Thief

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER produces a surprisingly balanced experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The data shows that this combination ranks 1921 out of 3720 tested combos in this game, placing it in the middle of the pack. The RTX 4080 SUPER, which sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, carries most of the rendering weight, while the six-core i5-9400, at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, keeps pace well enough to avoid major bottlenecks at most settings. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that scales predictably, with the GPU becoming the clear limiting factor only at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows how this combo responds to increasing pixel count. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 119 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 105 FPS, a 14 FPS reduction, and then 4K Low falls to 88 FPS, another 17 FPS lower. This pattern of roughly 12-15% losses per resolution step at Low settings indicates that the CPU is still contributing meaningfully at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from being fully saturated.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly steeper. The system produces 97 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 11 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 14 FPS. This increasing delta as resolution rises points to the GPU becoming more dominant in determining performance. At 4K High, the RTX 4080 SUPER is clearly being pushed harder, yet the i5-9400 still feeds it enough data to keep frame rates playable.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 107 FPS with a minimum of 91 and a maximum of 124. At 1440p, the average drops to 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 109. At 4K, the average falls further to 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium suggest that even with a high-end GPU, there are occasional dips that could be noticeable, though the average remains smooth.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across the board. The system manages 96 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 12 FPS, and between 1440p and 4K is 13 FPS. This near-linear scaling at Ultra suggests that the workload is becoming more GPU-bound, which is expected given the age of the game relative to the hardware.

The overall pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting component at 4K, where even Low settings only produce 88 FPS. At 1080p, the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads start to matter more, as evidenced by the smaller absolute differences between resolutions. The 14 FPS gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low, compared to the 17 FPS gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low, shows that the CPU can still keep up at lower pixel counts but gradually cedes control to the GPU as resolution climbs.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1921 out of 3720 tested combos, this pairing sits almost exactly in the middle of the database for Thief. The percentile placement is neither impressive nor disappointing; it reflects a system where a mid-range CPU from 2018 meets a high-end GPU from 2024. The i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2254 places it near several close rivals: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% behind), and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (0.4% ahead). These tiny deltas mean the CPU is essentially interchangeable with those alternatives in synthetic tests, and the same likely holds in Thief.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 54209 puts it in a tight group at the top. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scores 54247 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (2.7% ahead), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (2.8% ahead). These are negligible differences in real-world terms, meaning the GPU is performing as expected for its class.

The middle-of-the-road combo rank suggests that the i5-9400 holds the system back somewhat, but not severely. In a game like Thief, which launched in 2014 and does not require massive CPU resources, the six-core processor with a 4.10 GHz boost clock is sufficient to avoid catastrophic bottlenecks. The data shows that this combo outperforms many others that pair weaker CPUs with similar GPUs, but it does not reach the top tier where modern eight-core or higher processors would sit. The 47th percentile CPU ranking versus the 86th percentile GPU ranking creates a mismatch that is visible in the frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU has more influence.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the star of this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2550 MHz, with memory clocked at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). These specifications translate into substantial raw performance, as evidenced by its Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600.

In Thief, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 71 FPS, which is only 1 FPS below the 4K High result of 72 FPS. This small difference suggests that the GPU is already near its limit at 4K, and the extra visual fidelity from Ultra settings costs almost nothing in frame rate. The 4K Medium result of 79 FPS and 4K Low result of 88 FPS confirm that the GPU has headroom when settings are reduced, but the CPU begins to play a larger role.

The VRAM allocation is not a concern for this game. Thief from 2014 does not require anywhere near 16 GB of memory, so the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample headroom. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is more than enough for the game’s textures and geometry, meaning the GPU is never waiting on memory transfers. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, provides efficiency that allows the GPU to maintain high clocks without thermal throttling in typical scenarios.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, which is high but not the absolute top. Its nearest rivals show that it is essentially tied with the RTX 4080 and slightly behind a few AMD workstation and gaming cards in synthetic tests. In Thief, this translates to frame rates that are consistently above 70 FPS at 4K and above 96 FPS at 1080p, regardless of settings. The GPU is clearly capable of maxing out this game, and the only question is whether the CPU can keep up.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience in Thief with this combo comes from the High preset at 1440p or the Medium preset at 4K. At 1440p High, the system averages 86 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay with good visual quality. Moving to 1440p Ultra only drops the average to 84 FPS, so the incremental improvement in visuals is worth the 2 FPS cost. The 1440p Medium result of 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 and maximum of 109 shows that even this preset is well within the playable range.

