Thief

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in a tight cluster of comparable processors according to the database's average benchmark scores. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 against the i5-9400's 2254, a difference of only 0.2 percent. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 trails by 0.4 percent, while the Intel Core i3-10305 leads by the same margin. The Intel Core i7-10710U is effectively identical at 2248, just 0.3 percent behind. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in Thief, since their compute profiles align within a single percentage point.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 holds an average benchmark score of 40377, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest measured competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40318, a mere 0.1 percent gap. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 sits 0.8 percent behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 1.2 percent ahead. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2 percent. These deltas are small enough that swapping between these cards would produce no perceptible difference in Thief's frame rates. The RTX 5070's PassMark G3D score of 29137 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 reinforce its position well above the median, but the rival cards listed here bracket it so tightly that users with those alternatives should expect similar output.

For this specific combination, the pairing of the i5-9400 with the RTX 5070 produces measured gameplay data in Thief. The CPU's percentile rank of 47 places it just below the midpoint of all tested processors, while the GPU's 82nd percentile shows a clear imbalance: the graphics card substantially outclasses the processor. That asymmetry matters in a stealth title like Thief, where draw calls and world streaming can pressure the CPU even when the GPU has headroom. Still, the measured frame rates show the combo clears playable thresholds at every tested setting, so the mismatch does not manifest as a failure, only as a ceiling on certain presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which runs at an average of 98 frames per second. The lower presets all exceed that mark as well: High delivers 95.4 FPS, Medium reaches 106.5 FPS, and Low peaks at 118.1 FPS. Since Ultra is the highest available setting and still produces nearly two-thirds more frames than the 60 FPS playability floor, the database recommends running the game at maximum quality here without any compromise.

Moving to 2560x1440, Ultra again qualifies as the best playable setting, averaging 83.9 FPS. The gap between presets narrows compared to 1080p, but remains comfortable: High yields 86.6 FPS, Medium hits 95.1 FPS, and Low runs at 105.4 FPS. Every setting clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, so the choice at this resolution is purely visual preference rather than a performance necessity. The data indicates that even the most demanding option leaves roughly 24 frames of headroom above the playability line.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best setting that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging exactly 64 FPS. That is a slim margin, only 4 frames above the playable threshold, but it is still a pass. High settings also land at 64 FPS, while Medium climbs to 80.1 FPS and Low reaches 88.3 FPS. The verdict data confirms that all four presets at 4K are classified as playable, but Ultra is the most demanding option that still holds the line. Players who want more stability at 4K could drop to Medium for a 25 percent frame rate increase, but the database's recommendation for maximum visual quality is Ultra at 64 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data across resolutions and presets reveals how the balance shifts between the Core i5-9400 and the RTX 5070 in Thief. At 1920x1080, the GPU has the most headroom, as evidenced by the scaling from Low to Ultra: 118.1 FPS down to 98 FPS, a drop of only 20.1 frames. That modest penalty suggests the CPU is helping to cap the upper bound, since a purely GPU-bound scenario would show a larger spread between low and ultra settings. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads, running at a 4.10 GHz boost clock, appear sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 at this resolution, but they also limit the absolute peak.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low runs at 105.4 FPS and Ultra at 83.9 FPS, a difference of 21.5 frames. The increase in resolution raises the GPU workload, which narrows the CPU's influence. The fact that 1440p Ultra still clears 83.9 FPS means the RTX 5070 has substantial compute left even when the i5-9400 is pushing a higher pixel count. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth become more relevant here, as the larger framebuffer absorbs the extra resolution without a catastrophic frame rate collapse.

At 3840x2160, the CPU's role diminishes further. Low settings produce 88.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 64 FPS, a 24.3 frame penalty. That larger spread indicates the GPU is now the dominant constraint, as the RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are being taxed by four times the pixels of 1080p. The i5-9400's measured single-core performance, such as its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is no longer the bottleneck; instead, the GPU's raw throughput determines the outcome. The scaling between resolutions supports this: 1080p Ultra at 98 FPS drops to 83.9 FPS at 1440p, then to 64 FPS at 4K. Each step represents roughly a 15 to 19 percent reduction, which tracks with the GPU's fillrate limitations rather than any CPU stall.

