Rust

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 is a classic mid-range combination from the Zen 2 and Polaris generations. In Rust, a survival title known for heavy CPU load and demanding draw distances, this pairing delivers a narrow but usable window of playability. The recorded data shows that the combination only crosses the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p with Low settings, and every other configuration falls short. The following analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, compares nearby hardware, and determines which settings are viable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is organized by resolution and settings preset. All figures are average FPS, as the database did not record minimum or maximum frame times for this test. The playable threshold is defined at 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the results are the strongest for this combo. The Low preset achieves an average of 66.9 FPS, which is the only configuration across all resolutions to clear the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset drops to 44.7 FPS, which is a 33% decline from Low. High follows at 39.3 FPS, another 12% drop from Medium. Ultra is the most demanding, producing 29.8 FPS, which is 55% lower than the Low preset. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a steep penalty: going from 66.9 FPS to 29.8 FPS is a loss of 37.1 FPS, or roughly 55% of the Low preset’s performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates fall below playable for every preset. The Low preset averages 45.8 FPS, which is 31% lower than the same preset at 1080p. Medium runs at 31.3 FPS, High at 23.8 FPS, and Ultra at 21.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 24.1 FPS, a 53% reduction. Notably, the 1440p Low result (45.8 FPS) is actually slightly higher than the 1080p Medium result (44.7 FPS), indicating that resolution scaling is not the only factor. The data shows that moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings cuts performance by 21.1 FPS, which is a 31% hit. For Medium, the drop is 13.4 FPS (from 44.7 to 31.3), a 30% loss. High loses 15.5 FPS (from 39.3 to 23.8), a 39% loss. Ultra loses 8.1 FPS (from 29.8 to 21.7), a 27% loss.

At 3840x2160, the performance is too low for any preset. Low averages 26.4 FPS, Medium 18.6 FPS, High 17.2 FPS, and Ultra 12.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low is 19.4 FPS (from 45.8 to 26.4), a 42% decline. The 4K High preset (17.2 FPS) is barely half the frame rate of 1080p High (39.3 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K reaches 12.1 FPS, which is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset. This is 54.8 FPS below the 1080p Low result, indicating that at 4K, the RX 570 is overwhelmed regardless of preset.

Across the board, the FPS numbers follow a consistent pattern: Low is the only preset that approaches playable, and only at 1080p. The gap between Low and Medium is present at every resolution, but it is most pronounced at 1080p, where it is 22.2 FPS. At 1440p, the Low to Medium difference is 14.5 FPS, and at 4K, it is 7.8 FPS. These numbers suggest that the Low preset does not simply remove visual features, it also relieves the rendering load significantly.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU in the database provide context for what similar hardware would deliver in Rust.

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 17007, a delta of 0.2% (the Core i7 is slightly lower). The Intel Core i5-11400 scores 17067, a delta of -0.2% (the Ryzen is 0.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7573X scores 17070, also -0.2% relative to the Ryzen. The AMD EPYC 7742 scores 16998, a delta of 0.2%. These four rivals are all within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 3600’s average score. In practice, that means swapping the Ryzen 5 3600 for an Intel Core i5-11400 would produce nearly identical CPU-bound frame rates in Rust, as the difference is less than a quarter of one percent. The same holds for the Core i7-1260P, the two EPYC server parts, and the Ryzen itself. The CPU is not the limiting factor in this game’s frame rate at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28874, a delta of -0.4% (the RX 570 is 0.4% lower). The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580, a delta of 0.7% (the RX 570 is 0.7% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, a delta of -0.8% (the RX 570 is 0.8% lower). The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, a delta of 1.2% (the RX 570 is 1.2% higher). The RX 470 is particularly relevant: it is essentially the same GPU with slightly different clocks, so the measured FPS values for this combination can be expected to match within a few percent. The RX 6800M is a mobile part, but its score is nearly identical, while the Quadro RTX 8000, despite being a workstation card, is also within 1.2% of the RX 570’s synthetic score. In Rust, the GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, so a system with the Ryzen 5 3600 and any of these rival GPUs would produce frame rates that are within a few FPS of the recorded values.

The practical takeaway is that the CPU has plenty of headroom, as its nearest rivals are within 0.2% of its score, so the game’s CPU utilization is not a differentiator. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the RX 470, which is the same architecture and similar die, so the measured FPS at 1080p Low should be reproducible with that card. The RX 6800M, despite being a newer part, also falls into the same performance tier according to the database, so users with that GPU would not see a dramatic improvement in Rust’s frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at any resolution. The Ryzen 5 3600 has a percentile rank of 71 against all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its average score. This means that in Rust, the CPU’s processing capacity is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings, but the GPU cannot keep up with the load beyond 1080p Low.

The scaling between resolutions reveals the GPU’s dominance. Going from 1080p Low at 66.9 FPS to 1440p Low at 45.8 FPS is a 31% drop in frame rate, which is directly attributable to the increased pixel count. The GPU’s memory bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s, and its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is likely insufficient for high resolution textures, but the frame rates decline even with the Low preset, which usually reduces texture quality. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 26.4 FPS, a 42% drop from 1440p Low. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is limited by its shading throughput and memory bandwidth, not by the CPU.

