Rust

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, this combination delivers playable performance only on the Low preset. The recorded average frame rate at Low is 62 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a narrow margin. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings produce an average of 35 FPS, while Ultra falls to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial, a 21 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor once texture and shading complexity increases at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves considerably. Low settings achieve an average of 104 FPS, while Medium holds at 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. High settings dip slightly below the playable threshold with an average of 59 FPS, just one frame short. Ultra settings drop to 45 FPS. The Medium preset is the highest that maintains a 60 FPS minimum, and the recorded data shows a stable frame time distribution, with the minimum exactly matching the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS mark. Low settings reach an average of 152 FPS, Medium produces 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS, High averages 86 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High is a 16 FPS reduction, while High to Ultra costs another 21 FPS. The Ultra preset, despite being the most demanding, still maintains an average comfortably above the playable line, showing that the CPU and GPU combination has headroom at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which produces an average of 62 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, but it is also the only preset that does so. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold, with averages of 41, 35, and 27 FPS respectively. For 4K gaming, users must accept the lowest visual quality to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, which delivers an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS. This preset balances visual fidelity with performance, as High falls just short at 59 FPS. The Medium preset provides a 11 FPS margin above the threshold on average, and the minimum frame rate exactly meets the playable standard, indicating consistent performance without severe drops.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Ultra, which achieves an average of 65 FPS. All four presets are playable, but Ultra represents the highest visual quality that maintains smooth performance. The margin above 60 FPS is 5 FPS on average, which is sufficient for most gameplay scenarios, though users seeking higher refresh rates might prefer High at 86 FPS for additional headroom.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component roles as resolution changes. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant constraint. The frame rate drops from 62 FPS at Low to 27 FPS at Ultra, a 56% reduction, while the CPU workload remains relatively constant. This pattern indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's rendering pipeline, with its 2560 shading units and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is saturated at 4K, and the i7-12700KF's processing power cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The Medium preset achieves 70 FPS, while High drops to 59 FPS, a relatively small 16% penalty for increased visual quality. The CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 104 FPS at Low settings, but the GPU begins to feel the load as texture resolution and shadow complexity increase. The i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides sufficient single-thread performance for Rust's simulation and physics, but the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the bottleneck between Medium and High.

At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role relative to the GPU. The jump from Low to Medium only costs 50 FPS (152 to 102), which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions. However, the drop from Medium to Ultra, from 102 FPS to 65 FPS, shows the GPU still matters. The scaling between resolutions is telling: at Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 48 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs 42 FPS. This indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary limiter, and the GPU has enough headroom to handle resolution increases. At Ultra settings, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the average drops from 65 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 1440p and 27 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Rust at 60 FPS on 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The recorded average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 27 FPS, far below the 60 FPS threshold. The only playable preset at 4K is Low, which averages 62 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: Medium settings, which produce an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS. High settings fall one frame short of the threshold with an average of 59 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER or the i7-12700KF the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low and Medium, the CPU is more influential, as the frame rates are high (152 and 102 FPS) and the GPU has spare capacity. At Ultra, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the average dropping to 65 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium experience compare to 4K Low?

A: 1440p Medium averages 70 FPS with a 60 FPS minimum, while 4K Low averages 62 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset offers higher visual quality and a better minimum frame rate.

Q: Is the 60 FPS threshold met at 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes, the average is 65 FPS, which clears the threshold by 5 FPS. The minimum frame rate is not recorded for this preset, but the average suggests consistent playability.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 4K Medium?

A: The average is 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. This is not playable according to the 60 FPS standard.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, but playability depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 65 FPS, High at 86 FPS, Medium at 102 FPS, and Low at 152 FPS. This resolution offers full flexibility for visual quality.

At 2560x1440, playable settings include Low (104 FPS) and Medium (70 FPS). High falls just short at 59 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 45 FPS. For 1440p gaming, users should stick to Medium or below to maintain smooth performance.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 62 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold. 4K gaming is possible but requires significant visual compromises. The verdict is clear: this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with limited 4K capability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2160th out of 3723 tested combinations for Rust. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is consistent with the RTX 2070 SUPER being an older mid-range GPU. The rank reflects that while the i7-12700KF is a strong processor, the GPU holds the combination back at higher resolutions. The combo beats 42% of tested systems, meaning a majority of tested combinations perform better in this specific game. The ranking is specific to Rust and may differ for other titles.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The i7-12700KF's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 on average, a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a 0.2% difference, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a 0.2% difference. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, a 0.2% difference. All of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in Rust when paired with the same GPU, as their performance delta is within 0.2%.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which scores 20480 on average, a 1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 1.2% difference, and the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, a 1.3% difference. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a 1.5% difference. These GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Rust when paired with the same CPU, with the Arc A750 being the closest in performance at 1.5% faster.

Users with any of these alternative CPUs or GPUs should expect similar results to the measured data, as the performance deltas are minimal. The i7-12700KF and RTX 2070 SUPER combination sits at a specific performance level, and these nearby components will land within a few percentage points of the recorded FPS figures.