Preset scaling tells the same story. At 4K, the gap between Low and Medium is 8.2 FPS, Medium to High is 16.1 FPS, and High to Ultra is effectively zero (both 64 FPS). That plateau at the top two presets indicates the GPU is saturated, and the CPU is no longer contributing to frame rate differences. At 1080p, the same transitions show 11.6 FPS between Low and Medium, 11.1 FPS between Medium and High, and 2.6 FPS between High and Ultra. The shrinking delta at higher presets and resolutions confirms that the RTX 5070 becomes the limiting factor as visual load increases, while the i5-9400 holds steady as a adequate, if unspectacular, companion.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief, and it does so with authority at every resolution and preset combination recorded in the database. The verdict data lists all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) as playable at each of the three tested resolutions, with the playable threshold set at 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Ultra at 98 FPS, which is 38 frames above the threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra again leads at 83.9 FPS, a 23.9 frame cushion. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding scenario, Ultra holds at 64 FPS, just 4 frames above the line.

The practical takeaway is that owners of this combination can max out the game's settings at 1080p and 1440p without a second thought. At 4K, Ultra is technically playable but leaves almost no margin for dips, so players sensitive to frame pacing might prefer Medium at 80.1 FPS for a safer experience. The database's own recommendation, however, is Ultra at all three resolutions, since the average frame rates all clear the 60 FPS floor. The RTX 5070's 12 GB of VRAM and the i5-9400's six cores are jointly sufficient to handle Thief's stealth-oriented rendering, which leans on shadowed environments and selective lighting rather than massive open-world draw distances.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 fast enough for modern gaming?

A: The i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, just 0.2 percent higher. For Thief specifically, the measured frame rates at 1080p Ultra reach 98 FPS, so the CPU does not prevent playable performance.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40377, placing it in the 82nd percentile. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, a 0.1 percent difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 trails by 0.8 percent. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 leads by 1.2 percent, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2 percent.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K gaming on this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, Ultra is the most demanding playable preset, averaging 64 FPS. That is exactly 4 frames above the playable threshold. Medium runs at 80.1 FPS and Low at 88.3 FPS, so players wanting extra headroom can drop a preset without losing visual quality dramatically.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Thief?

A: The data shows the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 20.1 FPS, while at 4K it grows to 24.3 FPS. That larger spread at 4K indicates the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, whereas the CPU has more relative impact at 1080p.

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 83.9 FPS, which is 23.9 frames above the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets also clear 60 FPS, with High at 86.6 FPS, Medium at 95.1 FPS, and Low at 105.4 FPS.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 5070?

A: The launch MSRP is 549 USD. This figure applies to the GPU alone; the i5-9400 has no launch MSRP recorded in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations in the database for Thief, this pairing sits at rank 1963 out of 3720 total combos. That places it just past the midpoint of the field, which is a surprising result given the RTX 5070's strong individual standing. The GPU alone ranks in the 82nd percentile, but the i5-9400's 47th percentile score drags the combined rank down. The measured frame rates tell a more favorable story than the raw rank suggests: the combo clears 60 FPS at every setting and resolution, including 4K Ultra.

The rank of 1963 means roughly 1757 other tested combinations outperform it in Thief, while 1757 combinations perform worse. This is not a top-tier pairing, but it is a comfortably capable one. The gap between the GPU's high percentile and the CPU's mid-tier percentile explains why the combo does not rank higher: the processor limits the system's ceiling in CPU-sensitive scenes, even though the graphics card has ample headroom. For a game released in 2014 with a stealth focus, the measured performance is more than adequate, but the database's ranking reflects the hardware's overall position rather than its ability to meet the 60 FPS playability bar.