Thief

Resolution Scaling

The recorded data for Thief shows a predictable performance curve as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop reveals important characteristics about this specific CPU and GPU pairing. At 1080p with High settings, the system delivers 97 FPS average. Moving to 1440p reduces that to 86 FPS, a decline of 11.3%. Stepping up to 4K further drops the average to 72 FPS, which is 16.3% lower than the 1440p result and 25.8% below the 1080p figure.

The scaling pattern across all settings presets follows a consistent trajectory. At Low settings, the system produces 119 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. That represents a 11.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 16.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. Medium settings show 107 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K, with percentage declines of 11.2% and 16.8% respectively. Ultra settings deliver 96 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K, dropping 12.5% and then 15.5%.

The relative consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets is notable. Whether running Low or Ultra, the resolution scaling penalty stays within a narrow band of roughly 11% to 13% for the first step and 15% to 17% for the second step. This uniformity suggests that the performance limiter shifts gradually from CPU-bound at 1080p to GPU-bound at 4K, but neither component completely dominates the scaling curve.

At 1080p, the frame rates ranging from 96 to 119 FPS indicate that the Intel Core i5-9400 with its 6 cores and 6 threads is capable of feeding the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 adequately for this 2014 stealth title. The game's release date of 2014-02-24 means its engine was designed for hardware from that era, so modern components have substantial headroom. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is only 23 FPS, which is a modest spread for a title of this age.

At 4K, the spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 17 FPS, with Low producing 88 FPS and Ultra producing 71 FPS. This tighter grouping at higher resolution indicates the GPU is becoming the more significant factor, as the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth handle the increased pixel throughput with less variation between settings. The data shows that this pairing maintains playable frame rates even at the most demanding resolution and settings combination tested.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 serves as the primary rendering engine in this configuration, and its specifications align well with the measured results. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. This modern architecture, combined with 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, provides substantial compute resources for a game released in 2014.

The memory subsystem of the RTX 4080 includes 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. For Thief, a game that predates the GPU by eight years, this memory configuration is more than sufficient. The measured frame rates show no evidence of memory capacity or bandwidth constraints, as even the lowest average FPS of 71 at 4K Ultra remains fluid. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to maintain these performance levels.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 54247 positions it slightly below the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which scores 54828, a delta of -1.1%. The closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54209, just 0.1% lower. This near-identical performance to the SUPER variant suggests the standard 4080 delivers essentially the same gaming experience in this title.

In Thief specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K resolution. The frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra (96 FPS) and 4K Ultra (71 FPS) represents a 26% reduction, which is a moderate penalty for a quadrupling of pixel count. The game's geometry and lighting effects from 2014 do not fully stress the RTX 4080's capabilities, allowing the GPU to operate well within its performance envelope. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure the GPU can handle the game's rendering requirements without driver-level bottlenecks.

The RTX 4080's 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores are largely idle in this title, as Thief does not implement ray-traced effects. This explains why the GPU has such high headroom at lower resolutions. The measured 119 FPS at 1080p Low represents the ceiling for this configuration, likely limited by the CPU rather than the GPU itself.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides the processing foundation for this benchmark configuration. This Coffee Lake architecture processor features 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP place it as a mainstream desktop part from the 2018 era, launched on 2018-10-18. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 9 MB shared L3 cache.

The CPU's benchmark results show moderate performance. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 6629 and the single-core score is 935. Geekbench results show 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. These scores place the i5-9400 in the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. This places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 with a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, just 0.4% lower, indicating the i5-9400 sits in a tightly competitive mid-range segment.

For Thief, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution. The game's AI routines, physics calculations, and scene management rely on single-thread performance, and the i5-9400's boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides adequate headroom. The 6-thread configuration handles the game's multithreaded tasks without becoming a limiting factor, as evidenced by the 119 FPS achieved at 1080p Low settings. This represents the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset.

