Thief

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile of all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are extremely close in aggregate performance. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher, while the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% lower) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower). For gameplay purposes, these four processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Thief, as the largest delta among them is less than one percent. The Core i5-9400 offers six cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, but the benchmark deltas show that architectural differences and core counts among these rivals do not translate into meaningful performance separation in the database's aggregate metrics.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 occupies the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which scores 57367, putting it 2.2% ahead. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (0.7% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (2.3% behind). The RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture part built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. It has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The nearest rival GPUs all fall within a narrow 2.3% to 2.2% band, meaning that in GPU-bound scenarios within Thief, users could expect nearly indistinguishable frame rates among these cards. The RX 9070 GRE is the only one of the four that edges ahead, while the other three trail by less than one percent or slightly more.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 run Thief at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 68.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. The database classifies Ultra as the best settings at this resolution, with all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) being playable.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 116.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution, Medium delivers 108.5 FPS, High delivers 98.9 FPS, and Ultra delivers 96.4 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the RTX 5080 lose when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra?

A: The frame rate drops from 116.5 FPS at 1920x1080 Low to 68.9 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. That is a reduction of 47.6 FPS, or roughly 41% lower than the 1080p Low result.

Q: Is the RTX 5080's average benchmark score far ahead of its nearest rivals?

A: No, the margin is small. The RTX 5080 scores 56083, which is only 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% ahead at 57367.

Q: Does the Core i5-9400's CPU score place it above or below the median of all CPUs?

A: It is below the median. The Core i5-9400 is in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher.

Q: At which resolution does the combination achieve its lowest frame rate while still remaining playable?

A: The lowest recorded average frame rate is 68.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding tested configuration, and it still exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains measured average frame rates for twelve configurations, spanning three resolutions and four quality presets. No minimum or maximum frame rate values are recorded, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 116.5 FPS, Medium produces 108.5 FPS, High produces 98.9 FPS, and Ultra produces 96.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 20.1 FPS, indicating that even the heaviest preset at this resolution leaves substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but the scaling is more pronounced. Low settings yield 107 FPS, Medium yields 95.7 FPS, High yields 83.4 FPS, and Ultra yields 87.4 FPS. Notably, the Ultra preset at 1440p produces a higher average than High, which suggests measurement variance or that the specific scene loads differ between runs. The spread from Low to High is 23.6 FPS, with Ultra landing between High and Medium.

At 3840x2160, the demand increases further. Low settings produce 85.8 FPS, Medium produces 77 FPS, High produces 74.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 68.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 16.9 FPS. Every preset at 4K still clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, with Ultra being the only one below 70 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 5080 plus Core i5-9400 combination never drops below 68.9 FPS average in any tested configuration. The largest single jump occurs when moving from 1440p Low (107 FPS) to 1080p Low (116.5 FPS), a gain of 9.5 FPS. The smallest jump is between 1440p High (83.4 FPS) and 4K Low (85.8 FPS), where the lower resolution with higher settings actually runs slightly slower than the higher resolution with lower settings.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief at every tested resolution and preset combination. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the lowest recorded average is 68.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets are playable at each of the three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 96.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 87.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 68.9 FPS. The CPU is in the 47th percentile of all tested CPUs, and the GPU is in the 87th percentile, but the combined result is a system that never falls below the playable threshold, even under the heaviest load tested. The data indicates that users can select Ultra settings at any resolution without sacrificing playability. The margin above 60 FPS is smallest at 4K Ultra (8.9 FPS) and largest at 1080p Low (56.5 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3720 tested combos in the database, this specific pairing of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 1918th for Thief. That places it just past the midpoint of all tested combinations, which is notable given the GPU's high percentile standing. The RTX 5080 ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, but the Core i5-9400 ranks in only the 47th percentile of all CPUs, and the combination's rank in Thief reflects both components. The database's combo rank of 1918 out of 3720 means that roughly half of all tested combinations deliver better performance in this title, while the other half deliver worse. The measured frame rates, however, show that this rank does not translate into an unplayable experience, as every tested configuration exceeds 60 FPS. The rank should be interpreted as a relative position among diverse hardware pairings, not as an indication of inadequacy for this specific game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 96.4 FPS. This is the highest quality setting tested, so no further optimization is needed at this resolution. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best choice, delivering 87.4 FPS average. Again, this is the top preset tested, and it maintains a comfortable margin above the threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best setting, with an average of 68.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below 70 FPS, but it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by 8.9 FPS. In all three cases, the database's verdict identifies Ultra as the best settings, and the average FPS at those settings matches the values listed here. Users do not need to compromise on quality at any resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component in Thief at higher resolutions, while the CPU has a more limited influence. The RTX 5080's frame rate scales noticeably as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average is 116.5 FPS; at 1440p Low, it is 107 FPS; and at 4K Low, it is 85.8 FPS. That is a 30.7 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which is consistent with GPU-bound rendering load increasing with pixel count. The same pattern appears at Ultra settings: 96.4 FPS at 1080p, 87.4 FPS at 1440p, and 68.9 FPS at 4K, a 27.5 FPS drop. The consistent decline across all presets indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution rises.

The CPU's role is more evident when comparing presets at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low (116.5 FPS) to Ultra (96.4 FPS) reduces performance by 20.1 FPS. At 1440p, the Low to Ultra gap is 19.6 FPS if comparing Low to the lowest of High or Ultra, though the non-monotonic ordering of High and Ultra complicates the picture. At 4K, the Low to Ultra gap is 16.9 FPS. The shrinking gap at higher resolutions suggests that the CPU's influence on frame rate diminishes as the GPU becomes more heavily loaded. The Core i5-9400's six-core, six-thread configuration with a 4.10 GHz boost clock is sufficient to keep the RTX 5080 fed at 1080p, where the CPU overhead is proportionally larger, and at 4K, where the GPU work dominates. Benchmark results indicate that neither component becomes a severe bottleneck in Thief, as all tested configurations remain above 60 FPS, but the resolution scaling data points to the GPU as the main driver of performance differences between resolutions.