Rust

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT presents a compelling mid-range combination for Rust, but the data reveals a stark performance cliff at higher resolutions. This pairing, ranked 1923 out of 3723 tested combos in this game, demonstrates that while it can handle competitive frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, 4K gaming demands significant settings compromises. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution scales, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps frame pacing consistent across the board. The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of what players can expect from this specific hardware configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this combination delivers playable performance across all tested presets. The Low preset produces an average of 165.4 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests the GPU is not fully saturated at this resolution. Medium settings yield 110.6 FPS, while High settings drop to 93.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, which represents the most demanding visual configuration, still maintains an average of 70.6 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This resolution shows the least variance between presets, indicating that the CPU and GPU combination has ample headroom for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings produce 112.5 FPS, a significant drop from the 1080p result but still highly playable. Medium settings deliver 78.9 FPS, while High settings achieve 65.9 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 50.9 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold and demonstrates the GPU's limitations at this resolution with maximum visual fidelity. The data shows a 46.7% performance drop between Low and Ultra at 1440p, highlighting how taxing higher presets become when pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles considerably. Low settings produce 69.9 FPS, which is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 46.9 FPS, High settings fall to 37.6 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 30.2 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings is dramatic: 70.6 FPS versus 30.2 FPS, a 57.2% reduction in average frame rate. This data indicates that 4K gaming with this hardware requires Low settings for a stable experience, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is narrow at 69.9 FPS average.

The min and max FPS values are not provided in the dataset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The absence of these metrics means frame time consistency cannot be fully assessed, but the average scores across multiple presets suggest the combination maintains predictable scaling patterns. The 1080p data shows the widest range between presets (165.4 FPS to 70.6 FPS), while 4K shows the narrowest range (69.9 FPS to 30.2 FPS), reflecting how resolution impacts GPU headroom.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 70.6 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the only resolution where Ultra settings are playable.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: High settings deliver 65.9 FPS at 1440p, making it the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS. Ultra settings fall below the threshold at 50.9 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware combination?

A: Only with Low settings, which produce 69.9 FPS at 3840x2160. All other presets fall below 60 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 30.2 FPS.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested hardware combos for Rust?

A: It ranks 1923 out of 3723 tested combos, placing it in the 51.7th percentile of all combinations tested for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 110.6 at 1080p to 46.9 at 4K, a 57.6% reduction in performance when scaling resolution at this preset.

Q: Does the RX 6700 XT outperform its nearest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The nearest rivals data shows the RX 6700 XT scores 27425 on average, compared to 27435 for the RTX 4070 Mobile (0% delta) and 27565 for the RTX 3090 (-0.5% delta), indicating near-identical performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Low, which achieves an average of 69.9 FPS. This provides a 9.9 FPS margin above the threshold, but the visual quality will be significantly reduced. Medium settings at 46.9 FPS and High settings at 37.6 FPS are not viable for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

For 2560x1440, High settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, averaging 65.9 FPS. This preset offers a 5.9 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Players seeking higher frame rates can use Medium settings at 78.9 FPS or Low at 112.5 FPS, but High represents the maximum quality that remains playable.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are fully playable with an average of 70.6 FPS. This is the only resolution where the highest quality preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the optimal choice for players who prioritize visual fidelity. The 10.6 FPS margin above the threshold provides some headroom for demanding scenes, though players wanting more stability could opt for High at 93.1 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination ranks 1923 out of 3723 tested hardware combos for Rust, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum. This ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU's strong benchmark scores do not translate into top-tier gaming performance when paired with this mid-range graphics card. The combo outperforms roughly 51.7% of tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a high-end solution, it sits above the median for playable performance.

The CPU alone achieves an 83rd percentile ranking among all tested processors, while the GPU achieves a 72nd percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards. This gap suggests the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The combo's overall ranking of 1923 is lower than what either component's individual percentile might suggest, implying that Rust's performance demands scale heavily with resolution and that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with an average score of 32233 (0.1% delta), the Intel Core i9-11900 at 32226 (0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 32354 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32121 (0.5% delta). These processors would behave nearly identically to the i5-14400F in Rust, with performance differences of less than one percent in synthetic benchmarks.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile with an average score of 27435 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 at 27565 (-0.5% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell at 27135 (1.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 at 27839 (-1.5% delta). The RTX 4070 Mobile offers virtually identical performance to the RX 6700 XT, while the RTX 3090 is slightly faster. These alternatives would produce similar FPS results in Rust, with the RTX 3090 providing marginally better frame rates at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

Based on the measured FPS data, this PC can run Rust with playable frame rates at all three tested resolutions, but the quality settings vary dramatically. At 1920x1080, all presets including Ultra are playable, with the best preset being Ultra at 70.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings are the most demanding playable option at 65.9 FPS, with Ultra falling short at 50.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve playable performance at 69.9 FPS, while Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

The verdict by resolution confirms that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination, offering the full range of visual presets with comfortable margins above 60 FPS. For 1440p gaming, players must compromise on visual quality by avoiding Ultra settings. At 4K, the experience is severely limited to Low settings, which may not provide the visual polish that players expect from a modern survival game. The 60 FPS playable threshold is met at all resolutions with the right settings, but the quality degradation at higher resolutions is substantial.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals distinct scaling patterns that indicate which component matters more at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU's strong single-thread performance appears to be the primary driver of high frame rates, as evidenced by the 165.4 FPS result at Low settings. The GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to allow the CPU to push frame rates well beyond the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting the i5-14400F is not a bottleneck at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to exert more influence over performance. The drop from 112.5 FPS at Low to 50.9 FPS at Ultra represents a 54.8% reduction, indicating that the RX 6700 XT's rendering capabilities are being tested as pixel count increases. The CPU still provides sufficient performance, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The performance range narrows to 69.9 FPS at Low to 30.2 FPS at Ultra, a 56.8% drop that highlights the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU's role diminishes significantly at this resolution, as the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. Players upgrading from 1080p to 4K with this combination will notice a substantial performance penalty that cannot be mitigated by CPU upgrades alone. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, while the i5-14400F remains sufficient for lower resolutions.