Rust

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust Rust experience across most common gaming resolutions, with benchmark data showing this combination ranks in the 72nd percentile of tested setups, placing it at position 1060 out of 3723 total combinations. The system comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, though 4K gaming requires a reduction in graphical fidelity to maintain smooth frame rates. Measured performance data reveals this is a well-balanced pairing where the CPU and GPU trade influence depending on resolution and preset level, with the Radeon RX 9070's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory proving particularly relevant for Rust's demanding world streaming and asset loading requirements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 resolution, frame rates scale predictably across the four quality presets but remain constrained by the GPU's rendering load. The Low preset delivers an average of 85.5 FPS, which represents the only 4K setting that clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium drops performance to 57.2 FPS average, a substantial 28.3 FPS reduction from Low that pushes the experience below the playable threshold. High settings further reduce the average to 52.1 FPS, while the demanding Ultra preset produces just 38.9 FPS average — a figure that indicates the RX 9070 cannot sustain smooth gameplay at maximum quality in 4K. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K spans 46.6 FPS, demonstrating that preset selection has an outsized impact on this resolution.

Stepping down to 2560x1440 reveals significantly stronger performance across all settings. The Low preset produces an excellent 148.9 FPS average, which is 63.4 FPS higher than the equivalent 4K result. Medium achieves 97.7 FPS average, while High delivers 81.8 FPS. The Ultra preset maintains a playable 61.6 FPS average, just barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold with only 1.6 FPS of headroom. This indicates that 1440p Ultra is technically playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes or combat situations where frame rates may dip. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 87.3 FPS, showing that even at this resolution, graphical settings dramatically influence output.

At 1920x1080, the combination truly shines with all presets delivering well above playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves a remarkable 209.8 FPS average, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium produces 141.3 FPS, High reaches 120.8 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra setting maintains a strong 91.7 FPS average. The 1080p results show a 118.1 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that Rust's visual settings can double performance at this resolution. Notably, the scaling from 1440p to 1080p at Ultra settings yields a 30.1 FPS improvement, while the same resolution change at Low settings produces a 60.9 FPS gain, suggesting that lower presets become progressively more CPU-bound at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset maintains playable performance, with an average of 85.5 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K play, as every other preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold: Medium at 57.2 FPS, High at 52.1 FPS, and Ultra at 38.9 FPS. The 85.5 FPS average at 4K Low provides comfortable headroom above the playability threshold, though users should be aware that demanding scenes may cause noticeable frame drops.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best playable option, producing an average of 61.6 FPS. While this barely crosses the 60 FPS line, it does so successfully, and all lower presets also remain playable: High at 81.8 FPS, Medium at 97.7 FPS, and Low at 148.9 FPS. Players seeking maximum visual quality at 1440p can use Ultra settings, but those prioritizing consistent frame rates might prefer High or Medium for additional performance margin.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 91.7 FPS average, making it the clear choice for maximum quality without sacrificing playability. All presets at 1080p far exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Low reaching 209.8 FPS, Medium at 141.3 FPS, and High at 120.8 FPS. The 91.7 FPS at Ultra provides substantial headroom above the playable threshold, meaning even the most demanding Rust scenes should maintain smooth performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a nuanced division of labor between the Intel Core i5-13400F and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 depending on resolution and preset. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, as evidenced by the dramatic frame rate collapse when moving from Low (85.5 FPS) to Ultra (38.9 FPS) — a 54.5% performance reduction. This indicates that the RX 9070's rendering capabilities, while substantial, are fully saturated at 4K with higher-quality settings. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads with a 4.60 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as the performance scaling tracks closely with graphics load.

As resolution drops to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The 148.9 FPS Low preset result versus the 61.6 FPS Ultra result shows the GPU still carries significant weight, but the CPU begins to play a larger role at lower presets. The 87.3 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p compared to the 46.6 FPS gap at 4K indicates that the CPU is better able to keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions, allowing faster rendering to translate into higher frame rates. However, the 61.6 FPS Ultra result suggests the GPU remains the primary constraint even at 1440p max settings.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence becomes most apparent. The Low preset achieves 209.8 FPS average, which is 60.9 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result and 124.3 FPS higher than the 4K Low result. This scaling pattern indicates the Core i5-13400F can drive very high frame rates when the GPU is not the limiting factor, but the CPU does cap performance at around 210 FPS in this configuration. The single-thread score of 960 in 3DMark and the 3,634 PassMark single-thread score suggest strong per-core performance that Rust's engine can utilize effectively. The 91.7 FPS Ultra result at 1080p shows that even at maximum settings, the CPU maintains adequate throughput, though the GPU's workload still limits overall output.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1060 out of 3723 tested configurations in Rust, placing it in the top 28.5% of all systems. The Intel Core i5-13400F itself sits in the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 25,292, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks in the 69th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 23,877. The combination's in-game rank of 1060 suggests that while both components are individually strong performers, other pairings in the database achieve better Rust-specific results, likely due to differences in CPU cache hierarchy or GPU driver optimization.

The combo's positioning makes sense given the measured frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the 91.7 FPS average is solid, but many higher-ranked combinations likely exceed this figure, particularly those featuring CPUs with larger L3 caches or GPUs with higher rasterization throughput. The 4K results, where only Low settings remain playable at 85.5 FPS, also cap the combination's ranking potential, as many top-tier systems can handle 4K High or Ultra settings in Rust. The 16 GB VRAM capacity of the RX 9070 is well-suited for Rust's large world data, but the GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 644.6 GB/s memory bandwidth appear to be the limiting factors at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearest CPU rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS posts an average score of 25,284, essentially identical to the Core i5-13400F's 25,292 with a delta of 0%. This mobile processor would likely produce very similar Rust frame rates, though its lower power envelope could affect sustained performance. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25,362, a 0.3% advantage, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D also achieves 25,365 with a 0.3% lead. The Ryzen 5 5600X3D's 3D V-Cache technology could provide additional benefits in Rust's cache-sensitive workloads, potentially yielding slightly higher minimum frame rates despite the similar average score. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25,201, a 0.4% deficit, meaning all four rivals would produce nearly indistinguishable CPU-bound performance in this game.

On the GPU side, the Radeon RX 9070's nearest rivals show close aggregate scores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24,170, just 1.2% higher than the RX 9070's 23,877, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800S reaches 24,063, a 0.8% advantage. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23,628, representing a 1.1% deficit, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 23,736, a 0.6% shortfall. These close scores suggest that swapping the RX 9070 for any of these GPUs would produce very similar Rust performance, though the RX 9070's RDNA 4.0 architecture with 56 ray accelerators and PCIe 5.0 x16 interface may offer better future driver optimization potential compared to these older designs.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Rust at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination achieves an average of 91.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold and represents the best playable settings at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset maintains playable performance with an average of 85.5 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 57.2 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How much performance difference exists between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 148.9 FPS average while Ultra achieves 61.6 FPS, representing a difference of 87.3 FPS between the two extreme quality settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Rust at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes increasingly important, as evidenced by the Low preset reaching 209.8 FPS average. The Core i5-13400F's single-thread performance appears to cap frame rates around this level when the GPU is not heavily loaded.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested systems in Rust?

A: This combo ranks 1060 out of 3723 total combinations, placing it in the top 28.5% of all tested configurations. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile among their respective categories.

Q: What happens to performance when moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium settings, the average FPS is 97.7, but at 3840x2160 Medium settings, it drops to 57.2 FPS — a reduction of 40.5 FPS that pushes the experience below the 60 FPS playability threshold.