Rust

Rust places heavy demands on both processor and graphics hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a clear, resolution-dependent performance profile. The recorded data shows that this system can handle the game comfortably up to 1440p with the right settings, and even reaches a playable state at 4K, but only after significant visual compromises. The following sections break down the measured FPS, the balance of workload between the CPU and GPU, and how this pairing compares to other tested configurations in the database.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 63.5 FPS. The step up to Medium drops the average to 40.0 FPS, which fails the 60 FPS threshold. High yields 37.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28.5 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is only viable with the Low preset; any increase in visual fidelity results in a substantial average frame rate penalty.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the best preset that maintains 60 FPS is High, with an average of 61.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that clears the playable threshold. Medium averages 72.4 FPS, while Low runs at 101.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops the average to 45.1 FPS, making it unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), all four tested presets exceed 60 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 65.1 FPS. High runs at 87.7 FPS, Medium at 102.7 FPS, and Low at 151.6 FPS. The 1080p results show no playability concerns at any setting level, with the Ultra preset still providing a comfortable margin above the threshold.

The overall pattern shows that as resolution increases, the preset selection must decrease to maintain 60 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra is the best choice. At 1440p, High is the ceiling. At 4K, only Low works. The average FPS gaps between presets grow with resolution, indicating that the graphics card becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets reveals which component carries the load. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 151.6 FPS versus 65.1 FPS, a 2.3x reduction. At 1440p, the same preset comparison shows 101.7 versus 45.1, a 2.25x reduction. At 4K, Low averages 63.5 FPS while Ultra averages 28.5 FPS, a 2.2x reduction. The consistency of this ratio across resolutions suggests that the GPU is the primary performance driver for Rust, as the relative cost of higher presets does not change significantly with resolution.

The CPU does matter, but the data indicates its role is secondary. The Intel Core i5-12400 has a passmark single-thread score of 3456 and a multithread score of 18747, with a percentile rank of 72 among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7643 with a delta of 0.1% and the Intel Core i7-1355U with a delta of 0.3%, show that the processor is competitive. For Rust, which is known to be sensitive to single-core performance, the single-thread score suggests adequate headroom. However, the frame rate differences between resolutions at the same preset, for example 151.6 FPS at 1080p Low versus 63.5 FPS at 4K Low, are driven by the pixel workload, not by the CPU.

At lower resolutions, the CPU may become more relevant. The jump from 1080p to 1440p at Low preset drops the average from 151.6 to 101.7 FPS, which is a 33% decline. At 1440p to 4K Low, the drop is from 101.7 to 63.5 FPS, a 38% decline. These decreases are not equal, but they are through the GPU's ability to fill pixels. The CPU has no resolution-dependent load; it processes game logic and draw calls regardless of output size. Since Rust is known for heavy physics and server-side simulation, the CPU will hold at a base level, but the GPU is the part that scales with resolution and settings, as shown by the 2.2x to 2.3x penalties for Ultra versus Low across all three resolutions.

The GPU's specifications in the pack include 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is sufficient for the tested settings. Its passmark G3D score of 18169 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The contrast between the CPU's 72nd percentile and the GPU's 65th percentile suggests that the GPU is the weaker link, which aligns with the frame rate scaling. The CPU will not prevent the GPU from reaching its limits in Rust, but the GPU's performance at higher resolutions is the limiting factor.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400 in the database provide context for the CPU's behavior in this combo. The AMD EPYC 7643 has an average score of 18697, which is 0.1% below the i5-12400's 18683, so they are nearly identical in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core i7-1355U, with a score of 18730, is 0.3% above the i5-12400, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 is 0.7% above at 18811. The Intel Core i3-14100F is 0.9% below at 18519. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning that swapping the CPU for any of these options would yield very similar frame rates in Rust, assuming the GPU remains the same. The i3-14100F, in particular, would behave almost identically, as it is only 0.9% slower.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, the closest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M with a score of 20480 (1.0% above the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (1.2% above), the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (1.3% above), and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (1.5% above). These differences are small, so a system with any of these GPUs would produce FPS within a few points of the recorded values. For example, at 1080p Medium, the RTX 2070 SUPER averages 102.7 FPS; the RTX 3070 Mobile would be around 1.2% higher, roughly 103.9 FPS, which is within the margin of measurement variance. The practical conclusion is that swapping the GPU for any of these alternatives would keep the playability thresholds the same: 1080p Ultra would still be above 60 FPS, 1440p High would remain playable, and 4K would only offer Low as a viable preset.

