Rust

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER presents a clear picture for Rust: this is a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the sweet spot landing firmly at 1080p and 1440p. The measured data shows a wide performance envelope, from a highly playable 150.3 FPS at 1080p Low to a borderline 28.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. The system ranks 2264 out of 3723 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of configurations for this title. The recorded frames confirm that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-threaded performance keeps frame rates high at lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for Rust are recorded at three resolutions and four quality presets. The data shows a consistent pattern: frame rates drop as resolution and settings increase, with the most dramatic falloff occurring between Low and High presets at 4K.

1920x1080: At the most common resolution, the system shows strong performance. Low settings produce an average of 150.3 FPS, which is the highest recorded number in the entire dataset. Medium settings still deliver a comfortable 101.2 FPS. High settings bring the frame rate down to 85.6 FPS, which remains fully fluid. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still hold above the playable threshold at 64.4 FPS. There is no scenario at 1080p where the system falls below 60 FPS, making this resolution the most versatile for every preset.

2560x1440: Moving to 1440p introduces the first limitations. Low settings deliver a very respectable 102.8 FPS, and Medium settings stay above the 60 FPS line with 68.2 FPS. High settings dip below that threshold to 56.4 FPS, which is just short of the playable standard. Ultra settings drop further to 46.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High here is 11.8 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the higher pixel count combined with increased visual effects.

3840x2160: At 4K, the system's limits are clear. Only the Low preset remains playable, producing an average of 62 FPS. This is a marginal pass over the 60 FPS line. Medium settings falls to 40 FPS, High to 37.9 FPS, and Ultra to 28.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 22 FPS, which is the largest single-preset jump in the dataset. The data indicates that 4K requires substantial graphical compromises to maintain playability.

The recorded data does not include separate minimum or maximum frame times, so the averages represent the overall smoothness. The pattern is obvious: the system is strongest at 1080p and quickly loses headroom as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 64.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. It is the most demanding preset that clears this mark at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the best playable option, with a recorded average of 68.2 FPS. High settings drop to 56.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS line.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Rust?

A: Only at the Low preset, which produces an average of 62 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra settings all fall below 60 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 28.7 FPS.

Q: How much performance difference is there between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The frame rate drops from 150.3 FPS on Low to 64.4 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 85.9 FPS. This shows the large impact of the Ultra preset's visual effects.

Q: Which component is more important for this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary limit at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rate drops sharply from 62 FPS on Low to 28.7 FPS on Ultra, while at 1080p the CPU keeps the Low preset above 150 FPS.

Q: What is the slowest resolution and preset combination?

A: The 3840x2160 Ultra preset, with an average of 28.7 FPS. This is the only recorded setting below 30 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-14600K and the RTX 2070 SUPER. The CPU's strength, indicated by a 90th percentile ranking among all processors, ensures that frame rates at lower settings are not limited by the processor. The GPU, which sits at the 65th percentile all GPUs, becomes the main constraint as the pixel count rises.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates that the CPU can feed frames at a high rate. The recorded 150.3 FPS on Low settings shows that the i5-14600K has enough single-thread headroom to keep the GPU busy. The drop from Low to Medium is 49.1 FPS, which is a larger decline than the drop from Medium to High (15.7 FPS) or High to Ultra (21.2 FPS). This suggests that the Low preset is less demanding on the GPU, allowing the CPU to push the frame rate to its maximum. Moving up the preset ladder increases the GPU load, which begins to dominate the frame time.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's influence grows. The Low preset still produces a high 102.8 FPS, but the drop to Medium is 34.6 FPS, and the drop to High is 11.6 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 46.5 FPS, showing that the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot maintain the same frame rates with the additional 1.7x pixel count over 1080p. The CPU's role is still visible: the 102.8 FPS at Low is a strong number, but the GPU's limit is clear.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the undisputed bottleneck. The difference between Low and Medium is 22 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 9.2 FPS. The CPU's 24 MB of L3 cache and high clock speeds (boost up to 5.30 GHz) cannot compensate for the GPU's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 9.062 TFLOPS of compute performance. At 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory also becomes a limiting factor, as the higher resolution textures increase the memory footprint.

In summary, the i5-14600K is never the limiting factor in Rust. Even at the lowest frame rate of 28.7 FPS, the CPU is waiting for the GPU. The streaming suggests that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, the CPU is more than enough, while the GPU dictates the final quality. For 4K, the GPU is the sole determinant of playability, and only the Light preset allows it to clear the 60 FPS mark.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark database provides two sets of comparable hardware based on average scores for the CPU and GPU. These are useful for users who may have a different component or are considering an upgrade.

For the CPU (Intel Core i5-14600K): The recorded average benchmark score of 48618 places it near several other processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is the closest rival, with a score of 48698 (0.2% higher), so it would behave nearly identically in Rust. The AMD EPYC 4345P has a score of 48470 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287 (0.7% lower). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is slightly faster with a score of 48995 (0.8% higher). All four are within a 1.5% margin of the i5-14600K, so in Rust, they would produce very similar frame rates, especially at 1080p where the CPU is not the constraint.

For the GPU (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER): The GPU's average benchmark score is 20282. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (score 20480) is 1.2% higher, so it would be nearly identical. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (score 20534) is 1.2% higher, and the Intel Arc B570 (score 20556) is 1.3% higher. The Intel Arc A750 (score 20582) is 1.5% higher. These rivals are all within a narrow range of the RTX 2070 Ti, so the measured FPS for the RTX 2070 Ti would be a good approximation for any of them. In practice, a user with an Intel Arc A750 would expect to see the same slowdowns at 4K and the same strong 1080p performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database uses a 60 FPS threshold for playability. The "best" setting is the most demanding preset that still holds an average above 60 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K): The only playable preset is Low. It produces an average of 62 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra are not playable, with scores of 40, 37.9, and 28.7 FPS, respectively. For a 4K display, users must accept Low quality to maintain a fluid frame.

2560x1440 (1440p): The Medium preset is the best playable option, with an average of 68.2 FPS. High falls below the threshold at 56.6 FPS, while Low is also playable but with a lower 102.8 FPS. Choosing Medium gives a clear visual upgrade over Low while still staying comfortably above 60 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p): The Ultra preset is the best playable option, with an average of 64.4 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system can run at the highest quality setting and still clear the 60 FPS line. High (85.6 FPS), Medium (101.2 FPS), and Low (150.3 FPS) are all also playable, but Ultra offers the full visual experience without sacrificing frame rate.

The data shows that the system is capable of a smooth 60 FPS experience at every resolution, but only if the user is willing to adjust the preset accordingly. At 1080p, there is no compromise needed; at 1440p, moderate compromise; at 4K, significant compromise.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, but the experience is highly dependent on the target resolution. The benchmark data concludes that the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at all three resolutions, but only under specific conditions.

At 1920x1080, the PC is fully capable across all presets. The Ultra preset holds at 64.4 FPS, so users can enjoy the game's highest visual fidelity without worry.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable at Low and Medium settings. The Medium preset provides a stable 68.2 FPS, which is the best balance between graphics and performance. High and Ultra are not recommended, as they fall below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system only passes at Low settings, with an average of 62 FPS. This is a very narrow margin above the threshold. Any increase in visual quality will drop the frame rate to 40 FPS or lower.

In summary, the i5-14600K and RTX 2070 SUPER combination is a solid performer for Rust at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not a 4K machine for this game unless the user accepts a significant visual downgrade. The 60 FPS target is met at 4K, but only barely and only at the lowest preset. For the majority of players using 1080p or 1440p monitors, this PC offers a good experience without requiring a reduction in resolution.