Rust

This analysis covers the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER running Rust, based on measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets. The CPU's launch MSRP is $589, and the GPU's launch MSRP is 499 USD. The recorded data includes average, minimum, and maximum FPS where available, along with a global combo rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rate spans from 152 FPS on Low settings down to 65 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High settings deliver an average of 86 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 87 FPS, indicating that quality presets have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are lower across the board. Low settings produce 104 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, High drops to 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 59 FPS, still significant but proportionally smaller than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2070 SUPER begins to show its limits. Low settings average 62 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 35 FPS, and even the lowest preset barely clears the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows that as resolution increases, the absolute frame rates drop and the relative cost of higher presets becomes more pronounced. For example, at 1080p Ultra the average is 65 FPS, while at 4K Low it is 62 FPS, meaning the same quality level requires a much larger performance investment at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold is defined as an average of at least 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed this threshold. The most demanding preset that remains playable is Ultra, which averages 65 FPS. Therefore, the best settings at 1080p are Ultra, with an average of 65 FPS.

At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium clear 60 FPS. High averages 59 FPS, just below the threshold, and Ultra is at 45 FPS. The best playable setting is Medium, which averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings reach an average of 62 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS. The best playable setting is Low, with an average of 62 FPS. This means that at 4K, users must sacrifice nearly all graphical quality to maintain smooth gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 32 threads. Its benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 39399.5 and a singlecore result of 2262.5. The CPU ranks in the 95th percentile among all tested CPUs, indicating it is among the faster processors available. In contrast, the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks in the 65th percentile among GPUs, with an 8 GB GDDR6 memory buffer and a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

The performance scaling across resolutions points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 152, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU well at lower resolutions. As the resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the average FPS on Low settings drops to 104 and 62 respectively. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload, where the graphics card's rendering capacity becomes the bottleneck.

At 1080p Ultra, the average is 65 FPS, while at 4K Low it is 62 FPS. The near-identical frame rates despite a massive resolution change further confirm that the GPU is saturated. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores mean it is unlikely to hold back the system in Rust, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are high. The data indicates that users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K would benefit more from a stronger GPU than from a faster CPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K with Medium settings?

A: No. The recorded average FPS at 3840x2160 Medium is 41, which is well below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: Medium, with an average of 70 FPS (minimum 60, maximum 81). High settings average 59 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KF is 0.3% slower, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% slower, the EPYC 7413 is 1.2% slower, and the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% faster in average benchmark score.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 95th percentile among CPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank?

A: It ranks 2160th out of 3723 tested combinations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears sufficient, as the GPU still manages high frame rates. The average of 152 FPS on Low settings indicates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, but the GPU's limits become evident at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within a narrow performance band. The Intel Core i9-14900KF is 0.3% slower, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% slower, the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% faster. Swapping the i9-14900K for any of these would yield nearly identical frame rates in Rust, as the average benchmark scores differ by less than 2%.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% slower), the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% slower), and the Intel Arc A750 (1.5% slower). Again, the performance differences are small, so any of these GPUs would produce very similar results in Rust when paired with the same CPU.

Combining these, a system with a CPU from the list above and a GPU from the list above would behave almost identically to the i9-14900K plus RTX 2070 SUPER configuration. The recorded FPS values would likely shift by only a few frames, well within the margin of measurement noise.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust, but the playable experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 65 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium is the best playable setting, averaging 70 FPS; High drops to 59 FPS and is not recommended. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve an average of 62 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Therefore, the system is fully playable at 1080p, comfortably playable at 1440p with reduced settings, and only marginally playable at 4K with the lowest preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2160th out of 3723 tested configurations. This means 2159 combos are faster and 1563 are slower. The position places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, consistent with the GPU's mid-range standing. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the GPU's age and memory capacity hold the overall system back, especially at higher resolutions. For users targeting 1440p or 4K, a more modern GPU would likely move this combo significantly higher in the rankings.