Rust

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a wide spread of performance across Rust’s four settings presets and three resolutions. The recorded data shows a clear pattern: the combo is fully playable at 1080p on every preset, comfortably playable at 1440p up to Medium, and only viable at 4K on Low settings. The average frame rates range from a low of 27 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 149 FPS at 1080p Low, with the most demanding preset at each resolution producing the largest performance drop.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the dataset includes values for all four presets. Low settings produce an average of 149 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combo in any configuration. Medium settings drop to an average of 102 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High settings yield an average of 86 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 65 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 84 FPS, which indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial load on the hardware, but the 65 FPS average still clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are lower across the board. Low settings produce 104 FPS, which remains well above the threshold. Medium settings average 70 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, meaning the worst-case frame rate in this configuration exactly meets the 60 FPS line. High settings average 59 FPS, just one frame below the threshold, and Ultra settings average 45 FPS. The step from Medium to High at 1440p costs 11 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs another 14 FPS. The 1440p Medium data is the only entry in the entire set that includes both minimum and maximum values, showing a tight 21 FPS range.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops sharply. Low settings average 62 FPS, barely clearing the threshold. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, which is a 13 FPS spread. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average 27 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 21 FPS, the largest single-preset jump across any resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is less than half the 1080p Ultra result of 65 FPS, showing a severe resolution scaling penalty at the highest settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 65 FPS. This is the only resolution where the highest preset is playable. The data shows that High at 1080p averages 86 FPS, but Ultra is still within the playable range, so the recommendation is to use Ultra for maximum visual quality.

For 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, with an average of 70 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. High at 1440p averages 59 FPS, which is one frame below the threshold, so it fails the playability criterion. The choice at 1440p is therefore between Low at 104 FPS and Medium at 70 FPS; the 34 FPS difference between them is significant, but Medium still offers a comfortable margin above the minimum requirement.

For 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, with an average of 62 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 41 FPS, which is a 21 FPS drop from Low, and it falls well short of the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data confirms that Low is the best settings choice at 4K, as no other preset comes close to playability.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, likely plays a more significant role in keeping the average above 100 FPS on Low and Medium. The jump from 1080p Low at 149 FPS to 1080p Ultra at 65 FPS is a 56% reduction, which is primarily driven by the GPU handling more complex shading and texture work.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at each preset drops by roughly 30%: Low goes from 149 to 104, Medium from 102 to 70, High from 86 to 59, and Ultra from 65 to 45. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as the pixel count increases. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p, but the rendering load at higher presets pushes the average below the threshold.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The 4K Low average of 62 FPS is only slightly above the threshold, while 4K Medium drops to 41 FPS. The difference between 1440p Medium at 70 FPS and 4K Medium at 41 FPS is 29 FPS, which is a 41% reduction. This large gap indicates that the GPU’s compute resources, specifically the 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, are overwhelmed by the 4K pixel count. The CPU’s performance, as measured by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283, is unlikely to be the bottleneck at 4K, because the frame rates are so low that the GPU is saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2262 out of 3723 tested configurations in the database for Rust. This places it in the upper portion of the distribution, roughly the 39th percentile from the top, but it is not a top-tier pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-10400F’s CPU performance and the RTX 2070 SUPER’s GPU capabilities. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 68, and the GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 65, so both components sit in the upper two-thirds of their respective fields.

The rank of 2262 means that there are 1461 tested combos that perform better in this game. However, the actual playability data shows that this combo can run Rust at 60 FPS or higher in four out of twelve tested configurations, including 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium. The rank does not tell the whole story, because the game’s performance varies so widely by settings and resolution. A higher-ranked combo might only be marginally better at 1080p but significantly better at 4K, where this pairing struggles.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon 6756E, the Intel Core 7 160UL, the AMD EPYC 7552, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. The Xeon 6756E has an average score of 14163, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-10400F’s 14185. The Core 7 160UL scores 14232, which is 0.3% higher. The EPYC 7552 scores 14115, which is 0.5% lower, and the Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, which is 0.6% higher. All four rivals are within 0.6% of the i5-10400F, meaning they would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Rust. The differences are so small that they are unlikely to change the playable settings at any resolution.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, the Intel Arc B570, and the Intel Arc A750. The Quadro M4000M has an average score of 20480, which is 1% lower than the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 20282. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, which is 1.2% higher. The Arc B570 scores 20556, which is 1.3% higher, and the Arc A750 scores 20582, which is 1.5% higher. These deltas are all under 2%, so a system with any of these GPUs paired with the i5-10400F would produce very similar frame rates in Rust. The RTX 3070 Mobile and the Arc cards are slightly faster on average, but the margin is small enough that the same settings recommendations would apply.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 1080p with the highest settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 65, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The recorded data shows that Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

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

A: Medium is the best playable preset at 2560x1440, with an average of 70 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 59 FPS, which is just below the threshold, so it is not recommended.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combo?

A: Only at Low settings. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 62, which clears the threshold. Medium settings at 4K drop to 41 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: How does the i5-10400F compare to the closest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185. The Intel Xeon 6756E is 0.2% lower, the Intel Core 7 160UL is 0.3% higher, the AMD EPYC 7552 is 0.5% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C is 0.6% higher. All are effectively equivalent.

Q: What GPU alternatives are within 2% of the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 1% lower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% higher, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% higher, and the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% higher. These would behave similarly in Rust.

Q: What is the lowest playable frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest playable average is 62 FPS, which occurs at 4K Low settings. The minimum frame rate recorded across all configurations is 35 FPS, which appears at 4K Medium, but that preset is not playable.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, but the playable range is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS on all four presets, with Ultra averaging 65 FPS, High at 86 FPS, Medium at 102 FPS, and Low at 149 FPS. This is the only resolution where the highest quality preset is viable. At 2560x1440, the playable settings are Low at 104 FPS and Medium at 70 FPS; High falls one frame short at 59 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 45 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings work, with an average of 62 FPS, while Medium at 41 FPS, High at 35 FPS, and Ultra at 27 FPS are all far below the threshold.

The recorded data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i5-10400F provides sufficient CPU headroom for the playable configurations. For a player targeting 1080p, this combo offers a smooth experience at maximum settings. For 1440p, Medium is the practical ceiling, and for 4K, Low settings are the only way to stay above 60 FPS. The combo rank of 2262 out of 3723 confirms that this is a mid-to-upper tier pairing, but not one that excels at extreme resolutions. Overall, the verdict is positive for 1080p and acceptable for 1440p, with 4K limited to minimal settings.