Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a surprisingly robust experience in Rust, despite the CPU being an older six-core part. The data shows that the GPU carries most of the load, allowing for high frame rates at nearly every resolution and preset combination tested. At 3840x2160, the combination achieves an average of 66 FPS on High settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to 2560x1440, the system pushes an average of 101 FPS on High, and at 1920x1080, it reaches 115 FPS on the same preset. The only setting that falls below the playable threshold is Ultra at 4K, which manages 50 FPS. This makes the combo extremely versatile, capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while still offering smooth 4K performance on lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination in Rust provides a clear picture of its capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the system delivers an average of 66 FPS on High settings. Dropping to Medium yields 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, indicating a stable experience. Low settings at 4K push the average up to 105 FPS. The only preset that fails to hold 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 50 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at 4K is substantial, with a 16 FPS loss, suggesting that the Ultra preset places significant strain on the GPU at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440 (QHD), performance becomes more comfortable. The Ultra preset averages 85 FPS, which is a 35 FPS improvement over the same preset at 4K. High settings deliver 101 FPS, Medium provides 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, and Low reaches 125 FPS. The difference between Medium and Low is only 17 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 16 FPS. This suggests that at 2K, the system has enough headroom to run the game at high visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results are even more favorable. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 104 FPS, which is surprisingly close to High at 115 FPS. Medium delivers 122 FPS with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. Low settings result in 142 FPS. The margin between Low and Ultra is only 38 FPS, showing that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The minimum FPS figures recorded only for Medium settings across all resolutions suggest that the game's frame pacing is generally stable, with the lowest recorded minimum being 67 FPS at 4K Medium, still well above the playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Rust at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 66 FPS at 3840x2160 on High settings, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. However, Ultra at 4K drops to 50 FPS, so High is the recommended preset for that resolution.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 85 FPS, making it fully playable. This is the highest quality setting tested at that resolution, and it still provides a substantial margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-9400 bottleneck the RTX 4080 in Rust?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU does not prevent the system from exceeding 100 FPS at 1080p on Ultra. At 1080p High, the average is 115 FPS, and at Low it reaches 142 FPS, showing that the GPU is still scaling effectively with lower settings.

Q: What is the least demanding preset that still reaches 60 FPS at 4K?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 105 FPS, while Medium shows 79 FPS. All three presets (High, Low, Medium) at 4K stay above 60 FPS, so the least demanding one that works is Low, though High is the best visual option that remains playable.

Q: How does this system compare to other tested combos in the database for Rust?

A: This specific combination ranks 1028 out of 3723 tested combos for Rust, placing it in the top third of all recorded configurations. This indicates that the pairing is better than average for this game, despite the CPU's modest specifications.

Q: Is there a preset at any resolution that produces frame rates above 140 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 142 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p also delivers 122 FPS, and High reaches 115 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the database identifies the most demanding preset that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, which yields an average of 66 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that balances visual fidelity with performance, as Ultra falls below the threshold. The Medium preset at 4K also holds 79 FPS, but High offers better graphical quality with only a minor FPS penalty compared to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best option, delivering an average of 85 FPS. This allows gamers to max out the visual settings while still maintaining a high frame rate. The data shows that even the most demanding setting at 2K leaves a 25 FPS cushion above the playable threshold, which is ideal for smooth gameplay.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset again provides the best visual quality, with an average of 104 FPS. This is 44 FPS above the 60 FPS target. The system has ample performance at 1080p, which means users can enable the highest settings without worrying about frame drops. The recorded maximum on Medium at 1080p is 140 FPS, but the average for Ultra indicates consistency.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400 provide context for CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is only 0.2% lower than the i5-9400's score of 2254. This means users with that CPU would see practically identical performance in Rust, particularly in CPU-intensive moments. Similarly, the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 0.4% lower, so these processors also behave comparably. The Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3% faster, within a negligible margin. None of these CPUs would change the overall FPS numbers significantly.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080's next door neighbor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which has an average score of 54209, just 0.1% higher. A system with a 4080 SUPER would deliver nearly the same frame rates in Rust. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 1.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 2.6% higher, meaning those GPUs would provide marginally better performance, but not enough to alter the playable presets. The AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7% faster, which could push 4K Ultra above 60 FPS, but it is a different tier of hardware. For practical purposes, any of these alternatives would behave similarly, with the biggest difference being a few FPS at most.

The Verdict

This system can absolutely run Rust. The recorded data shows that every resolution and preset combination, except one, holds an average above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High delivering the best visual quality at 66 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution is the only failure point, averaging 50 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 85 FPS and Low reaching 125 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets also clear the threshold, with Ultra at 104 FPS and Low at 142 FPS.

The CPU's 47th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate a strong pairing. While the CPU is not a top-tier part, the data shows it does not bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this title, as frame rates scale properly with resolution and settings. For a gamer who wants to play Rust at high refresh rates, the 1440p Ultra and 1080p Ultra options are the best choices. For 4K, sticking to High is the right call. The system is fully capable of delivering a smooth experience, and the only compromise is accepting High instead of Ultra at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's comprehensive testing of Rust, this combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 1028 out of 3723 total combos tested. This places it in the 72nd percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms the majority of systems in the database for this game. The ranking reflects the strong GPU performance, which dominates most of the scene workload in Rust. The CPU's lower ranking relative to other parts does not prevent the combo from achieving high frame rates, as evidenced by the 4K High result of 66 FPS. The high ranking is largely driven by the GPU's ability to handle the game's heavy rendering demands, while the CPU just provides adequate enough to feed it. For perspective, the GPU alone sits in the 86th percentile against all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 47th percentile, so the final combo rank shows that the GPU's strengths carry the overall performance.