Thief

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average recorded is 35 FPS at Low settings, which still falls well short of smooth gameplay. Medium settings deliver 26 FPS average, High drops to 20 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. The recorded data indicates this resolution is not viable for this combination.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the 60 FPS line across all presets. Low settings produce 59 FPS average, which is tantalizingly close to playable but technically misses the threshold. Medium settings average 45 FPS, High settings yield 34 FPS, and Ultra settings return 33 FPS. The verdict data confirms no playable settings exist at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally clears the bar. Low settings average 86 FPS, Medium settings average 66 FPS, High settings average 50 FPS, and Ultra settings average 48 FPS. The best settings that maintain at least 60 FPS average are Medium, delivering 66 FPS. This is the only resolution where the playable threshold is met, and Medium is the most demanding preset that achieves it. Low settings offer a higher margin at 86 FPS, but Medium represents the optimal balance of visual quality and performance within the 60 FPS constraint.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern of GPU limitation across all resolutions. The Intel Arc B390, with its integrated-class design and 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, appears to be the primary bottleneck. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 processor with a 32 MB shared L3 cache, provides ample headroom for this 2014 stealth title.

The scaling between resolutions demonstrates this GPU-bound behavior. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 66 to 45, a 32% decrease. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Medium settings, the average falls from 45 to 26, a 42% further reduction. This steep degradation with increasing pixel count is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated at lower resolutions and becomes progressively more strained as the render load grows.

The CPU's role is less pronounced. The Ryzen 5 5600F scores 2872 in PassMark single-thread tests and 19236 in multithreaded tests, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. For Thief, a game from 2014, even the most demanding scenes should not tax this processor heavily. The fact that FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and settings changes, rather than showing CPU-related stutters or frame-time inconsistencies, further supports the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting factor.

At 1920x1080, the GPU still governs performance, but the CPU's capability becomes relatively more important as the frame rate rises. The jump from 66 FPS at Medium to 50 FPS at High (a 24% drop) versus the jump from Medium to Low (a 30% increase to 86 FPS) suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline, not the CPU's game logic processing, determines these outcomes. The Arc B390's 1536 shading units and 48 texture mapping units are simply insufficient for higher detail levels at any resolution tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Low: 35 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Medium: 26 FPS average, 22 FPS minimum, 30 FPS maximum
• High: 20 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: 19 FPS average, no min/max recorded

The Medium preset provides the only complete frame-time data at this resolution. The 8 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates moderate frame pacing, but the overall averages are far too low for acceptable gameplay.

2560x1440:

• Low: 59 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Medium: 45 FPS average, 38 FPS minimum, 52 FPS maximum
• High: 34 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: 33 FPS average, no min/max recorded

At 1440p, Low settings nearly achieve playability at 59 FPS average, but the margin is insufficient. Medium settings show a 14 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, suggesting some frame-time volatility. The 1 FPS difference between High and Ultra averages (34 vs 33) indicates diminishing returns at the top end of the settings spectrum.

1920x1080:

• Low: 86 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Medium: 66 FPS average, 56 FPS minimum, 75 FPS maximum
• High: 50 FPS average, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: 48 FPS average, no min/max recorded

At 1080p, Medium settings deliver a 66 FPS average with a 56 FPS minimum, meaning even the worst-case frames stay near the playable threshold. The 19 FPS spread between minimum and maximum (56 to 75) indicates some variability, but the average comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Low settings provide a substantial buffer at 86 FPS average, while High and Ultra both fall below the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

CPU Rivals:

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F's average benchmark score is 36945, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database show remarkable clustering:

• Intel Core Ultra 5 225: average score 36938, delta 0% (essentially identical performance)
• AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D: average score 37018, delta -0.2% (slightly faster)
• AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450: average score 37093, delta -0.4% (marginally faster)
• Intel Core i9-12900T: average score 37112, delta -0.5% (marginally faster)

All four rivals fall within 0.5% of the Ryzen 5 5600F's score, meaning any of these processors would behave nearly identically in Thief. The choice between them would come down to platform features and availability rather than gaming performance in this title.

