Rust

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a top-tier experience in Rust, placing 74th out of 3,723 tested combos. This puts the configuration in the top 2% of all recorded systems, a position reinforced by the hardware’s individual standings: the CPU sits at the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU reaches the 88th percentile among all graphics cards. The data indicates that this pairing is not merely adequate for Rust—it is decisively high-end, with headroom at every resolution tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 74 out of 3,723 tested combinations places it among the elite configurations for this survival title. This ranking reflects the combined strength of a 14-core, 14-thread Arrow Lake processor and an AD102-based Ada Lovelace GPU with 16,384 shading units. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking versus all CPUs and the GPU’s 88th percentile versus all GPUs are nearly aligned, meaning neither component drags the pairing down. In practical terms, this rank suggests that only a small fraction of tested systems—roughly 2%—deliver higher average frame rates in Rust. The gap between this combo and the top performers is likely attributable to more aggressive CPU configurations or higher-bandwidth memory setups, but the measured data shows no weakness at standard gaming resolutions.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48,995 places it within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 48,618. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 60,347 is within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140) and 2.9% above the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657). These benchmark deltas are small, but in Rust’s frame-time-sensitive environments, even minor compute advantages can translate into smoother traversal and faster chunk loading. The combo’s rank is further validated by the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 for the GPU, a strong indicator of sustained rasterization performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the CPU dominates. The Low preset produces 269 average FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 137 average FPS—a 49% reduction that illustrates how frame rate scales with draw calls and simulation load. At this resolution, the RTX 4090 is rarely the bottleneck; the Ultra preset’s 137 FPS is still far above the 60 FPS threshold, but the drop from Low to Ultra (269 to 137) indicates the CPU’s single-thread and multi-thread work limits the ceiling. The Core Ultra 5 245’s single-core score of 4,648 in Cinebench R23 and multi-core score of 32,924 support this interpretation: it has ample headroom, but Rust’s server-side logic and entity updates still tax the processor at high preset levels.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The Low preset delivers 219 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls to 94 FPS—a 57% reduction. The scaling from 1080p Low (269) to 1440p Low (219) is a 19% drop, while the 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra drop is 31% (137 to 94). This steeper decline at Ultra settings confirms that pixel throughput and texture bandwidth (1.01 TB/s on the RTX 4090) become more relevant. However, the GPU’s 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus ensure that even at 1440p Ultra, the system never approaches memory capacity limits. The CPU still plays a role, but its influence diminishes relative to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unmistakably the limiting factor. The Low preset yields 129 FPS, while Ultra falls to 56 FPS—below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from 1440p Low (219) to 4K Low (129) is a 41% drop, and from 1440p Ultra (94) to 4K Ultra (56) is a 40% drop. These near-identical percentage drops across presets indicate that at 4K, the workload is overwhelmingly pixel-bound. The CPU’s influence nearly vanishes; the RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the primary determinant. The Medium preset at 4K produces 87 FPS, showing that even a modest reduction from Ultra restores playability, but the GPU’s 450 W TDP is clearly being exercised to its limit.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, which averages 73 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that clears the playable threshold. The Medium preset runs at 87 FPS, and Low at 129 FPS, but High is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data shows that Ultra at 4K falls to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so High is the ceiling for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is fully playable, averaging 94 FPS. This is the most demanding setting tested, and it clears the threshold by a comfortable margin. The High preset runs at 124 FPS, Medium at 147 FPS, and Low at 219 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum quality. There is no preset at this resolution that drops below 60 FPS, indicating that the system has substantial headroom.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 137 FPS, making it the best playable setting. This is the highest quality option tested, and it delivers more than double the playable threshold. The High preset runs at 180 FPS, Medium at 214 FPS, and Low at 269 FPS, but Ultra is the clear recommendation for users who prioritize image quality without sacrificing responsiveness. All presets at 1080p are far above 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals are clustered tightly around its average benchmark score of 48,995. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49,196, a delta of -0.4%, meaning the Core Ultra 5 245 is essentially tied with it. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228, a -0.5% delta, also a near match. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698 (0.6% delta), and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48,618 (0.8% delta). In Rust, these CPUs would yield nearly identical frame rates at 1080p, where CPU load is highest. The i5-14600K, in particular, is a relevant comparison because it shares a similar multi-threaded profile, and the data suggests users could swap between these without noticeable FPS changes.

The GPU’s nearest rivals are more spread out. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326, a 0% delta, meaning it benchmarks identically to the RTX 4090’s 60,347. However, the Arc Pro A60’s real-world gaming performance would likely differ due to driver overhead, but the database shows equivalent compute scores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (-2.5% delta), meaning the W6600M is 2.5% faster in average benchmark score. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% delta), indicating the RTX 4090 is 2.9% faster. For Rust specifically, the GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 9,223 and PassMark G3D score of 38,194 are the best predictors of 4K performance, where the RTX 4090’s rivals would fall short of the 73 FPS High preset result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS by preset is: Low 269, Medium 214, High 180, and Ultra 137. The Medium preset has a reported min of 182 and max of 246, indicating a 64 FPS spread between minimum and maximum frame times. This spread is typical for Rust, where sudden asset loading can cause hitches. The Low and High presets do not have min/max data, but their averages are consistent with the scaling trend.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 219, Medium 147, High 124, and Ultra 94. The Medium preset shows a min of 125 and max of 169, a 44 FPS spread. This tighter spread compared to 1080p Medium suggests that the GPU’s frame pacing is more consistent at higher resolutions, as the CPU has less influence. The Ultra preset’s 94 FPS average is a 31% drop from 1080p Ultra, which aligns with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 129, Medium 87, High 73, and Ultra 56. The Medium preset has a min of 74 and max of 100, a 26 FPS spread. This is the narrowest spread across all resolutions, confirming that 4K workloads are more predictable. The 4K Ultra result of 56 FPS is the only preset across all resolutions that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from 1440p Ultra (94) to 4K Ultra (56) is a 40% drop, while the scaling from 1080p Ultra (137) to 4K Ultra (56) is a 59% drop, showing how quickly the GPU becomes saturated at higher pixel densities.

The Verdict

This PC can run Rust at all tested resolutions and presets except for 4K Ultra. At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 137 FPS. At 2560x1440, every preset clears 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 94 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High preset clears 60 FPS at 73 FPS, the Medium preset at 87 FPS, and the Low preset at 129 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls to 56 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The verdict by resolution is: 1080p is fully playable at all settings, 1440p is fully playable at all settings, and 4K is playable at High, Medium, and Low, but not Ultra. The system’s 24 GB of VRAM ensures that no texture-related stuttering occurs at any resolution, and the CPU’s 14 cores provide sufficient headroom for Rust’s simulation threads. For users seeking the absolute highest visual quality at 4K, the data suggests dropping to High is the required trade-off.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 3840x2160?

A: The High preset averages 73 FPS at 4K, which is the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset falls to 56 FPS, so it is not playable at this resolution.

Q: How many tested combos does this configuration outperform?

A: The combo ranks 74th out of 3,723 tested combinations, meaning it outperforms 3,649 other configurations in Rust.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important at 1920x1080?

A: The CPU is more important at 1080p. The average FPS drops from 269 on Low to 137 on Ultra, a 49% reduction, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 245’s processing power is the primary factor limiting frame rates at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1440p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: The 1440p Ultra preset averages 94 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, a 40% drop. This indicates that the RTX 4090’s pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck at 4K.

Q: Which CPU rival is closest in performance to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49,196, a -0.4% delta from the Core Ultra 5 245’s 48,995, making it the closest match. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is also close at -0.5% delta.

Q: Does the GPU have a larger benchmark score than its closest rival?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 60,347, which is 2.9% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO V710’s 58,657. However, it is 2.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M’s 61,896.