Rust

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Measured FPS Breakdown

The data shows a wide FPS range for this CPU and GPU combination in Rust, depending on resolution and quality preset. At 1080p, the combo is generally playable, at 1440p it requires lowered settings, and at 4K it struggles to maintain a playable frame rate.

Starting at 1920x1080, the combination produces strong results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 136.2. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 94.3. High settings still deliver 80.6 average FPS. At Ultra, the average falls to 60.5, which is just above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. These numbers indicate that the combo has headroom at 1080p for most presets, with Ultra being the only preset that lands close to the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings produce an average of 97.4 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings average 65.4 FPS, still above the threshold. High settings drop to 51.9 FPS, below the playable mark. Ultra is worse, at 39.4 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs about 32 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs about 13 FPS. This shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the combo is not playable at any setting. Low settings average 55.1 FPS, just under the threshold. Medium drops to 37.8 FPS. High is 30 FPS. Ultra is 25.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is about 17 FPS, which is a large drop for one preset level. The data clearly shows that 4K is out of reach for this pairing.

No min or max FPS values are recorded for any resolution or setting. The analysis relies solely on average FPS figures. The lack of min and max data means frame time consistency cannot be assessed, but the averages are consistent across the preset ladder.

Best Settings per Resolution

The best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS average. For each resolution, the recorded data provides a clear verdict.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average FPS of 60.5. This is the highest quality preset available, and it still clears the playable threshold. Every preset at 1080p is playable, so Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Medium, with an average FPS of 65.4. Low is also playable at 97.4 FPS, but Medium offers better visuals while staying above 60 FPS. High is not playable at 51.9 FPS, so Medium is the ceiling for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The best recorded average is Low at 55.1 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict list confirms that no settings are playable at 4K for this combo.

The pattern is clear: the combo is best suited for 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium. For 4K, the user would need to reduce resolution or accept lower frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data reveals which component dominates at each resolution by examining the scaling between presets and resolutions.

At 1080p, the CPU has more influence relative to the GPU. The jump from Low to Medium costs about 42 FPS (from 136.2 to 94.3), which is a large drop. From Medium to High, the drop is about 14 FPS (from 94.3 to 80.6). From High to Ultra, the drop is about 20 FPS (from 80.6 to 60.5). The CPU is likely holding back the GPU at lower settings, since the GPU could render more frames if the CPU could feed it faster. The CPU has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost of 4.10 GHz. In a game like Rust, which is known for CPU-bound scenes, the i5-9400 is a solid but not top-tier choice.

At 1440p, the GPU starts to matter more. The drop from Low to Medium is about 32 FPS (from 97.4 to 65.4), which is still significant. From Medium to High, the drop is about 13 FPS (from 65.4 to 51.9). From High to Ultra, the drop is about 12 FPS (from 51.9 to 39.4). The smaller drops at higher settings suggest the GPU is becoming the bottleneck, but the CPU still contributes.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The drops are consistent: Low to Medium is about 17 FPS (from 55.1 to 37.8), Medium to High is about 8 FPS (from 37.8 to 30), and High to Ultra is about 5 FPS (from 30 to 25.4). The GPU is maxed out, and the CPU has little effect on the frame rate. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus, with 2176 shading units, but it cannot handle 4K in Rust at playable frame rates.

Comparing resolutions at the same settings shows the scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 136.2 at 1080p to 97.4 at 1440p (a drop of about 39 FPS), then to 55.1 at 4K (another drop of about 42 FPS). At Medium, the averages are 94.3, 65.4, and 37.8. The resolution scaling is steep, confirming the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the playable threshold for this combo in Rust?

A: The playable threshold is 60 FPS. At 1080p, the combo exceeds this at all settings, with Ultra at 60.5 FPS. At 1440p, Medium is the best playable setting at 65.4 FPS. At 4K, no setting reaches 60 FPS, with Low at 55.1 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K?

A: No. The best average FPS at 3840x2160 is 55.1 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra are all lower, at 37.8, 30, and 25.4 FPS respectively.

Q: Which resolution gives the best balance of quality and performance?

A: 2560x1440 at Medium settings is the best balance. It delivers 65.4 FPS average, which is above the threshold, while providing a higher resolution than 1080p. The 1080p Ultra preset is also viable at 60.5 FPS, but 1440p Medium offers more pixels.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in the database?

A: The CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400, has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The GPU, the RTX 2060 SUPER, has an average score of 18093. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, 0.5% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Rust at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU matters more. The frame rate drops significantly when moving from Low to Ultra, but the GPU is not fully utilized at lower settings. The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, which is sufficient but not exceptional. The GPU has more headroom at 1080p.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve in Rust?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 136.2 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the maximum frame rate in the measured data. At higher settings, the average drops to 94.3 at Medium and 80.6 at High.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide a sense of what other hardware would behave similarly in Rust.

For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest matches are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, the Intel Core i7-10710U, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and the Intel Core i3-10305. The i7-1068NG7 has a score of 2259, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-9400's 2254. The i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower. The Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. These rivals are all within 0.4% of the i5-9400, so they would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Rust. The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it is roughly in the middle of the pack.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, the AMD Radeon RX 460, and the Intel Arc A770M. The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, 0.4% higher. The Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, 0.5% higher. The RX 460 scores 18373, 1.5% higher. The Arc A770M scores 18383, 1.6% higher. The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average score of 18093 and sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. These rivals are all within 1.6% in score, so they would produce similar frame rates in Rust, though the RX 460 and Arc A770M are slightly ahead on paper.

The combination of the i5-9400 and RTX 2060 SUPER is well matched in terms of benchmark scores. The CPU is slightly below average, while the GPU is above average. In Rust, this means the GPU is more capable than the CPU, which is why CPU-bound scenes at 1080p may show lower frame rates than the GPU could otherwise achieve.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2591 out of 3723 total combos. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, at approximately the 30th percentile. The rank reflects the overall capability of the combo across all tested games, not just Rust.

For Rust specifically, the combo is playable at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. The rank of 2591 out of 3723 suggests that many other combos perform better, likely due to stronger CPUs or GPUs. The i5-9400 is at the 47th percentile of CPUs, and the RTX 2060 SUPER is at the 62nd percentile of GPUs. The combo's rank is lower than either component's individual percentile, which indicates that the CPU is the bottleneck in this pairing.

The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle Ultra settings at 60.5 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to Medium at 65.4 FPS. At 4K, it is not playable. The rank of 2591 out of 3723 reflects this mixed performance: it is not a top-tier combo, but it is capable for 1080p and some 1440p scenarios. Users with this combo should target 1080p for the best experience, or lower settings at 1440p to stay above the 60 FPS threshold.