Thief

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly specific performance profile in Thief. The recorded data shows a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with the CPU demonstrating substantial headroom across all tested resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, compares the hardware to nearby alternatives, and identifies which component dictates playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable performance under any setting. The High preset returns an average of 20 FPS. Dropping to Medium improves the average to 26 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 22 and 30 FPS respectively. The Low preset yields 35 FPS on average, while the Ultra preset falls to 19 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playable threshold defined by the database.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the playable threshold. The Low preset delivers an average of 59 FPS, just one frame short of the 60 FPS target. Medium produces an average of 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High and Ultra presets average 34 FPS and 33 FPS respectively. The data indicates that even at the lowest settings, this resolution cannot consistently hold 60 FPS, as the average falls marginally short.

At 1920x1080, the system finally reaches playable territory. The Low preset averages 86 FPS, providing comfortable headroom above the threshold. Medium averages 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. This means Medium stays above 60 FPS on average, though the minimum dips below the threshold. The High preset averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS, both falling short of playable status.

The scaling between presets is consistent. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average by 20 FPS, from 86 to 66. Moving from Medium to High reduces it by 16 FPS, and from High to Ultra by 2 FPS. At 1440p, the same pattern appears: Low to Medium drops 14 FPS, Medium to High drops 11 FPS, and High to Ultra drops 1 FPS. At 4K, Low to Medium drops 9 FPS, Medium to High drops 6 FPS, and High to Ultra drops 1 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher presets suggest the GPU reaches its limits quickly.

Resolution scaling also tells a clear story. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces the average from 86 to 59 FPS, a drop of 27 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it from 59 to 35 FPS, a drop of 24 FPS. At Medium settings, the drops are 21 FPS (1080p to 1440p) and 19 FPS (1440p to 4K). At High settings, the drops are 16 FPS and 14 FPS. At Ultra, the drops are 15 FPS and 14 FPS. The consistent reductions across resolutions indicate a GPU-bound workload at every preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU occupy very different positions relative to their nearest rivals. The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, placing it in the 84th percentile of all tested CPUs. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close in score. The Intel Core i5-13600T averages 35305, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i7-12700KF averages 35365, a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i7-13700T averages 35403, a delta of -0.3%. The Intel Core 5 213PE averages 35428, a delta of -0.4%. All four alternatives sit within 0.4% of the i7-12700K, meaning any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. In Thief, where the GPU is the limiting factor, swapping to any of these CPUs would not change the measured FPS.

The Intel Arc B390 is a different story. Its average benchmark score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs. The nearest rivals are all NVIDIA discrete GPUs from older generations. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, a delta of 1.3% relative to the B390. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, a delta of 1.5%. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, a delta of 2.5%. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, a delta of 2.7%. These deltas are small, but the direction matters: the B390 scores higher than all four. However, the overall performance class is similar. Users considering alternatives to the B390 could expect comparable behavior from any of these GPUs, within roughly 3% of the B390's average score.

The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a low-percentile GPU creates an unusual pairing. In Thief, the GPU's nearest rivals all sit in the same low-performance bracket. The database shows no mid-range or high-end GPUs near the B390's score, which confirms that this system is firmly in entry-level graphics territory.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data makes the performance bottleneck clear. At every resolution and preset, the system fails to reach 60 FPS except at 1080p Low and Medium. The CPU, which ranks in the 84th percentile, has ample compute headroom. The GPU, which ranks in the 9th percentile, is the limiting factor.

The resolution scaling supports this conclusion. When the resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p, the frame rate drops by roughly 25-30% at each preset. When it increases from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops by another 25-40%. These are classic signs of GPU-bound rendering. A CPU-bound system would show minimal FPS changes across resolutions, since the CPU workload stays constant. Here, the FPS drops significantly with every resolution increase.

The preset scaling also points to the GPU. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium is 20 FPS. At 1440p, it is 14 FPS. At 4K, it is 9 FPS. The shrinking delta at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is saturated. When the GPU is already near its limit at 4K Low, increasing settings to Medium has less impact because the GPU cannot render more frames regardless. The CPU has no role in this bottleneck; its 12 cores and 20 threads are far beyond what Thief requires.

The integrated nature of the Arc B390 reinforces this analysis. With its memory being system shared and its bandwidth described as system dependent, the GPU relies on the same memory subsystem as the CPU. The measured 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate are the specifications that govern this game's rendering load. In Thief, these figures translate to the frame rates recorded above.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 4K?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 35 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. All fall far below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p?

A: Medium at 1920x1080 is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS on average, with an average of 66 FPS. Low also qualifies with an average of 86 FPS, but Medium is the higher quality option.

Q: Is 1440p playable with any settings?

A: No. The Low preset at 2560x1440 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. None reach the playable threshold.

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

A: The B390 scores 1482 on average, which is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710. All five GPUs sit in a similar low-performance bracket.

Q: Does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i7-12700K ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of GPUs. The frame rates scale strongly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on the best playable setting?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 56, with an average of 66 and a maximum of 75. This means the average stays above 60 FPS, but individual frames can dip below the threshold.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Thief, but only at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium settings. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable. At 2560x1440, no settings are playable. At 1920x1080, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best option at an average of 66 FPS.

For users targeting 60 FPS, the system requires 1080p and cannot exceed Medium quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 48 FPS, which is below the threshold. High averages 50 FPS, also below. Only Low and Medium clear the bar. At higher resolutions, the system falls short regardless of settings. The 59 FPS average at 1440p Low is tantalizingly close but still below the threshold. The verdict is straightforward: this is a 1080p system for Thief, and even then, quality settings are limited.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves playable performance. The Low preset comes closest with an average of 35 FPS, but it is far from the 60 FPS target. The database records no best settings for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same applies. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, just below the threshold, but no setting reaches 60 FPS. The database records no best settings for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Medium. The average FPS at this setting is 66, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. Low also qualifies with an average of 86 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The minimum of 56 FPS indicates occasional dips below the threshold, but the average is solid. Users who prioritize a strict 60 FPS floor might prefer Low, which averages 86 FPS and likely maintains a higher minimum, though the database does not record minimums for Low. For the best balance of quality and performance, Medium is the recommended choice at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3307 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the lower portion of the database, consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The CPU's high percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU's low performance in this game.

The ranking reflects the measured FPS data. A system that only reaches 60 FPS at 1080p Medium, and cannot do so at 1440p or 4K, will naturally rank low among 3720 combinations. The 413 combos ranked below this system likely feature even weaker GPUs or CPUs. The 3306 combos ranked above include systems with more balanced hardware, where the GPU can keep pace with the CPU's capabilities.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance tiers is the defining characteristic of this combo. The i7-12700K sits in the 84th percentile, while the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile. In Thief, the game's rendering demands fall entirely on the GPU, so the system performs as its GPU dictates. Users considering this combination for Thief should expect 1080p gameplay with medium settings, and nothing beyond that. The CPU will not become a limiting factor at any resolution tested, but the GPU prevents the system from reaching higher resolutions or quality presets.