Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Rust, ranging from an unplayable 27.5 FPS at 4K Ultra to a very fluid 143.2 FPS at 1080p Low. The recorded data shows that this pairing is highly dependent on both resolution and quality preset, with the playable envelope extending from 1440p Medium up to 1080p Ultra. At 4K, every preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making that resolution unsuitable for this game with this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains 12 measured average FPS data points for this combination, covering three resolutions and four quality presets. Minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded, so all analysis relies on average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. Low settings produce an average of 143.2 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium settings drop to 98.8 FPS, still comfortably above the threshold. High settings yield 80.8 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 63.9 FPS. This means even the most demanding preset at 1080p stays above 60 FPS, though Ultra has only a 3.9 FPS margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more varied. Low settings average 98.9 FPS, which is a drop of 44.3 FPS compared to 1080p Low. Medium settings average 68.7 FPS, still above the threshold by 8.7 FPS. High settings fall to 55.4 FPS, which is 4.6 FPS below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Ultra settings average 43 FPS, a significant drop of 20.9 FPS compared to 1080p Ultra.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets reach 60 FPS. Low settings average 55.7 FPS, which is 4.3 FPS below the threshold. Medium settings average 40.4 FPS. High settings average 34.9 FPS. Ultra settings average 27.5 FPS, which is less than half of the 60 FPS threshold and represents the lowest recorded performance in the entire dataset.

The pattern is clear: moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30 to 40 percent of the frame rate depending on preset, and moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 40 to 50 percent. The scaling between presets is also consistent. At every resolution, Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra grows with resolution: at 1080p the difference is 79.3 FPS, at 1440p it is 55.9 FPS, and at 4K it is 28.2 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination against all other tested combinations in Rust. The combo rank is 2295 out of 3723 total combinations. This places the pairing in the lower half of all tested systems, specifically in the 38th percentile when considering that a rank of 1 would be the best.

This ranking reflects that while the RX 6650 XT is a capable graphics card, the Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation. The CPU sits in the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. The GPU sits in the 65th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19765. The combination rank of 2295 out of 3723 suggests that Rust, being a game that is known for heavy CPU load in its simulation and world generation, is held back more by the processor than by the graphics card.

The rank also indicates that there are 1428 tested combinations that perform worse than this pairing, and 2294 combinations that perform better. Given that the GPU is in the 65th percentile while the overall combination is in the 38th percentile, the data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which places it in the middle of the CPU performance distribution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals which component dominates performance. At 1080p, the GPU has less work to do per frame, so the CPU becomes more important. The fact that 1080p Ultra produces 63.9 FPS while 1080p Low produces 143.2 FPS shows that the GPU is still being utilized across presets, but the CPU is likely the bottleneck at lower resolutions and lower presets where the GPU can render frames quickly.

At 1440p, the GPU takes on more responsibility. The drop from 1080p Medium (98.8 FPS) to 1440p Medium (68.7 FPS) is 30.1 FPS, a reduction of roughly 30 percent. This is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where increasing pixel count directly reduces frame rate. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The 4K Low result of 55.7 FPS versus 1080p Low of 143.2 FPS represents a 61 percent reduction, which is a much larger drop than the 44 percent reduction seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings.

The preset scaling also shows the GPU role. At 4K, moving from Low to Medium drops from 55.7 FPS to 40.4 FPS, a 15.3 FPS reduction. Moving from Medium to High drops to 34.9 FPS. Moving from High to Ultra drops to 27.5 FPS. These are large absolute drops, typical of GPU-bound rendering where each quality tier adds significant pixel and shading work.

The CPU role is more evident at 1080p. The difference between 1080p Low (143.2 FPS) and 1080p High (80.8 FPS) is 62.4 FPS, which is a large gap. However, the difference between 1080p High (80.8 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (63.9 FPS) is only 16.9 FPS. This smaller gap at the high end suggests that the CPU is starting to limit the maximum frame rate, as the GPU is capable of more but the processor cannot feed it fast enough. The i5-9400 with its 6 threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache is the likely constraint in this scenario.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database provides nearest rival comparisons for both the CPU and GPU based on average benchmark scores. These rivals indicate which alternative components would produce similar performance in this system.