GPU Rivals:

The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA legacy parts:

• NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX: score 1463, delta 1.3% (slightly slower)
• NVIDIA GeForce 800M: score 1460, delta 1.5% (slightly slower)
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM: score 1446, delta 2.5% (slower)
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 710: score 1443, delta 2.7% (slower)

The Arc B390 outperforms all four rivals by margins between 1.3% and 2.7%. These are all extremely low-end parts, and the performance differences are negligible in real-world gaming. Any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical results in Thief, meaning the 1080p Medium 66 FPS result would likely be mirrored with these alternatives, though none would break new ground.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 60 FPS on any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 resolution with Low or Medium settings. Low averages 86 FPS and Medium averages 66 FPS. No settings at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset for this combination?

A: The database identifies Medium settings at 1920x1080 as the best playable preset, delivering 66 FPS average. This is the highest quality setting that maintains at least 60 FPS average.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, outperforming the GeForce GT 520MX by 1.3%, the GeForce 800M by 1.5%, the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5%, and the GeForce GT 710 by 2.7%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600F a strong processor for gaming?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600F sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 36945. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, scores 36938, showing essentially identical performance. The processor's single-thread score of 2872 and multithread score of 19236 indicate robust capability for modern and older titles alike.

Q: What frame times does the Medium preset at 1080p produce?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 66, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. The 19 FPS spread indicates some frame-time variation, but the minimum stays close to the playable threshold.

Q: Does this combination achieve 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. The best result at 2560x1440 is 59 FPS average on Low settings, which narrowly misses the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets at this resolution fall further behind, with Medium at 45 FPS, High at 34 FPS, and Ultra at 33 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief, but only under specific conditions. The verdict data confirms a single playable configuration: 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings, achieving 66 FPS average. Low settings at the same resolution provide a comfortable margin at 86 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the combination falls short across all presets. The closest result is 59 FPS average on Low settings, which is 1 FPS below the playable line. This is a frustrating near-miss, as the game would feel nearly smooth but would technically fail the threshold. Medium settings at 1440p produce 45 FPS average, which is playable in a relaxed sense but does not meet the database's 60 FPS standard.

At 3840x2160, performance is uniformly poor. The best average is 35 FPS on Low settings, and Ultra settings drop to 19 FPS. This resolution is entirely unsuitable for this hardware combination.

The bottleneck is clearly the Intel Arc B390 GPU. Its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its integrated-class design (system shared memory, 1536 shading units) limit it to entry-level performance. The Ryzen 5 5600F, by contrast, is a capable mid-range processor with 85th percentile ranking and ample headroom for this game.

For players willing to accept 1080p Medium settings, this combination delivers a functional Thief experience. The 56 FPS minimum at those settings means even the heaviest scenes stay near the target. The game's 2014 release date means its rendering demands are modest by modern standards, but the Arc B390's limited compute resources still constrain the experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3307 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief. This places it in the 11th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 89% of combinations deliver better performance in this game.

This low ranking aligns with the GPU's performance tier. The Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is competitive only with legacy NVIDIA parts like the GT 520MX and GT 710. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations in a graphically demanding stealth title.

The rank also reflects the narrow playability window. Only one resolution and two settings presets (Low and Medium at 1080p) clear the 60 FPS threshold. Most tested combinations in the database likely achieve playable results across multiple resolutions and presets, which explains why this combo sits closer to the bottom of the rankings.

The data suggests that pairing the Ryzen 5 5600F with a more capable GPU would dramatically improve the ranking, as the CPU has substantial headroom. Conversely, the Arc B390 would perform better with a less powerful CPU, though the overall experience would remain constrained by the GPU's low-end positioning. For Thief specifically, this combination is functional but far from optimal, suited for players who prioritize 1080p Medium settings and do not require higher resolutions or detail levels.