Thief

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a highly constrained gaming experience in Thief, with the combination ranking 2534 out of 2851 tested combos. This places the pairing in the bottom 11% of all tested configurations, indicating that the GPU component severely limits overall performance. The data shows a system that can run the game, but only at modest settings and resolutions before frame rates become problematic.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2534 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. That ranking places it in the 11th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 89% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates. The CPU itself is a high-end desktop processor with a percentileVsAllCpus score of 91, which means it outperforms 91% of all CPUs in general benchmarks. However, the GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus score of 9 tells a different story — it outperforms only 9% of all GPUs, making it the clear bottleneck in this pairing.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26017 and a 3DMark max threads score of 11597, does not translate into high frame rates in Thief. The game’s performance is dominated by the GPU’s capabilities, which are modest. The Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it near the bottom of the GPU hierarchy. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a deltaPct of 1.3% higher, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1.5% higher, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 2.5% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 2.7% higher. These are all low-end or legacy GPUs, confirming that the Arc B390 operates in the entry-level segment.

The combo’s low rank is therefore unsurprising. While the Ryzen 9 5950X offers 16 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, the GPU’s 1536 shading units and 48 texture mapping units are insufficient for demanding scenarios. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate reaches only 86 FPS, which drops precipitously as settings increase. This rank reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s capabilities, as the CPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is robust and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (deltaPct -0.2%), AMD EPYC 8124P (deltaPct -0.3%), Intel Core i9-13900F (deltaPct 0.4%), and Intel Core i7-14700 (deltaPct -0.7%). All of these rival CPUs score within 0.7% of the Ryzen 9 5950X, indicating that the processor is not the limiting factor here.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated-class GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by Intel. Its base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and it relies on System Shared memory, meaning its memory size, type, and bus width are all designated as System Shared. Memory bandwidth is listed as System Dependent, which means performance can vary based on the host system’s memory configuration. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). The TDP is 80 W, and it is classified as an IGP with no power connectors.

In the context of Thief, the GPU’s role is decisive. The measured FPS data shows that the Arc B390 struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 19 FPS, while at 4K High it is 20 FPS. Even at 1440p Ultra, the average is only 33 FPS. The GPU’s low percentile rank of 9% versus all GPUs aligns with these results. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all NVIDIA models from the GT 500M and GT 700 series, which are known for limited gaming performance. The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX’s score of 1463, illustrating how close it is to legacy hardware.

The GPU’s memory being System Shared is a notable factor. In a system with a Ryzen 9 5950X that supports DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access. This shared bandwidth can exacerbate performance issues in memory-intensive scenes. The data shows that the GPU’s performance in Thief scales with resolution and settings, but the absolute numbers remain low across the board. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 86, which is acceptable, but at 1080p High, it falls to 50 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it is 48 FPS. This indicates that the GPU’s shader and texture throughput is insufficient for high-quality presets even at the lowest resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo in Thief?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2534 out of 2851 tested combos for Thief, placing it in the bottom 11% of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947, which is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX scores 52073 (deltaPct -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121 (deltaPct -0.3%), the Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730 (deltaPct 0.4%), and the Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301 (deltaPct -0.7%).

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking relative to all GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a percentileVsAllGpus score of 9, meaning it outperforms only 9% of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Thief?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 86 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS on average.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 19 FPS at Ultra settings to 35 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings yield 26 FPS, and High settings yield 20 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Thief?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus is 91, while the GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus is 9. The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance does not compensate for the GPU’s low throughput in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Thief provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 86 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest recorded value across all tests. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. High settings yield an average of 50 FPS, and Ultra settings produce an average of 48 FPS. These numbers suggest that at 1080p, the combo can handle Low and Medium settings with playable frame rates, but High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades further. Low settings deliver an average of 59 FPS, which is still playable but close to the edge. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 34 FPS, and Ultra settings average 33 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, with Low settings losing 27 FPS (from 86 to 59) and High settings losing 16 FPS (from 50 to 34). This indicates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are strained as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium settings average 26 FPS (with a minimum of 22 FPS and maximum of 30 FPS), High settings average 20 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS. None of these configurations reach 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 4K is essentially unplayable for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the Arc B390’s 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for 4K rendering in Thief, regardless of settings.

