Rust

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a 4K-capable Rust experience, but only at Low settings; 1440p and 1080p are fully playable at Ultra with average frame rates of 64.5 and 92.6 respectively. At 4K, the High preset averages 51.5 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS threshold, while Low reaches 89 FPS. This pairing ranks 977th out of 3,723 tested combinations, placing it comfortably within the top quarter of all systems benchmarked for Rust.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have nearby rivals that would produce nearly identical results in Rust, based on aggregate benchmark scores. The Intel Core i5-13400F, with an average benchmark score of 25,292, sits within a tight cluster of processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25,284, a delta of 0%, meaning the i5-13400F is effectively indistinguishable from that mobile flagship in raw throughput. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25,362, placing it 0.3% above the i5-13400F, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25,365, also 0.3% higher. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25,201, which is 0.4% below the i5-13400F. These four processors bracket the i5-13400F within a 0.7% performance window, so swapping to any of them would yield virtually the same frame rates in Rust, assuming the GPU remains unchanged.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the average benchmark score is 23,172. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of that figure. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23,249, which is 0.3% higher; the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23,250, also 0.3% higher; the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23,273, 0.4% higher; and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23,276, 0.4% higher. These deltas are so small that in a game like Rust, which is sensitive to both CPU and GPU performance, a user with any of these alternative GPUs paired with a similar-tier processor would see frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 3080’s output. The practical takeaway is that this combo is not uniquely positioned; several other hardware pairings from the same performance tier would deliver nearly identical playability across all three resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions and presets in Rust. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extremely high across all settings, ranging from 92.6 FPS at Ultra to 213.8 FPS at Low. This suggests that at 1080p, the RTX 3080 is not the primary limiter; instead, the i5-13400F’s single-thread and multi-thread capabilities are being tested, particularly at Low settings where the GPU has less work. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces the average FPS from 213.8 to 147.5, a drop of 66.3 FPS, which indicates that the GPU begins to take on more load as settings increase. From Medium to High, the drop is 26.7 FPS (147.5 to 120.8), and from High to Ultra, the drop is 28.2 FPS (120.8 to 92.6). These progressively smaller absolute drops suggest that at 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even at Ultra, and the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck as settings rise.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern changes. The Low preset averages 148.9 FPS, which is still very high, but the scaling from Low to Medium is a 47.3 FPS drop to 101.6 FPS. Medium to High drops 15.5 FPS to 86.1, and High to Ultra drops 21.6 FPS to 64.5. The larger drop from Low to Medium compared to 1080p suggests that at 1440p, the RTX 3080’s pixel throughput becomes more critical. The CPU is still capable, as evidenced by the 148.9 FPS at Low, but the GPU’s rendering load at higher presets dominates. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low averages 89 FPS, Medium drops to 58.4 FPS, High to 51.5 FPS, and Ultra to 38.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 30.6 FPS reduction, and from Medium to High is only 6.9 FPS, indicating that at 4K, the RTX 3080’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are saturated, and the CPU has ample headroom. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, does not bottleneck the GPU at any resolution; the data shows that the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior as resolution and settings increase.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Rust, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 977th out of 3,723 total combos. That places it in the 73.8th percentile of all systems, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested configurations are slower. This rank reflects the balance of the i5-13400F’s strong multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,604) and the RTX 3080’s high-end rasterization capabilities (Passmark G3D score of 25,086). The 4K Low result of 89 FPS and the 1440p Ultra result of 64.5 FPS are strong indicators of why this combo ranks so highly; many systems cannot reach 60 FPS at 1440p Ultra in Rust, but this one does with a 4.5 FPS margin. At 1080p, the 92.6 FPS average at Ultra is well above the playable threshold, and the Low preset’s 213.8 FPS demonstrates that the combo has significant headroom for future updates or more demanding scenes. The rank of 977 out of 3,723 also means that 2,746 tested combos are slower, while 976 are faster, which is a competitive position for a mid-range CPU paired with a previous-generation high-end GPU.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, and it does so with clear resolution-dependent outcomes. At 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with average FPS of 213.8, 147.5, 120.8, and 92.6 respectively. The lowest of these, 92.6 FPS at Ultra, is 32.6 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no risk of dropping below playability in typical gameplay. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Low at 148.9 FPS, Medium at 101.6 FPS, High at 86.1 FPS, and Ultra at 64.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p clears the 60 FPS mark by just 4.5 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves little margin for large firefights or complex bases. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 89 FPS. Medium drops to 58.4 FPS, just below the threshold, High to 51.5 FPS, and Ultra to 38.7 FPS. Therefore, for 4K gaming, users must stick to Low settings to maintain 60 FPS; any higher preset will result in sub-60 FPS average performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides exact averages for each resolution and preset combination. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 89.0 FPS, Medium averages 58.4 FPS, High averages 51.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 38.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 30.6 FPS, which is the largest single-preset jump at 4K, indicating that the transition from Low to Medium introduces significant GPU load. The gap from Medium to High is 6.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 12.8 FPS, showing that Ultra is disproportionately demanding at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 148.9 FPS, which is the highest 1440p result. Medium averages 101.6 FPS, a 47.3 FPS drop from Low. High averages 86.1 FPS, an 15.5 FPS drop from Medium. Ultra averages 64.5 FPS, a 21.6 FPS drop from High. The scaling from Medium to High is the smallest at 1440p, suggesting that the visual improvements between those presets are less computationally expensive than the jump to Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 213.8 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. Medium averages 147.5 FPS, a 66.3 FPS drop. High averages 120.8 FPS, a 26.7 FPS drop. Ultra averages 92.6 FPS, a 28.2 FPS drop. The absolute drops at 1080p are larger than at higher resolutions because the starting frame rates are much higher, but the percentage decreases are similar. For example, Low to Medium at 1080p is a 31% reduction, while at 1440p it is a 32% reduction, and at 4K it is a 34% reduction. This consistency indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as settings increase, regardless of resolution, even though the CPU’s role becomes relatively more important at 1080p Low where the frame rate exceeds 200 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS average is as follows. At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 89 FPS. Medium at 58.4 FPS misses the threshold by 1.6 FPS, so it is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Therefore, the best settings at 4K are Low, and users should expect 89 FPS as the average, with no headroom for higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is playable, averaging 64.5 FPS. This is the highest preset available, so the best settings are Ultra, and the average FPS is 64.5. This leaves a 4.5 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold, which is adequate for most situations but may dip in heavy multiplayer scenarios. If a user prefers more safety margin, High at 86.1 FPS or Medium at 101.6 FPS are also options, but Ultra is technically playable.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 92.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings are therefore Ultra, with an average of 92.6 FPS. This provides a 32.6 FPS margin, meaning even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate is unlikely to drop below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 213.8 FPS and Medium at 147.5 FPS are also playable, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable average frame rate.

In summary, the i5-13400F and RTX 3080 combination is a capable Rust machine for 1080p and 1440p gaming at maximum settings, but 4K users must sacrifice visual fidelity to Low to keep frame rates above 60 FPS. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU provides ample headroom even at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. For users with a 1440p monitor, this combo delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with Ultra averaging 64.5 FPS. For 4K, the Low preset’s 89 FPS is still a smooth experience, but the step to Medium drops below the playable threshold, so there is no middle ground. This is a clear verdict: play Rust at 1080p or 1440p with Ultra settings, or at 4K with Low settings.