Thief

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the Intel Arc B580 in Thief presents a compelling case study in how a high-end, 12-core processor interacts with a mid-range GPU in a title that is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The benchmark results reveal a configuration that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering exceptional frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured data to interpret the scaling, roles of the components, and the practical settings for the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a consistent and predictable drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, clearly indicating that the Intel Arc B580 becomes the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the frame rate is robust: the average at Medium settings is 114 FPS, which drops to 87 FPS on High, and 83 FPS on Ultra. Stepping up to 1440p, those numbers fall to 78 FPS (Medium), 60 FPS (High), and 57 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the frame rates tighten further: 46 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 33 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a clear sign of the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth being saturated.

The most interesting detail in the scaling data is the Low settings slope. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 150 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 103 FPS, a 31.3% drop. At 4K Low, it falls to 61 FPS, a 40.8% drop from 1440p. This steep decline at lower settings suggests that even when the visual load is reduced, the GPU is still the limiting factor. The CPU is not the constraint; if it were, the frame rates would plateau at lower resolutions. Instead, the scaling curve is smooth and continuous, indicating that the GPU's rendering pipeline is fully occupied.

The 4K Ultra average of 33 FPS is just below the 30 FPS threshold, which is marginal for a smooth experience. The 4K Medium setting, with an average of 46 FPS and a minimum of 39 FPS, is more reasonable but still not ideal. The data shows that this combination is not meant for 4K gaming, but it is perfectly capable at 1440p and excellent at 1080p. The resolution scaling indicates that the 12-core CPU is not a bottleneck in this game; the GPU's performance headroom is what determines the final frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a Battlemage-generation GPU, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation pipelines. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, which is a relatively high clock speed for a modern GPU. The memory subsystem consists of 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This is a significant amount of bandwidth for a GPU in this class, but it is not enough to overcome the raw compute limits at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (avg score 23061, deltaPct -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avg score 22895, deltaPct 0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (avg score 23172, deltaPct -0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (avg score 23249, deltaPct -1%). These are surprisingly close scores for GPUs of different generations and performance classes; the B580's average score of 23021 is within 1% of all of them. This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the B580 is roughly on par with an RTX 2080 or RTX 3080, which is a high bar for a GPU with a 249 USD launch MSRP.

In Thief, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is likely a key factor. At 4K, the frame rate is not just limited by compute but also by memory throughput. The 12 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, which is from 2014 and does not have massive VRAM requirements. The GPU's clock speed of 2670 MHz helps in the rasterization performance, but the data shows that at 4K, the internal memory bandwidth is the limiting factor. The pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are not the bottlenecks; the fill rate is sufficient for the pixel count of 4K, but the overall shading performance is limited.

The GPU's passmark scores are interesting: the DirectX 9 score is 183, DirectX 11 is 128, and DirectX 12 is 76. This shows a decline in performance with newer API levels, but Thief is a DirectX 11 title, so the 128 score is the most relevant. The GPU's Geekbench Vulkan score is 109672, indicating good raw compute. The GPU's role in this game is to provide a decent frame rate at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not powerful enough for 4K gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 60 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution with High settings.

Q: How much faster is the low preset compared to the ultra preset at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 150 FPS average, while the Ultra preset achieves 83 FPS average. The Low preset is 80.7% faster than the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 114 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 46 FPS. This represents a 59.6% drop in performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The minimum FPS in the data is 39 FPS, which occurs at 4K resolution with Medium settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 based on the benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23061, while the RTX 3080 has an average score of 23172, a difference of -0.7%. The B580 is slightly behind the RTX 3080 in this metric.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Low settings?

A: The average frame rate is 103 FPS at 1440p with Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combination's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. Here is the exact breakdown:

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 150 FPS average
• Medium: 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS
• High: 87 FPS average
• Ultra: 83 FPS average

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 103 FPS average
• Medium: 78 FPS average, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS
• High: 60 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS
• High: 35 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

The data shows a clear trend: the frame rate halves approximately when moving from 1080p to 4K. For example, at High settings, the 1080p average is 87 FPS, which drops to 60 FPS at 1440p and then to 35 FPS at 4K. This is a 59.8% drop from 1080 to 4K. The Medium setting has a similar trend: 114 FPS to 78 FPS to 46 FPS, a 59.6% drop. The Low setting saw a slightly different scaling: 150 to 103 to 61, a 59.3% drop from 1080 to 4K, but the drop from 1440 to 4K is 40.8%, which is consistent.

