Thief

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a stark contrast in capabilities within the 2014 stealth classic Thief. The benchmark data reveals a system where the CPU’s immense processing power is largely untapped, while the GPU’s age and limited memory dictate the overall experience. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, offering a clear picture of what this combination delivers.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a straightforward map for optimizing playable settings. At 1920x1080, the most demanding Ultra preset yields an average of 41 FPS, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth action in a game that relies on quick reactions and stealth timing. Dropping to High settings improves this to 43 FPS, a marginal gain. However, selecting the Medium preset at 1080p produces a 57 FPS average, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This represents a substantial improvement in frame rate and, critically, ensures the frame time stays within a more consistent range, making it the recommended setting for a balanced experience. For the lowest preset, the system achieves 75 FPS, which would offer the smoothest gameplay but sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 28 FPS, and High is only 30 FPS, both of which are too low for a fluid experience. The Medium preset at 1440p yields a 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. While this is a playable frame rate for a game like Thief, it represents a significant compromise. The Low preset at 1440p is the only setting that pushes the average above the 60 FPS mark, reaching 51 FPS.

The 4K data makes a clear case for avoiding high settings entirely. At 3840x2160, the Ultra and High presets both produce an average of 17 FPS, which is not playable. The Medium preset manages 23 FPS, with lows of 19 and highs of 26. Even the Low preset at 4K only achieves 30 FPS average. The data suggests that the only viable setting for 4K is Low, and even then, the frame rate is barely adequate. For the best experience with this combination, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best compromise between smoothness and visual quality, with the Low preset available for those prioritizing a much higher frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-14700KF and Radeon RX 570 ranks 3551 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief. This position places it in the 95th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms only 5% of the tested systems. This low rank is a direct reflection of the GPU’s modest performance in this particular title, as the CPU is far more capable than what is required. The data indicates that the system is heavily imbalanced, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck. While the CPU is a top-tier component, the GPU’s age and specifications limit the entire system’s performance, preventing it from achieving a higher rank. The benchmark results clearly show that this pairing is not optimized for high-end gaming, but rather a system where the CPU is a long-term investment that could be paired with a more powerful GPU in the future.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a critical component in this combination, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU features a 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory configuration, while adequate for its time, is a limiting factor at higher resolutions and texture settings in Thief. The GPU’s base clock is 1168 MHz, with a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its shading units number 2048, and it has 128 texture mapping units and 32 render output units.

In the context of Thief, the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor. The data shows a clear relationship between resolution and average frame rate. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 75 FPS. This drops to 43 FPS at High settings. At 1440p, the Low setting average is 51 FPS, while High falls to 30 FPS. At 4K, the Low setting average is 30 FPS, and High is 17 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s processing power and memory bandwidth are being pushed to their limits as resolution and graphical demands increase. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support, listed as 12 (12_0), is sufficient for the game, but the overall performance is constrained by its hardware specifications. The benchmarks for the GPU, such as its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880, are relatively low, reflecting its mid-range tier from 2017. The data points to the GPU being the primary reason for the system’s low rank in the game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a detailed picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system performs best. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 75 FPS. Medium settings yield 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings produce 43 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. This shows a predictable scaling from Low to Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease. Low settings achieve an average of 51 FPS. Medium settings produce 39 FPS on average, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. High settings lower the average to 30 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 28 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly lower. Low settings result in a 30 FPS average. Medium settings achieve a 23 FPS average, with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 26. High and Ultra settings both lock in at a 17 FPS average. The data illustrates a steep drop in performance as resolution increases, particularly from 1440p to 4K. The jump from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings is a 12 FPS decrease, while the jump from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings is a 16 FPS decrease, showing how the GPU becomes severely overworked at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 75 FPS. Moving to 1440p with the same settings, the average drops to 51 FPS. This is a decrease of 24 FPS, or approximately 32%. At 4K, the average is 30 FPS, which is a 45 FPS drop from 1080p, a 60% reduction. This scaling is consistent across all settings. For instance, at Medium settings, the average goes from 57 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p and then to 23 FPS at 4K.

This steep decline in performance as resolution increases indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. A 4K resolution requires roughly 4 times the pixel count of 1080p. The measured frame rates do not drop by a factor of 4, but the decrease is substantial. The data suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are exhausted by the higher resolution demands. The 4 GB memory buffer is also a factor, as it may be insufficient for the required textures at higher resolutions. The scaling pattern points directly to the GPU as the performance bottleneck, as a CPU-bound system would not show such a dramatic drop with increasing resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is an extremely powerful processor, but the benchmark data in Thief shows that its capabilities are not the limiting factor. It has 20 cores and 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 44167, and its single-core score is 6235. This puts it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 70163 places it very close to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which scores 69996 points, a difference of only 0.2%.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is not reflected in the system’s low rank. The game’s engine appears to be primarily GPU-bound, as the data shows that frame rates are heavily influenced by the resolution and settings. The fact that the system is ranked 3551 out of 3720 combos, despite having a top-tier CPU, confirms that the CPU is not the performance ceiling. The CPU’s scores would be more relevant in a scenario where the GPU was more powerful. The data suggests that the CPU is far more capable than what is needed for this game, leaving significant headroom for future GPU upgrades. The GPU’s low performance is the reason the combo ranks so low, not the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: According to the data, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 provides the best experience with an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This is a smoother experience than the 43 FPS average of the High preset.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that the highest settings at 3840x2160 are not playable. The Medium and Low presets yield averages of 23 FPS and 30 FPS, respectively. The High and Ultra presets both produce only a 17 FPS average.

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

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The system’s rank is 3551 out of 3720, and the FPS scales dramatically with the resolution, which is a sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is a high-end component.

Q: What is the system's ranking among all tested combos in the game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3551 out of 3720 tested combinations.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus, and a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The CPU has an average score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F’s 69996. It is 0.4% higher than the Ryzen 9 7940HX’s 69875, and 0.9% higher than the Ryzen 9 7950X’s 69515. It is 1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K’s 70879.