Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Thief with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B390 shows a clear performance ceiling that varies sharply by resolution. At 3840x2160, the combo is entirely below playable thresholds. High settings produce an average of 20 FPS, Medium delivers 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30, Low reaches 35 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the best case, Low at 35 FPS, is barely half of what is required for smooth gameplay.

Stepping down to 2560x1440 improves results but still leaves the system short of 60 FPS across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 59 FPS, which is tantalizingly close to the target but not enough to qualify as playable. Medium produces 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52, High drops to 34 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS. The data indicates that this resolution is a borderline case: the system can nearly hit the threshold at Low, but any increase in visual fidelity pushes the average down by more than a third.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes substantially. Low settings deliver an average of 86 FPS, a strong result that clears the 60 FPS bar by a wide margin. Medium settings maintain 66 FPS on average with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75, which means the average is playable even though frame dips can occur below the threshold. High settings drop to 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS, both under the playability line. The recorded data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combination can sustain a playable experience, and only at Low and Medium presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest recorded average is 35 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset at 1920x1080 for this combo?

A: Medium settings are the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The measured average is 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. Low settings are also playable at 86 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It sits 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710. Its percentile rank among all GPUs is 9.

Q: Is 2560x1440 playable with this hardware?

A: No. The closest result is Low settings at 59 FPS average, which falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1920x1080 on High settings?

A: High settings average 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The system is only considered playable at Low (86 FPS average) and Medium (66 FPS average) presets at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 rank among all tested CPUs?

A: The CPU sits at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which is 0.2% ahead, and the Intel Core i9-11900H, which is 0.5% ahead.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this combo each have nearby alternatives that would produce similar gameplay behavior. On the processor side, the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, a difference of only 0.2%, meaning it would likely deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Thief. The Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21367, 0.5% lower, and would be a very close substitute as well. On the other end, the Intel Xeon D-1746TER scores 21635, which is 0.7% higher, and the AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21223, which is 1.2% lower. These deltas are all small enough that the CPU would not be the differentiating factor in Thief's performance.

The GPU side is more constrained. The Intel Arc B390 has an average score of 1482, and its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). In practical terms, any of these GPUs would produce very similar FPS numbers in Thief at the same settings and resolution. The small performance gaps mean that swapping to a rival GPU would not meaningfully change the playability verdict: 1080p Low and Medium would remain the only playable configurations, while 1440p and 4K would still fall short.

When considering the whole combo, the limiting factor is clearly the GPU. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all processors indicates it has ample headroom for this 2014 stealth title, while the GPU's 9th percentile ranking explains why higher resolutions and presets fail to sustain 60 FPS. Users coming from a system with one of the listed rival GPUs should expect nearly identical results.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3307 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. That places it in the lower 11% of all systems tested, which aligns with the measured FPS data. The rank reflects that most other hardware pairings in the database achieve better performance in this game, and only a relatively small group of combinations perform worse.

The ranking is consistent with the GPU's low percentile position. A GPU at the 9th percentile among all GPUs will naturally drag a combo down in a game like Thief, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards but still requires a minimum level of graphics throughput. The CPU's strong relative position does not compensate for the GPU's limitations, as the measured FPS scales more directly with resolution and preset changes than with CPU headroom.

For context, the combo's rank of 3307 means that roughly 413 tested configurations sit below it. Those lower-ranked systems would likely struggle even at 1080p Low, while this combo can at least manage a playable experience at that resolution on two presets. Still, the overall ranking indicates that this is not a configuration suited for high-fidelity or high-resolution play in Thief.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief, but only under specific conditions. According to the verdict by resolution, the only playable settings are at 1920x1080, where Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 86, well above the playability line. At Medium, the average is 66, still above 60 FPS, though the minimum of 56 indicates occasional dips below the target during demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the system cannot achieve playable performance. The best case is Low settings at 59 FPS average, which misses the 60 FPS threshold by a single frame. At 3840x2160, the results are far below playable, with the highest average being 35 FPS on Low. The verdict data explicitly lists no playable settings at either 1440p or 4K.

The practical conclusion is that this combo is a 1080p machine for Thief. Gamers who accept Medium settings will get a mostly smooth experience, while those who prioritize frame rate stability can drop to Low for a very comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Higher resolutions are not viable, and the GPU is the bottleneck preventing any headroom at 1440p or above.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings that maintain an average at or above 60 FPS are Medium. The recorded average is 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. Medium is the most demanding preset that qualifies as playable, and it offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. Low settings are also playable at 86 FPS average, which provides a larger safety margin for frame time consistency, but Medium achieves the higher visual fidelity while still clearing the threshold on average.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low at 59 FPS average, which is technically below playable. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. There is no recommended best setting at this resolution because none of the presets meet the playability criterion.

At 3840x2160, the situation is similarly unplayable across all presets. Low averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The database records no best setting for this resolution because no configuration reaches 60 FPS.

For users who must run at 1440p or 4K, the data suggests that Low is the only preset worth attempting, but even then the frame rates fall short of smooth gameplay. The system is best utilized at 1080p with Medium settings, where the average FPS of 66 provides a playable experience with reasonable visual quality.