Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1151 platform. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and can boost up to 4.10 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The CPU features a shared 9 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In synthetic workloads, this chip scores 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core, placing it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 2305 puts it nearly level with the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 (a 0.2% difference), and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 at 2299 (also 0.2% ahead). The i5-9400 trails the Intel Core i7-8809G by 0.6%, which scores 2319, but beats the Intel Xeon E-2134 by 0.4%, which scores 2295. For a game like Thief, released in early 2014, this six-core processor provides solid single-threaded performance for the game's logic and physics, while the six threads are sufficient to handle background tasks without bottlenecking the frame rate. The 50th percentile ranking indicates this CPU sits in the middle of the pack, meaning it is not a top-tier part by modern standards, but it is far from obsolete for this title. Given the game's age, the i5-9400's clock speeds and core count are more than adequate to feed a modern graphics card at most settings, though the data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a consistent base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Its compute capabilities include 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores, yielding a peak FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS. The card's pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s. In the Passmark G3D benchmark, the B580 scores 15748, and its average benchmark score across all tests is 23021, placing it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the B580 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 760M (score 22999, 0.1% faster) and the NVIDIA P106-100 (score 22950, 0.3% faster). It sits just 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (score 23181) but is 1.3% ahead of the RTX 4060 Mobile (score 22729). In Thief, the B580's 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures, even at 4K, and the high memory bandwidth ensures that the GPU can push data quickly. The measured frame rates show that the B580 is clearly capable of handling this title, but the scaling across settings reveals that the GPU's raw compute power is the deciding factor at higher resolutions, where it struggles to maintain high frame rates on Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 118.3 FPS, which drops to 104.9 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 61.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 47% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern is similar at High settings: 85.5 FPS at 1080p, 57.7 FPS at 1440p, and 37.1 FPS at 4K, a 56.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the frame rate goes from 82.9 FPS at 1080p to 53.6 FPS at 1440p, and finally 31.9 FPS at 4K, a 61.5% drop. The fact that the percentage drop increases with higher settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting component as resolution and graphical load rise. At 1080p, the CPU can keep up with the GPU, but the B580's compute limits show up more prominently at 4K, especially on Ultra where the average FPS falls below 32. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial: 61.5 FPS versus 31.9 FPS, a gap of 29.6 FPS. This tells us that the game's more demanding settings are heavily taxing the GPU's shader and ROP throughput, while the CPU's role diminishes. The data indicates that for smooth 4K gameplay, users would need to dial settings down significantly, while 1440p offers a much better balance for this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 ranks 1346 out of 1642 total tested combos in Thief, putting it in the lower third of all configurations. This rank of 1346 out of 1642 means the combo is in approximately the 18th percentile of all combos, which is notably lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 50th, GPU at 66th). This discrepancy suggests that while each part is mid-range on its own, their combination does not yield top-tier results in this specific game. The low ranking is likely due to the age of the game and how it interacts with newer hardware, or possibly driver overhead issues with the Arc B580 on a DirectX 11 title like Thief. Looking at the measured FPS, the combo can hit 118.3 FPS at 1080p Low, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 31.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most gamers prefer. The ranking indicates that there are 296 other combos that perform better in this game, which is a significant number. This does not mean the combo is bad, but rather that Thief is not a title where this pairing shines. The CPU's 50th percentile ranking and the GPU's 66th percentile ranking are both respectable, but the game's performance suggests a potential bottleneck or inefficiency when these two specific parts work together. For comparison, the CPU is 0.2% faster than the i3-10305 and the GPU is 0.7% slower than the RTX 4060, but those minor differences do not explain the low overall rank, pointing to a game-specific limitation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings in Thief?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 with the Intel Arc B580 achieves an average of 85.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to the Intel Core i3-10305 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305's score of 2300.

Q: Is the Arc B580 capable of running Thief at 4K Ultra smoothly?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 31.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM size?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s.

Q: How does the B580's Passmark G3D score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: The B580 scores 15748 in Passmark G3D, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 4060's average score of 23181 (though note these are different metrics, the deltaPct indicates the B580 is slightly behind).

Q: What resolution offers the best balance of performance for this combo?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo achieves 76.4 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and smoothness, while 1080p Medium yields 105.6 FPS for higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 118.3, which is excellent for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 105.6 FPS offers a much better visual experience while still maintaining well above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for most users at this resolution. If you prefer High settings, the 85.5 FPS average is still very playable, and Ultra at 82.9 FPS is surprisingly close to High, suggesting that the game's Ultra preset does not add a massive performance hit at 1080p. For 1440p, the Medium preset at 76.4 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience with good detail. High at 57.7 FPS is playable but dips below 60 FPS, while Ultra at 53.6 FPS is noticeably slower. Low at 104.9 FPS is the only preset that guarantees a high refresh rate experience at this resolution, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it. At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 61.5 FPS is the only option that averages above 60 FPS, making it the only viable choice for smooth 4K play. Medium at 44.1 FPS is borderline, High at 37.1 FPS is not ideal, and Ultra at 31.9 FPS is too slow for most players. Given the game's age and the hardware's capabilities, the recommended approach is to play at 1440p with Medium settings for the best combination of visual fidelity and performance. If 4K is a priority, using Low settings is necessary to achieve playable frame rates, while 1080p allows for high frame rates on Medium or High presets without sacrificing much visual quality. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for those who prioritize resolution over smoothness.