Rust

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER was measured in Rust. The combination ranks 225th out of 3,723 tested configurations. The following sections detail the best settings per resolution, the combo's standing, and the roles of the CPU and GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 66 FPS. Low and Medium also clear the threshold, averaging 116 and 78 FPS respectively, but High is the highest preset that stays above the playable threshold. Ultra falls to 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS cutoff.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. The highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 85 FPS. High, Medium, and Low average 112, 132, and 197 FPS respectively. The margin above the threshold is comfortable even at Ultra, leaving headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, the same pattern holds: every preset is playable, and Ultra is the best choice, averaging 123 FPS. High, Medium, and Low average 162, 192, and 250 FPS respectively. The 1080p results show that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution; the CPU and memory subsystem are capable of feeding the card well beyond the 60 FPS target.

The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER can handle Rust at 4K only up to High settings, while at 1440p and 1080p it can run the game at the highest preset without dropping below 60 FPS. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the best preset at each resolution is the highest one that meets this threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 225th out of 3,723 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the upper portion of the tested pool, ahead of the vast majority of configurations. The rank reflects the measured average FPS across the tested settings and resolutions, and it is consistent with the hardware's synthetic benchmark standings: the CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU in the 86th percentile among all GPUs.

The combo's in-game rank is slightly lower than those individual percentiles, which suggests that Rust's engine may not fully utilize the theoretical capabilities of the hardware. The CPU's average benchmark score is 48,618, and the GPU's is 54,209. These are strong numbers, but the game's performance is ultimately determined by how well the engine scales with the specific architecture. The rank of 225 out of 3,723 indicates that while this is a high-end setup, there are 224 other combinations that deliver higher average frame rates in Rust, likely due to differences in CPU single-thread performance or GPU driver optimizations.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at High settings the average FPS is 66, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Low and Medium also work, but Ultra drops to 50 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: Ultra, with an average of 85 FPS. All presets are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48,618. The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48,698, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48,470 (+0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48,287 (+0.7%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48,995 (-0.8%).

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scores 54,247 (-0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (-1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (-2.7%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (-2.8%).

Q: What are the minimum FPS at Medium settings?

A: At 4K Medium, the minimum is 66 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 112 FPS; at 1080p Medium, it is 163 FPS. These are the only settings with recorded min/max values.

Q: Is the combo ranked high among all tested configurations?

A: Yes, it ranks 225th out of 3,723 combos, which is in the upper portion of the tested pool.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698, -0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P (48,470, +0.3%), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48,287, +0.7%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48,995, -0.8%). These processors are all within 0.8% of the i5-14600K's average score, so in Rust they would likely produce similar CPU-bound performance. The i5-14600K's single-thread Cinebench R23 score of 2,064 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,491 are strong, but the game's engine may favor certain architectures. The Xeon Gold 5318H, despite being a server part, has a nearly identical average score, suggesting that Rust's workload is not heavily dependent on the consumer-oriented features of the i5.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (54,247, -0.1%), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, -1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, -2.7%), and AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, -2.8%). The RTX 4080 is essentially identical in average score, so swapping it for the SUPER would yield nearly the same frame rates. The AMD options are slightly higher in synthetic score, but the differences are small enough that real-world Rust performance would be comparable, assuming driver and engine optimizations are similar. The Radeon Pro W5700X is a workstation card, but its score places it in the same performance band.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 250 FPS; at 1440p Low, 197 FPS; and at 4K Low, 116 FPS. This drop of more than half from 1080p to 4K is typical of a GPU-bound workload. The same pattern appears at High settings: 162 FPS at 1080p, 112 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K. At Ultra, the numbers are 123, 85, and 50 respectively.

The CPU's role is more evident at lower resolutions and lower presets, where the frame rates are high enough that the GPU is not fully saturated. For example, at 1080p Low, the 250 FPS average suggests that the i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 SUPER without becoming a limiting factor. The CPU's multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 24,491 and Passmark multithread score of 38,682 indicate strong parallel performance, but Rust's simulation may be more dependent on single-thread speed. The single-core scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 2,064, Geekbench single-core 2,491) are high, which helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

At 4K, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X are likely the constraints, as Ultra drops below 60 FPS. The fact that 1440p Ultra runs at 85 FPS while 4K Ultra runs at 50 FPS shows a steep scaling curve, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature at high resolutions. The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 80 RT cores are not fully utilized in Rust, which is not a ray-tracing-heavy title, but the raw fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 66 FPS average. At 2560x1440, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 85 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 123 FPS. The only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which averages 50 FPS. Therefore, the combination is fully capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, and at 4K with High settings. The data confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a strong match for Rust, and the i5-14600K provides enough CPU headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average, minimum, and maximum FPS values. Minimum and maximum are only recorded for Medium settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 66 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 116 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 78 | 66 | 90 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 50 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 112 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 197 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 132 | 112 | 152 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 85 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 162 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 250 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 192 | 163 | 221 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 123 | — | — |

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, average FPS decreases across all presets. The Medium preset's min/max values provide a sense of frame time variance; for example, at 4K Medium, the minimum is 66 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold, while the maximum is 90 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 163 FPS, indicating a very stable experience. The lack of min/max data for other presets means that the average values should be interpreted as the primary metric, but the Medium results suggest that frame pacing is generally consistent.