Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a formidable combination for playing Rust, a survival game released in 2018. Benchmark data shows this system ranks 339th out of 3,723 tested CPU-GPU combos for this title, placing it in the top percentile of systems capable of running the game. Across all tested resolutions and presets, the system consistently delivers playable frame rates, with the RTX 4080's raw horsepower handling the graphical load while the i5-12400's six P-cores and twelve threads provide sufficient processing headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for this system in Rust?

A: At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest playable preset at Ultra settings with an average of 124 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also remain playable at 85 FPS average, while at 3840x2160, the highest playable preset is High at 66 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18,683, placing it within 0.9% of the Intel Core i3-14100F (18,519), within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730), and within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811). The closest rival is the AMD EPYC 7643 at 18,697, which is only 0.1% faster.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and closest rival?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (0.1% slower), followed by the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (1.1% faster).

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

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the system averages 66 FPS on High settings, 79 FPS on Medium, and 117 FPS on Low. However, Ultra settings drop below the 60 FPS threshold at 50 FPS average.

Q: What are the key specifications of the CPU?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 10 nm Alder Lake-S desktop processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, base clock of 2.50 GHz, boost clock of 4.40 GHz, 18 MB shared L3 cache, and a 65 W TDP. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory and was released in January 2022 with a launch MSRP of $199.

Q: What are the key specifications of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture with 9,728 shading units, 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. It has a 320 W TDP and was released in September 2022 with a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components, users considering this exact CPU-GPU pairing have several comparable options. The Intel Core i5-12400's synthetic benchmark average of 18,683 places it in a tight cluster with the AMD EPYC 7643 (18,697, 0.1% faster), the Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730, 0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811, 0.7% faster), and the Intel Core i3-14100F (18,519, 0.9% slower). In practical terms, these processors would deliver nearly indistinguishable performance in Rust, since the game's frame rates are predominantly GPU-limited at most settings.

On the graphics side, the RTX 4080's average score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, 0.1% slower), making the SUPER variant an effectively equivalent choice for this game. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, 1.1% faster) and AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, 2.6% faster) also fall within a narrow performance band, though the RX 6750 GRE's higher score suggests it may offer slightly better raw throughput in some workloads. The AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, 2.7% faster) rounds out the immediate competitive set.

For a system builder targeting Rust specifically, swapping the i5-12400 for the i3-14100F would yield a negligible 0.9% drop in CPU benchmark score while potentially altering platform costs. Conversely, upgrading to the RTX 4080 SUPER would provide a marginal 0.1% improvement in GPU benchmarks, which would not meaningfully change the measured FPS figures presented here. The data indicates that this combination sits in a well-populated performance tier where small benchmark deltas translate to imperceptible differences in actual gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results across resolutions reveal a clear pattern of GPU dominance in Rust, with the CPU playing a supporting role that becomes more relevant at lower resolutions. At 3840x2160, the system averages 66 FPS on High settings, 79 FPS on Medium, and 117 FPS on Low. The scaling from Low to High at 4K represents a 44% drop in average FPS (from 117 to 66), demonstrating that the RTX 4080's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at this resolution. The i5-12400's 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent frame delivery across all presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system averages 179 FPS on Low, 133 FPS on Medium, 112 FPS on High, and 85 FPS on Ultra. The 47% reduction from Low to Ultra (179 to 85 FPS) again points to GPU-bound performance, but the absolute frame rates are significantly higher than at 4K, suggesting the GPU has more headroom to exploit at this resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates climb further to 203 FPS on Low, 174 FPS on Medium, 163 FPS on High, and 124 FPS on Ultra. The 39% drop from Low to Ultra (203 to 124 FPS) is the smallest relative penalty across the three resolutions, indicating that at 1080p, the CPU begins to exert more influence on maximum frame delivery.

The data shows that the RTX 4080 is the dominant component at 4K and 1440p, where its pixel throughput and memory bandwidth (716.8 GB/s) are the limiting factors. At 1080p, however, the i5-12400's single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 910, Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,257) becomes more relevant, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls at lower resolutions. This is typical behavior for survival games like Rust, where world simulation and entity updates place demands on the processor that scale with player count and base complexity rather than resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust with playable performance at all three tested resolutions, provided the user selects appropriate presets. At 3840x2160, the verdict data identifies High, Low, and Medium as playable settings, with High being the best at 66 FPS average, just above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra at 4K falls short at 50 FPS and should be avoided for smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with Ultra delivering a robust 85 FPS average. At 1920x1080, the same is true: every preset clears 60 FPS, and Ultra runs at 124 FPS average, making 1080p the resolution where users can max out settings without compromise.

The system's overall rank of 339 out of 3,723 combos in Rust places it in the upper echelon of tested hardware, though it is worth remembering the GPU's 86th percentile ranking is stronger than the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking, reinforcing the notion that the RTX 4080 is the primary driver of playability. For users with high-refresh monitors, the 1440p Ultra figure of 85 FPS and the 1080p High figure of 163 FPS indicate that this system can leverage display refresh rates above 60 Hz at lower resolutions. At 4K, the best playable preset of High at 66 FPS offers a console-like experience with room to spare for occasional dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear hierarchy across presets. Low settings produce an average of 117 FPS with no min or max recorded. Medium settings yield an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, indicating stable frame delivery with no dips below the playable threshold. High settings average 66 FPS, while Ultra drops to 50 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS playability benchmark. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is 13 FPS (79 to 66), while the gap from High to Ultra is 16 FPS (66 to 50), showing that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale upward substantially. Low settings average 179 FPS, Medium averages 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS and maximum of 153 FPS, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 85 FPS. The frame ranges at Medium indicate a 40 FPS spread between min and max, which is typical for a survival game with variable scene complexity. The step from Medium to High costs 21 FPS (133 to 112), while the step from High to Ultra costs 27 FPS (112 to 85), demonstrating that the highest preset has a disproportionately large performance impact.

At 1920x1080, the system reaches its peak performance. Low settings deliver 203 FPS average, Medium averages 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 FPS and maximum of 201 FPS, High averages 163 FPS, and Ultra averages 124 FPS. The Medium preset's 53 FPS range (148 to 201) shows that even at 1080p, frame times can vary significantly based on in-game events. The performance deltas between presets are 29 FPS from Low to Medium (203 to 174), 11 FPS from Medium to High (174 to 163), and 39 FPS from High to Ultra (163 to 124), making Ultra the most demanding step at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, which delivers an average of 66 FPS. While Medium also clears the threshold at 79 FPS, High offers superior visual quality while still staying above the playable limit. Ultra at 4K is not viable, as its 50 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS requirement.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, which averages 85 FPS. This resolution provides the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance, as all four presets—Low at 179 FPS, Medium at 133 FPS, High at 112 FPS, and Ultra at 85 FPS—comfortably exceed the 60 FPS threshold. Users seeking the highest frame rates can select Low for 179 FPS, but Ultra at 85 FPS is the recommended choice for a fully featured visual experience.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the best settings choice, delivering an average of 124 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system can run the game at its highest preset while maintaining more than double the 60 FPS threshold. The 1080p Ultra figure of 124 FPS is 39 FPS higher than the 1440p Ultra figure of 85 FPS, and 74 FPS higher than the 4K High figure of 66 FPS, making 1080p the clear choice for users who prioritize maximum quality and frame rate simultaneously. For competitive play, Low at 203 FPS offers the highest possible frame delivery, though the visual trade-off is substantial.