Rust

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a robust Rust experience, with the data showing playable frame rates at all tested resolutions up to the High preset at 4K and Ultra at lower resolutions. The measured results show a system that scales predictably with resolution, maintaining well above the 60 FPS playability threshold across most settings, though the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 falls short of that mark.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is High, which produces an average of 64 FPS. The Low preset delivers 119.1 FPS and Medium reaches 79 FPS, but Ultra drops to 49.1 FPS, falling below the playable threshold. The data shows that High is the sweet spot for 4K, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS without sacrificing the visual quality that Medium offers only a modest improvement over.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system achieves playable frame rates across all four presets. The best visual preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 82.6 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 4K results, demonstrating how resolution scaling affects performance. High runs at 110 FPS, Medium at 133 FPS, and Low at a very high 198.2 FPS, giving players ample headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system also clears the 60 FPS bar on every preset. The best settings option is Ultra, averaging 123.6 FPS. High reaches 163.4 FPS, Medium hits 192.7 FPS, and Low tops out at 251.4 FPS. The 1080p results show that the RTX 4080 SUPER has substantial performance reserves, making this resolution ideal for competitive play or maximizing frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern in how the CPU and GPU share the workload across resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates scale almost linearly with preset quality—from 251.4 FPS on Low to 123.6 FPS on Ultra—which suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck even at this lower resolution, as the i7-13700K has enough headroom to feed the graphics card without limiting it.

Moving to 1440p, the performance drop from 1080p is notable but not dramatic. Low settings fall from 251.4 FPS to 198.2 FPS, a reduction of approximately 21%. Ultra settings see a smaller relative drop, from 123.6 FPS to 82.6 FPS, which is roughly a 33% decrease. This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more heavily utilized, while the CPU's role in maintaining high frame rates diminishes.

The 4K results reinforce this trend. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 119.1 FPS, which is 40% lower than at 1080p Low. Ultra dips to 49.1 FPS, a 60% drop from 1080p Ultra. The scaling between resolutions shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant factor at 4K, while the i7-13700K provides sufficient single-threaded performance to avoid becoming a limiting factor even at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high.

The data on preset scaling within each resolution further clarifies the CPU and GPU roles. At 1080p, the gap between Medium and High is 29.3 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 39.8 FPS. At 1440p, those gaps narrow to 23 FPS and 27.4 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the Medium-to-High gap is 15 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 14.9 FPS. This progressive narrowing suggests that the GPU's compute resources are increasingly taxed at higher resolutions, making the CPU's contribution less apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Low: 119.1 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average
• High: 64 FPS average
• Ultra: 49.1 FPS average

The 4K data shows a steep performance cliff between High and Ultra, with a 14.9 FPS drop that pushes the system below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings at 4K are surprisingly strong, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER has raw throughput capabilities that can be unlocked when visual effects are minimized.

2560x1440:

• Low: 198.2 FPS average
• Medium: 133 FPS average
• High: 110 FPS average
• Ultra: 82.6 FPS average

At 1440p, the system demonstrates balanced performance across all presets. The 82.6 FPS on Ultra is particularly notable, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while running the game at maximum visual quality. Low settings nearly hit 200 FPS, which would be ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

1920x1080:

• Low: 251.4 FPS average
• Medium: 192.7 FPS average
• High: 163.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 123.6 FPS average

The 1080p results are uniformly excellent, with every preset exceeding 120 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation pattern, with each preset tier costing roughly 30-40 FPS. This suggests the game's scaling is well-optimized for the hardware combination.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured data shows 49.1 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best playable 4K preset is High, which averages 64 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 82.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 22.6 FPS margin. All four presets at this resolution are playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 123.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49.1 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 74.5 FPS or roughly 60%. This highlights the significant GPU load increase at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Rust?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all resolutions. The i7-13700K has a high passmark multithread score of 45887 and a single-thread score of 4333, which provides ample headroom. The frame rate scaling with preset quality and resolution indicates GPU limitations drive performance.

Q: What average FPS can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 192.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Low settings?

A: Yes. Low settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 119.1 FPS, which is nearly double the playable threshold. This makes Low a viable option for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 (0.3% higher). On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654 (0.5% lower), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653 (0.5% lower). These deltas are all within 0.5%, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical in-game performance for Rust.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the average benchmark score is 54209, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 with a score of 54247 (0.1% higher), which is effectively a negligible difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 55698 (2.7% higher) and 55757 (2.8% higher) respectively. These alternatives would provide very similar frame rates in Rust, with the Radeon options offering a slight edge in raw benchmark scores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 222nd out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places the system in the top 6% of all configurations in the database, indicating strong overall performance. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 89th percentile standing and the GPU's 86th percentile standing, suggesting the pairing is well-matched for this game. The high ranking underscores that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware combinations, though it sits below the very top-tier setups that might include newer or more expensive components.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Rust effectively across all tested resolutions, with the verdict by resolution showing clear guidance. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best choice at 64 FPS average. At 2560x1440, all four presets—High, Low, Medium, and Ultra—are playable, with Ultra providing 82.6 FPS as the best visual option. At 1920x1080, the system runs every preset above the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 123.6 FPS.

The overall picture is that this combination handles Rust with ease at 1080p and 1440p, offering maximum settings without compromise. At 4K, players must make a trade-off: High settings deliver a playable 64 FPS, while Ultra drops to 49.1 FPS and should be avoided for smooth gameplay. The i7-13700K's strong single-threaded performance ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, even at the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. For players with 1440p monitors, this system offers an ideal balance of performance and visual quality.