Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a unique case in our database: a modern, capable processor shackled to an integrated graphics solution that, in Thief, produces results that are firmly in the low-end tier. The data shows a system where CPU performance is a non-issue, while the GPU becomes the overwhelming bottleneck at every resolution and settings level. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second, what they mean for playability, and how this combination stacks up against other tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark results for Thief show a clear and dramatic performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reports an average of 86 FPS. Step up to 2560x1440 on the same Low preset, and the average falls to 59 FPS, a reduction of approximately 31%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Low yields an average of just 35 FPS, which is a 59% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is indicative of a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processing unit rather than the central processor.

The trend repeats across all quality presets. At High settings, the average frame rate moves from 50 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p, and then to 20 FPS at 4K. Similarly, the Medium preset shows 66 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, starts at 48 FPS at 1080p, falls to 33 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 19 FPS at 4K. The consistent and substantial frame rate loss at each resolution step indicates that the Intel Arc B390's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, is more than capable of feeding this GPU; the data shows it is the integrated graphics that struggle to maintain fluidity as pixel count rises.

Settings Recommendations

Given the performance levels measured, the selectable presets present a clear trade-off between visual quality and playable frame rates. The data indicates that for a 1920x1080 display, the Medium preset is the most sensible choice. It delivers an average of 66 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 50 FPS seen at High, and it does so while maintaining a measurable minimum frame rate of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. This suggests a smoother experience than the lower averages of the High and Ultra presets, while still offering better visual fidelity than Low.

For those targeting 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that approaches a 60 FPS average, hitting 59 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High and Ultra presets at 45 FPS and 33 FPS respectively are noticeably less fluid.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a comfortable frame rate. The Low preset offers an average of 35 FPS, which is the highest at that resolution. Medium manages 26 FPS, while High and Ultra dip to 20 and 19 FPS respectively. These figures suggest that 4K gaming is not a viable option with this combo, as even the lowest settings struggle to maintain a smooth 30 frames per second.

The data suggests that the "best experience" is found by prioritizing frame rate over the highest visual details. For 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot. For 1440p, Low is the only way to get close to 60 FPS. For 4K, the user would have to accept significantly lower frame rates, even on the lowest settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but not at a comfortable frame rate. The benchmark data shows an average of 35 FPS at 2160p with Low settings, and 19 FPS at Ultra. None of the measured presets reach a stable 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1080p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice, as it achieves an average of 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, which is a smooth and playable experience.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The performance scaling indicates a graphics bottleneck. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a high-performance CPU, but the Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU with comparatively low performance, causing the frame rate to drop dramatically as the pixel count increases.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The benchmark data shows a large gap between the CPU's high benchmark scores, like 22,799 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and the GPU's low average score of 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, indicating the CPU has plenty of headroom and the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the most demanding setting preset for this system?

A: The 4K Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of only 19 FPS. This is the lowest average frame rate measured across all tests.

Q: Can the system handle the High preset at 1440p?

A: It is playable, but not ideal. The High preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 34 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations, this particular combination of CPU and GPU is positioned at the lower end of the performance spectrum for Thief. The combo rank is 3307 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile of results. This low ranking is a direct result of the Intel Arc B390, which has a percentile rank of 9 out of all GPUs, and an average score of just 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its closest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, all have average scores that are within 2.7% of the B390's, confirming its position in the entry-level tier.

In contrast, the CPU is a much stronger component. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F has a percentile rank of 77.6 among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 24,964 places it competitively with CPUs like the Intel Core i7-11850H, which has a score of 24,935, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, which has a score of 25,005. This striking difference between the CPU's high ranking and the GPU's low ranking makes it clear that the combination's overall position is dragged down almost entirely by the graphics processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F plays a minimal role in limiting the frame rates seen in Thief with the Intel Arc B390. The CPU is based on the Zen 4 architecture, produced on a 5 nm process. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a maximum boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It also has a 32 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's performance is substantial, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,799 and its single-core score of 3,218.

In a game like Thief, a stealth title that does not typically require massive multi-threaded processing, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. The bottleneck is on the GPU side. The CPU is likely to be waiting for the graphics processor to finish each frame, which is a classic sign of a CPU that is not the limiting component. This is further supported by the fact that the CPU's performance rank (77.6 percentile) is much higher than the GPU's (9.9 percentile). The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,376 and the 3DMark max-thread score of 6,379 show that the CPU has a high level of multi-threaded performance, which the game is not fully using. The data indicates that the CPU is overqualified for the task, while the GPU is underqualified.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the average frame rates measured for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F with the Intel Arc B390 in Thief.

At 1920x1080:

• Low settings: 86 FPS average.
• Medium settings: 66 FPS average, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75 FPS.
• High settings: 50 FPS average.
• Ultra settings: 48 FPS average.

At 2560x1440:

• Low settings: 59 FPS average.
• Medium settings: 45 FPS average, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52 FPS.
• High settings: 34 FPS average.
• Ultra settings: 33 FPS average.

At 3840x2160:

• Low settings: 35 FPS average.
• Medium settings: 26 FPS average, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30 FPS.
• High settings: 20 FPS average.
• Ultra settings: 19 FPS average.

The data shows that the only configuration that hits a 60 FPS average is 1080p with Low settings. For a 60 FPS experience at 1440p, the Low preset is the only option, and even then it is just under the mark at 59 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality. The 4K resolution is not playable with this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a solid 40 FPS. The overall trend is a steep decline in performance as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck.