Rust

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 presents a striking imbalance in Rust: a mid-range 6-core processor from 2021 driving the current flagship GPU. The recorded data shows this combination delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, but the scaling patterns reveal where each component's influence dominates. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 60.6 FPS, just clearing the playable threshold, while at 1080p Low it reaches 176.6 FPS. The bottleneck shifts decisively between resolutions, making this a case study in how a high-end GPU can compensate for a modest CPU in a CPU-sensitive survival title.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The recorded average is 130.6 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes 1080p Ultra the most demanding preset that still runs comfortably above the target.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, but barely. The average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 60.6, which is just 0.6 FPS above the playable threshold. It is technically playable, but with almost no headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How much performance drops when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average is 141.7 FPS. At 3840x2160 High, it drops to 74.8 FPS. That is a 47% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU load increase at higher resolutions.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the gap is 60.9 FPS: 157.1 FPS on Low versus 96.2 FPS on Ultra. This is the largest absolute difference between the two settings across any resolution.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F sits at the 71st percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 71% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, scores nearly identically with a delta of only 0.3%.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's performance percentile higher than the CPU's?

A: Yes, significantly. The RTX 5090 ranks at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 71st. The GPU's average benchmark score of 79,842 is far above the CPU's 17,177, reflecting the generational gap between the two components.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a proportionally larger role because the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it. This is visible in the scaling from Low to Ultra: 176.6 FPS at Low drops to 130.6 FPS at Ultra, a 26% reduction. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14,340, become the limiting factor in less demanding settings where frame rates exceed 150 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility. The average FPS at Low is 157.1, at Medium 131.9, and at High 126.7. The drop from Low to Medium is 25.2 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is only 5.2 FPS. This suggests the GPU is now handling the increased pixel count, but the CPU still maintains enough throughput to keep frame rates high. The Ultra setting at 1440p yields 96.2 FPS, which is still well above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are pushed hard, and the average FPS drops to 131.6 on Low, 90.6 on Medium, 74.8 on High, and 60.6 on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 54% reduction, far steeper than at 1080p. The CPU's influence wanes because the GPU cannot produce frames fast enough to expose the processor's limits. The 4K results show the RTX 5090 working near its capacity, while the i5-11400F has spare headroom.

The pattern is consistent: at 1080p, the i5-11400F's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 868) and multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 14,340) set the ceiling. At 4K, the RTX 5090's raw throughput (FP32 of 104.8 TFLOPS) determines the outcome. The 1440p results sit in the middle, with both components contributing meaningfully.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 130.6 FPS. This is not a close call; the system has more than double the required performance. Even High at 141.7 FPS and Medium at 153 FPS are far above the threshold, but Ultra provides the best visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 96.2 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS, leaving room for frame drops in busy scenes. The drop from High (126.7 FPS) to Ultra (96.2 FPS) is 30.5 FPS, but the final result remains solidly playable.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, but only marginally. The average is 60.6 FPS, which is just 0.6 FPS above the playable threshold. This means Ultra is technically the most demanding playable preset, but it carries risk: any demanding in-game event could push the frame rate below 60. High at 74.8 FPS offers more headroom, while Medium at 90.6 FPS is safer still. The data shows Ultra is playable, but the margin is thin.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within 0.6% of the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17,177. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17,120, a delta of 0.3%, meaning it would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17,239, a delta of -0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17,278, a delta of -0.6%. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17,074, a delta of 0.6%. Any of these processors would produce similar frame rates in Rust when paired with the same GPU, especially at 1080p where the CPU is more influential.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 is matched by several data center and mobile parts. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a delta of 0.3%, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, a delta of 0.6%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, a delta of 1.1%, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, a delta of -1.4%. In Rust, these GPUs would deliver similar frame rates at 4K, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Tesla P100 parts lack the RTX 5090's modern feature set, but their raw compute is close.

The pairing of a 71st percentile CPU with a 92nd percentile GPU means the system's overall behavior mirrors that of a high-end GPU with a mid-range processor. Users considering alternatives should look at CPUs near the i5-11400F's score and GPUs near the RTX 5090's score for comparable results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded averages are as follows: Low 176.6 FPS, Medium 153 FPS, High 141.7 FPS, and Ultra 130.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra is smooth, with each step reducing performance by roughly 10 to 20 FPS. The largest single drop is from Low to Medium at 23.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are Low 157.1 FPS, Medium 131.9 FPS, High 126.7 FPS, and Ultra 96.2 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is small at 5.2 FPS, but the drop from High to Ultra is substantial at 30.5 FPS. This suggests the Ultra preset introduces a significant GPU workload increase at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are Low 131.6 FPS, Medium 90.6 FPS, High 74.8 FPS, and Ultra 60.6 FPS. Every step down in settings yields a meaningful performance gain: 41 FPS from Ultra to High, 15.8 FPS from High to Medium, and 41 FPS from Medium to Low. The 4K results show the most dramatic scaling, with the GPU clearly running near its limits at Ultra.

The minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded in the data, so only average values are available for analysis. The absence of min/max values means the consistency of frame pacing cannot be assessed from this dataset.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, and it does so across every resolution and setting combination tested. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS with massive margins: the lowest average is 130.6 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra averaging 96.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, all presets also clear 60 FPS, but the Ultra setting is borderline at 60.6 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at Ultra with substantial headroom. 4K is playable at Ultra, but the margin is only 0.6 FPS, making it a risky choice for competitive play or scenes with many players and structures. For 4K, High at 74.8 FPS or Medium at 90.6 FPS would be more stable choices. The system does not fail the 60 FPS threshold at any tested configuration, but the 4K Ultra result is the only one that approaches the limit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 376th out of 3,723 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the top 10% of all configurations in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's dominance: the RTX 5090 at the 92nd percentile pulls the overall score upward, while the i5-11400F at the 71st percentile holds it back from the very top.

In practical terms, this rank means the system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware in Rust, but it is not among the elite configurations. Combos with higher-ranked CPUs, such as recent flagship processors, would likely achieve higher frame rates at 1080p where CPU speed matters more. At 4K, the ranking would be closer to the GPU's potential, as the RTX 5090's performance becomes the deciding factor. The 376th rank out of 3,723 is a strong result, driven almost entirely by the GPU's raw capability, with the CPU providing adequate but not exceptional support.