Rust

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents an interesting asymmetry for Rust: a flagship GPU from the Ada Lovelace generation, built on a 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors, paired with a 7 nm Zen 3 desktop CPU from the 5000 series. Benchmark data for this combination, measured across three resolutions and four presets, shows that the RTX 4090 can push very high frame rates, but the CPU’s performance ceiling becomes visible at lower resolutions. The data indicates that this combo is capable of running Rust at 60 FPS or higher at every tested resolution and preset, with the only exception being 4K Ultra, which falls just short at 57.5 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Rust?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 180.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is followed closely by 159.6 FPS at 2560x1440 on Low and 146.9 FPS at 1920x1080 on High.

Q: Can this system run Rust at 4K resolution with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the combo produces an average of 57.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which yields 74.1 FPS.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1920x1080. The frame rate difference between Low (180.8 FPS) and Ultra (134.1 FPS) is only 46.7 FPS, which is a smaller gap than at 4K, indicating that the GPU has less headroom to scale with settings because the CPU is holding back overall performance.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593. Its closest rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 with an average score of 19617, a difference of -0.1%. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, which is -0.4% relative to the Ryzen 5 5500.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best option that stays above 60 FPS, delivering an average of 95.4 FPS. This is well above the playable threshold, leaving significant performance on the table for smoother gameplay or higher refresh rates.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60326, a delta of 0%.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 5 5500 and the RTX 4090 shifts noticeably as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role is dominant. The frame rate spread between the Low and Ultra presets is relatively narrow: 180.8 FPS versus 134.1 FPS. This 46.7 FPS difference suggests that even at Low settings, the CPU is unable to feed the GPU enough frames to reach its full potential. The RTX 4090 is vastly overqualified for this resolution, but the Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, becomes the constraining factor. The data shows that increasing settings from Low to Ultra only costs 46.7 FPS, which is modest compared to the performance drop seen at higher resolutions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The frame rate range expands: Low runs at 159.6 FPS, while Ultra drops to 95.4 FPS. This wider spread indicates that the GPU is now more involved in the rendering process, and the CPU is less of a bottleneck. The gap between Low and Ultra is 64.2 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p, showing that the RTX 4090’s rendering capabilities are being taxed more heavily. Still, the CPU manages to keep up well enough to allow for high frame rates across all presets. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 95.4 FPS, which is a strong result and points to the GPU doing most of the heavy lifting.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The frame rate drops sharply as settings increase: Low runs at 131.1 FPS, Medium at 90.1 FPS, High at 74.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 73.6 FPS, the largest of all resolutions. This steep curve demonstrates that the RTX 4090 is being pushed to its limits at 4K, and the CPU’s influence is minimal. The data indicates that at 4K, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for performance, as the CPU has ample headroom to process the game logic and physics. The 57.5 FPS result at Ultra is the only sub-60 FPS reading in the entire dataset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593 and sits in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within a tight performance band. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 scores 19617, a delta of -0.1%, meaning it is virtually identical in performance. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, which is -0.4% relative to the Ryzen 5 5500, so it would behave nearly the same in Rust. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, a delta of +0.5%, indicating it is slightly slower. Finally, the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, a delta of -0.7%, making it marginally faster. Any of these CPUs would produce similar frame rates when paired with the RTX 4090, especially at 4K where the GPU dominates.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347 and sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are a mix of professional and mobile parts. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, a delta of 0%, making it a statistical tie. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, a delta of +0.3%, meaning it is slightly slower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, a delta of -2.5%, making it a bit faster. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, a delta of +2.9%, which is noticeably slower. In practice, these alternatives would offer similar performance in Rust, though the professional-oriented cards may lack the same driver optimizations for gaming workloads.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Rust at 60 FPS or above in most configurations. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold with ease. The Low preset runs at 180.8 FPS, Medium at 154.4 FPS, High at 146.9 FPS, and Ultra at 134.1 FPS. This means the system is more than capable of handling 1080p gaming, even with all settings maxed out. The verdict is clear: 1080p is fully playable at any preset.

At 2560x1440, the system also clears 60 FPS on all presets. Low runs at 159.6 FPS, Medium at 136.4 FPS, High at 123.4 FPS, and Ultra at 95.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding option that remains playable, and it does so with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, offering high visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more nuanced. The playable settings are Low (131.1 FPS), Medium (90.1 FPS), and High (74.1 FPS). The Ultra preset falls short at 57.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Therefore, the verdict for 4K is that the system can run Rust at High settings or lower while maintaining 60 FPS, but Ultra is not playable. Users who want to play at 4K Ultra would need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS or lower the resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which delivers an average of 74.1 FPS. This is the best visual quality setting that maintains playability at 4K. The Medium preset runs at 90.1 FPS and Low at 131.1 FPS, but High offers the best balance of image quality and performance. Choosing Ultra is not viable, as it drops to 57.5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 95.4 FPS. This is the highest preset available and it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset runs at 123.4 FPS, Medium at 136.4 FPS, and Low at 159.6 FPS, but Ultra provides the maximum visual fidelity without any playability concerns. This is the recommended resolution for those who want the best graphics.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is also Ultra, which delivers an average of 134.1 FPS. This is the most demanding preset and it runs far above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset runs at 146.9 FPS, Medium at 154.4 FPS, and Low at 180.8 FPS. Since Ultra is fully playable and offers the highest quality, it is the clear choice at this resolution. The system has enough performance headroom to run everything at maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 342nd out of 3723 combos for Rust. This places it in the top 9.2% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s exceptional performance, as the RTX 4090 is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, while not a top-tier part, is in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but not class-leading.

The combination’s rank is notable because the CPU is a mid-range part paired with a flagship GPU. The data shows that this pairing still performs admirably, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU matters more. At 1080p, the CPU limits the system’s potential, but the overall frame rates are still very high. The rank of 342 out of 3723 indicates that this combo is better than the vast majority of systems tested, and it is only outranked by combos with more powerful CPUs. The verdict is that this is a very capable system for Rust, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra is not playable at 60 FPS.