The pairing of the i5-12400 with the RTX 2070 SUPER is balanced, and these alternatives also maintain that balance. The CPU's rivals are all within 0.9% performance, and the GPU's rivals are within 1.5%, so the overall system behavior stays consistent. No alternative would push the system past a meaningful threshold, such as making 1440p Ultra playable or 4K Medium playable, as those would require significantly higher GPU performance than any of the listed rivals offer.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, but the playable experience depends on the target resolution. According to the verdict by resolution in the record, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p for all settings: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The best setting at 1080p is Ultra with an average of 65.1 FPS, which exceeds the playable threshold by 5.1 FPS, providing a smooth experience with maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable, but only up to the High preset. The best setting is High, with an average of 61.8 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. Low and Medium also clear the threshold, with 101.7 and 72.4 FPS respectively. Ultra fails, averaging 45.1 FPS. So, at 1440p, the system can run the game with high visual settings, but not with the absolute highest options.

At 3840x2160, the system only achieves playability at Low settings, with an average of 63.5 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below, with averages of 40.0, 37.2, and 28.5 FPS. The conclusion is that the system is suited for 1080p gaming with maxed settings, capable of 1440p High, and only barely playable at 4K with low visual quality. The Ultra preset at 4K is the least playable, with an average of 28.5 FPS, which is not suitable for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-12400 and RTX 2070 SUPER handle Rust at 4K with high settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 37.2, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves an average of 63.5 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p that stays above 60 FPS?

A: The High preset is the most demanding setting that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 61.8 FPS. Medium and Low also clear the threshold, with 72.4 and 101.7 FPS, but Ultra does not, averaging only 45.5 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in terms of performance?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, scores 18697, which is a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i7-1355U and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 are 0.3% and 0.7% higher, respectively, while the Intel Core i3-14100F is 0.9% lower. All are within 1% of each other.

Q5: What GPU alternatives are closest to the RTX 2070 SUPER in performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% higher, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% higher, the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% higher, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 1.0% lower. All have average scores between 20480 and 20582, compared to the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282.

Q6: Does the system struggle with any resolution and preset combination?

A: Yes, the 4K High, Medium, and Ultra presets all fail the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 37.2, 40.0, and 28.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra is also below threshold, averaging 45.5 FPS.

Q6: What is the playability threshold and how does the system meet it at 1080p?

A: The playable threshold is 60 FPS. At 1080p, all four presets exceed it: Low at 151.6, Medium at 102.7, High at 87.7, and Ultra at 65.1 FPS. The Ultra preset is the best setting that remains above the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2139 out of 3723 tested combinations in the database for Rust. This places it in the upper half of all combos, specifically at the 57.5th percentile, meaning it also outperforms 42.5% of the tested systems. This rank reflects the system's ability to run Rust at playable frame rates across a variety of resolutions and settings, but it does not place it at the top tier. The ranking suggests that there are many other hardware combinations that perform better, likely with more powerful GPUs, but this setup is still competitive for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Rust. The rank is based on the measured FPS data, and the combination's performance at 1080p Ultra (65.1 FPS) and 1440p High (61.8 FPS) shows that it is well-suited for mainstream gaming, though 4K is limited to low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured average FPS values is as follows:

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 63.5 FPS
• Medium: 40.0 FPS
• High: 37.2 FPS
• Ultra: 28.5 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 101.7 FPS
• Medium: 72.4 FPS
• High: 61.8 FPS
• Ultra: 45.5 FPS

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 151.6 FPS
• Medium: 102.7 FPS
• High: 87.7 FPS
• Ultra: 65.1 FPS

The data shows a monotonic decrease in FPS as settings increase from Low to Ultra at each resolution. The largest absolute gap is at 1080p, between Low (151.6) and Ultra (65.1), which is 86.5 FPS. The smallest absolute gap is at 4K, between High (37.2) and Ultra (28.5), which is 8.7 FPS. At 1440p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 56.2 FPS. The relative reduction from Low to Ultra is similar across resolutions: 57% at 1080p, 55% at 1440p, and 55% at 4K. This consistency indicates that the GPU's performance scaling with settings is uniform, regardless of pixel count. The only exception is that at 4K, the Low preset is notable as the only setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold, while at 1440p, High is the only one that just barely clears it. The data also shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER with 8 GB of memory can handle the game's volatile environment without significant frame rate collapses, as the minimum FPS were not recorded in the data, but the averages are consistent with the hardware's capabilities.

The system is clearly most comfortable at 1080p, where it can maximize the quality, and it becomes less capable as resolution increases. For users prioritizing high frame rates and visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra is the recommended setting. For 1440p, High gives a near-60 FPS experience, but the 60 FPS threshold is narrowly crossed. The 4K experience is only playable on Low, which may not be acceptable for those seeking a quality experience. The data does not include min or max FPS, so the frame pacing and potential stutters are not covered, but the averages provide a solid basis for gameplay expectations. The combination is a balanced mid-range system that excels at 1080p and delivers acceptable performance at 1440p, with 4K as a compromise.