Rust

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Rust produces a fascinating, lopsided combination: the data shows a GPU capable of enormous raw throughput held back by a six-core 2018-era CPU, yet the measured frame rates remain surprisingly playable across most settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 131 FPS, while stepping up to 3840x2160 with Ultra drops to 61 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh 1080p or 1440p gaming, with the CPU acting as the limiting factor at lower resolutions and the GPU taking over the workload at 4K. Below is a detailed breakdown based exclusively on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 131, the highest of any tested settings/resolution combination in the FACT PACK. This suggests that at 1080p with minimal graphical demands, the system can push well beyond standard 60 FPS monitors, though the CPU may constrain higher refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). It also sits 2.1% above the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396) and 2.4% above the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605). These deltas indicate the 5090 D is roughly on par with those GPUs in synthetic tests, despite having a much larger memory pool.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested CPU/GPU pairings in Rust?

A: The combo ranks 841st out of 2,953 tested combinations, placing it in the top 28.5% of all systems. This percentile is notably lower than the GPU’s own 92nd percentile ranking, highlighting that the CPU drags down overall performance relative to other pairings.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, the GPU’s API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. This means it can utilize modern rendering features in Rust that leverage these APIs, though the measured FPS data does not specify which API was used during testing.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has a launch MSRP of $199, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD. These figures are from their respective release dates and do not reflect current market pricing.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 D have, and does it matter for Rust?

A: The RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. For Rust, this is more than sufficient for any texture or asset loading at all tested settings, as the game’s memory demands are unlikely to exceed a fraction of this capacity. The measured FPS differences across settings are more attributable to GPU compute load than VRAM capacity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it can push high frame rates even at 4K. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units. Its boost clock reaches 2407 MHz, with a base clock of 2017 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and large open-world environments like Rust’s procedurally generated maps.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s role becomes clearer when comparing resolution scaling. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 79, while dropping to Low raises it to 97 FPS. This 18 FPS gap (about 23%) shows that the GPU has headroom to handle lower graphical loads, but the CPU begins to matter more as pixel count decreases. At 1920x1080, the Low setting achieves 131 FPS, but the High setting only reaches 106 FPS — a 25 FPS difference. The RTX 5090 D’s raw compute power, rated at 104.8 TFLOPS for FP32, is not fully utilized at 1080p because the CPU cannot feed it fast enough. The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs (based on average benchmark score of 77,712) confirms its top-tier status, but the measured results in Rust show that this potential is only realized at higher resolutions.

The VRAM capacity is another factor. With 32 GB, the RTX 5090 D can hold entire game assets in memory, reducing stutter from texture streaming. However, the measured FPS data shows no min FPS values for most settings, except for Medium (where min FPS ranges from 71 to 96 across resolutions). This absence suggests that frame pacing is generally consistent, likely aided by the ample memory pool. The GPU’s 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that data moves quickly between the memory and compute units, which is particularly relevant for Rust’s dynamic world where terrain and structures change frequently. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s further indicate that the GPU can handle complex scenes, but the actual performance is gated by the CPU at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 131 FPS, which is ideal for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors. The High preset at 106 FPS is still smooth for 100 Hz displays, while Medium at 113 FPS offers a balance between visual quality and speed. Ultra at 96 FPS is the most demanding but remains playable. The data suggests that for competitive play where frame rate matters most, Low or Medium at 1080p is recommended, as the difference between Low (131 FPS) and Ultra (96 FPS) is 35 FPS, but the visual uplift from Low to Medium is often more noticeable than from Medium to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 116 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p gaming. High drops to 94 FPS, Medium to 99 FPS, and Ultra to 85 FPS. For most users, Medium at 99 FPS provides the best experience because it maintains a high frame rate while improving graphical fidelity over Low. The gap between Low and Medium is only 17 FPS, but Medium offers better shadows and textures, which matter in Rust’s survival gameplay where visibility is key. Ultra at 85 FPS is still above 60 FPS, making it viable for slower-paced exploration, but the 14 FPS penalty over Medium may not justify the extra visual detail.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes. Low delivers 97 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K, but High drops to 79 FPS, Medium to 83 FPS, and Ultra to 61 FPS. The recommendation here is either Low for maximum smoothness or Medium for a balance, as the 18 FPS difference between Low and Medium (97 vs 83) is significant, but Medium provides better image quality. Ultra at 61 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays, but the min FPS data is missing, so frame dips could make it less stable. Given that Rust is a multiplayer survival game where reaction times matter, the data supports choosing Medium at 4K if you have a 60 Hz monitor, or Low if you have a 120 Hz display.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is likely 2560x1440 with Medium settings, yielding 99 FPS average with a min FPS of 85 and max of 114. This combination offers a high frame rate, sufficient visual detail, and the only complete min/max data in the entire set, indicating more predictable performance. For users with 1080p monitors, Medium at 113 FPS (min 96, max 130) is similarly well-rounded. Avoid Ultra at 4K unless you prioritize visual quality over frame rate, as the 61 FPS average barely meets standard refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 96 (Ultra) to 131 (Low). The Medium setting shows the only min/max values: 96 min, 130 max, with an average of 113. High sits at 106 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 35 FPS drop (131 to 96), which is a 26.7% reduction. This suggests that the GPU handles the graphical load well, but the CPU’s performance at 1080p is the bottleneck, as the RTX 5090 D would typically show larger differences between settings if fully utilized.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 116 (Low), 99 (Medium), 94 (High), and 85 (Ultra). The Medium setting again provides min/max data: 85 min, 114 max. The difference between Low and Ultra is 31 FPS (116 to 85), a 26.7% reduction, similar to the 1080p scaling. However, the absolute frame rates are lower than at 1080p, with Low dropping from 131 to 116 FPS (11.5% decrease) and Ultra from 96 to 85 FPS (11.5% decrease). This indicates that the GPU is now doing more work, but the CPU still limits the maximum frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 97 (Low), 83 (Medium), 79 (High), and 61 (Ultra). The Medium setting shows min/max of 71 and 96, respectively. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 36 FPS drop (97 to 61), a 37.1% reduction, which is steeper than at lower resolutions. This suggests that the GPU’s compute resources are now the primary factor, as the CPU has more time to prepare frames at higher pixel counts. The difference between 1080p Low (131 FPS) and 4K Low (97 FPS) is 34 FPS, while the difference between 1080p Ultra (96 FPS) and 4K Ultra (61 FPS) is 35 FPS. This near-constant offset across settings indicates that resolution scaling is consistent, but the absolute numbers reveal the CPU’s influence.

