Thief

Best Settings per Resolution

For Thief, the database records that the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 sustains an average frame rate above the 60 FPS playable threshold across every tested preset at all three resolutions. The most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is therefore the maximum available option, Ultra, at every resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 93.9 FPS. This is the highest visual quality setting available in the recorded data, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial margin. At 2560x1440, Ultra also holds, with an average of 85.4 FPS, still well above the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best playable setting, producing an average of 70.9 FPS. The margin over 60 FPS narrows to roughly 10 FPS at this resolution, but the preset is still comfortably playable.

The data shows a clear trend: the combination is never forced to drop below Ultra at any resolution. Even at 4K, the most demanding setting yields an average frame rate that exceeds the playable threshold. The lowest recorded average at 4K Ultra is 70.9 FPS, which is still 18% above the 60 FPS line. For users who prioritize maximum fidelity, Ultra is the recommended setting at all three resolutions, with the understanding that 4K Ultra has the smallest headroom.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i5-9400 at the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, are a cluster of processors with nearly identical performance. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-9400. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these CPUs would yield nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, 2.5% higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, 2.9% lower. The first two rivals are effectively identical in average score, while the latter two diverge by roughly three percentage points. In practical terms for Thief, the Arc Pro A60 and Radeon Pro Vega 48 would behave nearly the same as the RTX 4090 at the frame rates recorded here, given the CPU is unchanged.

Because the CPU and GPU both have close rivals, a system using the i5-9400 with an Arc Pro A60 or a Radeon Pro Vega 48 would likely produce average FPS within a few frames of this combo. The same applies to swapping the CPU for any of its four nearest rivals while keeping the RTX 4090; the CPU-bound scaling in this game is minimal at these high GPU performance levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four settings each, with average FPS values only; minimum and maximum frame rates are not present in the data.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 121.3 FPS. Medium averages 107.5 FPS. High averages 98.9 FPS. Ultra averages 93.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 27.4 FPS, a 23% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the least to the most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 106.4 FPS. Medium averages 94.1 FPS. High averages 89.0 FPS. Ultra averages 85.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 21.0 FPS, or a 20% reduction. Compared to 1080p, each preset loses roughly 12 to 15 FPS when moving to 1440p. For example, High drops from 98.9 to 89.0 FPS, a decline of 9.9 FPS. Ultra drops from 93.9 to 85.4 FPS, a decline of 8.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 90.1 FPS. Medium averages 81.2 FPS. High averages 70.6 FPS. Ultra averages 70.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 19.2 FPS, a 21% reduction. Notably, the High and Ultra presets at 4K are nearly identical, with High at 70.6 and Ultra at 70.9, a difference of only 0.3 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the rendering cost of the highest preset is barely distinguishable from the High preset in this game.

Looking across resolutions, the scaling is consistent. The 4K Low average of 90.1 FPS is lower than the 1440p Low average of 106.4 FPS, which is lower than the 1080p Low average of 121.3 FPS. The same ordering holds for every preset. The largest resolution penalty appears between 1440p and 4K: for High, the drop is 18.4 FPS (from 89.0 to 70.6), while the drop from 1080p High to 1440p High is 9.9 FPS. This indicates that 4K imposes a heavier load than 1440p, as expected from the pixel count increase.

The Verdict

The recorded data clearly answers whether this PC can run Thief. At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 93.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 85.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 70.9 FPS. The verdict by resolution lists every setting as playable at every resolution, and the best settings are Ultra at all three.

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS. The lowest average frame rate recorded across the entire dataset is 70.6 FPS, which occurs at 4K High. Even this worst-case value is above the threshold. The highest average is 121.3 FPS at 1080p Low. There is no resolution or preset combination that falls below the playable line.

The margin at 4K Ultra is 10.9 FPS above the threshold, which provides reasonable headroom for brief dips, although the data does not include minimum frame rates to quantify those dips. At 1080p and 1440p, the margins are 33.9 and 25.4 FPS respectively, offering generous safety. In summary, this combination is fully playable at the maximum preset at all tested resolutions, with the only caveat being reduced headroom at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 4K with the highest settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 70.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 85.4 FPS, and it is listed as the best settings for that resolution.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 121.3 FPS while Ultra averages 93.9 FPS, a difference of 27.4 FPS in favor of Low.

Q: Are the High and Ultra presets at 4K significantly different in performance?

A: No. At 3840x2160, High averages 70.6 FPS and Ultra averages 70.9 FPS, a negligible difference of 0.3 FPS.

Q: Does this system ever drop below 60 FPS in the recorded data?

A: No. The lowest average frame rate recorded is 70.6 FPS at 4K High, which still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, just 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 at position 1885 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it near the middle of the distribution, at roughly the 51st percentile of all tested systems. The rank reflects the overall performance of the pairing, which is heavily influenced by the GPU's high percentile (88th among all GPUs) and the CPU's middling percentile (47th among all CPUs).

A rank of 1885 out of 3720 means that approximately 1835 tested combos perform better and 1835 perform worse in this game. The high GPU score does not fully compensate for the CPU's moderate standing, because Thief appears to be sensitive to the CPU in certain settings. The recorded frame rates, however, are all above 60 FPS, so the mid-pack rank does not translate to a poor experience. It simply indicates that many other combos, likely with stronger CPUs, achieve higher average frame rates at the same settings.

The data shows that this combo sits squarely in the median range. It is not a top-tier performer, but it is also far from the bottom. For a game released in 2014, the absolute frame rates are high, but the rank relative to other modern combos reflects the age of the CPU. Users comparing this system to others in the database should expect average performance that is typical of a mid-ranked pairing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The relative contribution of the CPU and GPU in Thief can be inferred from the scaling of frame rates across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the GPU has the least work to do per frame, so the CPU has a larger relative influence. The average frame rates range from 121.3 FPS at Low to 93.9 FPS at Ultra. The CPU, with a 47th percentile ranking, is likely the limiting factor at the lower presets, where the GPU could otherwise render faster if the CPU could feed it more data.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU load grows, and the frame rates drop across all presets. Low goes from 121.3 to 106.4 FPS, a 12.3% decrease. Medium goes from 107.5 to 94.1 FPS, a 12.5% decrease. High goes from 98.9 to 89.0 FPS, a 10.0% decrease. Ultra goes from 93.9 to 85.4 FPS, a 9.1% decrease. The consistency of these drops suggests that the GPU is becoming more dominant, but the CPU still holds back some performance at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily loaded. The frame rates fall further, with Low at 90.1, Medium at 81.2, High at 70.6, and Ultra at 70.9. The penalty from 1440p to 4K is larger than from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU is now the primary constraint. For High, the drop is 18.4 FPS (from 89.0 to 70.6), compared to a 9.9 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. The GPU's role is clearly dominant at 4K.

The preset scaling also reveals the CPU boundary. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 27.4 FPS. At 1440p, the same preset change costs 21.0 FPS. At 4K, it costs 19.2 FPS. The shrinking absolute cost of the preset change as resolution rises indicates that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck; the CPU has less impact on the frame rate difference between presets when the GPU is saturated.

The CPU matters most at 1080p, particularly at lower presets, where the frame rates are highest and the GPU is underutilized. The GPU matters most at 4K, where the pixel workload dominates and the CPU has much less influence on the final frame rate. At 1440p, the balance is intermediate, with both components contributing but the GPU taking the lead. The data shows no resolution where the CPU causes the frame rate to fall below 60 FPS, so the CPU's moderate ranking does not create a playability issue in this title.