Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, responds to resolution and settings changes in a way that clearly exposes the limits of this specific hardware pairing. The data shows a dramatic performance cliff as resolution increases, with the most playable results confined to 1080p. At 4K, the system falls below acceptable thresholds for smooth gameplay, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts, while the Intel Core i5-11400F provides a stable foundation that does not appear to hold the GPU back at any tested setting.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all quality presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 50 FPS at 1920x1080 to 34 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 20 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 60% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is identical for other settings: Low settings go from 86 FPS at 1080p down to 59 FPS at 1440p and 35 FPS at 4K, while Medium settings drop from 66 FPS to 45 FPS and then 26 FPS across the same resolution steps. Ultra settings are the most demanding, starting at 48 FPS at 1080p, falling to 33 FPS at 1440p, and ending at just 19 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern is nearly linear with pixel count, which strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. From 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by roughly 78%, and the observed frame rate drops are in that range. From 1440p to 4K, the pixel count doubles, and the frame rates roughly halve. This is textbook GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see smaller frame rate differences between resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain similar while the GPU work scales with pixel count. The fact that frame rates drop proportionally with resolution indicates that the Arc B390 is saturated and cannot keep up with the increasing pixel fill requirements.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also grows with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (86 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) is 38 FPS. At 4K, the gap narrows to 16 FPS, with Low hitting 35 FPS and Ultra at 19 FPS. This narrowing suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings push the GPU to its limits, and the extra work from higher settings has diminishing returns in terms of frame rate penalty because the GPU is already overwhelmed. For practical purposes, this combo is only viable at 1080p, with 1440p playable only on Low settings (59 FPS), and 4K effectively unplayable across all presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a Rocket Lake part on the Intel Socket 1200 platform, built on a 14 nm process with a 65 W TDP. For a game released in 2014, this CPU provides ample processing power. The benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. The PassMark multi-thread score of 16908 further confirms that this processor has substantial headroom for gaming workloads.

In the context of Thief, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The resolution scaling data shows no signs of a CPU bottleneck, as frame rates scale predictably with pixel count. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would see similar frame rates across resolutions, which is not the case here. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for game data, and the lack of integrated graphics means all display output is handled by the discrete Arc B390.

The processor's percentile ranking of 71 against all CPUs indicates it sits comfortably in the mid-to-upper range of performance. Its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher score), the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% lower). This clustering shows that the i5-11400F is competitive with modern mid-range parts, and its 3DMark scores (single-thread 868, 4-thread 3171, and max-thread 5652) suggest it can handle the single-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads typical of a stealth game like Thief. The CPU is not the weak link here; it has enough headroom to feed the GPU at all tested settings without becoming the constraint.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is a mobile-class integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its clock speeds range from a 300 MHz base to a 2500 MHz boost, with system-shared memory of no fixed capacity or bandwidth. The GPU's performance metrics include a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS. Its TDP is 80 W, and it uses an IGP slot width with no power connectors.

The benchmark data for this GPU is sparse, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a very low-performance part. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher), the GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), and the GeForce GT 710 (2.7% higher). This is a clear indication that the Arc B390 is positioned at the absolute bottom of the performance stack, which explains the poor frame rates observed in Thief at higher resolutions.

The GPU's VRAM situation is unique: it uses system-shared memory, which means its effective bandwidth and capacity are dependent on the system's DDR4 RAM configuration. This shared memory arrangement can introduce latency and bandwidth limitations, particularly at high resolutions where large frame buffers are required. The measured frame rates in Thief confirm that the GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p Low, it achieves 86 FPS, which shows some capability, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 19 FPS. The consistent scaling with resolution and the narrowing gap between settings at 4K both point to the GPU being fully saturated. The GPU's low percentile ranking and its competition with decade-old discrete cards make it clear that this is not a part designed for demanding modern titles at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Thief, this pairing of Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3307 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, which aligns with the observed frame rates. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation, as the CPU is reasonably capable but cannot compensate for the GPU's low absolute performance. The combo's position in the rankings is not surprising given that the Arc B390 scores in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 71st percentile.

The combination of a mid-range CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates an imbalanced system where the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The rank of 3307 suggests that the vast majority of other tested combos deliver better performance in Thief, likely because they pair the same or similar CPUs with more capable discrete GPUs. This combo would be suitable for very old or lightweight games, but for Thief, it only manages acceptable performance at 1080p with lower settings. The ranking data serves as a warning that this hardware pairing is not optimized for gaming, and the system's overall performance is dragged down by the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 86 FPS, which is smooth and playable. Medium settings drop to 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, still maintaining good playability. High settings average 50 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced stealth game. Ultra settings average 48 FPS, which is borderline but workable. At this resolution, the system can handle all presets, though the higher settings will have occasional dips that might be noticeable in fast-moving scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, which is on the edge of smoothness. High settings drop to 34 FPS, which is getting choppy. Ultra settings average 33 FPS, which is not ideal for consistent gameplay. The data shows that 1440p is only really viable on Low settings, and even then, the frame pacing may be inconsistent given the minimum frame times.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings average 35 FPS, which is barely playable. Medium settings average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS, which is quite stuttery. High settings average 20 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS. None of these 4K results provide a smooth experience, and the frame rates are below the threshold for comfortable play. The GPU simply lacks the fill rate and memory bandwidth to handle 4K rendering in this game.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average frame rate at 86 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium is viable at 66 FPS, while 1080p High and Ultra average 50 FPS and 48 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only Low settings (59 FPS) provide smooth gameplay, and 4K is not recommended as even Low settings only reach 35 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-11400F compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, scores 17120, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239 (0.4% lower than the i5-11400F), the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074 (0.6% higher). This shows the i5-11400F is tightly grouped with these parts, with less than 1% variation among them.

Q: What does the GPU's percentile ranking indicate about its performance?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs better than only 9% of the GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1482, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% higher. This low percentile ranking directly correlates with the poor frame rates observed in Thief at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Thief?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The frame rates scale almost exactly with pixel count across resolutions, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU, with a 71st percentile ranking and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340, provides sufficient processing power. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain similar across different resolutions, which is not the case.

Q: What are the exact frame rate ranges for Medium settings at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 66, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 75. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 45, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average FPS is 26, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. These ranges show a consistent drop of roughly 20 FPS for each step up in resolution.

Q: How many total combos does this pairing rank against in Thief?

A: This combo ranks 3307 out of 3720 total tested combinations. This places it in the bottom portion of the ranking, indicating that the majority of other hardware pairings deliver better performance in this game. The ranking is consistent with the GPU's low absolute performance and the system's inability to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions.