Rust

CPU Role - cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. It carries a 65 W TDP and uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform. The processor's cache layout includes 96 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 over a dual-channel bus, providing 46.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU's production status is listed as Active, and its launch MSRP was $199.

In the database's general CPU benchmarks, this processor scores 1248 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 157.3 in single-core. Geekbench results show 5648 multi-core and 1154 single-core. PassMark tests indicate a multithread score of 13160 and a single-thread score of 2239. The average benchmark score across all tests is 21484, placing it at the 75th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (avg score 21440, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i9-11900H (avg score 21367, delta 0.5%), the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (avg score 21635, delta -0.7%), and the AMD EPYC 9454 (avg score 21223, delta 1.2%). These deltas show that the Ryzen 5 2600 sits within a tight performance cluster, with the Xeon D-1746TER being about 0.7% faster and the EPYC 9454 about 1.2% slower.

For Rust, the game's measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a pattern where the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads handle the game's simulation and entity processing demands. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 106 FPS average, which is the highest recorded frame rate in the dataset. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU is able to feed the GPU sufficiently to reach high frame rates. The difference between 1080p Low (106 FPS) and 1080p High (60 FPS) is substantial, indicating that as settings increase, the workload shifts more toward the GPU, but the CPU still maintains a playable baseline. The boost clock of 3.90 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance for Rust's primary game logic, while the 12 threads help with background tasks and world streaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this CPU and GPU combination in Rust?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 106 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its nearest CPU rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (21440) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900H (21367). It is 0.7% lower than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21635) and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9454 (21223).

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the measured data for Rust?

A: The lowest average FPS is 19, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 Ti support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the GTX 1660 Ti among all GPUs in the database?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti ranks at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7723.

Q: How many FPS does the combo achieve at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 49, with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 56.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear progression as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 106 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p, then to 43 at 4K. This represents a 31% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% reduction going from 1440p to 4K. The pattern indicates that at Low settings, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs, since the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates at 1080p.

At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 71 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p, then to 29 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 41%, similar to the Low setting trend. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 60, which matches the average FPS at 1080p High, showing that the Medium preset at 1080p provides a consistent frame pacing floor. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS drops to 25, indicating that the GPU is heavily stressed at this resolution.

High settings show average FPS of 60 at 1080p, 41 at 1440p, and 24 at 4K. The percentage drops are 32% from 1080p to 1440p, and 41% from 1440p to 4K. Ultra settings produce the lowest numbers: 46 at 1080p, 31 at 1440p, and 19 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is 33%, and from 1440p to 4K is 39%. Across all settings, the consistent 40% reduction from 1440p to 4K points to the GPU being the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role diminishes as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking for Rust, this combination of AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti holds the 3188th position out of 3723 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, specifically around the 14th percentile from the top. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, weighted by the database's methodology.

The combo's position suggests that while it can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p, particularly at Low and Medium settings, it struggles at higher resolutions and more demanding presets. The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even 1440p Ultra at 31 FPS is marginal. The ranking is consistent with the GPU's 41st percentile among all GPUs, which indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti is a mid-to-low tier graphics card in the current database. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this title, as Rust's performance at high resolutions is heavily dependent on the graphics card.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is not competitive for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming in Rust. The data shows that the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where the combo can reach 106 and 71 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only Low settings (73 FPS) provide a smooth experience, while Medium (49 FPS) is borderline and High (41 FPS) is below the 60 FPS target.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti uses the TU116 chip built on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Memory runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. Its pixel rate is 84.96 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 169.9 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is 5.437 TFLOPS for FP32 and 10.87 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1). The card has a 120 W TDP, uses a single 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W power supply. It is a dual-slot card measuring 229 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 35 mm in width. Display outputs include 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

In GPU benchmarks, the GTX 1660 Ti scores 12871 in PassMark G3D and 5226 in PassMark GPU compute. Its average benchmark score is 7723, placing it at the 41st percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 540 (avg score 7673, delta 0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (avg score 7580, delta 1.9%), the AMD Radeon R7 250 (avg score 7557, delta 2.2%), and the Intel Arc A310 (avg score 7550, delta 2.3%). The GTX 1660 Ti is about 0.7% faster than the Radeon 540 and 2.3% faster than the Arc A310, showing that it sits at the top of a group of low-end GPUs.

For Rust, the GPU's 6 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures and assets at 1080p and 1440p, but the measured FPS indicates that the GPU's compute throughput is the bottleneck at higher settings. The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS suggests that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count and shading demands. The 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps at lower resolutions, as seen in the 106 FPS at 1080p Low, but it is not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low 106, Medium 71 (min 60, max 82), High 60, Ultra 46. The spread from Low to Ultra is 60 FPS, which is the largest gap among all resolutions. This indicates that at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to scale with settings, and the CPU is not limiting performance. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 60, which is the same as the average at 1080p High, showing that Medium provides a more consistent experience.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low 73, Medium 49 (min 42, max 56), High 41, Ultra 31. The gap between Low and Ultra is 42 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor. The minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 42, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutters during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low 43, Medium 29 (min 25, max 33), High 24, Ultra 19. The gap between Low and Ultra is 24 FPS, which is the smallest across all resolutions. This confirms that at 4K, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, and changing settings has a reduced impact on performance. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 25, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

The data shows that the combo delivers its best performance at 1080p, where all settings except Ultra achieve at least 60 FPS average. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, no setting reaches 60 FPS, and even Low settings only manage 43 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate rarely drops below 60, providing a smooth experience. High settings at 1080p achieve 60 FPS average, but the lack of a recorded minimum means there is no guarantee of consistent frame pacing. Ultra at 1080p drops to 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only setting that delivers an average above 60 FPS, at 73 FPS. Medium at 1440p averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 42, which may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but could cause issues in combat scenarios. High and Ultra at 1440p fall to 41 and 31 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for responsive play.

At 3840x2160, none of the settings provide a playable experience. The highest average is 43 FPS at Low, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium and High at 4K produce 29 and 24 FPS, and Ultra drops to 19 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Rust, and users should stick to 1080p for the best results.

The recorded data shows that the Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot, delivering 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS. This provides a stable frame rate while maintaining moderate visual fidelity. For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p offers 106 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides headroom for future gameplay demands. The High preset at 1080p is a viable option for those who want better visuals, but the average of 60 FPS leaves little margin for drops during complex scenes.