Rust

FAQ

Q: What is the playable threshold for this analysis?

A: The database uses a playable threshold of 60 FPS. Any preset averaging at or above this mark is considered playable for the given resolution.

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 74.1 FPS. Medium (50.8 FPS), High (45.2 FPS), and Ultra (33.9 FPS) all fall below the playable mark.

Q: What is the best-looking playable setting at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset is the most demanding setting that stays playable, delivering an average of 69.9 FPS. Low and Medium also clear 60 FPS with 129.8 and 84.3 FPS respectively.

Q: Is Ultra settings possible at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 79.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

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

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1619 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the lowest and highest presets at 1080p?

A: The Low preset averages 174.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 79.9 FPS. That is a difference of 94.6 FPS, or roughly 54% lower performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data for Rust shows a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases, while the CPU's relative importance diminishes. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial: 174.5 FPS versus 79.9 FPS. This 94.6 FPS spread indicates that at lower resolutions, the system has enough headroom for the GPU to respond strongly to settings changes, but the CPU still plays a significant role in maintaining high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same preset sweep shows a narrower spread: Low delivers 129.8 FPS, Medium 84.3 FPS, High 69.9 FPS, and Ultra 52.8 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 77.0 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p but still substantial. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset shows a reduction of roughly 25% to 34% depending on the settings level. For example, High goes from 106.4 FPS to 69.9 FPS, a decline of 36.5 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more burdened as pixel count rises, but the CPU still has enough throughput to keep framerates high at the lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The spread between Low (74.1 FPS) and Ultra (33.9 FPS) is 40.2 FPS, but the absolute numbers are much lower across the board. The High preset averages 45.2 FPS and Medium 50.8 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep: High drops from 69.9 FPS to 45.2 FPS, a 35% reduction. Low drops from 129.8 FPS to 74.1 FPS, a 43% reduction. This pattern indicates that at 4K, the RTX 3070's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors, while the i5-11400F's six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming the primary constraint.

The data across resolutions and presets points to a balanced pairing at 1080p and 1440p, where both CPU and GPU contribute meaningfully to performance. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as evidenced by the steep FPS penalties when raising settings. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024, indicate it has ample compute headroom for Rust's simulation and physics workloads, which are not heavily threaded. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 22214 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3162 reflect its mid-range standing, and the 4K results align with that positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-11400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers the following averages: Low settings produce 174.5 FPS, Medium produces 122.8 FPS, High produces 106.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 79.9 FPS. All four presets exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding setting maintaining a solid margin above the cutoff. The minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded in the database, so only average figures are available for analysis.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 129.8 FPS, Medium at 84.3 FPS, High at 69.9 FPS, and Ultra at 52.8 FPS. The first three presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra falls short by 7.2 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 14.4 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra costs another 17.1 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase. The jump from Low to Medium is larger at 45.5 FPS, indicating that Low is heavily GPU-bound and Medium introduces additional rendering work.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 74.1 FPS, Medium at 50.8 FPS, High at 45.2 FPS, and Ultra at 33.9 FPS. Only Low remains playable, and even that preset has a slim margin of 14.1 FPS above the threshold. Medium and High both fall below 60 FPS, with High only 5.6 FPS ahead of Medium but 11.3 FPS behind Low. Ultra is the least playable option, averaging just over half the required frame rate. The 4K results show that this combo is not suited for high-fidelity gaming at this resolution, as the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity become limiting factors.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always deliver the highest FPS, and Ultra always delivers the lowest. The relative drop from Low to Ultra is steepest at 1080p (94.6 FPS difference) and shallowest at 4K (40.2 FPS difference), but the absolute performance at 4K is far lower. The database does not include min or max FPS values, so frame time consistency cannot be assessed, but the averages provide a clear picture of overall performance.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows that this PC can run Rust, but the playable experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution fully playable with room to spare. The Ultra preset averages 79.9 FPS, which is 19.9 FPS above the minimum playable mark, so users can enjoy the highest visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable for Low, Medium, and High presets. High averages 69.9 FPS, which is 9.9 FPS above the threshold, while Low and Medium deliver 129.8 and 84.3 FPS respectively. Ultra at 52.8 FPS is not playable, falling 7.2 FPS short. Users who prioritize visual fidelity at 1440p should stick to High, as it offers the best balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 74.1 FPS. Medium (50.8 FPS), High (45.2 FPS), and Ultra (33.9 FPS) all fail to reach 60 FPS. This makes 4K gaming possible only with significant graphical compromises. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at any preset, 1440p is playable up to High, and 4K is playable only at Low.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 79.9 FPS. This is the recommended setting for users with 1080p displays who want maximum visual quality, as it remains 19.9 FPS above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High, averaging 69.9 FPS. This preset offers a substantial improvement over Medium (84.3 FPS) in terms of visual detail while still maintaining a 9.9 FPS margin above the 60 FPS cutoff. Ultra at 52.8 FPS is not recommended, as it dips below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, averaging 74.1 FPS. This is the maximum preset that can sustain 60 FPS or higher at 4K. Users with 4K monitors must accept reduced graphical fidelity to maintain smooth gameplay, as even Medium falls 9.2 FPS short of the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1619 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust. This places the pairing in the 43rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 57% of tested systems perform better in this game. The rank reflects that while this combo handles 1080p and 1440p well, it struggles at 4K with higher presets, which drags down its overall standing.

The CPU itself holds a 71st percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. The GPU sits at the 61st percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. The combo rank of 1619 out of 3723 is lower than either component's individual percentile would suggest, indicating that Rust's performance characteristics, particularly its sensitivity to GPU memory and bandwidth at high resolutions, do not fully utilize the strengths of this processor.

The data shows that this combo is a mid-pack performer in Rust. It is not among the top configurations, but it is also far from the bottom. The 1080p results, where all presets exceed 60 FPS, are competitive, while the 4K results are below average for a system with this GPU. Users targeting high-refresh 1080p or solid 1440p gaming will find this combo adequate, but those seeking 4K capability should look at higher-tier GPUs.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD EPYC 7H12, which scores 17120 on average, a 0.3% delta from the i5-11400F's 17177. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, a 0.4% delta. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, a 0.6% delta, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, a 0.6% delta. These processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Rust, meaning the choice among them would have minimal impact on frame rates in this game.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17083 on average, a 0.7% delta from the RTX 3070's 17208. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a 1.0% delta, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a 1.1% delta. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, a 1.5% delta. These GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Rust, with differences of only a few percent. Users considering alternatives to the RTX 3070 could expect near-identical performance from the RX 7600 XT, though the GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older architectures that may lack modern features.

The practical takeaway is that swapping the i5-11400F for any of its nearest rivals would not meaningfully change Rust's playable settings or FPS averages. Similarly, substituting the RTX 3070 with the RX 7600 XT would keep performance within a fraction of a percent. This combo's overall ranking is therefore representative of a cluster of similar-performing hardware, and users with these alternatives should expect a comparable experience across all resolutions and presets.