Thief

# Thief Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 + Intel Arc B390

This combo pairs a mid-range 2019 desktop CPU with a 2026 integrated-class GPU, and the benchmark data for Thief reveals a system that is consistently GPU-bound across all tested resolutions. The Ryzen 5 3600, with its six cores and twelve threads, provides ample processing headroom, while the Intel Arc B390, featuring a 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost clock, becomes the primary constraint on frame rates. The measured FPS data shows a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the absolute performance levels indicate that this configuration is best suited for lower resolutions and modest settings in this 2014 stealth title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 86 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across any configuration. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 59 FPS, a reduction of 27 FPS or roughly 31% lower. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 35 FPS, representing a 51 FPS drop from the 1080p result — a decline of approximately 59%. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering workload grows quadratically with pixel count.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight, as it includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52. At 4K Medium, the average is 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30. The consistency of the frame pacing, as evidenced by the relatively tight min-max spread at each resolution, suggests that the GPU is delivering steady performance without major stutters, but the absolute numbers indicate that 4K Medium is borderline unplayable at 26 FPS average.

High settings follow a similar pattern: 50 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce 48 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal — only 2 FPS at 1080p, 1 FPS at 1440p, and 1 FPS at 4K — which suggests that the Ultra preset's additional effects do not heavily tax this GPU beyond what High already requires. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's performance headroom (evidenced by its 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs) is not the constraining factor at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2534 out of 2851 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU's modest capabilities. The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, a 1.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (scoring 1460, a 1.5% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (scoring 1446, a 2.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (scoring 1443, a 2.7% delta). These are all entry-level or legacy parts, which contextualizes the Arc B390's position in the performance hierarchy.

The CPU, by contrast, is a much stronger component. The Ryzen 5 3600 ranks at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P (scoring 17007, a 0.2% delta), the Intel Core i5-11400 (scoring 17067, a -0.2% delta), the AMD EPYC 7573X (scoring 17070, a -0.2% delta), and the AMD EPYC 7742 (scoring 16998, a 0.2% delta). This places the CPU in the company of much more powerful processors, indicating that the Ryzen 5 3600 is not the weak link in this pairing.

The disconnect between the CPU's strong relative standing and the combo's poor overall rank underscores the GPU-bound nature of this system in Thief. Even with a capable processor, the Arc B390's performance ceiling limits the achievable frame rates. The combo ranking of 2534 out of 2851 reflects a system where the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, and upgrading the graphics component would yield far greater performance gains than any CPU change.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Thief?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 86, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 80 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: At 4K, the best result is 35 FPS average on Low settings. Medium settings produce 26 FPS, High produces 20 FPS, and Ultra produces 19 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Ultra averages 48 FPS while High averages 50 FPS, a difference of only 2 FPS. The performance gap narrows further at higher resolutions, with a 1 FPS difference at both 1440p and 4K.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings?

A: The measured minimum FPS values are 56 at 1080p, 38 at 1440p, and 22 at 4K. These represent the lowest frame rates recorded during the benchmark runs at Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600's average benchmark score of 17035 is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007) and Intel Core i5-11400 (17067), showing nearly identical overall CPU performance.

Q: What does the GPU's percentile ranking indicate?

A: The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning roughly 91% of tested GPUs perform better. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA entry-level parts from the GT 500 and 800 series.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 86 FPS, which is the only result above 80 FPS in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75, indicating stable frame delivery within a 19 FPS range. High settings average 50 FPS, while Ultra settings average 48 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total drop of 38 FPS, with the largest single-step decrease occurring between Low and Medium (20 FPS), followed by a 16 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a modest 2 FPS reduction from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, performance falls into a range that is playable but not smooth for fast-paced action. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52, a 14 FPS spread. High settings average 34 FPS, and Ultra settings average 33 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 14 FPS, between Medium and High is 11 FPS, and between High and Ultra is just 1 FPS. The 1440p results represent a roughly 31-32% reduction from 1080p across most settings, consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, performance drops to levels that are generally unsuitable for enjoyable gameplay. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 9 FPS, Medium to High costs 6 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 1 FPS. The 4K results show a pattern where diminishing returns set in quickly at higher settings, with Ultra barely differing from High. The min-max spread at Medium (8 FPS) is narrower than at 1440p (14 FPS), indicating more consistent frame pacing at the higher resolution, likely due to the GPU being more uniformly saturated.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is built on the Xe3-LPG architecture using a 3 nm process from Intel, featuring 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It includes 12 ray tracing cores and delivers a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s alongside a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W.

The memory configuration is notable for its absence of dedicated VRAM — the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's DDR4 memory, which for the Ryzen 5 3600 platform offers dual-channel bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. This shared memory arrangement likely contributes to the GPU's modest performance, as it must compete with CPU memory traffic and suffers from higher latency compared to dedicated VRAM.

The GPU's benchmark results are limited to a single test: 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, where it scores 1482. This places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% higher), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% higher), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% higher), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% higher). These rivals are all from NVIDIA's entry-level or legacy product lines, confirming that the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum. In Thief, this translates to the GPU being the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns showing steep drops with increasing resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and acceptable frame rates. At 1080p, Low settings deliver 86 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS smoothness threshold, while Medium settings provide 66 FPS — still playable with room to spare. High settings at 50 FPS and Ultra at 48 FPS are both below 60 FPS but could be acceptable for a stealth game like Thief, which may not require extremely high frame rates. The 2 FPS difference between High and Ultra makes Ultra the better choice if visual quality is prioritized, as the performance cost is negligible.

At 1440p, Low settings average 59 FPS, which is effectively at the 60 FPS target and represents the best compromise between visual quality and performance. Medium settings at 45 FPS are playable but noticeably less smooth, with minimums dipping to 38 FPS. High and Ultra at 34 and 33 FPS respectively are borderline, and the data suggests that the visual uplift from Medium to High (11 FPS cost) is not justified for the modest frame rate sacrifice. For a more consistent experience at 1440p, Low settings are recommended, with Medium as a fallback if the 14 FPS drop is acceptable.

At 4K, none of the settings achieve playable frame rates — the best is 35 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS target and even below the 40 FPS minimum typically considered acceptable for slower games. Medium at 26 FPS and High/Ultra at 20/19 FPS are all too low for comfortable gameplay. The data does not support any 4K settings recommendation, as even the lowest preset fails to reach functional frame rates. Users targeting 4K would need to consider a different GPU entirely, as the Arc B390's performance ceiling is insufficient for this resolution in Thief.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse codename), manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes and is soldered on the AMD Socket AM4 platform.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3600 demonstrates solid multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 15045, Cinebench R20 multicore scores 6318, and Geekbench multicore scores 7372. Single-thread results are more modest, with Cinebench R23 singlecore at 2124 and Geekbench singlecore at 1536. The 3DMark thread tests show scaling from 696 (single-thread) to 4605 (16 threads) and 4603 (max threads), indicating good multi-core utilization. The PassMark multithread score of 17700 and single-thread score of 2562 round out the picture.

The CPU's overall standing is strong, with a 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals — the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007, +0.2%), Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, -0.2%), AMD EPYC 7573X (17070, -0.2%), and AMD EPYC 7742 (16998, +0.2%) — are all within a fraction of a percent, showing that the Ryzen 5 3600 provides competitive processing power despite being a 2019 product. In Thief, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the Arc B390's rendering capabilities rather than any CPU constraint. The CPU's 12 threads and 4.2 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game's physics and AI workloads, and the data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecks at any resolution or settings level.