Thief

# Thief — Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B570

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Thief (2014). At 1080p, the combo is comfortably above 60 FPS across all presets, with Low hitting 133 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 29 FPS, revealing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The combo ranks 2296th out of 2851 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid tier of tested systems for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance decline as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU-limited workload at higher pixel counts. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 77. Moving to 1440p High reduces that to 53 FPS, a drop of 24 FPS (31%). At 4K High, the average falls to 31 FPS, which is 60% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck once resolution exceeds 1080p.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 133 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 91 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 54 FPS. The 4K Low result is only 41% of the 1080p Low figure, confirming that pixel throughput dominates performance. The CPU, with 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, is not the limiting factor here; even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead would be most visible, the 133 FPS result suggests headroom remains.

The Medium preset, which is the only one with min/max FPS data, shows a similar trend. At 1080p Medium, the average is 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS. The minimum FPS values scale proportionally with the averages, indicating consistent frame pacing rather than sudden stutters.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty. From 1080p Ultra (73 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (50 FPS), the loss is 23 FPS. From 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (29 FPS), the loss is another 21 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered the minimum for playable frame rates, making this preset/resolution combination unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (77 to 53 FPS) shows a 31% reduction, while the 1440p to 4K step (53 to 31 FPS) shows a 42% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 160-bit bus become increasingly strained as pixel count grows. The Arc B570's 10 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient for this 2014 title, but the bandwidth limitation becomes evident at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum keeps frame rates above the 60 FPS target for most of the scene, and the 79 FPS maximum shows headroom for less demanding areas. At 1080p, Medium delivers 101 FPS average with a 86 FPS minimum, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, though the visual uplift from High to Ultra is marginal in this older title.

For 4K users, Low settings are the only viable option, producing 54 FPS average. Medium at 4K yields 41 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced stealth sections but risks dipping to 35 FPS in busy scenes. High and Ultra at 4K (31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively) fall below playable thresholds and are not recommended.

At 1440p, the jump from Low (91 FPS) to Medium (69 FPS) costs 22 FPS but likely provides meaningful visual improvements in textures and shadows. The step from Medium to High (53 FPS) costs another 16 FPS, which is a significant loss for a game that may not show obvious differences at this resolution. Ultra at 1440p (50 FPS) is only 3 FPS below High, suggesting diminishing returns beyond Medium.

At 1080p, all presets are playable. Low (133 FPS) is ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, while Medium (101 FPS) offers a good middle ground. High (77 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) are nearly identical in performance, differing by only 4 FPS, so users should choose based on visual preference rather than frame rate. The 1080p Medium minimum of 86 FPS ensures no noticeable hitches.

The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo. It consistently delivers frame rates that are 30-50% higher than High while maintaining a smooth experience. The 1440p Medium result of 69 FPS is particularly notable because it achieves the 60 FPS target with a comfortable margin, unlike 1440p High which drops to 53 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2296th out of 2851 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the 19th percentile overall. This rank reflects the Arc B570's position as a mid-range GPU in a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 65, meaning it outperforms 65% of all tested GPUs, yet the in-game rank is lower because the CPU is disproportionately powerful relative to the GPU.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier CPU, ranking in the 96th percentile vs all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807 (a 0.2% difference), while the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090 (1.1% lower) and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980 (1.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. This CPU is clearly not the bottleneck in Thief.

The Intel Arc B570, by contrast, ranks in the 65th percentile vs all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20534 (0.1% lower), while the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (0.1% higher). The AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 (0.4% lower). The GPU's performance is tightly clustered with these rivals, indicating that the Arc B570 is a solid mid-range option but not a high-end part.

The combo's rank of 2296 out of 2851 suggests that many other combinations achieve higher frame rates in Thief. This is likely because Thief, released in 2014, does not heavily utilize the multi-core capabilities of modern CPUs, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 1080p results (73-133 FPS) are respectable, but the 4K results (29-54 FPS) drag the overall ranking down.

Interestingly, the combo's rank is lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest. A CPU in the 96th percentile paired with a GPU in the 65th percentile would intuitively rank higher than the 19th percentile in-game. This discrepancy indicates that Thief's engine is not well-optimized for this hardware combination, possibly due to driver overhead or the game's age relative to the Xe2-HPG architecture.

FAQ

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

A: The 1440p Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with Low hitting 133 FPS and Ultra at 73 FPS. 4K is only playable at Low settings (54 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Thief?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU, with 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, provides ample headroom even at 1080p Low (133 FPS). The GPU's performance drops sharply as resolution increases, indicating pixel throughput is the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware?

