Thief

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i3-12100F sits in a tightly packed performance cluster according to the database. Its average benchmark score of 13,494 places it within a narrow band of comparable processors. The nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, scores 13,492, a 0% delta, meaning these two CPUs deliver essentially identical average performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 trails by a mere 0.3% with a score of 13,452, while the Intel Core 5 120UL leads the group by 0.7% at 13,594. The Intel Core i7-1250U rounds out the cluster at 13,351, sitting 1.1% behind the i3-12100F. Any of these processors would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Thief, given that the CPU sits at the 68th percentile among all CPUs in the database.

The Intel Arc B390 presents a starkly different situation. This integrated GPU, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and Panther Lake chip, scores only 1,482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, a 1.3% deficit. The GeForce 800M follows at 1,460, 1.5% behind. The GeForce GT 625 OEM achieves 1,446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, trailing by 2.7%. The data indicates that the Arc B390 outperforms these older discrete GPUs, but all five components occupy the same low-performance tier. Users migrating from any of these NVIDIA parts would see a modest uplift, not a dramatic one.

The combination of a mid-pack CPU with a bottom-decile GPU means that in Thief, the graphics solution is the binding constraint. The CPU has ample headroom relative to the GPU's output, so swapping the i3-12100F for any of its near-equal rivals would not meaningfully change the game's performance. Conversely, the GPU's closest alternatives would all behave similarly, producing comparable frame rates across the board.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data for Thief shows that the GPU dominates performance at every resolution tested. The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482, placed at the 9th percentile, is far below what the CPU can feed. The i3-12100F, at the 68th percentile, is not the limiting factor in any configuration.

Resolution scaling reveals the GPU's influence clearly. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 86 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low reduces that to 59 FPS, a substantial 31% decline. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 35 FPS, a 41% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario; the rendering load grows with pixel count while the CPU's work remains relatively constant.

Settings scaling at a fixed resolution tells the same story. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 86 to 66 FPS, a 23% reduction. High settings produce 50 FPS, and Ultra yields 48 FPS. At 2560x1440, the progression runs 59, 45, 34, and 33 FPS across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 3840x2160, the figures are 35, 26, 20, and 19 FPS. The consistent pattern, where each settings tier costs a meaningful fraction of performance, indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture units, and raster operations are fully saturated. The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, does not exhibit any bottleneck signature in these measurements.

Notably, the gap between High and Ultra is small at every resolution, suggesting that Ultra's additional effects strain the GPU without adding proportionally heavy CPU work. The 1920x1080 High to Ultra transition costs only 2 FPS, while 2560x1440 High to Ultra costs 1 FPS. This compression at the top end reinforces that the GPU is the sole performance arbiter in Thief for this hardware pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the database records the full range of playable performance. Low settings deliver an average of 86 FPS. Medium settings produce 66 FPS on average, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. High settings drop to 50 FPS average. Ultra settings average 48 FPS. The Medium preset is the only setting tier where both minimum and maximum values were captured, and they bracket the average by 10 FPS below and 9 FPS above.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decline across the board. Low settings average 59 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. High settings average 34 FPS. Ultra averages 33 FPS. The Medium preset again shows the tightest recorded envelope, a 14 FPS spread between minimum and maximum.

At 3840x2160, performance falls below playable levels in every configuration. Low settings average 35 FPS. Medium averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. High settings average 20 FPS. Ultra averages 19 FPS. The Medium preset's recorded range spans 8 FPS, the narrowest band of any resolution in the dataset.

The pattern across all twelve measured configurations is consistent: every settings tier at 4K fails to approach 60 FPS, 1440p comes close only at Low, and 1080p offers two presets that clear the threshold. The minimum FPS data, where available, shows that the Medium preset at 1080p dips to 56 FPS, slightly below the 60 FPS average threshold but still within a tolerable range for a stealth title.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Thief at 3840x2160 or 2560x1440 at 60 FPS. The verdict data is unambiguous: neither resolution has any playable settings, meaning no preset at those resolutions achieves a 60 FPS average. At 4K, the best recorded average is 35 FPS on Low, and at 1440p, the best is 59 FPS on Low, both short of the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system is viable. The database lists Low and Medium as playable settings. Low averages 86 FPS, providing substantial headroom above the 60 FPS line. Medium averages 66 FPS, clearing the threshold by 6 FPS. High and Ultra, at 50 and 48 FPS respectively, do not meet the playable criterion.

The overall picture is that of a system suited to 1080p gaming in Thief, with the Medium preset being the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. The GPU's 9th percentile standing limits the system to lower resolutions, while the CPU's 68th percentile ranking ensures no processor-side interference at those settings. Users targeting 1440p would need to accept sub-60 FPS averages, and 4K is entirely out of reach.

The combination rank of 3,307 out of 3,720 combos in the database places this pairing in the lower tier for Thief specifically, which aligns with the measured results. The game, released in early 2014, was designed for hardware of that era, but the Arc B390's integrated nature and low absolute performance prevent it from leveraging the i3-12100F's capabilities at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows a 66 FPS average at 1080p Medium, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. This preset is listed as playable in the verdict data.

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

A: The database verdict shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution with playable settings. Low and Medium both clear the 60 FPS threshold there, while 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 have no playable presets.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M scores 1,460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, 2.7% lower.

Q: Does the Intel Core i3-12100F bottleneck the Arc B390 in Thief?

A: No. The CPU sits at the 68th percentile with an average benchmark score of 13,494, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile with a score of 1,482. The frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What frame rate does the system achieve at 2560x1440 on Low settings?

A: The recorded average is 59 FPS. This is 1 FPS below the playable threshold of 60 FPS, so the verdict data does not classify it as playable.

Q: Which settings presets at 3840x2160 come closest to 60 FPS?

A: None come close. The best 4K result is 35 FPS on Low. Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. All four presets are far below the playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains a 60 FPS average is Medium, with a recorded average of 66 FPS. This preset delivers the highest visual quality while staying above the playable threshold. Low remains an option at 86 FPS for users prioritizing frame rate over fidelity.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The closest is Low at 59 FPS, which falls 1 FPS short of the playable threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. Users at this resolution must accept sub-60 FPS performance regardless of settings.

At 3840x2160, the situation is similar. Low averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. No preset is remotely close to playable. The verdict data confirms that no best settings exist for 4K, as the system cannot reach the 60 FPS threshold at any quality level.