low, 91 on Medium, 70 on High, and 66 on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 78 and a maximum of 105, indicating a more constrained frame time distribution at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For a high-refresh monitor at 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it offers the highest image quality with an average of 164 FPS, which still is above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The High preset is a viable alternative if more headroom is desired, with 172 FPS and a negligible visual difference.

At 1440p, the High preset provides an average of 118 FPS, which is ideal for a 120Hz or 144Hz display. The Ultra preset is only slightly slower at 113 FPS, so the trade-off is minor. The Medium preset at 155 FPS is excellent for 165Hz panels, but the visual compromise may not be worth the additional FPS.

For 4K, the High preset at 70 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, but the Medium preset is a good alternative for those who prioritize a higher frame rate with an average of 91 FPS. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti holds a rank of 244 out of 3720 tested combinations for Thief. This places the system in the top 6.5% of all tested configurations, showcasing its ability to deliver a high-performance experience in this game.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs further underscore the exceptional nature of this pairing. The i7-14700K's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, are within a 0.9% performance difference, indicating that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this system.

Similarly, the RTX 4070 Ti's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile and AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, with the RTX 4070 Ti being 0.8% ahead of the mobile GPU and 1.3% behind the AMD card. However, the GPU's overall score of 44795 places it well ahead of the average, ensuring that this combination delivers a top-tier gaming experience in Thief.