Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 produces a familiar pattern in Thief: the CPU provides a solid baseline, while the GPU's headroom is increasingly constrained as resolution rises. This combo ranks 899th out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The RTX 4070's 81st percentile standing among all GPUs is not fully realized here, as the i5-9400’s 50th percentile ranking among CPUs becomes the pacing factor at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear progression of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 98.9 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 85.1 FPS, a 13.8 FPS reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 57.4 FPS, marking a total decrease of 41.5 FPS from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates the RTX 4070 is the dominant component at 4K, where its 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are pushed harder.

The story changes at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 118.6 FPS, while at 1440p Low it hits 106.9 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Low is only 11.7 FPS, suggesting the CPU's 6-core, 6-thread configuration with a 4.10 GHz boost clock begins to limit performance when the GPU has less work to do. The i5-9400's 9 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 60 FPS targets but not for pushing beyond 120 FPS consistently.

The delta between settings narrows as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 19.7 FPS (118.6 vs 98.9). At 4K, that spread compresses to 28.0 FPS (85.4 vs 57.4), with Low and Ultra separated by a smaller relative margin. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, where the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus width are the limiting factors, not the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 899 out of 1642, this pairing sits just past the midpoint of all tested configurations in Thief. The rank reflects a mismatch: the RTX 4070 is a high-end GPU, but the i5-9400 is a mid-range processor from an older generation. The GPU’s benchmark average of 37283 places it near the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 with a delta of -0.6%, and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 with a -1.9% delta. That comparison shows the RTX 4070 is slightly below those rivals in aggregate GPU benchmarks, though it outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5300M, which scores 36371 with a 2.5% delta.

On the CPU side, the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2305 is nearly identical to its closest rivals. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 with a 0.2% delta, the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 with a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 with a 0.4% delta. The only competitor ahead is the Intel Core i7-8809G at 2319, a -0.6% delta. These negligible differences mean the i5-9400 is effectively tied with several lower-tier processors, reinforcing that the CPU is not a performance differentiator in this pairing.

The rank of 899 suggests that many other combos achieve higher frame rates in Thief, likely due to stronger CPUs paired with similar or lesser GPUs. The data shows the RTX 4070 is capable of far more, as its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and Passmark G3D score of 26927 indicate, but the i5-9400 holds the combo back in CPU-light scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance. At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo delivers 109.5 FPS, which is 10.0 FPS higher than High and 10.6 FPS higher than Ultra, while only 9.1 FPS below Low. This setting provides a meaningful visual upgrade over Low without sacrificing much performance. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 98 FPS, which is 9.9 FPS higher than High and 12.9 FPS higher than Ultra, making it the strongest performer at that resolution for its visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, Medium delivers 78.4 FPS, which is 20.7 FPS higher than High and 21.0 FPS higher than Ultra. This is a substantial margin, and Medium at 4K is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Low at 4K reaches 85.4 FPS, but the visual trade-off is likely too steep for most users. High and Ultra at 4K both fall below 60 FPS, with 57.7 and 57.4 respectively, making them borderline for smooth gameplay.

The recommendation is to use Medium settings at any resolution. At 1080p, it offers near-Ultra smoothness with a 10 FPS advantage over Ultra. At 1440p, it stays above 90 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh displays. At 4K, it is the only preset that combines playable frame rates with reasonable visual quality. Ultra should be reserved for 1080p only, where the 98.9 FPS average is still respectable, but the 9.1 FPS gain from dropping to High or 10.6 FPS from dropping to Medium may not justify the visual difference.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings shows a tight cluster. Low averages 118.6 FPS, Medium 109.5 FPS, High 99.2 FPS, and Ultra 98.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 19.7 FPS, with the largest single step down occurring between Low and Medium at 9.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal at 0.3 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low averages 106.9 FPS, Medium 98 FPS, High 88.1 FPS, and Ultra 85.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 8.9 FPS, from Medium to High is 9.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 3.0 FPS. The 1440p results are consistently 11.7 to 13.8 FPS lower than their 1080p counterparts, showing a predictable resolution penalty.

At 3840x2160, the averages are noticeably lower. Low leads with 85.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 78.4 FPS, High at 57.7 FPS, and Ultra at 57.4 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is steep at 20.7 FPS, while High and Ultra are nearly identical with just a 0.3 FPS difference. The 4K results show that the RTX 4070 is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s influence fades and the GPU’s raw throughput determines the outcome.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS in Thief?*

A: At 3840x2160, High and Ultra settings both fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 57.7 and 57.4 FPS respectively. Medium at 4K achieves 78.4 FPS, and all settings at 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 exceed 85 FPS, so 1440p or lower is required for a guaranteed 60 FPS experience at any preset.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 scores 2305 on average. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 (0.2% delta), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 (0.2% delta), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 (0.4% delta). Only the Intel Core i7-8809G scores higher at 2319, a -0.6% delta, meaning the i5-9400 is effectively tied with its closest competitors.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 the limiting component at 4K?

A: Yes. The frame rate difference between Low (85.4 FPS) and Ultra (57.4 FPS) at 3840x2160 is 28.0 FPS, which is larger than the 19.7 FPS spread at 1080p. This widening gap indicates the GPU is fully utilized at 4K, while the CPU’s role diminishes.

Q: What is the largest performance drop between consecutive settings at 4K?

A: The step from Medium (78.4 FPS) to High (57.7 FPS) at 3840x2160 is a 20.7 FPS reduction. This is the steepest single-settings drop across all resolutions, suggesting High preset introduces a significant GPU workload increase.

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

A: The combo ranks 899th out of 1642 tested configurations. This places it in the lower-middle range, reflecting the CPU’s mid-tier standing and the GPU’s high-end capability, which are not fully aligned for this title.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 outperform its nearest GPU rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37283. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (-0.6% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A scores 38008 (-1.9% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (-2.2% delta). The RTX 4070 trails these three but beats the AMD Radeon RX 5300M, which scores 36371 with a 2.5% delta.