For 4K users, the High preset at 72 FPS is the sweet spot. The Ultra preset at 71 FPS offers essentially the same performance with slightly better visuals, so either works. The 4K Medium preset at 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91 provides a bit more headroom but sacrifices some quality. The 4K Low preset at 88 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes maximum frame rate over visuals, which seems unlikely for a stealth game that does not require twitch reflexes.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 96 FPS is the clear choice. The High preset at 97 FPS is nearly identical, but Ultra adds visual fidelity for no real cost. The 1080p Medium result of 107 FPS with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 124 is also excellent, but there is no reason to drop below Ultra when the system can handle it. The 1080p Low preset at 119 FPS is overkill for this game, as the extra frame rate does not improve the experience meaningfully.

The data suggests that the combo can handle Ultra settings at 1080p and 1440p without issue, and High settings at 4K. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium (67 FPS) and 1440p Medium (81 FPS) indicate that the system maintains playable performance even in demanding scenes. For the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, 1440p Ultra or 4K High are the recommended presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS data for this combo in Thief is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K), the High preset produces an average of 72 FPS. The Low preset averages 88 FPS. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the High preset averages 86 FPS. The Low preset averages 105 FPS. The Medium preset averages 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 109. The Ultra preset averages 84 FPS.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the High preset averages 97 FPS. The Low preset averages 119 FPS. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 and a maximum of 124. The Ultra preset averages 96 FPS.

The spread between the lowest and highest settings at each resolution is consistent. At 4K, the gap between Low (88 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS) is 17 FPS. At 1440p, the gap between Low (105 FPS) and Ultra (84 FPS) is 21 FPS. At 1080p, the gap between Low (119 FPS) and Ultra (96 FPS) is 23 FPS. This widening gap at lower resolutions indicates that the CPU becomes more of a factor when the GPU has less work to do, but the differences remain modest.

The minimum and maximum frame rates are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 4K, the range is 67 to 91 FPS, a 24 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range is 81 to 109 FPS, a 28 FPS spread. At 1080p, the range is 91 to 124 FPS, a 33 FPS spread. These ranges show that frame pacing is consistent, with no severe stutters or drops below playable levels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. Its TDP is 65 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1151.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 668 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 94 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, it scores 2784 multi-core and 392 single-core. Cinebench R23 results show 6629 multi-core and 935 single-core. Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. These numbers place the CPU at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254.

For Thief, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with frame data. The game is not heavily threaded, so the six cores are sufficient, but the relatively low single-core performance compared to modern CPUs means the i5-9400 can become a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The 1080p results show this: at 1080p Low, the system produces 119 FPS, which is only 14 FPS higher than 1440p Low at 105 FPS. If the CPU were not a factor, the 1080p result would be significantly higher relative to 1440p, since the GPU would have less work to do.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy—64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 9 MB shared L3—is adequate for this game. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps with the game’s single-threaded tasks, but the 2.90 GHz base clock means that sustained loads may see lower performance if the processor cannot maintain boost. The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is not a limiting factor for Thief, as the game’s data footprint is small.

The nearest CPU rivals, based on average benchmark scores, are all within 0.4% of the i5-9400. This means that swapping in an Intel Core i7-1068NG7, Intel Core i7-10710U, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, or Intel Core i3-10305 would produce nearly identical results in Thief. The combo rank of 1921 out of 3720 reflects this CPU’s mid-tier standing; it is not holding the GPU back dramatically, but it also does not allow the RTX 4080 SUPER to reach its full potential in CPU-limited scenarios.

The data shows that the i5-9400 is the weaker link in this pairing, but only marginally so. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, and the CPU’s limitations are masked. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, but the frame rates remain high enough that the difference is not detrimental. For a game from 2014, this combo delivers a smooth experience across all resolutions and settings, with the only caveat being that the CPU prevents the GPU from achieving its maximum frame rate at 1080p.