Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with Intel Arc B390 delivers an average of 20 FPS on High settings, 26 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30), 35 FPS on Low, and 19 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 16 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s limited shading throughput (1536 shading units) becomes the dominant constraint at 4K. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 22 to 30 FPS shows frame pacing is relatively stable, but every result sits far below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves modestly. High settings average 34 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS (min 38, max 52), Low reaches 59 FPS, and Ultra drops to 33 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p nearly clears the 60 FPS mark, but the database records it at 59 FPS average, so it does not qualify as playable under the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset’s 45 FPS average with a 38 FPS minimum indicates noticeable dips during busy stealth sequences, while Ultra’s 33 FPS average is 12 FPS behind Medium.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally approaches acceptable performance. Low settings average 86 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS (min 56, max 75), High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that both averages above 60 FPS and stays within a reasonable minimum frame time, with its 56 FPS minimum just below the threshold but the average firmly in playable territory. High and Ultra both fall short of 60 FPS, with Ultra only 2 FPS behind High, suggesting that the B390’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs hit a hard ceiling beyond Medium settings.

The measured data shows a clear pattern: every resolution and preset combination struggles to maintain 60 FPS except for 1080p Low and Medium. The 4K results are uniformly below 35 FPS, and even the best 1440p result (Low at 59 FPS) misses the target by a single frame.

CPU and GPU Roles

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz and 64 MB of L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are substantial: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614, plus a PassMark multi-thread score of 45424. However, for Thief, a stealth game released in 2014, the CPU’s raw horsepower is largely irrelevant to the measured frame rates.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is a low-power integrated graphics solution with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, rated at 80 W TDP with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which explains why the game’s performance scales almost entirely with resolution and preset changes rather than CPU load.

Comparing resolution scaling: at 1080p Low, the system averages 86 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 59 FPS, a 31% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 35 FPS, another 41% decrease from 1440p. This steep decline indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s 16 cores are nowhere near saturated by a 2014 title. Similarly, preset scaling at 1080p shows Low at 86 FPS, Medium at 66 FPS (23% lower), High at 50 FPS (24% lower than Medium), and Ultra at 48 FPS (4% lower than High). The diminishing returns from High to Ultra confirm that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are exhausted.

The CPU’s role is limited to ensuring frame times do not degrade further. With a PassMark single-thread score of 3470 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 944, the 5950X provides more than enough single-core performance for Thief’s AI and physics simulation. The database shows no CPU-bound scenarios in the measured data, as every FPS drop correlates directly with resolution or preset changes. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, and at 1080p, even the strongest preset (Ultra) only reaches 48 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X sits within a tight band of similar processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX has an average benchmark score of 52073, just 0.2% lower than the 5950X’s 51947 average. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121, 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, 0.7% higher. For Thief, any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates because the game is GPU-bound in all measured configurations. The 5950X’s 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs means it is far stronger than needed for this title.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390’s nearest rivals are all extremely low-end graphics chips. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the B390’s 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are small, meaning a system with any of these GPUs paired with the 5950X would deliver essentially the same FPS in Thief. The B390’s 9th percentile GPU ranking confirms that it behaves like an entry-level integrated solution, not a discrete gaming card.

In practical terms, swapping the B390 for a GT 710 would yield less than a 3% difference in GPU benchmark score, so Thief’s measured FPS would remain within 1-2 frames of the recorded values. Conversely, pairing the 5950X with a dramatically stronger GPU would not change the CPU’s contribution, as the processor has ample headroom.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers directly: can this PC run Thief? At 1920x1080, yes, but only on Low or Medium presets. The database lists Low at 86 FPS average and Medium at 66 FPS average, both clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold. High (50 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) do not meet the threshold.

At 2560x1440, no preset clears 60 FPS. The best result is Low at 59 FPS, one frame shy of playable. Medium averages 45 FPS, High 34 FPS, and Ultra 33 FPS. The verdict section for 1440p lists no playable settings.

At 3840x2160, the situation is worse. Low averages 35 FPS, Medium 26 FPS, High 20 FPS, and Ultra 19 FPS. No settings are playable at 4K.

So the practical answer is: run the game at 1080p with Medium settings for a comfortable experience. The 66 FPS average with a 56 FPS minimum means occasional dips below 60, but the average is solidly above. Low settings at 1080p provide a large margin at 86 FPS, ideal for players who prioritize smoothness over visuals. For higher resolutions, the system is not suitable for Thief under the 60 FPS criterion.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The highest average is 35 FPS on Low, so the database records no best settings for 4K.

At 2560x1440, again no preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 59 FPS, which is the closest, but it remains below the playable threshold. The database lists no best settings for 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 66 FPS. This is the recommended configuration: 1080p Medium delivers 66 FPS average, with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75. Low also qualifies at 86 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality setting that meets the performance criterion.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system in Thief?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where any preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 86 FPS, and Medium averages 66 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Thief at 1440p?

A: No. The best result at 2560x1440 is Low settings with 59 FPS average, which is one frame below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1080p?

A: Medium settings, with an average of 66 FPS and a minimum of 56 FPS. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to similar GPUs?

A: The B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in Thief?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. The game’s frame rates scale with resolution and preset changes, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: 19 FPS, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations. Even 4K Low only reaches 35 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with Intel Arc B390 ranks 3307 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 11% of all combinations measured by the database. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is among the top 9% of all processors. The B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 and its 9th percentile GPU ranking indicate that this combo is suited for productivity or basic display tasks rather than modern gaming at high resolutions.

The rank of 3307 means there are 413 combos that perform worse in Thief, but the overwhelming majority of tested systems deliver better frame rates. The combo’s playable ceiling is 1080p Medium, which is a modest outcome for a processor as powerful as the 5950X. If the GPU were upgraded to a discrete card with even moderate performance, the rank would improve substantially, because the CPU has ample headroom. However, as configured, this system is only marginally better than the lowest-performing GPUs in the database, with nearest rivals scoring within 1.3% to 2.7% of the B390’s benchmark result.