Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a high-performance combination for running Rust, a 2018 survival title that demands both strong CPU throughput and substantial GPU headroom. Benchmark data indicates this pairing is capable of delivering playable frame rates at all tested resolutions, with the most demanding settings at 1080p and 1440p still clearing the 60 FPS threshold with significant margin. The measured performance profile shows a clear scaling pattern where GPU load increases with resolution, while the six-core, twelve-thread Alder Lake processor provides a robust foundation for the game's simulation and physics workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 64 FPS, making it the most demanding playable setting. The Ultra preset falls short with an average of 46.3 FPS, while Low and Medium average 105.1 and 70.2 FPS respectively.

Q: Can this system run Rust at Ultra settings on a 1440p monitor?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 78.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—remain playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its closest competitor, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047, representing a negligible 0% delta. The Intel Core 3 201E trails slightly at 19056 with a -0.1% delta.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44795. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, has a score of 45152, showing a -0.8% delta, indicating the desktop card holds a slight edge.

Q: Which component is more critical for performance at 1080p versus 4K?

A: The data shows a shift in bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking is more likely to limit frame rates, especially at Ultra settings where the GPU has ample headroom. At 3840x2160, the GPU's 84th percentile ranking becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate dropping from 116.7 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 46.3 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the measured frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 182.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 78.6 FPS. This represents a 104 FPS drop, or roughly a 57% reduction in frame rate when transitioning from the least to most demanding settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets reveals a distinct division of labor between the Intel Core i5-12400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. At 1920x1080, the system shows strong CPU-bound characteristics. The Low preset achieves 205.6 FPS, which rises to only 178.1 FPS at Medium and 147.8 FPS at High. The jump to Ultra drops the average to 116.7 FPS. This relatively modest spread—from 205.6 to 116.7 FPS—suggests that at 1080p, the processor's six cores and 12 threads are handling the game's simulation logic, while the GPU has sufficient bandwidth and shading power to keep up with most draw calls.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role. The Low preset delivers 182.6 FPS, which is only a 23 FPS reduction from 1080p Low, indicating the CPU is still a major factor. However, at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops to 78.6 FPS, a 38.1 FPS reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure. This widening gap at higher presets demonstrates that the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as pixel count and texture detail increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unambiguously the primary constraint. The Ultra preset falls to 46.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset manages 64 FPS, while Medium and Low achieve 70.2 and 105.1 FPS respectively. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra—from 78.6 to 46.3 FPS—represents a 41% performance loss, which is consistent with the GPU's 192-bit memory bus and 208.8 GPixel/s pixel rate being saturated. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K because the frame rate is limited by the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput, not by the processor's 3dmark single-thread score of 909 or its Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 12380.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the best settings that keep the system at or above 60 FPS is the High preset, which produces an average of 64 FPS. This is the ceiling at 4K; the Ultra preset falls to 46.3 FPS, which is unplayable. The Medium preset at 70.2 FPS offers a small buffer above High but with lower visual quality. The Low preset at 105.1 FPS is the fastest option but sacrifices most graphical features.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 78.6 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that remains above the 60 FPS threshold, and it provides a comfortable margin for dips. The High preset at 103.8 FPS and Medium at 120.9 FPS are also viable, but Ultra offers the full visual experience without compromising playability.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best setting, achieving an average of 116.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target, leaving substantial headroom for intensive scenes or multiplayer raids with many players. The High preset at 147.8 FPS and Medium at 178.1 FPS are also excellent, but Ultra is recommended since the frame rate remains high and the visual upgrade is significant.

The Verdict

This combination of an Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti can run Rust at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest performer being Ultra at 116.7 FPS. The verdict for 2560x1440 is equally positive: all four presets are playable, with Ultra at 78.6 FPS serving as the best option. At 3840x2160, the system remains capable, but with caveats: High, Medium, and Low are playable, with High at 64 FPS being the most demanding playable preset. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 46.3 FPS, is not playable. Overall, the data indicates that this system is well-suited for Rust at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, and can handle 4K with reduced but still high-quality settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, offer comparable compute performance for Rust's CPU-bound aspects. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS has an average score of 19047, essentially identical to the i5-12400F's 19039, with a 0% delta. This suggests that a system using the 7535HS would deliver nearly identical frame rates in CPU-limited scenarios, such as low-resolution gameplay or moments with many connected players. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 with a -0.1% delta, also matching the i5-12400F's performance. The Intel Core i5-1335U and AMD EPYC 7773X are also close, with deltas of 0.3% in either direction, meaning any of these processors would behave similarly in Rust, assuming the GPU remains the same.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 Ti's nearest rivals show a tighter cluster of performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile has an average score of 45152, which is -0.8% lower than the RTX 4070 Ti's 44795, indicating nearly identical rasterization performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45384, 1.3% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX A6000 at 44075 is 1.6% lower. The Intel Arc A730M at 45592 is 1.7% higher. These deltas are small enough that a system with any of these GPUs paired with the i5-12400F would produce very similar frame rates in Rust, with differences of only a few FPS at most in GPU-bound scenarios like 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 491st out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the top 13.2% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range processor paired with a high-end graphics card. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-12400F's 73rd percentile CPU score and the RTX 4070 Ti's 84th percentile GPU score. The combination's position suggests that while the CPU is not the fastest available, the GPU's raw performance compensates in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions where the graphics card dominates. The measured data confirms this ranking is justified: the system achieves over 100 FPS at 1080p on all presets except Ultra, and remains playable at 4K with High settings. This rank also indicates that there are 491 other configurations that outperform this one in Rust, likely featuring faster CPUs or more powerful GPUs, but the margin is not enormous given the playable frame rates at all but the most demanding 4K preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 205.6 FPS, making it the fastest configuration. The Medium preset follows at 178.1 FPS, which is a 27.5 FPS reduction from Low. The High preset achieves 147.8 FPS, representing another 30.3 FPS drop. The Ultra preset is the slowest at 1080p, with an average of 116.7 FPS. This is still more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold, providing excellent headroom.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear decline due to increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 182.6 FPS, which is only 23 FPS lower than the 1080p Low figure. The Medium preset averages 120.9 FPS, a 57.2 FPS drop from Low. The High preset achieves 103.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 78.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p—from 182.6 to 78.6 FPS—shows a 104 FPS range, indicating that the GPU is becoming more involved in performance limits.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance drops significantly, particularly at higher presets. The Low preset averages 105.1 FPS, which is still playable and only 77.5 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 70.2 FPS, a 34.9 FPS reduction from Low. The High preset achieves 64 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 46.3 FPS, which falls below the playable standard. The spread at 4K—from 105.1 to 46.3 FPS—demonstrates that the RTX 4070 Ti's capabilities are stretched at this resolution, with only Low and Medium providing comfortable margins above 60 FPS.