Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a split verdict for Thief, depending entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the combination is thoroughly capable, maintaining high frame rates across every preset. Moving to 2560x1440, the system remains playable but only with reduced settings. At 3840x2160, the hardware is out of its depth for smooth gameplay, failing to hit the 60 FPS threshold even at the lowest settings tested. The recorded data shows a hardware pairing that excels at standard 1080p gaming but progressively struggles as pixel count increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for Thief show a clear and consistent performance curve across the three resolutions tested. At 1920x1080, the highest average frame rate recorded is 116.8 FPS with the Low preset. The Medium preset follows closely with an average of 107.3 FPS. High settings produce an average of 82 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset still delivers a solid 77.1 FPS average. This represents a smooth spread of performance, with even the most demanding settings remaining well above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates step down noticeably. The Low preset yields 95.9 FPS, a significant drop from the 1080p figure but still a very strong result. Medium settings deliver 75.8 FPS, which remains comfortably playable. The High preset averages 56.1 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset produces an average of 56.3 FPS, which is nearly identical to the High preset result, indicating that the most demanding settings at this resolution are constrained by a common bottleneck.

The 3840x2160 results show the most severe performance degradation. The Low preset averages 59.7 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to an average of 42.8 FPS. High settings average 35.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 29.8 FPS. None of these 4K results clear the 60 FPS mark, and the scaling from Low to Ultra represents a roughly 50% reduction in average frame rate.

It should be noted that the database records no separate minimum or maximum frame rate values for any resolution or preset. All reported figures are averages, so the analysis relies on these mean values to characterize performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all settings, which indicates that the GPU is not being pushed to its absolute limit. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 39.7 FPS, a substantial gap that shows the RTX 2060 has enough headroom to handle increased graphical load without collapsing.

At 2560x1440, the pattern changes. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 39.6 FPS, but the absolute values are lower. Interestingly, the High and Ultra presets produce nearly identical averages of 56.1 and 56.3 FPS respectively. This suggests that at this resolution, the system is becoming limited by another factor, likely the CPU, as increasing the settings beyond High does not result in a corresponding frame rate penalty. The i5-9400, with its six cores and six threads, appears to be reaching its ceiling in this scenario.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The frame rates are much lower across the board, and the scaling from Low to Ultra is steep, dropping from 59.7 to 29.8 FPS. This heavy penalty for increased settings is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering, where the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are overwhelmed by the pixel count. The data indicates a clear shift: CPU-limited at 1440p with high settings, GPU-limited at 4K, and a balanced scenario at 1080p where both components contribute to the overall result.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 77.1 FPS. This is the optimal configuration for 1080p, as it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playability threshold. All four presets at this resolution are playable, but Ultra is the recommended choice.

At 2560x1440, the best settings drop to Medium, which produces an average of 75.8 FPS. This preset clears the 60 FPS target with a healthy margin. The High and Ultra presets both fall short, with averages of 56.1 and 56.3 FPS respectively, so they are not recommended for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the database records no playable settings. Even the Low preset only manages an average of 59.7 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. There is no configuration that achieves the playability target at this resolution, so 4K gaming with this hardware is not viable for Thief.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested hardware combinations for Thief, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds a rank of 2979 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the field, around the 80th percentile from the top. The ranking reflects the fact that while the system is capable at 1080p, it struggles at higher resolutions, which limits its standing among the broader set of tested configurations.

The ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates. A combo that cannot manage 60 FPS at 4K even on Low settings, and only barely achieves playability at 1440p on Medium, will naturally rank lower than systems with more powerful GPUs or CPUs. The percentile data for the individual components also informs this ranking. The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Neither component is a top-tier performer, and their combined result in this game reflects that positioning.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest competitor is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, with an average score of 2259, a difference of only 0.2%. This means the i7-1068NG7 would deliver virtually identical CPU-bound performance in Thief. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher, again a negligible difference. On the AMD side, the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower than the i5-9400. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a 0.3% difference. All four rivals are within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400, so any of them would behave almost exactly the same in CPU-limited scenarios.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a score of 15283, a delta of 0%. This is a surprising match, as the GTX 580 is a much older architecture, but the average scores are effectively identical. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, only 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6% difference, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a 0.8% difference. All of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, making them suitable alternatives if the RTX 2060 were unavailable.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Thief has a nuanced answer based on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the answer is a definitive yes. The system clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset, with the Ultra preset averaging 77.1 FPS. This is the clear target for this hardware, offering the best visual experience with a solid performance margin.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable but with limitations. The Low and Medium presets are the only options that stay above 60 FPS, with Medium providing the best balance at 75.8 FPS. High and Ultra settings fall below the threshold, so users at this resolution must compromise on visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the system fails to achieve playable performance. No preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being 59.7 FPS on Low. The RTX 2060 and i5-9400 combination is not suited for 4K gaming in Thief. The verdict is clear: this is a 1080p machine for this game, with secondary capability at 1440p on reduced settings.