Thief

Similar Performance Alternatives

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X sits in a tight cluster of processors with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The database shows the Intel Core i9-14901E is the closest match, scoring 37911 versus the Ryzen's 37943, a negligible 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 trails by the same 0.1% margin with a score of 37904, while the Intel Core 5 211E comes in at 37829, just 0.3% behind. The AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 rounds out the immediate competition at 37804, a 0.4% gap. For practical purposes, any of these processors would deliver nearly interchangeable CPU-bound behavior in Thief, though the Ryzen 7 9700X holds the top spot in this group.

The Intel Arc B390 is a far more constrained piece of hardware. Its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning the vast majority of graphics cards outperform it. The nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% behind; the GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% behind; the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% behind; and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% behind. These deltas are small, but the absolute performance level is what matters. Anyone expecting modern gaming performance from the Arc B390 should calibrate expectations to this low-end tier, as the recorded data shows it competing with a decade-old entry-level mobile GPU rather than anything from the current discrete graphics generation.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured frame rates in Thief reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at every resolution and preset. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores, 16 threads, and strong single-thread performance (a 3dmark single-thread score of 1280 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211), is far more capable than the Arc B390 needs. The bottleneck is consistently the graphics side.

Looking at the scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the GPU load increases substantially. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 86 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 27 FPS. At High settings, the drop is from 50 FPS to 34 FPS, a 16 FPS loss. At Medium, the fall is from 66 FPS to 45 FPS, a 21 FPS difference. At Ultra, the decline goes from 48 FPS to 33 FPS, a 15 FPS gap. These are large percentage reductions, indicating that the GPU is saturated and struggling to keep up as pixel count rises.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 compounds the problem. Low settings fall from 59 FPS to 35 FPS, Medium from 45 FPS to 26 FPS, High from 34 FPS to 20 FPS, and Ultra from 33 FPS to 19 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset reaching even 35 FPS. The pattern is consistent: each resolution step imposes a heavy penalty because the Arc B390 lacks the shading units (1536), texture mapping units (48), and raw fill rate (60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate) needed to drive higher resolutions smoothly.

The CPU's role is minimal here. The Ryzen 7 9700X posts a PassMark multithread score of 37161 and a Geekbench multicore score of 17906, both indicating far more processing headroom than Thief demands. The game's CPU requirements, even at 4K Ultra, are easily satisfied by this processor. The recorded data shows that swapping in any of the nearest rival CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates, since the GPU is the limiting factor at all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Arc B390 manages a playable experience on the lower presets. Low settings produce an average of 86 FPS, the highest recorded figure in the entire test suite. Medium settings average 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, keeping the average comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings drop to an average of 50 FPS, while Ultra falls to 48 FPS, both below the threshold and showing that the GPU cannot sustain a smooth experience at the higher quality levels.

At 2560x1440, the situation deteriorates. Low settings average 59 FPS, just one frame short of the 60 FPS threshold, and the recorded minimum is not provided. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. No preset at this resolution reaches the playable threshold, making 1440p a poor choice for this combination.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal at best. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The 4K resolution is essentially unplayable for this game with this GPU, as even the lowest settings cannot approach a smooth frame rate.

The database's verdict by resolution confirms this reading. At 3840x2160, no playable settings exist, and the best settings field is null. At 2560x1440, the same result: no playable settings. Only at 1920x1080 do playable settings appear, specifically Low and Medium, with Medium identified as the best setting at 66 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Thief at 60 FPS on any setting?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080. Low settings average 86 FPS and Medium settings average 66 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. No preset at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080?

A: Medium settings, which produce an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in the database's benchmark, placing it 1.3% ahead of the 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. These are all low-end parts from previous generations.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 37943 and sits in the 86th percentile among all processors. The GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and preset tested, as shown by the steep frame rate drops when resolution increases.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 2560x1440 on Low settings?

A: The average is 59 FPS, which is one frame below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. None of these are classified as playable by the database.

Q: What is the worst performing configuration tested?

A: 3840x2160 at Ultra settings, with an average of 19 FPS. The 4K High preset is nearly identical at 20 FPS, and Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3307 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief. This places the combo in the bottom 11% of all systems in the database, a poor showing driven almost entirely by the GPU's limited capabilities. The ranking reflects the measured data: the system is only playable at 1080p on Low or Medium settings, and struggles severely at higher resolutions.

For context, the rank of 3307 means that 413 tested combinations perform worse, but the vast majority of systems in the database deliver better results. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end processor in the 86th percentile, but the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU standing pulls the overall ranking down dramatically. This is a textbook case of CPU and GPU imbalance, where the processor's headroom is wasted because the graphics card cannot translate it into frame rate.

The measured FPS data supports this assessment. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 86 FPS, which is respectable. But the moment resolution increases or settings climb, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The 4K results, with averages between 19 and 35 FPS, are among the lowest recorded for any modern combination in the database. The combo rank accurately reflects this overall weakness.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no setting achieves the 60 FPS playability threshold. The database lists no playable settings for this resolution, and the best settings field is null. The highest average recorded at 4K is 35 FPS on Low, which is well below playable.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No playable settings exist, with the closest result being 59 FPS on Low, just one frame short of the threshold. The database assigns no best settings for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the only playable resolution for this combination, two settings qualify: Low at 86 FPS average and Medium at 66 FPS average. The database identifies Medium as the best setting, as it delivers the highest quality while maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, providing the best balance of visual quality and performance that this hardware can achieve in Thief. Users seeking a smoother experience can drop to Low for the highest frame rates, but Medium is the recommended choice for those who prioritize visual fidelity while staying playable.