The measured rows also reveal that only one configuration (1080p Low) exceeds 60 FPS, and only two configurations (1080p Low and 1080p Medium) exceed 50 FPS. All other tested scenarios fall below 50 FPS, with most below 40 FPS. This pattern underscores the GPU’s limitations as the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Thief shows a consistent decline in frame rates as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 86 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, a reduction of 31.4%, and then to 35 at 4K, a further reduction of 40.7% from 1440p. Overall, from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, the frame rate falls by 59.3%. At Medium settings, the averages are 66 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p (a 31.8% drop), and 26 FPS at 4K (a 42.2% drop from 1440p), totaling a 60.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K. High settings show 50 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p (a 32% drop), and 20 FPS at 4K (a 41.2% drop from 1440p), totaling a 60% reduction. Ultra settings yield 48 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p (a 31.3% drop), and 19 FPS at 4K (a 42.4% drop from 1440p), totaling a 60.4% reduction.

These percentage drops are relatively consistent across settings, hovering around 31-32% from 1080p to 1440p and 41-42% from 1440p to 4K. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, as a CPU bottleneck would typically show less scaling with resolution changes. The Ryzen 9 5950X has ample processing power, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26017 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15233, so it is not the constraint. Instead, the Arc B390’s limited shading units and texture rate cause frame rates to scale inversely with pixel count.

The data also indicates that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (86 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) is 38 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 26 FPS (59 vs 33), and at 4K, the difference is 16 FPS (35 vs 19). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that even reducing settings provides diminishing returns. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are simply not enough to maintain high fill rates at 3840x2160.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture (codename Vermeer) and manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and it has a TDP of 105 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a 64 MB L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it has ECC memory support. The CPU uses the AMD Socket AM4 and has a PCIe Gen 4 interface with 20 lanes (CPU only). Its launch MSRP was $799.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is largely supportive because the game’s performance is GPU-bound. The CPU’s benchmarks show strong multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26017, a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 4324, and a Geekbench multicore score of 15233. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 944 in single-thread to 11597 in max threads, indicating good multi-core utilization. PassMark tests further reinforce this, with a multithread score of 45424 and an integer math score of 185520. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 91 confirms that it is a top-tier processor.

However, the measured FPS data shows that these CPU strengths do not translate into high frame rates because the GPU cannot keep up. For example, at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 48, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to be more consistent across resolutions, but the data shows significant drops with resolution increases. The CPU’s nearest rivals all have similar average benchmark scores, with deltaPct values within 0.7%, yet the combo rank is low due to the GPU.

The CPU’s high core count and clock speeds may help in scenarios with many on-screen entities or complex AI, but Thief’s stealth gameplay, released in 2014, does not heavily tax modern processors. The Ryzen 9 5950X’s single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1614, is more than sufficient for the game’s requirements. Thus, the CPU role is to provide a stable platform without introducing bottlenecks, which it does, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s deficiencies.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target frame rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 86 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 1080p average 66 FPS, providing a better visual experience while still maintaining playability. High settings at 1080p drop to 50 FPS, and Ultra settings to 48 FPS, both of which may cause noticeable stutter in a stealth game that benefits from smooth camera movement. Therefore, for a balanced experience at 1080p, Medium settings are recommended, as they offer a 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS, ensuring that frame dips remain above 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is close to but slightly below 60 FPS. This is the only 1440p configuration that approaches playable smoothness. Medium settings at 1440p average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay but could feel choppy in action sequences. High and Ultra settings at 1440p average 34 FPS and 33 FPS, respectively, which are not recommended for consistent play. Thus, for 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the frame rate is borderline.

At 3840x2160, none of the settings provide a playable experience. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. These frame rates are too low for smooth gameplay, and even the minimum FPS values (22 FPS at Medium) are far below acceptable thresholds. The data suggests that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo in Thief. Users should avoid 4K entirely and stick to 1080p for the best experience.

The measured rows show that the highest average frame rate (86 FPS) occurs at 1080p Low, while the lowest (19 FPS) occurs at 4K Ultra. For users prioritizing frame rate, 1080p Low or Medium is the best choice. For users who want higher visual fidelity, 1080p High at 50 FPS is the maximum recommended setting, as Ultra provides only a marginal visual improvement (48 FPS) but with a larger performance cost. In summary, the combo’s sweet spot is 1080p Medium, which balances visuals and performance, while 1440p is only playable at Low settings, and 4K should be avoided. The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking and its nearest rivals (GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, GT 710) all confirm that this is entry-level hardware, and the settings recommendations reflect that reality.