Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 form a mid-range pairing that has been measured in Thief, a stealth title released on 2014-02-24. The data set includes average FPS across three resolutions and four quality settings, along with synthetic benchmark scores for both components. This analysis breaks down how each part contributes to the game's performance and where the combination stands among 1,642 tested combos.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosts to 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and its integrated graphics are the UHD 630. The processor uses an Intel Socket 1151 and PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 7,969 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1,125 in single-core. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 2,305, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs — exactly the median. The nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core i3-10305 (average score 2,300, 0.2% higher), Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2,299, 0.2% higher), Intel Xeon E-2134 (2,295, 0.4% higher), and Intel Core i7-8809G (2,319, 0.6% lower). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, indicating that the i5-9400 sits in a tightly packed performance band where no single rival holds a meaningful advantage.

For Thief, a 2014 title, the CPU's six threads and 4.10 GHz boost are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 122, which is the highest average in the entire data set. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 95.8, a relatively small decline of 26.2 FPS from Low. This suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1080p; the GPU handles the increased graphical load without the processor becoming a limiting factor. The CPU's single-core performance, as reflected in the Cinebench R23 score of 1,125, is adequate for the game's logic and AI, which typically rely on fewer threads.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and the AD107 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz, with memory clocked at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). It has 3,072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 24 ray tracing cores, and 96 tensor cores. The card is dual-slot, uses a single 12-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W. Its launch MSRP is 299 USD.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4060 scores 2,302 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 101,030 in Geekbench OpenCL, 98,095 in Geekbench Vulkan, and 19,545 in Passmark G3D. Its average benchmark score is 23,181, placing it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs — above the median. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (average score 23,321, 0.6% lower), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23,338, 0.7% lower), Intel Arc B580 (23,021, 0.7% higher), and AMD Radeon 760M (22,999, 0.8% higher). Again, the deltas are small, but the RTX 4060 sits slightly below the RX 6600M and GTX 780 Ti, while edging out the Arc B580 and Radeon 760M.

In Thief, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 272 GB/s bandwidth are directly relevant to texture streaming and memory pressure. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 39.9, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. At 4K Low, the average rises to 74.6, showing that the GPU can handle the resolution when settings are reduced. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is steep: 74.6 to 39.9, a drop of 34.7 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 104.7 (Low) to 72.1 (Ultra), a 32.6 FPS difference. At 1080p, the range is 122 (Low) to 95.8 (Ultra), a 26.2 FPS difference. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as resolution and settings rise, with the 4K Ultra result being the most demanding.

FAQ

*Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra in Thief?*

A: The measured average FPS is 95.8.

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

A: It ranks 1,014 out of 1,642 combos, placing it in the lower half of the field.

Q: What is the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 scores 7,969 in Cinebench R23 multicore.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4060 has a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s.

Q: What are the average FPS values at 4K Low and Ultra?

A: At 4K Low, the average is 74.6 FPS; at 4K Ultra, it is 39.9 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4060 sits at the 66th percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table lists the measured average FPS for each resolution and quality setting combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 45.0 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 74.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 57.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 39.9 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 73.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 104.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 96.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 72.1 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 95.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 122.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 109.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 95.8 |

At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 34.7 FPS, with Medium landing at 57.9 and High at 45.0. The progression is not linear: Medium is 16.7 FPS below Low, while High is 12.9 FPS below Medium, and Ultra is 5.1 FPS below High. This suggests diminishing returns as settings increase, but the GPU still has headroom at Low. At 1440p, the spread is narrower: Low at 104.7, Medium at 96.7, High at 73.4, and Ultra at 72.1. The jump from Medium to High is 23.3 FPS, while High to Ultra is only 1.3 FPS, indicating that High and Ultra are nearly identical in cost. At 1080p, the pattern is similar: Low at 122, Medium at 109.6, High at 95.7, and Ultra at 95.8. The difference between High and Ultra is just 0.1 FPS, which is within measurement noise. This suggests that at 1080p, the game's engine or the CPU may be capping performance at around 95-96 FPS regardless of the GPU's capability.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 1,014 out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the lower 38% of the field, meaning that a majority of other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average FPS in this game. The CPU's 50th percentile and the GPU's 66th percentile suggest that the GPU is the stronger component, yet the combo's overall rank is below the median. This discrepancy can be attributed to the CPU's average standing; while the RTX 4060 is above average, the i5-9400's mid-pack performance may limit the system in CPU-bound scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully utilized. The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU are all within 0.8% of their respective average scores, so the combo's performance is consistent with what these parts deliver individually. However, the rank of 1,014 indicates that many other combinations, likely with higher-end CPUs or GPUs, outperform this pairing in Thief. The data shows that the combo is capable of smooth 60+ FPS at 1080p and 1440p on most settings, but at 4K Ultra it falls below 40 FPS, which is a significant limitation for high-resolution play.