Thief

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a severely GPU-bound experience in Thief, with frame rates that plummet as resolution increases. The data shows this combination ranks in the bottom 8% of all tested combos, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay at any resolution above 1080p with medium settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a clear bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 78 at 1920x1080 to 53 at 2560x1440, then down to 31 at 3840x2160. That represents a 60% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep scaling curve indicative of a graphics processor struggling to keep up with pixel throughput. The 1080p to 1440p transition alone costs 25 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K transition costs another 22 FPS.

At High settings, the pattern repeats with slightly lower absolute numbers: 45 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar, showing that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of quality preset. Ultra settings show the same trend with 43 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and just 17 FPS at 4K. The fact that Ultra and High produce nearly identical frame rates at 1080p (43 vs 45 FPS) suggests the GPU is already saturated at that resolution, and additional graphical features do not meaningfully change the outcome.

The limiting component is unambiguously the Intel Arc B370. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a flagship desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, but this game's performance is dictated by the integrated-class GPU. The scaling pattern—where every resolution increase causes a roughly 35-40% frame rate drop—matches a GPU that is running at its absolute ceiling even at 1080p. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect flatter scaling across resolutions, but the data shows the opposite.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its performance profile is extremely modest, as evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database—the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186 score, -0.2% delta), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190 score, -0.5% delta), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192 score, -0.7% delta)—are all legacy parts from over a decade ago. This context is critical: the Arc B370 is competing with hardware from the early 2010s, not modern discrete GPUs.

The GPU's clock speeds are 300 MHz base and 2400 MHz boost, with 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. These specifications translate directly to the measured FPS in Thief. At 1080p Low settings, the GPU manages 78 FPS, which is playable, but this is the only configuration where the combination approaches fluid motion. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which is borderline acceptable but already showing strain.

The memory configuration is notable: the Arc B370 uses System Shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. This means the GPU shares system RAM with the CPU, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is the effective limit. This shared memory architecture likely contributes to the steep performance drop at higher resolutions, where the GPU needs to access more data per frame. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 17, which is essentially unplayable for a stealth game requiring precise timing.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 2634 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 7.6% of all configurations. This is a remarkably poor showing, especially considering the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D alone sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768, but the GPU's 5th percentile ranking drags the entire system down.

The data indicates that the GPU is the sole reason for this low ranking. When examining the CPU's nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (39603 score, +0.4% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048 score, -0.7% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39485 score, +0.7% delta), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40081 score, -0.8% delta)—all are within 1% of the 9800X3D's average score. This means swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would have virtually no impact on Thief's frame rates, because the GPU is the bottleneck. The combo rank would remain nearly identical regardless of which of these CPUs is paired with the Arc B370.

The practical takeaway is that this configuration is fundamentally unbalanced. A top-tier 8-core/16-thread Zen 5 processor with 96 MB of L3 cache is paired with an integrated GPU that performs worse than a mid-range discrete card from 2010. The rank of 2634 out of 2851 reflects this mismatch, and any user considering this combo for gaming should understand that the CPU's capabilities are almost entirely wasted in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 78 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 43 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 53 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average, with a minimum of 20 FPS and maximum of 27 FPS
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 17 FPS average

The only configuration that consistently maintains 60 FPS is 1080p Low. At 1080p Medium, the average of 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, and the 50 FPS minimum indicates occasional dips that would be noticeable in gameplay. Every other setting and resolution combination falls below 60 FPS, with the majority of configurations falling below 45 FPS.

The spread between settings at a given resolution is relatively narrow. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS (78 vs 43). At 1440p, it narrows to 24 FPS (53 vs 29). At 4K, it narrows further to 14 FPS (31 vs 17). This tightening spread at higher resolutions is characteristic of a GPU that is fully saturated, where even reducing graphical quality cannot compensate for the sheer number of pixels being rendered.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a flagship processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, a base clock of 4.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. It features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore of 23230, single-core of 2080, Geekbench multicore of 18696, and single-core of 2964. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 10081, and the single-thread score is 1212.

However, none of this CPU power translates into playable frame rates in Thief because the game's workload is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. The evidence is clear: at 1080p Low, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU 78 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 43 FPS despite the CPU having identical work to do. The difference is entirely due to the GPU's inability to handle additional graphical effects and higher resolution textures.

The CPU's 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (2394) to 8 threads (8252) to 16 threads (10081), demonstrating that it can handle multithreaded workloads effectively. PassMark multithread score of 40009 and single-thread score of 4430 further confirm its capability. But Thief, released in 2014, is not a particularly demanding CPU title, and even a much weaker processor could likely match these frame rates when paired with a stronger GPU.

The conclusion is that the CPU is overqualified for this pairing. Its 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs is meaningless when the GPU sits in the 5th percentile. The data suggests that users would see identical performance with a significantly cheaper CPU, as long as it could maintain at least 78 FPS in this game's CPU workload. The 9800X3D's 120 W TDP and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient, but they are wasted on this GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings and resolution combination for this CPU/GPU pair in Thief?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings produces 78 FPS average, which is the only configuration that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average falls to 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which is borderline playable but risks noticeable dips.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2634 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the bottom 7.6% of all configurations. The ranking is driven entirely by the Intel Arc B370, which sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU scores in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768, and its nearest rivals are all within 1% of its score. The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the steep resolution scaling that shows frame rates dropping by roughly 35-40% with each resolution increase.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the best result is 53 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings produce 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, High produces 31 FPS, and Ultra produces 29 FPS. None of these configurations deliver smooth 60 FPS gameplay.

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

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7% delta). These are all legacy parts, and the Arc B370 performs within 1% of them.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 31 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS, High produces 18 FPS, and Ultra produces 17 FPS. These frame rates are far below playable thresholds for a stealth game requiring precise timing.