Thief

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 3307 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 11% of the database. That is a weak result for a pairing built around a top-tier CPU and an integrated graphics solution. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 75779. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. This is a stark mismatch: the CPU is among the fastest ever measured, while the GPU is one of the slowest.

The recorded data indicates the Arc B390 is the limiting factor in every scenario. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it near entry-level integrated graphics. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). The Arc B390 edges out all of these, but the margins are tiny, between 1.3% and 2.7%. The practical outcome is that Thief runs at playable frame rates only at 1080p with reduced settings.

The combo rank reflects this GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the average frame rates range from 48 FPS at Ultra to 86 FPS at Low. At 1440p, the range drops to 33 to 59 FPS. At 4K, it falls further to 19 to 35 FPS. No resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold at the highest preset. The data shows a system that can handle the CPU-side workload with ease, but the GPU cannot keep pace with modern rendering demands at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold in the database is 60 FPS. Using that standard, the measurements show no playable settings at 3840x2160 or 2560x1440. At 4K, the highest average frame rate is 35 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, the highest average is 59 FPS at Low, just one frame short of the threshold. At 1080p, two presets cross the line.

At 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 66 FPS, a minimum of 56 FPS, and a maximum of 75 FPS. Low settings at 1080p run at 86 FPS average, which is well above the threshold, but Medium provides the highest quality that remains playable. High settings at 1080p drop to 50 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS average, both below the playable line.

For 2560x1440, no preset is playable. Low settings average 59 FPS, missing the threshold by one frame. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. For 3840x2160, all presets are far below playable. Low averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS.

The verdict is clear: this combo is a 1080p machine for Thief. Users targeting 1440p or 4K will need to lower expectations or accept sub-60 FPS performance. The data does not support any playable preset above 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The CPU and GPU roles in this pairing are heavily skewed toward the GPU as the bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has 16 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 42018, and its single-core score is 2259. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS. In Thief, a game from 2014, the CPU is far more powerful than needed. The GPU's integrated-class performance dictates the frame rates.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. From 1080p Low (86 FPS) to 1440p Low (59 FPS), the frame rate drops by 31%. From 1440p Low (59 FPS) to 4K Low (35 FPS), it drops by another 41%. This steep decline with resolution is typical of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, the frame rates would stay closer together across resolutions, since the CPU workload is largely resolution-independent.

Preset scaling also points to the GPU. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 86 to 66 FPS, a 23% reduction. Moving from Medium to High drops it to 50 FPS (24% reduction). Moving from High to Ultra drops it to 48 FPS (4% reduction). The diminishing returns at Ultra suggest the GPU is saturated. At 4K, the same progression goes from 35 FPS at Low to 26 FPS at Medium (26% drop), then to 20 FPS at High (23% drop), and 19 FPS at Ultra (5% drop). The pattern is consistent: resolution and preset changes both heavily impact the GPU, while the CPU has ample headroom.

The recorded data also shows no min or max FPS values for most presets, but the Medium preset at each resolution includes them. At 1080p Medium, the range is 56 to 75 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it is 38 to 52 FPS. At 4K Medium, it is 22 to 30 FPS. These ranges show that even the playable 1080p Medium setting has dips below 60 FPS, reinforcing that the GPU is the active constraint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within 0.4% of its average score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75738, which is 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75716, also 0.1% lower. The AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75582, 0.3% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75488, 0.4% lower. Any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D in Thief, because the game's performance is not CPU-bound in this configuration. The CPU choice is effectively irrelevant to the frame rates recorded here.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are much slower, not faster. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% slower, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% slower, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% slower, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% slower. These are all old, low-end parts. The Arc B390 is the fastest of this group, but the margins are small. In Thief, swapping the Arc B390 for any of these would produce slightly lower frame rates, likely dropping the 1080p Medium average from 66 FPS to around 64 to 65 FPS, and the 1080p Low average from 86 FPS to around 84 to 85 FPS. At 1440p Low, the 59 FPS average might fall to 57 to 58 FPS, pushing it further below the playable threshold.

There are no faster GPUs listed as nearest rivals. The data implies that the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy, and any meaningful improvement would require a completely different class of graphics hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full set of measurements is as follows. Low settings average 86 FPS with no min or max recorded. Medium settings average 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. High settings average 50 FPS with no min or max. Ultra settings average 48 FPS with no min or max. The Medium preset is the only one at 1080p that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold on average, though its minimum dips to 56 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measurements are lower across the board. Low settings average 59 FPS with no min or max. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. High settings average 34 FPS with no min or max. Ultra settings average 33 FPS with no min or max. Low settings at 1440p are one frame short of the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the weakest. Low settings average 35 FPS with no min or max. Medium settings average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. High settings average 20 FPS with no min or max. Ultra settings average 19 FPS with no min or max. None of these approach playable levels.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low is always the fastest preset, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The gaps between Low and Medium are large (20 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, 9 FPS at 4K), while the gaps between High and Ultra are small (2 FPS at 1080p, 1 FPS at 1440p, 1 FPS at 4K). This suggests that Ultra settings provide minimal visual benefit for the performance cost at this GPU level, and that the Arc B390 is already saturated by High settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Thief at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 1080p the Medium preset averages 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings average 86 FPS. High and Ultra settings average 50 FPS and 48 FPS respectively, which are below the threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: There is no playable setting at 1440p. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is one frame below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Thief?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D ranks at the 95th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among GPUs. Frame rates drop sharply with increasing resolution, which is characteristic of GPU-limited performance.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower).

Q: What frame rates does the combo achieve at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these are near the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Would a different CPU change the performance in Thief?

A: No, not meaningfully. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and Intel Core Ultra 9 285, score within 0.4% of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. The game is GPU-limited in this configuration, so the CPU choice has minimal impact on the recorded frame rates.