Rust

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a highly variable experience in Rust, depending heavily on resolution and quality preset. The recorded data shows that this combo is capable of smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The analysis below breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against other tested combinations, and provides clear guidance on the best settings for each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest results. With the Low preset, the average frame rate reaches 136.8 FPS, providing a very high level of fluidity. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 94.6 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The High preset maintains a solid 78.2 FPS average, which is perfectly smooth for most gaming scenarios. The Ultra preset, however, brings the average down to 57.4 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS target, indicating that the most demanding settings are not viable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains playable but requires more careful settings selection. The Low preset averages 96.6 FPS, offering excellent headroom. The Medium preset achieves 61.7 FPS, which is just above the playability threshold, making it the most demanding playable option at this resolution. The High preset drops to 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 41.2 FPS, both of which fail to meet the 60 FPS standard. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant performance cost, with the High preset losing about 24 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combination is not capable of delivering a playable experience on any preset. The Low preset averages 56.6 FPS, which is the closest to the threshold but still below it. The Medium preset averages 35.9 FPS, High averages 30.5 FPS, and Ultra averages just 22.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution. None of these averages reach the 60 FPS target, and the minimum frame rates were not recorded, but the averages alone indicate a suboptimal experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at position 2720 out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a weak performer, a large number of other hardware pairings achieve higher frame rates in this game. The percentile ranking reflects that this combo sits below the median of the tested pool, meaning most other combinations in the database outperform it.

The rank is influenced by both components. The CPU holds a percentile of 68 among all tested processors, meaning it outperforms 68% of them in general benchmarks. The GPU holds a percentile of 62 among all tested graphics cards. However, the combined result in Rust is lower than either individual percentile, suggesting that Rust's specific workload creates a bottleneck that prevents this pairing from reaching the upper tiers of the rankings. The data indicates that this combo is a mid-tier performer, capable of handling the game at moderate settings but not at the highest levels of visual fidelity or resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU in Rust. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly, but the frame rate is still limited by the processor's ability to handle game logic and draw calls. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 42.2 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 16.4 FPS, showing that the GPU handles the increasing load relatively well until the Ultra preset pushes it harder.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to become the limiting factor. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the High preset is 24.2 FPS, which is a larger relative loss than the CPU's benchmark scores would suggest. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Medium narrowing to 34.9 FPS and the gap between Medium and High narrowing to 7.7 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is starting to saturate, and the CPU's performance is less relevant to the final frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely the bottleneck. The frame rates across all presets are low, with the difference between Low and Medium being 20.7 FPS and between Medium and High being 5.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is severely limited, reinforcing that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are insufficient for this resolution. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rate is dictated by the GPU's rendering speed rather than the processor's ability to feed it data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU provide context for how other processors would behave in this system. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average benchmark score of 13492, which is essentially identical to the i3-12100F's 13494, with a delta of 0%. This means a system with the Core 3 N355 would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Rust. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, a delta of 0.3%, indicating it would perform within a fraction of a percent of the i3-12100F. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, a delta of -0.7%, meaning it is slightly faster, but the difference is negligible in practice. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, a delta of 1.1%, making it marginally slower.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show similar performance levels. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, a delta of -0.4% compared to the RTX 2060 SUPER's 18093, indicating near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, a delta of -0.5%, also matching closely. The AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18373, a delta of -1.5%, which is slightly faster, while the Intel Arc A770M scores 18383, a delta of -1.6%, also slightly faster. In practical terms, any of these GPUs paired with the i3-12100F would produce very similar frame rates in Rust, with differences of no more than 2% in either direction.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 60 FPS on a 1920x1080 monitor?

A: Yes. The database shows playable settings at 1080p include High, Low, and Medium presets. The High preset averages 78.2 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for this combo at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the most demanding that stays playable, averaging 61.7 FPS. The High preset drops to 54 FPS, which is below the playability threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the Intel Core i3-12100F and RTX 2060 SUPER?

A: No. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 56.6 FPS, which is the closest but still falls short of the playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems in Rust?

A: The combination ranks 2720 out of 3723 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database. Most other pairings achieve higher frame rates.

Q: Which component limits performance more at 1080p?

A: The CPU plays a more significant role at 1080p, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly, but the frame rate is still constrained by the processor's throughput.

Q: Would a different GPU with a similar score improve performance in Rust?

A: No. The closest GPU rivals, such as the RTX 3060 Mobile or Radeon Pro 5700, have scores within 0.5% of the RTX 2060 SUPER, so performance would be nearly identical.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER can run Rust, but the experience is highly dependent on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clearly clears the 60 FPS threshold on High, Low, and Medium presets, with the High preset providing the best balance of visual quality and performance at 78.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on Low and Medium presets, with Medium averaging 61.7 FPS, just above the target. At 3840x2160, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on any preset, making 4K gaming impractical with this hardware. The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with high settings, or 1440p gaming with medium settings, but it is not viable for 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average frame rate of 78.2 FPS. This preset offers a good balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, averaging 61.7 FPS, which is just above the threshold and provides a playable experience. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so there is no recommended setting; the best recorded average is 56.6 FPS on Low, which still does not meet the playability standard.