Thief

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that sits near the bottom of the performance hierarchy for Thief, ranking 2634 out of 2851 tested combos. The data shows that this system is heavily constrained by the GPU, which limits playable settings to those that reduce the graphical load. For a consistently playable experience, the Low preset is the only reliable choice at 1080p, delivering an average of 78 FPS. While the Medium preset at 1080p offers a more balanced visual quality with an average of 59 FPS and a minimum of 50 FPS, the Low setting provides the headroom necessary to avoid dips into unplayable territory during demanding scenes. At higher resolutions, the system struggles significantly, so sticking to 1080p is essential.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates indicate a clear hierarchy for this hardware configuration. At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the best experience, with an average of 78 FPS. This is the only setting that offers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay in a stealth title where consistent frame pacing matters for precise movement and timing. The Medium preset is a viable alternative, averaging 59 FPS with a recorded minimum of 50 FPS, which is acceptable for a game like Thief where the pace is slower, but it leaves little room for error during intense action sequences.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 53 FPS, which is borderline. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which is below the threshold for a comfortable experience. The High preset at 1440p averages only 31 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 29 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1440p is not a practical target for this combo if you want smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the results are decisively poor: the Low preset averages 31 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets average 18 and 17 FPS, respectively. The Medium preset at 4K averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS, which is unplayable.

The data strongly indicates that the Low preset at 1080p is the recommended configuration. It is the only tested setting that delivers an average frame rate high enough to ensure a responsive and fluid experience. If you prioritize visual fidelity over raw performance, the Medium preset at 1080p is the maximum you should consider, as it maintains a minimum above 45 FPS, which is generally considered the floor for playable action in a game that requires quick reactions to enemy AI.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In the context of Thief, which is a 2014 title with a single-threaded game engine, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The benchmark results support this: the combo’s rank of 2634 out of 2851 is driven by the GPU’s low performance, not the CPU’s capabilities. The i5-11400F’s single-thread performance, as measured by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 868 and a passmark_single_thread score of 2981, is sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions and settings.

However, the CPU’s multi-threading capabilities are more than adequate for the game’s background processes. The processor achieves a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 14340, which places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. This headroom means that at 1080p with the Low preset, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU can handle the game’s logic and AI without issue. The data shows that the FPS drop from 78 at 1080p Low to 53 at 1440p Low is a 32% reduction, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation, not CPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The processor’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and 12 MB of shared L3 cache are adequate for a game of this era. The 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP are not relevant to gaming performance here, but they indicate that the CPU is not thermally constrained in a typical desktop setup. The benchmark results show that the i5-11400F is a capable mid-range chip, with an avgBenchmarkScore of 17177, sitting within 0.6% of rivals like the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. For Thief, the CPU role is to provide stable frame delivery without introducing hitches, which it does effectively at 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration. This is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz and 1280 shading units. Its performance is exceptionally low, as indicated by its percentile rank of 5 among all GPUs and an avgBenchmarkScore of 1184 in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12. The nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, both of which are legacy mobile parts, underscoring the B370’s position as an entry-level or low-power solution.

The GPU’s memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system’s main DDR4 memory, which is dual-channel with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. This shared architecture is a major performance limiter in Thief, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The data shows that at 1080p, the Low preset (78 FPS) is nearly double the High preset (45 FPS), a 42% drop. This massive scaling with settings is typical of a GPU with very low fill rate and shader throughput. The B370 has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, which are insufficient for higher resolutions and settings.

At 4K, the GPU is completely overwhelmed. The Ultra preset averages 17 FPS, and even the Low preset only manages 31 FPS. The transition from 1080p Low to 4K Low results in a 60% performance drop, which is a clear indication that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The 10 RT cores and 20 ROPs are largely irrelevant for a game like Thief, which does not use ray tracing and has modest geometric complexity. The data suggests that this GPU is only suitable for 1080p gaming at the lowest settings in this title, and any attempt to increase the resolution or visual quality will result in a slideshow.

FAQ

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

A: The best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which achieves an average of 78 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is also playable at 59 FPS average, but the Low setting provides the most consistent performance.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At the Low preset, the system delivers 78 FPS at 1080p versus 31 FPS at 4K, which is a 60% reduction. At the High preset, it drops from 45 FPS at 1080p to 18 FPS at 4K, a 60% reduction.

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

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU’s multi-threaded score is in the 71st percentile, indicating it has ample headroom.

*Q: Can this combo run Thief at 1440p?*

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 53 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 41 FPS, which is below the ideal range for smooth gameplay. Higher settings are not recommended.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, which is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: At 1080p, the minimum FPS is 50. At 1440p, it is 35, and at 4K, it is 20. This shows that the Medium preset becomes increasingly unstable at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound. Starting at 1080p Low with 78 FPS, moving to 1440p Low reduces the frame rate to 53 FPS, a 32% drop. Moving further to 4K Low yields 31 FPS, another 42% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is a textbook example of a GPU that lacks the raw pixel throughput and memory bandwidth to drive high-resolution displays.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is similar: 59 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop), and 24 FPS at 4K (a 41% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows 45 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor; the CPU is not introducing any variable that would cause non-linear scaling. The data suggests that the Arc B370’s System Shared memory, which has a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, is saturated at 1440p, and the situation worsens at 4K.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is designed for 1080p gaming. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30% of the frame rate, and the jump to 4K costs another 40%. For a game like Thief, which relies on atmosphere and stealth, the resolution drop is acceptable if it means maintaining a playable frame rate. The data does not support any attempt to play at 4K, as even the lowest settings fail to reach 32 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 78 FPS average.
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a 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 a 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 a maximum of 27 FPS.
• High: 18 FPS average.
• Ultra: 17 FPS average.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Low preset is the only one that maintains an average above 50 FPS, and only at 1080p. The Medium preset is the only other setting that provides a minimum above 45 FPS, and again only at 1080p. The High and Ultra presets are largely redundant for this configuration, as they provide only marginal visual improvements over Medium while costing a significant number of frames. The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset shows that the system can stutter, with a 15 FPS difference between the minimum and maximum at 1080p, which increases to a 7 FPS difference at 4K, indicating that the frame pacing becomes more consistent but at an unplayable level. Overall, the numbers paint a clear picture: this is a 1080p, low-to-medium settings machine for Thief.