Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X with Intel Arc B370 delivers an average of 18 FPS on High settings, 24 FPS on Medium, and 17 FPS on Ultra. The Low preset reaches 31 FPS on average. The Medium preset is the only 4K configuration with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a range from 20 FPS to 27 FPS. These numbers place every 4K configuration well below the 60 FPS playability threshold, with even the fastest preset, Low, achieving only about half the required frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results improve substantially but remain below playable levels. High settings produce an average of 31 FPS, while Medium reaches 41 FPS with a recorded minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS. Low settings deliver 53 FPS on average, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 24 FPS, indicating that preset selection significantly impacts performance, but no setting crosses the 60 FPS line.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes. Low settings achieve an average of 78 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with a comfortable margin. Medium settings average 59 FPS, just one frame short of playable, with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS. High settings average 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS on average, while the difference between High and Ultra is only 2 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the upper end of the preset range.

The data shows a clear pattern: resolution scaling is steep. Dropping from 4K to 1440p at Low settings improves the average from 31 FPS to 53 FPS, a gain of 22 FPS. Dropping further to 1080p at Low pushes the average to 78 FPS, another 25 FPS improvement. At Medium settings, the progression from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields averages of 24, 41, and 59 FPS respectively. The only configuration in the entire dataset that meets the 60 FPS playability threshold is 1080p with Low settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant limiting factor across all tested configurations. The CPU, an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 5 part with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, ranks in the 86th percentile among all CPUs in the database, while the GPU sits in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. This massive disparity suggests the integrated graphics solution cannot keep pace with the processor's capabilities in this title.

Resolution scaling provides the clearest evidence of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 78 FPS. Doubling the pixel count to 1440p at the same preset drops the average to 53 FPS, a reduction of roughly 32%. Moving to 4K Low yields 31 FPS, another 41% drop from the 1440p figure. These steep declines with resolution are characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload outpaces the graphics hardware's throughput.

Preset scaling at a fixed resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 78 to 59 FPS, a 24% penalty. High settings drop further to 45 FPS, and Ultra to 43 FPS. The relatively modest difference between High and Ultra (2 FPS) suggests that the GPU hits a performance ceiling at these settings, likely due to fill-rate or shader limitations rather than CPU bottlenecks.

The CPU's role becomes apparent only indirectly. Given the processor's high benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211, it is unlikely to constrain frame delivery at any resolution tested. The recorded frame rates, particularly the minimums at Medium settings (20 FPS at 4K, 35 FPS at 1440p, 50 FPS at 1080p), show consistent frame delivery without signs of CPU-induced stutter or severe frame-time spikes. The game, originally released in 2014, does not demand the full throughput of a modern 8-core processor, so the data points to the GPU as the binding constraint throughout.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 31 FPS on Low settings. Ultra averages 17 FPS, High 18 FPS, and Medium 24 FPS. None of these configurations approach the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best playable settings configuration for this combo?

A: The only playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 78 FPS. Medium settings at 1080p average 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 50 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to similar hardware in the database?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, a 0.2% difference. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rates seen here?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. Frame rates drop steeply with increasing resolution and preset quality, which indicates GPU-bound rendering.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Low settings average 53 FPS, while Ultra averages 29 FPS. That is a 24 FPS gap, or roughly 45% lower performance at Ultra compared to Low. Medium sits between them at 41 FPS.

Q: Does the combo meet the 60 FPS threshold at any resolution other than 1080p Low?

A: No. At 2560x1440, the best result is 53 FPS on Low. At 3840x2160, the best result is 31 FPS on Low. Only 1920x1080 with Low settings clears 60 FPS, and no other 1080p preset reaches that mark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3433 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations. This ranking reflects the severe imbalance between the high-performing CPU and the low-performing integrated GPU. The GPU's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the entire combo down, despite the processor's strong 86th percentile ranking.

For context, the CPU alone outperforms its nearest rivals by slim margins. The Intel Core i9-14901E trails by 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 by 0.1%, the Intel Core 5 211E by 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 by 0.4%. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, confirming that the processor is not the cause of the low combo rank. The GPU, conversely, sits near the bottom of its own hierarchy, with rivals like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scoring just 0.5% higher and the AMD FirePro M2000 scoring 1.4% lower.

The rank of 3433 out of 3720 means that only 287 tested combos perform worse in this game. Given that the database includes a wide range of hardware pairings, this position indicates that Thief, despite its age, presents a significant challenge for this particular GPU. The 1080p Low result of 78 FPS is the sole bright spot, but it is insufficient to lift the combo out of the bottom decile.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score of 37943. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, the Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804. Any of these processors paired with the same GPU would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, since the game does not heavily tax modern multi-core CPUs.

For the GPU, the comparable hardware is much older and lower-performing. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168. These GPUs bracket the Arc B370's score of 1184 within a range of roughly 2%. Users familiar with any of these older parts can expect similar Thief performance, meaning sub-60 FPS at most resolutions and presets, with only 1080p Low approaching or exceeding playable frame rates.

The practical implication is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would not change the gaming experience, while swapping the GPU for any of its nearest rivals would also yield essentially identical results. The bottleneck is firmly on the graphics side, and only a substantially more powerful GPU would alter the outcome.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Thief at playable frame rates in most configurations. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves even half of the 60 FPS threshold, with the best result being 31 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the situation improves but still falls short, as Low settings average 53 FPS and all other presets remain below 41 FPS. Neither resolution has any playable settings listed in the database.

At 1920x1080, the verdict is mixed. Low settings deliver 78 FPS on average, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold and providing a smooth experience. Medium settings fall just short at 59 FPS on average, with a minimum of 50 FPS that may cause noticeable dips during demanding scenes. High and Ultra settings average 45 and 43 FPS respectively, which are not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

The final assessment is that this combination is only suitable for 1080p gaming on the lowest preset. The Intel Arc B370, despite its modern Xe3-LPG architecture and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, simply lacks the raw performance needed for higher resolutions or higher quality settings in this title. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is more than capable of handling the game's CPU demands, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. Users seeking higher frame rates would need to consider a more powerful discrete graphics solution, as the current configuration is firmly constrained by the integrated GPU's output.