Thief

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a highly unusual performance profile in Thief, one defined by a stark contrast between substantial CPU headroom and a GPU that is severely constrained. The measured frames per second (FPS) data across all resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of a system where the graphics processor is the overwhelming bottleneck, making the choice of in-game settings the single most critical factor for achieving a playable experience.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. This is a 32% improvement over the Medium preset's 59 FPS and a 45% improvement over High's 45 FPS at the same resolution. The scaling is consistent: at 2560x1440, Low yields 53 FPS, which is 29% higher than Medium's 41 FPS and 71% higher than High's 31 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only setting that approaches playability, with an average of 31 FPS, compared to 24 FPS on Medium and 18 FPS on High.

The Ultra preset offers no practical benefit. At 1080p, it averages 43 FPS, which is lower than the High preset's 45 FPS, suggesting that the settings are not only GPU-bound but also possibly hitting a memory or bandwidth wall. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 29 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 17 FPS, making it entirely unplayable. The data strongly suggests that for this specific hardware combination, the Low preset is the optimal choice. It provides the only frame rates that clear the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and remains the only playable option at higher resolutions. Medium can be considered for 1080p if visual quality is paramount, but the 59 FPS average is not a locked 60, and the minimum FPS of 50 indicates potential stutter. For any resolution above 1920x1080, Low is the recommended setting to maintain a reasonable frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the definitive limiting factor in this configuration. Its performance, as measured by the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, is a score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This score places it in direct competition with legacy parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (deltaPct -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (deltaPct -0.5%), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (deltaPct -0.7%). This is a clear indicator of its extremely low absolute performance level for a modern game.

The GPU's specifications reinforce this assessment. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 20 raster output units (ROPs). Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. While the boost clock is listed at 2400 MHz, the base clock is just 300 MHz. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory (DDR4/DDR5) rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is "System Dependent," which is a critical weakness. In a title like Thief, which can be demanding on memory bandwidth, the lack of dedicated, high-speed VRAM is likely a primary cause of the low frame rates. The fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p (43 FPS) performs worse than High (45 FPS) suggests that the shared memory interface becomes a severe bottleneck when texture and geometry data demands increase, stalling the rendering pipeline.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and confirms the GPU-bound nature of the system. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 78 at 1920x1080 to 53 at 2560x1440, a 32% decrease. Moving to 3840x2160, the frame rate drops another 42% to 31 FPS. This means the total drop from 1080p to 4K is from 78 FPS to 31 FPS, a 60% reduction in performance.

This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU that is already at its limit. When a system is CPU-bound, the frame rate would not drop this significantly with resolution increases, as the CPU's work remains constant. Here, the frame rate plummets as the resolution increases, directly correlating with the increased pixel count that the Arc B370 must process. The data shows that the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth are completely saturated even at 1080p, and any additional resolution increase has a massive impact. The difference between High and Ultra presets at 4K (18 FPS vs 17 FPS) is negligible, indicating that the GPU is so constrained that even minor changes in settings at high resolution yield almost no measurable difference in performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this hardware?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where a consistently playable frame rate can be achieved. At the Low preset, it delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is the only configuration tested that exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark max threads score of 9983 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838, show it has ample processing power. The frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which is a symptom of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, with performance deltas of -0.2%, -0.5%, and -0.7% respectively, meaning the Arc B370 performs at a similar level to these older components.

Q: Why is the Ultra preset slower than the High preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 43 FPS, while High averages 45 FPS. This counter-intuitive result is likely due to the GPU's "System Shared" memory configuration. The higher memory demands of the Ultra preset may exceed the available bandwidth of the shared system memory, causing a bottleneck that negates any visual improvements and slightly reduces the average frame rate.

Q: What is the impact of the GPU's shared memory configuration?

A: The Arc B370 has a "System Shared" memory type with "System Dependent" bandwidth. This is a major limitation. The data shows significant frame rate drops when moving from Low to Medium settings (e.g., 78 to 59 FPS at 1080p), which can be attributed to the increased memory traffic that the shared memory interface cannot handle efficiently.

*Q: Is this system capable of running Thief at 4K with any preset?*

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 31 on the Low preset. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets produce averages of 24, 18, and 17 FPS respectively, all of which are unplayable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2634 out of 2851 tested combos for Thief, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This low ranking is a direct result of the GPU's poor performance. The CPU is a high-end part; its average benchmark score of 35365 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. However, the GPU is in the 5th percentile, with an average score of 1184.

This massive disparity between the CPU and GPU performance creates an extreme bottleneck. The system's overall rank is dragged down entirely by the graphics card. This pairing represents a highly unbalanced configuration for this game, where a powerful processor is completely underutilized because the graphics card cannot render frames fast enough to keep it busy. The combo rank is a clear reflection of the GPU's status as the sole determinant of performance in Thief, and the results show it is a very poor performer in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and a Geekbench multicore score of 14367. In the database, it is ranked in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with its average score of 35365 being nearly identical to rivals like the Intel Core i7-13700T (deltaPct -0.1%) and the Intel Core i5-13600T (deltaPct 0.2%).

However, these CPU capabilities are irrelevant to the Thief results. The measured FPS data shows no sign of CPU limitation. For example, at the Low preset, the FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 31 at 4K. If the CPU were the bottleneck, this drop would be much smaller. The CPU's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 4071) and multi-thread performance are more than sufficient for a game from 2014. The benchmarks indicate that the processor is capable of feeding frames far faster than the Arc B370 can render them. The CPU's role in this combo is to provide a massive performance ceiling that is never reached. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i7-12700KF + Intel Arc B370 combination in Thief.

1920x1080

• Low: 78 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average (50 min, 68 max)
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 43 FPS average

At 1080p, the Low preset is the only one to achieve a 60+ FPS average. The Medium preset maintains an average of 59 FPS but has a minimum of 50 FPS, which may be noticeable as stutter. The High and Ultra presets are very close in performance, with 45 and 43 FPS respectively.

2560x1440

• Low: 53 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average (35 min, 47 max)
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

At 1440p, all presets see a significant drop. The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 53 FPS. Medium drops to 41 FPS, and both High and Ultra fall into the high-20s and low-30s range, which is generally considered unplayable for a stealth game requiring precision.

3840x2160

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average (20 min, 27 max)
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 17 FPS average

At 4K, the system is completely overwhelmed. The Low preset is the only one to break the 30 FPS barrier, and even that is marginal. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all produce average FPS in the teens or low-twenties, making them unsuitable for actual gameplay. The data confirms a linear and severe decline in performance as resolution increases, reinforcing the conclusion that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration.