Thief

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F posts an average benchmark score of 25064, placing it virtually neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which scores 25057 (a 0% delta). It sits 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993) and trails the AMD EPYC 9474F by just 0.2% (25103).

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: The Intel Arc B580 averages 23021 across GPU benchmarks, which is 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181). It is also 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M (22999) and 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729).

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance look in Cinebench?

A: In Cinebench R23, the Ryzen 5 8400F scores 20851 multi-core and 2943 single-core. The R20 results show 8757 multi-core and 1236 single-core, while R15 yields 2101 multi-core and 296 single-core.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the CPU support, and what does that mean?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration, delivering 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a key metric for feeding the Intel Arc B580 in a game like Thief, which can be sensitive to data transfer rates.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc B580 comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock is 2375 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective.

Q: Where does this combo rank among tested configurations in Thief?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1275 out of 1642 tested combos for this game. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the field, suggesting that while playable, it is not near the top of the performance hierarchy.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this CPU-GPU pairing at rank 1275 out of 1642 tested combinations, meaning roughly 22% of tested setups land below it. This is a notable position for a system with a current-generation CPU and a discrete GPU. The rank suggests that Thief's performance is not dominated by this pairing's raw potential; rather, the game's age and engine characteristics may limit how much these components can stretch their legs.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU sits at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 66th percentile among all GPUs. The discrepancy between these two percentiles is telling. The processor is clearly a stronger relative performer than the graphics card, which hints that the Arc B580 is the more likely bottleneck in this pairing — especially at higher resolutions and settings where GPU load increases.

The combo's rank of 1275 is also influenced by the game itself. Thief, released in early 2014, was built for hardware of that era. Modern components often show diminishing returns in such titles due to engine-level limitations or poor multi-threading. The fact that this pairing doesn't crack the top 1000 suggests that the game's engine is not fully utilizing the available hardware, rather than the hardware being insufficient.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 146.9 FPS, which drops to 103.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 63.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 57% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. At High settings, the drop is from 87.9 FPS at 1080p to 61.6 FPS at 1440p and 32.5 FPS at 4K — a 63% reduction.

The scaling behavior indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates, but the GPU's workload grows disproportionately with pixel count. The 4K numbers, particularly at High (32.5 FPS) and Ultra (34.4 FPS), fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making those settings impractical at that resolution.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution rises. At 1080p, the difference between Low (146.9 FPS) and Ultra (84.9 FPS) is 62 FPS. At 4K, that gap shrinks to 28.7 FPS (63.1 vs 34.4). This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so saturated that settings changes have less relative impact — the pixel fill rate becomes the dominant cost.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 146.9 FPS on Low, 115.8 FPS on Medium, 87.9 FPS on High, and 84.9 FPS on Ultra. All settings exceed the 60 FPS target, and even Ultra stays well above playable thresholds. The step from Low to Medium costs 31.1 FPS, while Medium to High costs 27.9 FPS, and High to Ultra only 3 FPS — indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, Low yields 103.5 FPS, Medium 75.7 FPS, High 61.6 FPS, and Ultra 55.4 FPS. The 1440p results show a steeper drop-off at Ultra, which falls below 60 FPS. The transition from Medium to High loses 14.1 FPS, and High to Ultra loses 6.2 FPS. This resolution presents a trade-off: High is just barely playable, while Ultra requires sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are 63.1 FPS on Low, 45.7 FPS on Medium, 32.5 FPS on High, and 34.4 FPS on Ultra. Only Low maintains 60 FPS. Medium is borderline playable but not ideal, while High and Ultra are effectively unplayable for smooth gameplay. Interestingly, Ultra slightly outperforms High at 4K (34.4 vs 32.5), which may indicate a driver or engine quirk rather than a meaningful performance advantage.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580's specifications shape its behavior in Thief. With 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, the GPU's parallel throughput is substantial for its class. Its 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample raw compute for a 2014 title. However, the game's engine may not leverage the architecture's newer features, such as 20 ray tracing cores, which are irrelevant for this title.

Memory bandwidth is a critical factor. The 12 GB GDDR6 frame buffer on a 192-bit bus delivers 456.0 GB/s, which is generous for a game of Thief's era. This bandwidth likely prevents memory bottlenecks even at 4K, where frame buffer demands are highest. The GPU's 2670 MHz base and boost clocks are identical, suggesting a fixed operating point that maintains consistent performance.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 66 places it mid-pack. In Thief, the measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (84.9 FPS) shows the card is not fully stressed at lower resolutions, but the 4K results (32.5-63.1 FPS) reveal its limits. The GPU's role as the primary constraint is evident when comparing the 1080p-to-4K scaling: the CPU's relative strength (82nd percentile) cannot compensate for the GPU's workload at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the data supports Ultra as the best experience. At 84.9 FPS, it stays well above 60 FPS, and the cost of dropping to High (87.9 FPS) is only 3 FPS — barely noticeable. Medium (115.8 FPS) and Low (146.9 FPS) offer higher frame rates but sacrifice visual quality for no practical benefit at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, High is the recommended setting. The 61.6 FPS average just clears the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra (55.4 FPS) dips below it. Medium (75.7 FPS) provides a safer margin but at a noticeable visual downgrade. For players prioritizing smoothness, Medium is the safer choice, but High offers the best balance of fidelity and playability.

For 3840x2160, only Low (63.1 FPS) is truly playable. Medium (45.7 FPS) may be acceptable for some, but it fails the 60 FPS standard. High and Ultra (32.5 and 34.4 FPS) are not recommended for action-oriented gameplay. The near-parity between High and Ultra at 4K suggests that if one must play at this resolution, selecting Ultra over High costs nothing and gains visual quality — but neither is ideal.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its 4.20 GHz base clock and 4.70 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for a game like Thief that likely relies on fewer threads. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core help maintain low latency access to frequently used data.

The CPU's benchmark results show balanced multi-threaded capability. The 3DMark scores scale from 1874 at 2 threads to 6165 at max threads, indicating good scaling up to 8 threads (5275) before tapering. Cinebench R23 multi-core of 20851 is strong for a 6-core part, and the single-core score of 2943 is competitive. PassMark multi-thread of 24530 and single-thread of 3684 reinforce this profile.

In Thief, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the 146.9 FPS result suggests the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond what the graphics card can render at higher settings. The CPU's 82nd percentile standing means it is unlikely to bottleneck in this game, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. However, at 4K, the CPU's contribution becomes less relevant as the GPU's pixel throughput dominates the performance equation.

The CPU's DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for this title. Given that Thief was released in 2014, it likely does not benefit from the latest memory technologies, but the bandwidth headroom ensures no memory-induced stuttering. The 65W TDP suggests efficient operation, allowing sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling during extended play sessions.