Rust

The Intel Core i5-1005-940 with 6 cores and 6 threads is a Coffee Lake part from the 2018 release wave, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a 5nm Blackwell 2.0 chip with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. In Rust, this pairing produces surprisingly consistent frame rates across resolutions, though the older CPU does cap performance at lower settings. The recorded data shows that the combo ranks 912 out of 3723 tested combinations, placing it in the upper quarter of all tested systems for this title. This analysis uses only the measured FPS values from the database, with no external benchmarks.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 73.5 FPS. Ultra falls below the playable threshold at 57.9 FPS, so High is the ceiling for 4K. Low delivers 106.8 FPS and Medium averages 89.4 FPS, both also clearing 60 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality while staying above the threshold. The margin over 60 FPS is 13.5 frames, which is comfortable but not huge; you have room for minor in-game fluctuations without dropping below playable.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 90.1 FPS. This is the only resolution where the maximum preset stays above 60 FPS. High averages 101.1 FPS, Medium 107.1 FPS, and Low 127.2 FPS, all well above the threshold. Since Ultra clears 60 FPS by a 30.1 frame margin, you can run the game at its highest preset without concern. The gap between Low and Ultra is 37.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU has plenty of headroom at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best setting, averaging 106.8 FPS. High averages 115.5 FPS, Medium 122.4 FPS, and Low 142.6 FPS. All presets exceed 60 FPS by at least 46.8 frames, so the only limiting factor at 1080p is your display’s refresh rate. The difference between Low and Ultra is 35.8 FPS, which is substantial, but even at Ultra you are well above the playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in Rust is 912 out of 3723 tested combos, which places it in the 75.5th percentile of all tested systems for this game. That means roughly three out of four tested combinations perform worse than this pairing, while one in four performs better. This ranking is notable because the RTX 5090 is an extremely powerful GPU, but the i5-9400 is a mid-range CPU from several generations earlier. The data shows that Rust is not purely GPU-bound at lower settings, as the CPU can become a limiting factor, which drags the overall combo rank down from what a 5090-alone ranking would suggest.

The GPU itself sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (score 79605, 0.3% slower), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, 0.6% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, 1.1% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80959, 1.4% faster). The 5090 is effectively at the top of the GPU hierarchy, within 1.4% of its closest competitor. The CPU, however, sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, 0.2% faster), the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, 0.3% slower), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, 0.4% slower), and the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264, 0.4% faster). The CPU is solidly average, which explains why the combo rank is lower than the GPU percentile alone would suggest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low delivers 106.8 FPS, Medium 89.4 FPS, High 73.5 FPS, and Ultra 57.9 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 17.4 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 15.9 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 15.6 FPS drop. The scaling is nearly linear, with each preset tier costing roughly 16 to 17 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is the dominant factor, and the CPU’s impact is less visible because the rendering load is high.

At 2560x1440, the measured values are: Low 127.2 FPS, Medium 107.1 FPS, High 101.1 FPS, and Ultra 90.1 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 20.1 FPS, from Medium to High is 6.0 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 11.0 FPS. The Medium to High step is relatively small, suggesting that some settings in the Medium to High transition have diminishing returns. The overall range from Low to Ultra is 37.1 FPS, which is smaller than at 4K (48.9 FPS), indicating that the CPU begins to impose a ceiling as resolution drops.

At 1920x1080, the measured values are: Low 142.6 FPS, Medium 122.4 FPS, High 115.5 FPS, and Ultra 106.8 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 20.2 FPS, from Medium to High is 6.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 8.7 FPS. The Low to Medium step is again the largest, and the High to Ultra step is moderate. The range from Low to Ultra is 35.8 FPS. Notice that the Low preset at 1080p (142.6 FPS) is only 15.4 FPS higher than the Low preset at 1440p (127.2 FPS), and the Ultra preset at 1080p (106.8 FPS) is only 16.7 FPS higher than Ultra at 1440p (90.1 FPS). This indicates that the CPU is the limiter at 1080p, as the GPU could likely push much higher if the CPU were faster.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, the Intel Core i7-10710U, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and the Intel Core i3-10305. These processors all have average benchmark scores within 0.4% of the i5-9400. In Rust, any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same RTX 5090, because the bottleneck at lower resolutions is the CPU’s single-thread performance. The i7-1068NG7 is 0.2% faster, the i7-10710U is 0.3% slower, the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% slower, and the i3-10305 is 0.4% faster. These differences are within measurement noise, so swapping to any of these chips would not change your FPS in a meaningful way.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. The Tesla P100 variants are datacenter cards, not consumer gaming GPUs, but their raw compute scores are within 0.6% of the RTX 5090. The RX 6850M XT is a mobile GPU that scores 1.1% lower, and the Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% higher. In gaming terms, these are all close enough that you would see nearly identical FPS in Rust at the same settings, assuming the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 4K High, where the GPU is the bottleneck, you would expect similar performance from any of these GPUs.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.9, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, with an average of 73.5 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 2560x1440 at Ultra settings delivers an average of 90.1 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra also works at 106.8 FPS, but 1440p Ultra offers a better balance of visual quality and frame rate headroom.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 142.6 FPS, while at 1440p Low it averages 127.2 FPS, a difference of only 15.4 FPS. This small gap suggests the i5-9400 limits the GPU at 1080p, preventing the frame rate from scaling as much as the GPU alone could achieve.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the fastest GPU in the database?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842 and sits at the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X, scores 80959, which is 1.4% faster. So it is near the top but not the absolute fastest in every test.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 90.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. You can use the maximum preset without needing to lower any settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 912 out of 3723 combos tested for Rust, putting it in the upper quarter of all systems. The GPU is much stronger than the CPU, which holds back the overall ranking.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Rust at all three tested resolutions, but the playable preset ceiling varies. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 73.5 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not playable because it falls to 57.9 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, and Ultra is the best at 90.1 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are also playable, with Ultra at 106.8 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1440p Ultra is the sweet spot, offering a 30.1 FPS margin over the playable threshold. 4K is viable only if you stick to High or lower. 1080p is fully playable at any preset, but the CPU limits the upper frame rate, as evidenced by the relatively small gains from lowering resolution. For a smooth experience, the recommended setup is 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, which provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable frame rate buffer.