Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2534th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested. This is a notably low position that suggests the pairing is heavily constrained by its weakest link. The data indicates that while the CPU is a capable mid-range desktop processor from the 5000 series, the GPU sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which fundamentally limits the system's ability to deliver smooth gameplay in this 2014 stealth title. The ranking implies that most other combinations tested, including those with older or lower-tier CPUs but stronger graphics, outperform this pairing in Thief.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2534 out of 2851 places this system in the bottom tier of tested configurations. This is a striking result for a pairing that includes a CPU with a 75th percentile ranking among all processors. The discrepancy between the CPU's relatively strong standing and the overall combo's weak position highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The benchmark results show that even at the lowest settings and resolution tested, the system only manages 86 FPS average, which is far from the headroom that a 6-core Zen 3 processor could theoretically support in an older title like Thief. The data points to a system where the graphics solution is severely underpowered relative to the CPU, creating a lopsided configuration that fails to leverage the processor's capabilities.

Examining the nearest rival CPUs provides context for the processor's potential. The Ryzen 5 5600X has an average benchmark score of 21771, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (21749, deltaPct 0.1) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (21874, deltaPct -0.5) and Intel Core i7-11700 (21891, deltaPct -0.5). This indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; it performs on par with other processors that would typically be paired with more capable graphics cards. The low combo rank is therefore a direct consequence of the Intel Arc B390's performance, which sits at the 9th percentile versus all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of just 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This score is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a GPU from a much older generation, and just 2.7% above the GeForce GT 710.

The implications are clear: in Thief, this combo will struggle to provide a playable experience at higher settings, and the CPU's potential remains largely untapped. The benchmark data suggests that users would be better served by a more balanced pairing, where the GPU's performance is more aligned with the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, and manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11838 and a single-core score of 1541, indicating strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance for its class. Its Passmark multithread score of 21858 and single-thread score of 3364 further confirm its capability as a desktop processor.

However, Thief, being a game from 2014, is unlikely to fully utilize the 12 threads available. The game's engine was designed for an era when quad-core processors were the norm, and the Ryzen 5 5600X's 6 cores are more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and AI. The CPU's 3DMark scores show a progression from 1793 with 2 threads to 5588 with max threads, indicating that performance scales with thread count, but the game will likely bottleneck on the GPU long before the CPU becomes a constraint. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 86 FPS, which is the highest score recorded across all settings and resolutions. This suggests that even at the lowest GPU load, the CPU is not preventing higher frame rates, but rather the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are the limiting factor.

The Ryzen 5 5600X also supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, which is ample for a game of Thief's era. The combination of high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 1989) and adequate memory bandwidth means the CPU is well-prepared to feed frames to the GPU. The data implies that in a different pairing, this CPU could deliver significantly higher frame rates in Thief, but with the Intel Arc B390, its role is reduced to keeping up with a GPU that cannot produce enough frames to stress the processor.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low when the CPU is in the 75th percentile?

A: The combo rank of 2534 out of 2851 is driven by the GPU's performance. The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11838, cannot compensate for the GPU's limited rendering power.

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 86 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution with Ultra settings, the average drops to 48 FPS. At 4K, the best average is 35 FPS with Low settings, while Ultra drops to 19 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all older or entry-level GPUs, indicating the B390's low-end positioning.

Q: Is the CPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 5600X has a Passmark multithread score of 21858 and a single-thread score of 3364, which are competitive with processors like the Intel Core i7-11700 (avg score 21891). The data shows that FPS drops significantly when moving from Low to Ultra settings, which is a sign of GPU limitation, not CPU limitation.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Thief?

A: At 3840x2160, the system averages 20 FPS on High settings and 19 FPS on Ultra. Even on Low settings, it only reaches 35 FPS. These results indicate that 4K is not a viable option for a smooth experience with this GPU.