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a score of 2259, which is 0.2 percent faster, and the Intel Core i3-10305 with a score of 2264, which is 0.4 percent faster. On the slower side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3 percent slower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4 percent slower. All four rivals are within 0.4 percent of the i5-9400, so any of them would behave nearly identically in Rust when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19765. The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla K40m with a score of 19885, which is 0.6 percent faster, and the AMD FirePro W7000 with a score of 19905, which is 0.7 percent faster. On the slower side, the AMD FirePro D300 scores 19637, which is 0.7 percent slower, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 19602, which is 0.8 percent slower. These rival GPUs are all within 0.8 percent of the RX 6650 XT, so swapping to any of them would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in the measured scenarios.

It is important to note that all of these rival GPUs are professional or workstation parts. The Tesla K40m, FirePro D300, FirePro W7000, and Quadro K5200 are not gaming cards, but the database records their average benchmark scores as being very close to the RX 6650 XT. In practical gaming terms, the RX 6650 XT with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128 bit bus is the only one of these that a typical user would consider for a gaming PC, but the benchmark data shows that the raw compute scores are similar.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playability threshold in the database is set at 60 FPS. The best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that stays at or above this threshold at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS. Low averages 143.2 FPS, Medium averages 98.8 FPS, High averages 80.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.9 FPS. The best settings at 1080p are therefore Ultra, with an average of 63.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset and it still provides a 3.9 FPS margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium clear 60 FPS. Low averages 98.9 FPS, and Medium averages 68.7 FPS. High falls to 55.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The best settings at 1440p are Medium, with an average of 68.7 FPS. This provides an 8.7 FPS margin above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 55.7 FPS, Medium averages 40.4 FPS, High averages 34.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 27.5 FPS. There are no playable settings at 4K, and the database confirms this with an empty playable settings list and no best settings value.

For users who prioritize a stable frame rate over visual quality, the data shows that 1080p Ultra is the highest quality setting that remains playable, and 1440p Medium is the highest quality setting at that resolution. At 4K, the user must accept that the 60 FPS target is not achievable with this hardware at any of the four tested presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 63.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The database lists Ultra as the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: Medium settings. The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 68.7 FPS. High settings fall to 55.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combination?

A: No. All four presets at 3840x2160 fall below 60 FPS. Low averages 55.7 FPS, Medium averages 40.4 FPS, High averages 34.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 27.5 FPS. The database lists no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p on Medium settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 98.8 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium to 68.7 FPS at 2560x1440 Medium, a reduction of 30.1 FPS.

Q: How does the Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 is 0.2 percent faster, the Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4 percent faster, the Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3 percent slower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4 percent slower.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p?

A: Low settings produce the highest average FPS at 143.2 FPS. Medium follows at 98.8 FPS, High at 80.8 FPS, and Ultra at 63.9 FPS.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT can run Rust, but only at certain resolutions and quality settings. At 1920x1080, the combination is fully playable at all four tested presets, with Ultra settings averaging 63.9 FPS, High at 80.8 FPS, Medium at 98.8 FPS, and Low at 143.2 FPS. This makes 1080p the most versatile resolution for this pairing, with Ultra being the recommended maximum quality setting while still clearing the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the combination is partially playable. The database lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium providing the best visual quality at 68.7 FPS. High settings at 55.4 FPS and Ultra at 43 FPS fall short of the 60 FPS target. Users with 1440p monitors should stick to Medium settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the combination cannot reach 60 FPS at any preset. The closest result is Low settings at 55.7 FPS, which is 4.3 FPS below the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all produce significantly lower frame rates. 4K gaming is not viable with this hardware in Rust.

The overall combo rank of 2295 out of 3723 tested combinations places this system in the lower half of the database. The CPU is the weaker component, sitting in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The performance data reflects this imbalance: at lower resolutions and presets, the CPU limits frame rates, while at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. Users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or any playability at 4K would need to upgrade the CPU, the GPU, or both, based on the resolution they target.