The only settings with minimum and maximum FPS data are the Medium presets. At 1080p, the minimum is 97 and the maximum is 131, a spread of 34 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 24 FPS (66 to 90). At 4K, the spread is 14 FPS (39 to 53). This shows that as the frame rate drops, the variance also shrinks. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 39, which is still above the 30 FPS threshold, but it means there are occasional dips into the 30s.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with a large 64 MB of L3 cache. Its benchmark results show it to be a high-performance CPU: it scores 29300 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2016.5 in single-core. It has a percentile rank of 91% among all CPUs, indicating it is in the top 9% of processors.

In the context of Thief, the CPU's role is almost negligible. The game is a 2014 title and does not require a high core count. The 7900X's 12 cores and 24 threads are far more than what the game can utilize. The CPU's single-thread performance is also excellent, which is what matters for older games. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The frame rates are determined by the GPU's pixel processing and memory bandwidth.

The CPU's nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 7313P (avg score 53206, deltaPct 0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (avg score 53469, deltaPct -0.3%), the Intel Xeon 634 (avg score 52974, deltaPct 0.6%), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (avg score 53620, deltaPct -0.6%). These are all server or high-end desktop chips, and the 7900X's average score is 53288. The delta percentages are within a fraction of a percent, meaning they are all statistically equivalent. This shows the 7900X is a top-tier CPU, but for a game like Thief, its performance headroom is wasted.

The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing a peak theoretical bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. This is more than sufficient for the game. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support with 24 lanes is also not a factor. In short, the CPU is not a limiting factor in any of the measured results. The data shows that the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the GPU is the one that sets the limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and player preference. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the following settings are recommended:

• At 1080p: The High preset delivers 87 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 83 FPS. Both are well above the 60 FPS target. For the best visual fidelity, the Ultra preset can be used with a 83 FPS average. If a higher frame rate is desired, the Medium preset at 114 FPS is a good balance.

• At 1440p: The High preset achieves exactly 60 FPS average. This is a perfect match for a 60 Hz monitor. The Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS, which is slightly below 60 but still mostly smooth. The Medium preset at 78 FPS is a better choice for a 144 Hz monitor, as it provides a higher frame rate while sacrificing some visual quality. The Low preset at 103 FPS is the best for esports-style play.

• At 4K: The Low preset, the only setting that comes close to 60 FPS, achieves 61 FPS average. This is the only 4K setting that is playable at a high frame rate. The Medium preset is 46 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The High and Ultra presets are 35 and 33 FPS, which are below the 40 FPS threshold for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the best experience for this combination is at 1440p with Medium settings, which provides a high average frame rate of 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. This offers a smooth and responsive experience. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 83 FPS is the best for maximum visual quality. At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, with a 61 FPS average, but the game will not look good. The medium preset at 4K is a good compromise for a 30-40 FPS experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2779 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places the combo in the 74th percentile (since 100 - (2779/3720)*100 = 25.3% better). This rank is a reflection of the GPU's performance, as the CPU is not a factor in this game.

The rank of 2779 out of 3720 indicates that this is a mid-to-low-tier combo for Thief. Many other CPU/GPU combinations will perform better, likely because they include more powerful GPUs. The B580's average benchmark score of 23061 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, but in this game, it is the limiting factor. The CPU's high performance is not utilized, so the combo's rank is determined almost entirely by the GPU.

The rank suggests that while this is a capable combo for 1080p and 1440p, it is not one of the top performers. The top combos in the database likely have GPUs with higher raw performance, such as an RTX 3080 or better. The B580's score is within 0.7% of the RTX 3080, but the RTX 3080's actual gaming performance may vary. The combo's rank is a reflection of the GPU's realistic performance in this game, not its synthetic scores.

The rank of 2770 is meaningful because it shows that the combo is above average, but not exceptional. Out of 3720 combos, it is in the top 25%. This is a solid result for a mid-range GPU and a top-tier CPU. The data indicates that the combo is well-suited for 1440p gaming, but not for 4K. The user can expect a smooth experience at 1440p with Medium or High settings, and a high frame rate at 1080p.