Thief

Thief with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B370 presents a highly specific performance profile. The data shows a system where the integrated graphics solution is the clear limiting factor, and the powerful CPU is largely held back. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to provide practical guidance for playing this 2014 stealth title on this particular hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 78 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 53 FPS, a significant 32% reduction. At 4K, the average falls further to 31 FPS, which is just 40% of the 1080p performance. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the rendering workload is overwhelming the graphics processor.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p is particularly telling. At Low settings, the drop from 78 to 53 FPS represents a loss of 25 frames. This is a larger absolute drop than the one seen between 1440p and 4K, where the loss is 22 frames. This suggests that the GPU's capabilities are being exhausted even at 1440p, and the additional pixel count at 4K yields diminishing returns in terms of playability, pushing the frame rate into unplayable territory.

Looking at the High preset, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The system manages 45 FPS at 1080p, drops to 31 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 18 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31%, nearly identical to the Low preset's drop. This consistency indicates that the scaling is primarily a function of pixel count, not the specific visual features enabled by the settings preset.

The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Thief. Even at the lowest settings, the 31 FPS average is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B370, which has a 5th percentile rank among all GPUs. The CPU's performance is not the bottleneck here, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to process the frame data at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and playability is found at 1080p with Medium settings. This configuration yields an average of 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. The 50 FPS minimum is crucial, as it suggests that the frame rate stays within a playable range even during demanding scenes. This is the highest settings preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, making it the best choice for a smooth experience.

For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, the 1080p Low preset is the clear winner. At 78 FPS average, it offers a substantial margin over the Medium preset's 59 FPS. The data indicates that this preset provides the headroom needed for a consistently fluid experience, though it does so at the cost of visual details. Given the age of the game, the visual difference between Low and Medium may be less impactful than in modern titles.

At 1440p, the Medium preset becomes the most sensible option. It delivers an average of 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47 FPS. While not ideal, the 35 FPS minimum is at least borderline playable for a stealth game where quick reactions are less critical than in a fast-paced shooter. The High preset at 1440p drops to 31 FPS average, which is noticeably less smooth. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with a 29 FPS average, is not recommended.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely. Even the Low preset, which produces 31 FPS, fails to provide a playable experience. The Ultra preset at 4K manages only 17 FPS, and the High preset is not much better at 18 FPS. The data is clear: this combo is not capable of handling 4K in Thief, and players should stick to 1080p or, at the very best, 1440p with Medium settings for a compromised but potentially acceptable experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, and its role in this game is the dominant bottleneck. Its benchmark score is a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This low ranking is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, both of which are over a decade old. The data shows that the Arc B370 is not a gaming-focused part, and Thief's demands quickly overwhelm it.

The GPU's clock speeds do not compensate for its lack of raw processing power. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, but its memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent" since it uses shared system memory. This shared memory configuration is a significant disadvantage for gaming, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access. The system's dual-channel DDR5 memory, with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, is technically capable, but the shared pool creates latency and contention that impacts frame times.

The GPU's architecture, Xe3-LPG, is not designed for high-end gaming. With 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and only 20 ROPs, its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. In practical terms, this means the GPU can fill pixels at a moderate rate, but it is severely limited when rendering complex scenes with multiple effects. This explains why the frame rate drops so dramatically when moving from Low to High settings at the same resolution, as the increased visual workload taxes the limited ROPs and TMUs.

The VRAM situation further cements the GPU's limitations. With "System Shared" memory, there is no dedicated video memory. This means that texture data and frame buffers are stored in the system's main memory, which is slower and has higher latency than dedicated VRAM. The data shows that the GPU's performance in Thief is consistently poor, and this is a direct result of its integrated nature and shared memory architecture. The CPU, with its 65 W TDP and 8 cores, is not the issue; it is the GPU that holds the entire system back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the data shows a clear progression across settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest score recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset drops to 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68 FPS. The High preset falls further to 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the worst at 43 FPS. This 35 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's sensitivity to visual settings at this resolution.

At 1440p, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings produce 53 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings yield 31 FPS, and Ultra settings are not far behind at 29 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 2 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional features are not the primary cost; the resolution itself is the limiting factor.

At 4K, the numbers become largely academic, as no preset achieves a playable frame rate. Low settings produce 31 FPS. Medium settings drop to 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27 FPS. High settings are at 18 FPS, and Ultra settings are at 17 FPS. The data shows a stark drop-off from 1440p to 4K, with even the Low preset losing 22 FPS. This is a clear indication that the GPU's fill rate is insufficient for 4K rendering.

The minimum FPS data points, where available, provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 50 FPS, which is a healthy margin above stutter territory. At 1440p Medium, the minimum drops to 35 FPS, which could be noticeable in busy scenes. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 20 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow. These minimums are critical for assessing playability, as they represent the worst-case frame delivery during the benchmark run.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B370 in Thief is ranked 2634 out of 2851 tested combos. This places the system in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is a very poor result. The rank reflects the data measured for this specific game and settings, and it is a direct consequence of the GPU's weak performance. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485, do not translate into gaming performance when paired with such a limited graphics solution.

The combo's rank is not surprising given the GPU's individual percentile of 5. The Arc B370 is designed for basic tasks, not gaming, and its performance in Thief is consistent with its overall benchmark standing. The CPU's nearest rivals in general benchmarks, such as the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, differ by only 0.1% in average score, showing that the 9700X is a top-tier processor. However, this processing power is wasted in this configuration, as the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU's frame generation demands.

In the context of the 2851 combos, this ranking means that virtually any dedicated graphics card, even a modest one, would likely outperform this setup in Thief. The data shows that the bottleneck is so severe that the system's gaming performance is essentially defined by the GPU alone. The CPU's contribution is minimal, as it is never the limiting factor at any resolution or settings preset tested. The high rank number (2634) is a clear warning to any user considering this hardware combination for gaming.

The implication is that this combo is fundamentally mismatched for a game like Thief. The CPU is a high-end desktop part with a 65 W TDP and an 86th percentile rank among all CPUs, while the GPU is an integrated part with a 5th percentile rank. This 81-percentile-point gap highlights the extreme imbalance. The measured FPS data confirms that the system is GPU-bound in every scenario, and the only way to improve performance would be to replace the graphics solution with a more capable part.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in Thief?

A: The best experience is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which provides an average of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS. This is the highest settings preset that maintains a playable frame rate.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Thief?

A: No. Even at Low settings, the average FPS at 3840x2160 is only 31 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 17 FPS, making the game unplayable at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 has a 5th percentile rank among all GPUs, while the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X has an 86th percentile rank. The FPS scaling across resolutions confirms the GPU is limiting performance.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 (a 0.2% difference). It is also comparable to the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190 (a 0.5% difference).

Q: Does the CPU's performance impact the frame rate at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests it does not. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 78 FPS, but this is still limited by the GPU. The CPU's strong multi-core scores indicate it is not the limiting factor at any tested setting.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 78, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS recorded in any test is 68, which occurs on the 1080p Medium preset.