Q: What settings should be used for a playable experience?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium settings yield an average of 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings at 1080p produce 86 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. At 1440p, Low settings are required to reach 59 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers the best results. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 86 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. High settings at this resolution yield 50 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 48 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 44% reduction in average FPS, from 86 to 48, indicating that the GPU's shading units and texture units are heavily taxed by higher quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at this resolution average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings drop to 34 FPS, and Ultra settings fall further to 33 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is a 31% reduction in FPS (from 86 to 59), which is a substantial penalty for a modest resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 35 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that breaks the 30 FPS mark. Medium settings at 4K average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. High settings average 20 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS. The data shows that 4K is only borderline playable at the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is not smooth by modern standards. The lack of min and max FPS data for most presets suggests that the system's performance is consistent enough to avoid major spikes, but the averages themselves are too low for a satisfying experience.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep performance drop that clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 86 at 1920x1080 to 59 at 2560x1440, a 31% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings, the FPS drops from 59 to 35, another 41% reduction. The cumulative drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 59%, meaning the system loses nearly 60% of its frame rate when the pixel count increases from about 2 million to 8.3 million.

At High settings, the scaling is even more severe. The average FPS goes from 50 at 1080p to 34 at 1440p (a 32% drop) and then to 20 at 4K (a 41% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 60%. This consistent pattern across settings indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for higher resolutions. The Intel Arc B390's memory is system shared, and its bandwidth is system dependent, which means it relies on the CPU's DDR4 memory. This shared memory architecture likely contributes to the poor scaling, as the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth.

The data suggests that if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat or drop less steeply as resolution increases. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The Ryzen 5 5600X's 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth is sufficient for Thief, but the GPU's reliance on system memory for its own operations creates a shared resource conflict that hampers high-resolution performance. For users targeting 1440p or 4K, this combo is not suitable, as the frame rates fall below acceptable thresholds even at low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which delivers an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. This preset provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, keeping the frame rate above 60 FPS average and avoiding the sub-30 FPS dips that plague higher resolutions. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only configuration that consistently stays in the playable range without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity.

At 1440p, the only viable option for a relatively smooth experience is Low settings, which averages 59 FPS. However, this is borderline, as the frame rate may drop below 60 FPS during intense scenes. Medium settings at 1440p average 45 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth, and High settings drop to 34 FPS. For users with 1440p monitors, the data suggests that Low settings are the maximum acceptable compromise, but even then, the experience will not be as fluid as at 1080p.

4K gaming is not recommended with this combo. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 35 FPS with Low settings, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable experience. Medium settings at 4K average 26 FPS, which is stuttery, and High or Ultra settings produce averages of 20 FPS or less. Users who prioritize resolution over frame rate may find 4K Low acceptable, but the data indicates that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this system. The measured rows show that the GPU's limitations are most pronounced at higher resolutions, so staying at 1080p maximizes the system's potential.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a chip codenamed Panther Lake and a 3 nm process node from Intel. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. The memory is system shared, with no dedicated VRAM, and the bandwidth is system dependent, meaning it relies on the CPU's DDR4 memory.

In Thief, the GPU's modest specifications translate to the low frame rates observed. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places the GPU in the 9th percentile, is a strong indicator of its limited gaming capability. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and GeForce GT 710 (1443), are both legacy entry-level GPUs, and the B390 only marginally outperforms them. This explains why the combo ranks so low in Thief, as the game's rendering demands, even for a 2014 title, exceed the B390's fill rate and shading capabilities.

The GPU's shared memory architecture is a significant drawback in Thief. Since the GPU uses system memory, it competes with the CPU for bandwidth, which is particularly problematic at higher resolutions where memory demands increase. The 4K results, where the FPS drops to 20 or below on High settings, illustrate this limitation. The GPU's 24 ROPs are also a constraint, as they limit the pixel throughput, which is critical for higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck in this pairing, and the CPU's performance is wasted on a graphics solution that cannot keep pace. For Thief, the GPU's role is to provide a playable experience only at the lowest settings and resolutions, and its limitations dominate the system's overall performance ranking.