The CPU's 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth on a dual-channel DDR4 interface provides sufficient data throughput for the game's asset streaming. Thief's open-ended mission structure requires loading environment data, character models, and texture information, all of which pass through the memory subsystem. The 9 MB shared L3 cache helps reduce latency for frequently accessed data, though the game's age means it does not heavily rely on large cache capacities.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU takes on more rendering responsibility. The frame rate differences between 1440p and 4K are primarily attributable to GPU workload, while the CPU maintains consistent frame pacing. The measured minimum FPS values, available for Medium settings, show 91 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate the CPU maintains stable frame delivery without significant hitches, even when the GPU is under heavier load.

The i5-9400's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the database shows it is neither a standout nor a laggard. The delta percentages against all four nearest rivals range from -0.4% to 0.4%, meaning the CPU delivers essentially identical average benchmark scores to its closest competitors. This translates to consistent, predictable performance in Thief, where the CPU never becomes the primary bottleneck at any resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this configuration in Thief?

A: The highest recorded average is 119 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1% in favor of the 4080.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest average is 71 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How many cores and threads does the Intel Core i5-9400 have?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 4080 features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system achieve 100 FPS or higher?

A: The system achieves 119 FPS at 1080p Low and 107 FPS at 1080p Medium. No 1440p or 4K configuration reaches 100 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 119 FPS, while Medium settings average 107 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 91 and 124 FPS respectively. High settings drop to 97 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 96 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 23 FPS, with the gap between High and Ultra being just 1 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, all settings show a consistent step down from 1080p. Low averages 105 FPS, Medium averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 and maximum of 109 FPS, High averages 86 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra remains minimal at 2 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 11 to 12 FPS across all settings, showing uniform scaling.

At 3840x2160, the system maintains playable frame rates throughout. Low averages 88 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91 FPS, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1 FPS at this resolution. The reduction from 1440p to 4K ranges from 13 to 17 FPS depending on settings, with Low showing the smallest absolute drop.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include minimum and maximum frame rate data. Across all three resolutions, the minimum FPS values stay within 20 FPS of the average, indicating stable frame delivery without severe drops. The maximum FPS values exceed the average by 12 to 17 FPS, showing occasional spikes to higher frame rates during less demanding scenes.

The overall combination rank for this CPU and GPU pairing in Thief is 1921 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of all configurations in the database. This percentile position reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, where neither component dramatically outperforms the other in this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the optimal experience for this configuration. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 107 FPS average with a minimum of 91 FPS, which provides a smooth experience with room for occasional frame dips. The jump from Medium to High costs 10 FPS on average, while the jump from High to Ultra costs only 1 FPS, making Ultra essentially free at this resolution.

At 1440p, Medium settings again present the most balanced option. The 95 FPS average with an 81 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid while maintaining visual quality. High settings reduce the average to 86 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84 FPS. The 9 FPS cost of moving from Medium to High is noticeable, but the 2 FPS cost from High to Ultra is negligible, suggesting Ultra is the better choice if visual fidelity is prioritized.

At 4K, the data indicates that Medium settings provide the best combination of performance and quality. The 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum stays above common 60 FPS thresholds, while High and Ultra both dip to 72 and 71 FPS respectively. The 8 FPS advantage of Medium over High is meaningful at this resolution, and the minimum FPS of 67 ensures consistent frame pacing during demanding scenes.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently offers the highest minimum FPS values recorded in the dataset. The 91 FPS minimum at 1080p, 81 FPS minimum at 1440p, and 67 FPS minimum at 4K all represent the strongest floor performance among the four settings presets. This indicates Medium provides the most consistent frame delivery, which is often more important than peak average FPS for a stealth game where precise timing matters.

The Low preset offers the highest average FPS at every resolution, but the visual compromise may not be justified given that even Ultra settings maintain playable frame rates. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 9 FPS, while the difference between Medium and Ultra is 8 FPS. This symmetry suggests the game scales settings in a linear fashion, with each preset step costing roughly 8 to 10 FPS at this resolution.

For players prioritizing maximum visual quality, Ultra at 1080p delivers 96 FPS, which is effectively indistinguishable from High at 97 FPS in terms of performance. At 1440p, Ultra's 84 FPS remains comfortably above 60 FPS. At 4K, Ultra's 71 FPS is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. The data supports Ultra as a viable choice at 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the safer recommendation at 4K.