Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Thief with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Intel Arc B390 shows a clear pattern: this combination is viable at 1080p, marginal at 1440p, and not playable at 4K. The measurements were taken across four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at three resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Low preset delivers an average of 35 FPS, Medium drops to 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30, High falls to 20 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 16 FPS, indicating that even the most aggressive settings reduction cannot bring this resolution into a playable range. None of the 4K presets come close to the 60 FPS target, and the data shows this resolution is effectively out of reach for this hardware pairing.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the threshold. Low settings produce 59 FPS, which is tantalizingly close to 60 but still short. Medium averages 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52, High delivers 34 FPS, and Ultra manages 33 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 26 FPS drop, meaning the preset choice has a substantial impact at this resolution. However, even the lowest settings fail to clear 60 FPS, so 1440p cannot be considered playable under the database's definition.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally reaches playable territory. Low settings produce 86 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75, High drops to 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS on average, though the 56 FPS minimum shows some frame dips below the threshold. Low settings provide a comfortable margin with 86 FPS. The High and Ultra presets both land in the 48 to 50 FPS range, which is playable for some users but not according to the strict 60 FPS criterion used here.

The scaling between resolutions is steep. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings reduces the average from 86 to 59 FPS, a 27 FPS loss. At Medium, the drop is from 66 to 45 FPS, a 21 FPS loss. The 4K results show even more severe degradation, with Medium falling from 66 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 4K. This suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, which is expected given the Arc B390's modest benchmark profile.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database's nearest rival comparisons provide context for both components. For the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT, the closest matches in average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with a delta of 0%, the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS both at -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X at +0.6%. This means the 5800XT sits in a tight cluster of mobile and desktop processors with nearly identical aggregate performance. The CPU is clearly not the limiting factor in this test, as its rivals would produce essentially the same frame rates in Thief.

For the Intel Arc B390, the picture is very different. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at +1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at +1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at +2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at +2.7%. These are all entry-level or legacy graphics solutions. The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only a small fraction of the database's tested graphics hardware. In practical terms, a system with any of these rival GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Thief, and none of them would be expected to deliver strong performance at high resolutions.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates an interesting dynamic. The 5800XT's nearest rivals all score within 0.6% of its average, so swapping in any of those processors would not meaningfully change the results. Conversely, the Arc B390's rivals are all within 2.7% of its score, so the GPU choice is equally constrained. The data suggests that any of these alternative pairings would land within a few FPS of the measured results.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 1080p with High settings?

A: No. The High preset at 1920x1080 averages 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Only the Low and Medium presets clear 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: There is no playable preset at 1440p. The lowest settings option, Low, averages 59 FPS, which is still 1 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data confirms no playable settings exist at this resolution.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463, the GeForce 800M at 1460, the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446, and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443. All of these are within 2.7% of the Arc B390's score.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 5800XT ranks in the 81st percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals are near-identical in performance, while the GPU's rivals are all low-end parts.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30. This is far below the 60 FPS threshold and is not considered playable.

Q: Does the Medium preset at 1080p stay above 60 FPS at all times?

A: No. The average is 66 FPS, but the minimum recorded is 56 FPS. This means there are moments where the frame rate dips below 60, even though the average clears the threshold.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers the question directly: this PC can run Thief at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium settings, but not at higher resolutions. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings; the best option, Low, only averages 35 FPS. At 2560x1440, the situation is nearly identical, with no playable settings and Low averaging 59 FPS, just short of the target. At 1920x1080, both Low at 86 FPS and Medium at 66 FPS clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Medium being the most demanding preset that qualifies.

The data indicates that 1080p is the practical ceiling for this combination. Users who prioritize visual quality can select Medium and accept occasional dips to 56 FPS, or choose Low for a more consistent experience with a 26 FPS margin above the threshold. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p, while playable in a casual sense, do not meet the strict 60 FPS criterion. For anyone targeting 1440p or 4K, this pairing falls short regardless of settings adjustments.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3720 tested combinations in the database, this CPU and GPU pairing ranks 3307th for Thief. This places it in the bottom 11 percent of all tested systems, which aligns with the GPU's low benchmark percentile. The ranking reflects the severe GPU limitation: despite having a strong processor, the Arc B390 holds the system back to a position among the weakest entries in the database.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. A system that cannot achieve 60 FPS at 1440p on any preset is naturally going to sit near the bottom of a ranking that includes many high-end configurations. The 5800XT contributes positively, but the combination's overall standing is dictated by the graphics subsystem. Users comparing this system against others in the database should expect it to outperform only roughly 11 percent of tested combinations in Thief.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that maintains 60 FPS. The database records no playable settings and no best settings for this resolution. The closest option, Low at 35 FPS, is still 25 FPS below the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No playable settings exist, and the best option, Low at 59 FPS, misses the target by a single frame. The Medium preset at 45 FPS is the most demanding option that stays above the 30 FPS minimum for playability, but it does not meet the 60 FPS standard.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75. This is the most demanding setting that averages at or above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 86 FPS provides more headroom, but Medium offers the best visual quality among playable options. High at 50 FPS and Ultra at 48 FPS are not considered playable under the database's criteria.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a stark division of labor between the two components. The Ryzen 7 5800XT is a high-end desktop processor, ranking in the 81st percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 29879. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its score, confirming that it delivers consistent, top-tier processing performance. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 1482, and its rivals are all legacy or entry-level parts.

In Thief, the GPU's role becomes more dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's strength allows the system to reach 86 FPS on Low settings, suggesting that the GPU can still keep up when the resolution is low. Moving to 1440p, the Low preset drops to 59 FPS, a 27 FPS reduction that is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 4K, the Low preset falls to 35 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 22 FPS shows the GPU struggling to maintain even basic frame pacing.

The preset scaling further illustrates the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 38 FPS (86 to 48), which is a substantial range. At 1440p, the same comparison shows a 26 FPS difference (59 to 33), and at 4K, a 16 FPS difference (35 to 19). As resolution rises, the absolute FPS gap between presets narrows because the GPU is already saturated at Low settings. This is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance.

The CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 86 FPS. This frame rate indicates that the 5800XT can feed the GPU with enough data to reach a level that the graphics hardware cannot sustain at higher resolutions. If the CPU were weaker, the 1080p Low result would likely be lower. However, the fact that the system cannot scale beyond 86 FPS at 1080p Low, despite having a powerful processor, confirms that the Arc B390 is the definitive limiting factor across all tested configurations.