Rust

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination delivers measured average frame rates in Rust across three resolutions and four quality presets. The CPU, a 4-core/8-thread Alder Lake part with a launch MSRP of $97, and the GPU, a RDNA 2 flagship with a launch MSRP of 649 USD, together place 1160th out of 3723 tested combos in this game. The data shows that this pairing is capable of smooth 60 FPS gameplay at 1080p and 1440p on every preset, while 4K requires dropping to Low settings to stay above the playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS table provides average frame rates only; minimum and maximum values were not recorded. At 1920x1080, the combo produces 199.3 FPS on Low, 139.1 on Medium, 115.7 on High, and 88.9 on Ultra. These numbers indicate that even the most demanding preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin, with Ultra still delivering nearly 1.5 times the required frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 143.8 FPS on Low, 97.3 on Medium, 83.1 on High, and 62.7 on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets: Low falls by 27.8%, Medium by 30.0%, High by 28.2%, and Ultra by 29.4%. This uniform scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases, since the relative performance loss is similar regardless of quality setting.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 85.8 FPS on Low, 57.1 on Medium, 51.0 on High, and 35.7 on Ultra. The 4K results show a sharper decline: Low drops 40.3% from 1440p, Medium 41.3%, High 38.6%, and Ultra 43.1%. Only Low remains above 60 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the playable threshold. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 28.7 FPS, indicating that the quality preset has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 88.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K with Medium settings?

A: No. The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium is 57.1, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Only Low settings at 4K achieve a playable average of 85.8 FPS.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination yields the highest average FPS?

A: The highest measured average is 199.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Rust?

A: It ranks 1160th out of 3723 combos, placing it in the upper third of the tested pool.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 68th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Are there any settings at 1440p that fall below 60 FPS?

A: No. All four presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra being the lowest at 62.7 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on average benchmark scores, the Intel Core i3-12100F has nearest rivals that would behave similarly in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average score of 13492, a 0% delta from the i3-12100F's 13494. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, a 0.3% difference, and the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, a -0.7% difference. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, a 1.1% difference. In Rust, where CPU load can be significant in large multiplayer servers, any of these processors would likely produce frame rates within a few percent of the i3-12100F, assuming identical GPU and memory configurations.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile with an average score of 47743 (1.5% lower), the Intel Arc A550M at 49737 (-2.5% relative to the RX 6800 XT's 48477), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 49957 (-3%), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50001 (-3%). These GPUs would deliver similar rasterization performance in Rust, though the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth may give it an edge in texture-heavy scenes. The RTX A1000 Mobile, being a mobile part, might have different thermal behavior, but its average score suggests it would be within 1.5% of the RX 6800 XT in synthetic benchmarks.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Rust at 60 FPS or higher on all tested presets at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 1080p, the lowest average is 88.9 FPS on Ultra, leaving a comfortable margin. At 1440p, Ultra averages 62.7 FPS, just above the threshold, while Low reaches 143.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 85.8 FPS; Medium (57.1), High (51.0), and Ultra (35.7) all fall short. Therefore, the verdict is: this combo is fully capable of 60 FPS gameplay at 1080p and 1440p on any preset, and at 4K only on Low.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals which component dominates performance. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 199.3 (Low) to 88.9 (Ultra). The CPU, with a single-thread 3DMark score of 893 and a multi-thread score of 4023, is likely sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates. The fact that Ultra at 1080p still delivers 88.9 FPS suggests the GPU is not fully saturated, as the same GPU at 4K Ultra drops to 35.7 FPS. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by roughly 28-30% across all presets, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases by 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels). The further drop to 4K (8.29 million pixels) reduces FPS by another 40% from 1440p, again pointing to the GPU as the primary constraint.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing presets: Low to Ultra changes FPS by 110.4 FPS (199.3 to 88.9), a 55% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than at 1440p (81.1 FPS, 56% reduction) or 4K (50.1 FPS, 58% reduction). The consistent percentage drop across resolutions indicates that the quality preset affects both CPU and GPU load, but the absolute FPS at 1080p is high enough that the CPU is not a bottleneck. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860, are adequate for Rust's simulation and entity updates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames quickly.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is as follows: at 1920x1080, Ultra settings achieve 88.9 FPS, so Ultra is the best choice. At 2560x1440, Ultra also clears the threshold with 62.7 FPS, making it the optimal preset. At 3840x2160, only Low settings reach 85.8 FPS; Medium falls to 57.1, so Low is the only playable option. These recommendations maximize visual quality while staying above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Rust, the Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 1160th out of 3723 combos. This places it in the 68.8th percentile of all tested systems (since 1160/3723 = 0.312, meaning 31.2% of combos are faster). The GPU's individual percentile is 85th among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at 68th among all CPUs. The rank reflects the balance of the pairing: the GPU is a high-end part that drives most of the performance, while the CPU is a mid-range quad-core that does not hold back the GPU at 1080p or 1440p, but may limit performance in CPU-intensive scenarios at very high frame rates. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo is well-suited for Rust at mainstream resolutions, with the only compromise being 4K, where the GPU's raw throughput is insufficient for high presets.