Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination produces a wide spread of results in Rust, depending heavily on resolution and quality preset. The recorded data shows a system that can handle high refresh rates at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain a stable 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, compares nearby hardware, and identifies the best settings for each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 141.4. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 121.8, while High settings still hold a strong 112.6. The most demanding preset, Ultra, produces an average of 94.7. All four settings at this resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin, with even the worst case (Ultra) sitting 34.7 FPS above the playable mark.

At 2560x1440, performance remains robust but shows a larger gap between presets. Low settings average 126 FPS, Medium drops to 107.1, and High comes in at 90.3. Ultra is the only preset that falls below the 100 FPS mark, averaging 68.7. This still clears the 60 FPS threshold, but the drop from High to Ultra is steep, a loss of 21.6 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p Ultra is playable, but with less headroom than lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings average 91 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings drop to 63.3 FPS, barely above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings fall below the threshold, averaging 51.3 FPS. Ultra is the worst performer, averaging 40.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 50.4 FPS, showing that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. The jump from Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs another 10.7 FPS. Only Low and Medium presets at 4K are considered playable according to the recorded data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile of all tested processors. Its nearest rivals in the database are closely matched. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-9400’s average of 2254. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. On the lower side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. This means that swapping the i5-9400 for any of these four processors would result in nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Rust, with differences well under one percent.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks in the 83rd percentile of all tested GPUs. Its nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, which is 0.8% lower than the RTX 3080 Ti’s 41187. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40377, 2% lower. On the higher side, the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707, 1.2% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41897, 1.7% higher. In practical terms, a system with the RTX 3080 Ti would deliver frame rates within a couple of percent of a system using any of these four GPUs, assuming the same CPU and settings.

The data suggests that the combination of the i5-9400 and RTX 3080 Ti is balanced in the sense that neither component is a severe bottleneck at most settings, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals which component matters more. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 46.7 FPS (from 141.4 to 94.7). At 2560x1440, the same preset swing is 57.3 FPS (from 126 to 68.7). At 3840x2160, the swing widens to 50.4 FPS (from 91 to 40.6). The increasing gap between Low and Ultra as resolution rises points to the GPU becoming the dominant factor.

Looking at resolution scaling for a fixed preset, the trend is clearer. At High settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p drops the average from 112.6 to 90.3, a loss of 22.3 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K drops it from 90.3 to 51.3, a loss of 39 FPS. The same pattern holds for Medium settings: 121.8 at 1080p, 107.1 at 1440p, and 63.3 at 4K. The 4K drop is disproportionately large, indicating that the RTX 3080 Ti is working near its limits at that resolution. The i5-9400, with its six cores and six threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the GPU’s raw fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors.

At Low settings, the CPU has more influence. The 1080p Low average of 141.4 FPS drops to 126 at 1440p and 91 at 4K. The fact that 4K Low still produces 91 FPS shows that lowering graphical load reduces GPU strain, allowing the CPU to push more frames. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck: 1080p Ultra averages 94.7, 1440p Ultra drops to 68.7, and 4K Ultra falls to 40.6. The consistent pattern across all four presets is that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU maintains enough headroom to avoid capping performance at lower resolutions.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Rust? The answer depends on the resolution and preset. According to the verdict data, at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 94.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 68.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best playable preset at 63.3 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 51.3 and 40.6 respectively.

The system is capable of running Rust at 60 FPS or higher at 1080p and 1440p across the entire quality range. For 4K, users must compromise on settings. Medium is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, but it is a narrow margin of 3.3 FPS over the threshold. For users with a 4K display, sticking to Medium is the safe choice, while Low offers more headroom at 91 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 94.7 FPS. This is the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. For 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best preset, averaging 68.7 FPS. This leaves 8.7 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, which is acceptable but not excessive. For 3840x2160, Medium is the highest playable preset, averaging 63.3 FPS. This is a narrow margin, so users with a 4K display should be prepared for occasional dips below 60 FPS in busy scenes. Low at 4K offers a more comfortable margin at 91 FPS, but visually it is a significant downgrade from Medium.

The recorded data does not include min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on averages. This means that the 63.3 FPS average at 4K Medium could involve dips below 60 FPS, but the average is above the threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that runs above 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra, with an average of 94.7 FPS.

Q: Is Rust playable at 4K with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only on Low (91 FPS) or Medium (63.3 FPS) presets. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, averaging 51.3 and 40.6 respectively.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS drops from 68.7 to 40.6, a loss of 28.1 FPS.

Q: Which component is more important for performance at 4K?

A: The GPU. The RTX 3080 Ti shows a large frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K, especially on High and Ultra presets, indicating it is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Low settings?

A: 141.4 FPS.

Q: Does the i5-9400 bottleneck the RTX 3080 Ti at 1080p?

A: The data does not indicate a severe bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 141.4 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it reaches 94.7 FPS, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 1276 out of 3723 combos for Rust. This places it in the upper third of all systems tested. The rank reflects that while the combo is not the fastest available, it is well above the median for running this game. The i5-9400’s 47th percentile CPU score and the RTX 3080 Ti’s 83rd percentile GPU score combine to produce a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, but drops off at 4K due to the GPU’s limits. For a game like Rust, which can be demanding on both CPU and GPU, this rank indicates a solid but not top-tier experience, with the main caveat being the inability to run 4K at High or Ultra settings smoothly.