Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an extreme pairing for Rust, blending a mid-range 12th Gen six-core processor with the flagship Ada Lovelace GPU. Benchmark results show this combination delivers very high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the primary bottleneck shifting between CPU and GPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-12400F sits in a tight performance cluster based on average benchmark scores. Its average score of 19039 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which scores 19047, a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 3 201E is also effectively tied at 19056, just 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982, which is 0.3% lower, while the AMD EPYC 7773X also achieves 18979, again 0.3% lower. In practical terms for Rust, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance, meaning the choice between them would not meaningfully alter frame rates in scenarios where the processor is the limiting factor.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347 places it slightly above the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326 with a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% lower at 60140, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is actually 2.5% higher at 61896. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails by 2.9% at 58657. These rival GPUs would produce comparable GPU-bound performance in Rust, though the RTX 4090's specific architecture and driver optimizations may yield slightly different results in this particular title.

The percentile rankings reinforce this picture: the i5-12400F sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4090 is in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. This means the GPU is relatively stronger within its own market segment than the CPU is within its segment, which is relevant when considering where performance limits will appear in Rust.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 60 frames per second on a 4K display?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 resolution, the combo achieves an average of 73 FPS on High settings, 87 FPS on Medium, and 129 FPS on Low. All three of these presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold. Only the Ultra preset falls short, averaging 56 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality setting that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, all four tested presets exceed 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 94 FPS, which is the most demanding setting that stays above the threshold. High averages 124 FPS, Medium 147 FPS, and Low 181 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in overall benchmark performance?

A: The RTX 4090's average score of 60347 is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, 0.3% higher for the 4090). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 2.5% higher at 61896, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 2.9% lower at 58657.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 205 FPS while Ultra averages 137 FPS. This represents a 68 FPS drop when moving from the least demanding to the most demanding preset. Medium sits between at 176 FPS, and High averages 166 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance in Rust at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The frame rate scales strongly with graphics settings: Low produces 129 FPS, Medium 87 FPS, and High 73 FPS. This large drop as settings increase indicates the GPU is doing the heavy lifting. At lower resolutions, the CPU becomes relatively more important, as shown by the smaller gaps between settings at 1080p.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in Rust?

A: The only min FPS values recorded are for Medium settings: 74 FPS at 3840x2160, 125 FPS at 2560x1440, and 149 FPS at 1920x1080. For other settings, min FPS data is not available, but the average FPS for all playable presets remains above 60.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 205 FPS. Medium increases the visual quality while still averaging 176 FPS, with a recorded range of 149 FPS minimum to 202 FPS maximum. High settings drop to 166 FPS average. Ultra remains very smooth at 137 FPS average. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 68 FPS, showing that even the most demanding preset leaves substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 181 FPS. Medium averages 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. High averages 124 FPS. Ultra still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 94 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling has a moderate impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the strain. Low averages 129 FPS, still very high. Medium averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. High averages 73 FPS. Ultra drops to 56 FPS, which is the only preset across all resolutions that fails to reach the 60 FPS playable threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 73 FPS, and the Ultra preset's 56 FPS average indicates that this is the boundary of what this combo can handle at maximum settings in 4K.

It is worth remembering the data shows no min or max FPS entries for Low, High, or Ultra presets, only for Medium. This limits the analysis of frame time consistency for those settings, but the average values are sufficient to establish playability.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust with high confidence at all three tested resolutions, with one caveat. At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS: Ultra averages 137 FPS, High 166 FPS, Medium 176 FPS, and Low 205 FPS. The recommended best settings at 1080p are Ultra, which delivers 137 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear 60 FPS. Ultra averages 94 FPS, High 124 FPS, Medium 147 FPS, and Low 181 FPS. The best settings at 1440p are Ultra at 94 FPS.

At 3840x2160, three of the four presets clear 60 FPS. High averages 73 FPS, Medium 87 FPS, and Low 129 FPS. The Ultra preset fails to reach the threshold, averaging only 56 FPS. The verdict for 4K is that High settings are the best playable option, delivering 73 FPS. For users who insist on Ultra at 4K, the 56 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold, though it remains close enough that minor adjustments or future driver updates could bridge the gap.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 137 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, so users could also enable additional in-game effects or higher rendering scales if desired, though such options were not part of the tested configuration.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 94 FPS. This is 34 FPS above the threshold, providing a comfortable margin for demanding scenes or multiplayer interactions. The 94 FPS average is well within the range of high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, averaging 73 FPS. This is 13 FPS above the threshold, which is adequate but leaves less margin for heavy load scenarios. Medium is a safer alternative at 87 FPS if users prefer more headroom, while Low reaches 129 FPS for maximum smoothness. Ultra at 56 FPS is not recommended as the primary setting due to falling below the playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 206th out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the top 5.5% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the high frame rates observed across most settings and resolutions. The ranking reflects that while the i5-12400F is not a top-tier processor by percentile (73rd among all CPUs), the RTX 4090's strength (88th percentile among GPUs) compensates in a game like Rust where GPU load is significant at higher resolutions.

The rank of 206 indicates that there are 205 other combos that achieve better overall performance in Rust, likely featuring higher-end CPUs such as flagship Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts paired with the RTX 4090 or equivalent GPUs. However, for the vast majority of the 3723 combos tested, this setup outperforms them. The data suggests that the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing, and users seeking to improve this combo's rank would benefit most from upgrading the processor.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i5-12400F and RTX 4090 in Rust becomes clear when examining the scaling across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate drops from 129 FPS at Low to 87 FPS at Medium, then to 73 FPS at High, and finally to 56 FPS at Ultra. This is a 56% reduction from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU's shading, texture, and memory throughput are being taxed heavily as settings increase. The i5-12400F's 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost clock is sufficient to keep feeding the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that even the fastest preset (Low at 129 FPS) does not show CPU limitation.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The frame rate ranges from 181 FPS at Low to 94 FPS at Ultra, a 48% reduction. The smaller reduction compared to 4K suggests that the CPU is becoming relatively more involved, but the GPU still handles the majority of the performance scaling. The 147 FPS at Medium with a 125 FPS minimum shows that frame pacing remains stable even with the increased resolution.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes most apparent. The frame rate only drops from 205 FPS at Low to 137 FPS at Ultra, a 33% reduction. This is the smallest percentage drop across all resolutions, indicating that at 1080p, the i5-12400F's single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 3481) and multi-thread capability (PassMark multi-thread score of 19433) are starting to cap the maximum achievable frame rates. The 205 FPS at Low is likely near the CPU's practical limit for Rust's game logic and draw call processing, even with the RTX 4090's immense GPU power available.

Overall, the data indicates that for 1080p gaming, the i5-12400F is the limiting factor in this pairing, preventing the RTX 4090 from reaching its full potential. At 1440p, the balance is more even, with both components contributing to performance. At 4K, the RTX 4090 becomes the clear bottleneck, and the CPU has ample headroom. This means that users targeting 1080p with this combo would see minimal gains from a GPU upgrade, while those at 4K would benefit more from a faster GPU than a faster CPU.