The preset scaling also points to the GPU as the primary determinant. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 37.1 FPS. At 1440p, the same difference is 24.1 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 14.3 FPS. The absolute effect of presets shrinks as resolution increases, which indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is already saturated and the preset has less marginal impact. At 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, so decreasing the preset allows it to render more frames. At 4K, even the Low preset is too heavy for the RX 570 to produce playable frames, so the preset does not matter much.

The CPU’s role becomes clearer when comparing the 1080p Low and the 1440p Low results. The CPU load for Rust is significant due to the game’s simulation and entity updates, but the frame rate drops by 21.1 FPS when moving to 1440p. If the CPU were the hard limit, the frame rate would stay similar across resolutions. Because it does not, the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s score of 6318 in Cinebench R20 multicore and 4605 in 3dmark_16_threads suggests it can handle many threads, but Rust’s single-threaded performance also matters. The CPU’s single-thread score of 696 in 3dmark_single_thread is low, but it does not prevent 1080p Low from reaching 66.9 FPS. Thus, the CPU is sufficient for the game, but the GPU is not.

FAQ

Q: Can the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Radeon RX 570 run Rust at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset. The measured average FPS is 66.9, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset runs at 44.7 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The only playable resolution is 1920x1080. At 2560x1440, the best preset is Low, which gives 45.8 FPS, still below 60. At 3840x2160, even Low only reaches 26.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to the RX 470?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766, while the RX 470 scores 28996. The RX 470 is 0.8% higher. In practical terms, the frame rates in Rust would be nearly identical between the two cards, so the 570 and 470 are interchangeable for this game.

Q: Is the CPU slower than its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average score of 17035. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, scores 17067, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-1260P scores 17007, which is 0.2% lower. The differences are within 0.2%, so none of these CPUs would provide a noticeable difference in Rust.

Q: Does the Ultra preset work at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset gives 29.8 FPS at 1080p, 21.7 FPS at 1440p, and 12.1 FPS at 4K. All values are far below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 12.1 at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. The highest is 66.9 at 1920x1080 with Low.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best setting is the one that produces the highest average FPS while staying at or above 60 FPS. Since no preset at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 reaches 60 FPS, there is no recommended setting for those resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only one that meets the threshold. It produces 66.9 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 44.7 FPS, which is below the threshold. The High preset is 39.3 FPS, and Ultra is 29.8 FPS. Therefore, the best setting at 1080p is Low, with an average of 66.9 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset gives 45.8 FPS, but this does not clear 60 FPS. The Medium preset is 31.3 FPS, High is 23.8, and Ultra is 21.7. None are playable. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is 26.4 FPS, Medium 18.6, High 17.2, and Ultra 12.1. No preset at 1440p or 4K is playable.

The database’s verdictByResolution confirms this: the only playable setting is Low at 1920x1080, with an average FPS of 66.9. The best settings per resolution are therefore:

• 1920x1080: Low, 66.9 FPS
• 2560x1440: No playable setting (Low is best but at 45.8 FPS)
• 3840x2160: No playable setting (Low is best but at 26.4 FPS)

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 3600 and RX 570 ranks 3533 out of 3723 tested combinations in the database for Rust. This puts it in the bottom 5% of all systems tested. The percentile rank for the CPU is 71 (out of 100), meaning it is above 71% of all CPUs. The GPU’s percentile is 74, meaning it is above 74% of all GPUs. However, the combo itself is ranked at 3533, which is far down the list because the game is demanding and the GPU is not strong enough for high resolutions.

The high CPU and GPU percentiles do not translate into a high combo rank. This indicates that Rust’s specific requirements, including a large memory footprint and heavy rendering load, make this combo less capable than the individual parts’ percentile ranks suggest. The CPU’s nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its score, but that does not help because the GPU is the bottleneck. The GPU’s nearest rivals are also within 1.2%, so the entire tier of similar hardware would land in the same low percentile zone.

The combo rank of 3533 out of 3723 means that only 190 tested systems perform worse. This is a low-end result for a game, but the 1080p Low result is still above the playable threshold. The ranking reflects the fact that many other combinations with newer GPUs or higher memory bandwidth can achieve playable frame rates at higher settings or resolutions.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Radeon RX 570 can run Rust, but only in a very narrow configuration. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, no setting reaches 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, no setting reaches 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average FPS of 66.9.

The measured data shows that the system is not suitable for 1440p or 4K gaming in Rust. At 1080p, the user must set the graphics to Low to achieve a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p runs at 44.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High runs at 39.3 FPS, and Ultra at 29.8. The only configuration that clears the threshold is 1080p Low.

The CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is. The Ryzen 5 3600 has a high percentile rank and its nearest rivals are within 0.2%, so the CPU is sufficient. The RX 570 has a high percentile rank as well, but its raw performance is simply not enough for Rust beyond 1080p Low. The database records that the combo ranks 3533 out of 3723, confirming that this is a low-end pairing for Rust. If the user is strict about the 60 FPS threshold, the only viable choice is 1920x1080 with the Low preset. Any other resolution or preset will produce a frame rate below 60 FPS.