Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers playable performance in Thief, but the data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics card at higher resolutions. The combination ranks in the 20th percentile of all tested combos, making it a mid-to-low tier setup for this title. Benchmark results indicate that the Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck, particularly at 4K, while the Ryzen 5 8400F provides sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and dramatic performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, a pattern that strongly indicates GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 133 FPS, but this falls to 91 FPS at 1440p and further to 54 FPS at 4K. This represents a 59% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a scaling curve that is far steeper than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor.

Looking at High settings, the trend is consistent but with lower absolute numbers. The combo delivers 77 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and just 31 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe at 41.5%, suggesting that the Arc B570's 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit memory bus are struggling to maintain performance as pixel count increases. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 73 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and only 29 FPS at 4K, which falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The scaling behavior indicates that the Arc B570 is the limiting component in this configuration. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates above 100 FPS, but the GPU's rendering capabilities cap performance as resolution climbs. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution further confirms this: at 4K, the difference between Low (54 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) is a 46% performance penalty, showing that the GPU is overwhelmed by the increased shading and texture work at higher quality presets.

For players targeting 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings provide acceptable frame rates, and even then, 54 FPS is marginal. At 1440p, Medium settings (69 FPS) offer a balanced experience, while High and Ultra remain playable at 53 FPS and 50 FPS respectively. At 1080p, the combo excels, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 75 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for this hardware pairing.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture using a 5 nm process, and it operates at a fixed 2500 MHz base and boost clock. This consistency in clock speed means that the GPU's performance is dictated entirely by its memory subsystem and compute resources rather than dynamic clock adjustments. The card features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical factor in Thief's performance at higher resolutions.

The GPU's memory configuration directly impacts the measured results. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 29 FPS, and the 10 GB VRAM capacity is likely a limiting factor as the game attempts to load higher-resolution textures. The 160-bit bus width and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by current standards, and the data suggests that the memory subsystem struggles to keep up with the data demands of 4K rendering. This is evident in the 4K Medium result of 41 FPS, which is only 8 FPS higher than the 4K High result of 31 FPS, indicating that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth wall rather than a raw compute limit.

With 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, the B570 has enough compute throughput for 1080p gaming, but the 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for older titles like Thief, but the measured FPS data shows that this power is not enough to overcome the resolution scaling penalty.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its overall capabilities. It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and a Passmark G3D score of 14195, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher score) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% lower score), indicating that the B570 performs similarly to these mid-range options. However, in Thief, the combination's rank of 2296 out of 2851 total combos suggests that this GPU is not well-suited to the game's demands, particularly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache, which provides adequate capacity for gaming workloads. Memory support includes DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, offering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Thief, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 133 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and multi-thread score of 6165 indicate that the CPU has solid single-core performance, which is important for older game engines like the one powering Thief. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2943 (single-core) and 20851 (multi-core) further confirm that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's benchmark results show it sits at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25005. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i7-13620H (0.4% higher score), indicating that the 8400F is competitive with other mid-range processors. In the context of Thief, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient, as the game is not heavily multithreaded. The Passmark multi-thread score of 24389 and single-thread score of 3685 suggest that the CPU can maintain high frame rates at 1080p without becoming a bottleneck.

However, the CPU's performance ceiling is evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 133 FPS is lower than what more powerful CPUs might achieve in the same scenario. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 8400F provides enough headroom to avoid limiting performance at 1080p, but it does not have the excess capacity to push frame rates significantly higher. At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2296 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This ranking is notably lower than what the individual components' percentiles might suggest. The CPU sits at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, yet their combination in this game produces a result that is below average.

This discrepancy indicates that the pairing is suboptimal for Thief specifically. The GPU's memory bandwidth limitations at 4K and the CPU's mid-range performance at 1080p combine to create a configuration that is outclassed by many alternatives. The combo's rank of 2296 suggests that approximately 79% of all tested combinations deliver better performance in this game, which is a significant disadvantage for players seeking high frame rates.

The ranking data reveals that the combo performs better at lower resolutions, but the overall rank is dragged down by the poor 4K results. At 1080p, the combo's performance is respectable, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 75 FPS. At 1440p, the performance is still playable, but at 4K, the combo falls below 60 FPS at all settings, which makes it poorly suited for 4K gaming. The rank of 2296 reflects this mixed performance, with the combo's strengths at 1080p being overshadowed by its weaknesses at higher resolutions.

Compared to other combos, the data suggests that this pairing is better suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver smooth frame rates at most settings. However, for players who prioritize higher resolutions or maximum quality, this combo will disappoint. The rank of 2296 out of 2851 is a clear indicator that this is not a top-tier configuration for Thief, and users should adjust their expectations accordingly.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the optimal resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 133 FPS, and even at High settings it maintains 77 FPS. At 1440p, frame rates are lower but still playable, with Medium settings providing 69 FPS. At 4K, performance drops significantly, with only Low settings exceeding 50 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers an average of 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This is the lowest measured result across all tested configurations, indicating that the GPU is severely bottlenecked at this resolution and quality preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The resolution scaling data shows a steep performance drop from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, suggest it has sufficient power for this game, but the Arc B570's 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit bus struggle at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it at the 65th percentile of GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher score) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% lower score), indicating that it performs similarly to these mid-range options.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 1440p Medium settings, the combo delivers an average of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for most users, though it is not as smooth as the 1080p results.

*Q: Is this combo suitable for 4K gaming in Thief?*

A: No, the data shows that 4K performance is inadequate. At 4K High, the combo achieves only 31 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 29 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the frame rate of 54 FPS is marginal. The GPU's memory bandwidth limitations make this combo unsuitable for 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 31 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 54 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 41 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 29 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 53 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 91 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 69 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 77 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 133 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 101 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 73 |

At 4K, the Medium setting provides a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, the minimum is 59 FPS and the maximum is 79 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 86 FPS and the maximum is 116 FPS. These variance ranges indicate that frame pacing is more consistent at lower resolutions, with the 1080p Medium result showing a 30 FPS spread compared to the 12 FPS spread at 4K Medium.

The data shows that the combo delivers its best performance at 1080p Low, achieving 133 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low result of 54 FPS. The 1080p High result of 77 FPS is still smooth, while the 1080p Ultra result of 73 FPS is playable but shows the GPU beginning to struggle with the highest quality preset. At 1440p, the Low setting of 91 FPS is the only result above 90 FPS, with Medium at 69 FPS and High at 53 FPS being more typical for this resolution.

The 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS, with the best being Low at 54 FPS and the worst being Ultra at 29 FPS. This breakdown confirms that the Arc B570 is not capable of handling 4K gaming in Thief, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for a satisfactory experience.