A: The GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 0.1% higher in average benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 0.1% lower. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 0.2% lower. The combo ranks 2296th out of 2851 tested combinations.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. The highest 4K result is Low settings at 54 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 41 FPS, High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. None reach the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like?

A: The Medium preset, which has min/max data, shows consistent performance. At 1080p, the minimum is 86 FPS against a 101 FPS average (85% of average). At 1440p, the minimum is 59 FPS against a 69 FPS average (86%). At 4K, the minimum is 35 FPS against a 41 FPS average (85%). This consistency suggests stable frame pacing.

Q: Is this combo better suited for CPU-intensive or GPU-intensive games?

A: The CPU is exceptionally strong (96th percentile with a 51731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score), while the GPU is mid-range (65th percentile with a 14195 Passmark G3D score). This combo would favor CPU-bound games or older titles like Thief at lower resolutions, but would struggle with modern GPU-heavy titles at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the defining component for Thief performance at higher resolutions. Its 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is adequate for this 2014 title but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These clocks are moderate for the Xe2-HPG architecture, and the 2304 shading units handle the game's DirectX 11 workload competently.

The GPU's Passmark DirectX 11 score of 118 is notably higher than its DirectX 12 score of 72, suggesting that Thief's older API is well-suited to this architecture. The DirectX 9 score of 164 is even higher, indicating strong legacy API performance. This is relevant because Thief was released in 2014 and likely uses DirectX 11, which aligns with the GPU's strengths.

The GPU's 80 ROPs and 144 TMUs provide a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the GPU can maintain 133 FPS at 1080p Low but drops to 54 FPS at 4K Low: the pixel fill rate is sufficient for lower resolutions, but the 4K pixel count (8.3 million) overwhelms the ROP throughput. The 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is respectable for mid-range hardware but is not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking vs all GPUs places it above the median, and its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores nearly identically (0.1% higher). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 0.1% lower, while the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 0.5% higher. This tight clustering suggests that the Arc B570 is a well-balanced mid-range part, but Thief's 4K Ultra settings demand more than this class of GPU can deliver.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a minimal role in limiting Thief performance. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, this CPU is vastly overqualified for a game from 2014. The 36 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for the game's assets, while the 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth on dual-channel DDR5 ensures no memory starvation.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its dominance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 is exceptional, and its single-core score of 7303 is equally strong. The Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and multithread score of 60860 further illustrate the CPU's capabilities. The 96th percentile ranking vs all CPUs means it outperforms 96% of tested processors, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores only 0.2% lower.

In Thief, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p Low, where the GPU is not fully saturated. The 133 FPS result at this setting suggests that the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. The CPU's 3 nm process node and 125 W TDP are irrelevant to gameplay performance, but they indicate efficient power delivery for sustained boost clocks.

The CPU's 24 threads are largely unused by Thief, which likely relies on a few threads for game logic and rendering calls. The 5.80 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is maximized, which is more important for this game than raw multi-core throughput. The Passmark physics score of 3315, while not directly applicable to gaming, suggests the CPU can handle any physics calculations Thief requires without issue.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 133 FPS average
• Medium: 101 FPS average (86 min, 116 max)
• High: 77 FPS average
• Ultra: 73 FPS average

At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates. The gap between Low and Medium is 32 FPS (24% reduction), while the gap between Medium and High is 24 FPS (24% reduction). High and Ultra are nearly identical, with only 4 FPS separating them. The Medium preset's 86 FPS minimum ensures no visible stuttering.

2560x1440:

• Low: 91 FPS average
• Medium: 69 FPS average (59 min, 79 max)
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 50 FPS average

At 1440p, Low maintains a comfortable 91 FPS, but Medium drops to 69 FPS. High and Ultra are close at 53 and 50 FPS respectively, both below the 60 FPS target. The Medium minimum of 59 FPS is just below 60, but the maximum of 79 FPS shows the game can exceed 60 FPS in less demanding scenes.

3840x2160:

• Low: 54 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average (35 min, 47 max)
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

At 4K, only Low settings are playable, with 54 FPS. Medium drops to 41 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 31 and 29 FPS respectively. The Ultra result of 29 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Medium minimum of 35 FPS indicates occasional dips that could affect stealth sequences requiring precision.

The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B570 can handle 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings, but 4K requires significant compromises. The combo's 2296th rank out of 2851 reflects this limitation, as many other combinations can achieve higher frame rates at 4K. However, for users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers a smooth experience in Thief.