Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a playable Rust experience across all three tested resolutions, but the settings ceiling varies sharply. At 1080p, this combo can run the game at Ultra settings with an average of 78.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to 1440p, the highest playable preset drops to High, averaging 70.9 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings remain viable, producing an average of 70.1 FPS. The data indicates that this hardware is well-suited for 1080p gaming with headroom, acceptable for 1440p with some visual compromises, and limited to minimum settings at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records measured FPS for four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at three resolutions. The playable threshold is 60 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above that mark is the recommended setting for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 78.1 FPS. This is the most demanding setting tested, and it still provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 98.4 FPS, Medium averages 117.5 FPS, and Low averages 143.9 FPS. There is no reason to drop below Ultra at this resolution, as even the heaviest load remains fluid.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 70.9 FPS, making it the best visual quality that stays playable. Ultra settings fall to 48.9 FPS, which is below the threshold and not recommended. Medium averages 82 FPS and Low averages 116.7 FPS, both playable but with reduced fidelity. Choosing High balances image quality and performance, though users with high refresh rate monitors might prefer Medium for the extra headroom.

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, averaging 70.1 FPS. Medium drops to 47.4 FPS, High falls to 40 FPS, and Ultra reaches just 32.1 FPS. The GPU is heavily taxed at 4K, and even the lowest settings barely keep the game above 60 FPS. For a smoother experience at this resolution, users would need to consider lower internal resolutions or accept the visual trade-offs of Low settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results show that the Radeon RX 6750 XT is the primary performance driver at lower resolutions, while the Core i5-9400 becomes more relevant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 65.8 FPS (from 143.9 down to 78.1), indicating that the GPU is handling most of the workload with plenty of spare capacity. The CPU, with 6 cores and 6 threads from the Coffee Lake architecture, is sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates.

At 1440p, the scaling is more moderate. Low settings hit 116.7 FPS while Ultra drops to 48.9 FPS, a difference of 67.8 FPS. The GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU's role becomes slightly more pronounced as frame rates remain high on lower presets. At 4K, the situation reverses: Low settings average 70.1 FPS and Ultra averages 32.1 FPS, a spread of 38 FPS. Here, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the resolution demands push the RX 6750 XT to its limits regardless of the CPU.

The CPU's benchmark percentiles support this interpretation. The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its multicore results, such as 6629 in Cinebench R23, are modest by modern standards. In Rust, a survival game that can be CPU-intensive in populated areas, this processor may cause occasional dips in busy scenes, but the measured averages suggest it does not drag down overall performance at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, the GPU is so dominant that CPU differences matter less.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides average FPS for each resolution and preset combination. Minimum and maximum values are not available in the database, so the analysis relies on averages.

1920x1080:

• Low: 143.9 FPS
• Medium: 117.5 FPS
• High: 98.4 FPS
• Ultra: 78.1 FPS

All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The step from Low to Medium costs 26.4 FPS, from Medium to High costs 19.1 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 20.3 FPS. The scaling is consistent, with each quality tier reducing performance by roughly 20 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: 116.7 FPS
• Medium: 82 FPS
• High: 70.9 FPS
• Ultra: 48.9 FPS

Low settings remain very fast, but the jump to Medium is steep, a loss of 34.7 FPS. Medium to High costs 11.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 22 FPS. Ultra falls below the playable threshold, making High the recommended ceiling.

3840x2160:

• Low: 70.1 FPS
• Medium: 47.4 FPS
• High: 40 FPS
• Ultra: 32.1 FPS

Only Low is playable. The drop from Low to Medium is 22.7 FPS, Medium to High is 7.4 FPS, and High to Ultra is 7.9 FPS. The GPU struggles with the pixel count, and even the lowest settings provide only a slim margin above 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 versus the i5-9400's 2254, a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (delta -0.4%), the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (delta 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (delta 0.4%). These processors would behave similarly in Rust, as their multicore and single-core scores are nearly identical. The i5-9400's 6-core, 6-thread configuration appears comparable to these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks, suggesting similar in-game frame rates for CPU-bound scenarios.

For the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (score 25891, delta 0.5%), the AMD FirePro W7100 (25856, delta 0.6%), the AMD FirePro D700 (25842, delta 0.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740, delta 1.1%). These GPUs have average benchmark scores within 1.1% of the RX 6750 XT's 26011. In Rust, they would produce nearly identical FPS at each resolution and preset. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is a laptop part, so desktop users would not realistically swap it in, but its performance profile is close enough to serve as a reference point.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1869 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the 50th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly half of the configurations in the database. Given that the GPU sits at the 71st percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 47th percentile, the overall ranking reflects the CPU holding back the system slightly. In GPU-bound scenarios, such as 4K, the combo performs closer to the GPU's potential. In CPU-bound areas, such as large bases with many entities, the i5-9400's modest score may cause dips below the average FPS.

The ranking is respectable for a mid-range system. It is not a top-tier rig, but it handles Rust at 1080p Ultra and 1440p High without issues. The 4K experience is limited, but that is expected given the GPU's class and the game's demanding nature at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for Rust at 1080p with this hardware?

A: Ultra settings average 78.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset tested at 1080p and is fully playable.

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 1440p with high visual quality?

A: Yes, High settings average 70.9 FPS at 2560x1440. Ultra settings fall to 48.9 FPS, so High is the recommended ceiling for a smooth experience.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the RX 6750 XT and i5-9400?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 70.1 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 47.4, 40, and 32.1 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The i5-9400 scores 2254 on average. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower). All are effectively equivalent.

Q: Which component limits performance more in Rust at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. FPS scales significantly with settings, dropping from 143.9 on Low to 78.1 on Ultra, indicating the RX 6750 XT is the bottleneck rather than the CPU.

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo among tested systems in Rust?

A: It ranks 1869 out of 3723 tested combos, placing it just above the midpoint of all configurations in the database.