Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable experience in Thief, but the measured data reveals a system whose performance ceiling is defined more by resolution than by raw settings headroom. Across the four presets tested, the frame rate scales predictably with pixel count, yet the margins between presets shrink dramatically at 4K, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint at that resolution. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to show where this combo sits in the broader benchmark database and what settings yield the most consistent output.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a substantial performance drop across every preset, but the magnitude of that drop varies significantly by settings level. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 119.4 FPS at 1080p to 104.1 FPS at 1440p, then to 69.2 FPS at 4K — a cumulative reduction of 42% from the starting point. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 104.5 FPS at 1080p, 87.3 FPS at 1440p, and 52.8 FPS at 4K, which is a 49% total decline. High settings drop from 97.4 FPS to 67.6 FPS to 42.1 FPS, representing a 57% loss by 4K. The Ultra preset is the most resolution-sensitive, falling from 94.1 FPS at 1080p to 67.7 FPS at 1440p and then to 39 FPS at 4K — a 59% reduction overall.

The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, particularly at 4K where even the Low preset struggles to maintain 70 FPS. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is only 25.3 FPS (119.4 versus 94.1), suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower pixel counts. However, at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra shrinks to 30.2 FPS (69.2 versus 39), and the absolute numbers suggest the GPU is saturated regardless of preset. The 1440p results sit in a middle ground: the spread from Low to Ultra is 36.4 FPS (104.1 versus 67.7), indicating a balanced workload where both CPU and GPU contribute to the final output.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This configuration places it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 (a 0.2% delta), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 at 2295 (0.4% delta). The i5-9400 is 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319, but the differences are marginal — all four processors land within a 1% performance band.

In Thief, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but the 1080p data hints at its influence. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 119.4 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This suggests the processor can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not overtaxed. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (94.1 FPS) is only 25% lower than Low at 1080p (119.4 FPS) implies that the CPU maintains a consistent frame delivery across settings, and the variance is primarily due to GPU workload. With a 9 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory supporting 42.7 GB/s bandwidth, the i5-9400 provides sufficient headroom for a 2014 stealth title, though its six threads (without hyper-threading) could become a bottleneck in more CPU-intensive scenes — a factor not directly measured in these FPS rows.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Thief?

A: The highest measured average is 119.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its closest CPU rival?

A: The i5-9400 scores 2305 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.4% higher than the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295). It trails the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319) by 0.6%.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this GPU?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 39 (Ultra) to 69.2 (Low). Only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium (52.8) and High (42.1) fall below that threshold, indicating limited 4K viability except at reduced settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 104.1 FPS while Ultra averages 67.7 FPS — a difference of 36.4 FPS. This is the largest preset spread across all three resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Thief?

A: The combo ranks 1151 out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER outperform its nearest GPU rival?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, which is 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006) and 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670). It trails the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) by 0.5%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields 94.1 FPS, which is only 3.3 FPS lower than High (97.4) and 10.4 FPS lower than Medium (104.5). Given that Ultra provides the highest visual quality while staying above 90 FPS, it is the recommended choice for 1080p displays. The data shows a diminishing return from Medium to Ultra: the jump from Medium to High costs 7.1 FPS, while High to Ultra costs only 3.3 FPS, making Ultra the most efficient high-quality option.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. High averages 67.6 FPS, which is nearly identical to Ultra's 67.7 FPS — a negligible 0.1 FPS difference. This suggests that High and Ultra are effectively tied at this resolution, with Medium (87.3 FPS) offering a substantial 19.6 FPS advantage over both. For players prioritizing frame rate, Medium at 1440p delivers a smooth experience well above 60 FPS. However, for those wanting maximum fidelity, High provides the same performance as Ultra without the extra rendering overhead.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate is Low, averaging 69.2 FPS. Medium drops to 52.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth. High (42.1 FPS) and Ultra (39 FPS) are both suboptimal for 4K gaming. The recommendation is to use Low at 4K if resolution is the priority, or drop to 1440p with Medium or High for a better balance. Across all resolutions, the Low preset never falls below 69.2 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1642 tested combinations for Thief, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1151. This places it in the 30th percentile of all combos (calculated as 1151 divided by 1642), indicating that roughly 70% of tested configurations outperform it in this game. The ranking reflects the hardware's age: the CPU was released in late 2018 and the GPU in mid-2019, both now end-of-life products. The i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

The combo's rank in Thief specifically lags behind its component-level percentiles, which implies that this game does not favor the combination as much as synthetic benchmarks might suggest. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22307 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 21670 (2.5% lower), yet these differences do not translate into a higher combo rank. The data indicates that Thief's performance is sensitive to the specific CPU-GPU balance, and this pairing falls short of the top quartile despite the GPU's above-average standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 119.4 FPS average
• Medium: 104.5 FPS average
• High: 97.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 94.1 FPS average

At 1080p, the full range from Low to Ultra spans 25.3 FPS, with the largest single-step drop occurring between Low and Medium (14.9 FPS). The step from Medium to High costs 7.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs only 3.3 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: 104.1 FPS average
• Medium: 87.3 FPS average
• High: 67.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 67.7 FPS average

At 1440p, the range expands to 36.4 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is the largest (19.7 FPS), while High and Ultra are effectively identical with a 0.1 FPS difference.

3840x2160:

• Low: 69.2 FPS average
• Medium: 52.8 FPS average
• High: 42.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

At 4K, the range is 30.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 16.4 FPS, Medium to High costs 10.7 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 3.1 FPS. Notably, the 4K Ultra result (39 FPS) is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, while the 1080p Low result (119.4 FPS) is the highest. The data shows a clear pattern: resolution has a greater impact on FPS than settings at 4K, while settings have a greater impact at 1080p. At 1440p, the balance shifts such that Medium provides the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate, with 87.3 FPS representing a 29% improvement over High and Ultra.