Comparing settings within a resolution, the largest gap is always between Low and Ultra. At 1080p, that gap is 35 FPS; at 1440p, it’s 31 FPS; at 4K, it’s 36 FPS. The Medium setting consistently falls between Low and High, with averages of 113, 99, and 83 FPS respectively. The min FPS values for Medium are notably lower than the averages: 96 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 71 at 4K. This suggests that while average performance is solid, there are moments of frame drops, possibly during complex scenes with many entities or structure changes. The max FPS values (130, 114, 96) show that the system can burst higher, but sustained performance is closer to the average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranking in Rust places this pairing at 841st out of 2,953 tested combinations. This rank is significantly worse than the GPU’s individual percentile of 92, which means that the CPU is holding back the system. The CPU’s percentile is 75, indicating that it outperforms 75% of all CPUs in general benchmarks, but its average benchmark score of 21,484 is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (21,440) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900H (21,367). This proximity to rivals suggests that the Ryzen 5 2600 is a mid-tier processor, and in Rust, which is known for CPU-heavy simulation, this becomes a liability.

The rank of 841 out of 2,953 puts the combo in the 71.5th percentile of all tested systems (calculated as 1 - 841/2953). This means that 71.5% of tested combos perform better in Rust, which is a stark contrast to the GPU’s 92nd percentile. The data implies that many systems with slower GPUs but faster CPUs achieve higher frame rates in Rust, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU speed matters more. For example, a system with a newer six-core or eight-core CPU and a mid-range GPU could outperform this pairing at 1080p, because the RTX 5090 D’s power is wasted when the CPU cannot deliver frames fast enough.

The nearest rivals for the CPU in general benchmarks (Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, Intel Core i9-11900H, Intel Xeon D-1746TER, AMD EPYC 9454) have average scores within 1.2% of the Ryzen 5 2600. This indicates that the CPU’s performance is not uniquely poor, but it is also not exceptional. In Rust, the CPU’s single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 1,154) and multi-thread performance (Geekbench multi-core score of 5,648) are below modern standards, which explains why the combo ranks lower than the GPU’s potential would suggest. The combo’s rank of 841 is a direct consequence of this mismatch, and the measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is the primary limitation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, specifically the Zen+ (Pinnacle Ridge) refresh. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, offering 46.9 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its cache structure includes 96 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the CPU’s release date of 2018-04-18 places it several generations behind current offerings.

In Rust, the CPU’s role is critical because the game simulates a persistent world with many entities, including players, animals, structures, and environmental changes. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s multi-threaded performance is adequate but not stellar. The Cinebench R15 multi-core score is 1,248, while the single-core score is 157.3. The PassMark multi-thread score is 13,160, and the single-thread score is 2,239. These numbers suggest that the CPU can handle multiple threads, which Rust uses for world simulation, but its per-core performance is limited by the 3.90 GHz boost clock and the aging Zen architecture.

The measured FPS data reveals the CPU’s impact. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 131, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame delivery rate. The GPU is so powerful that it could render faster, but the CPU cannot issue draw calls quickly enough. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average drops to 97 FPS, indicating that the GPU is now doing more work, but the CPU still has to manage game logic. The difference between 1080p Low (131 FPS) and 4K Low (97 FPS) is 34 FPS, which is a 26% reduction. This reduction is partly due to increased GPU load, but the CPU’s frame time remains constant, so the relative impact of the CPU grows at lower resolutions.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s is another limiting factor. Rust’s world data, including terrain and entity positions, must be accessed frequently. With only dual-channel DDR4, the CPU may struggle to feed both the GPU and the game logic simultaneously. The 16 MB L3 cache helps, but it is small compared to modern CPUs with 32 MB or more. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 3 interface (16 lanes) also limits data transfer to the GPU compared to PCIe Gen 4 or 5, though the RTX 5090 D supports PCIe 5.0 x16. In practice, this means the GPU may not receive data as fast as it could, further reducing the combo’s performance.

The nearest rival comparison shows that the Ryzen 5 2600 is statistically similar to the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2% delta), Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% delta), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (-0.7% delta), and AMD EPYC 9454 (1.2% delta) in average benchmark score. However, these rivals have different architectures and clock speeds, so their performance in Rust could vary. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking indicates it is above average, but for a game like Rust that benefits from high single-thread performance, the 3.90 GHz boost clock is insufficient to fully utilize the RTX 5090 D. The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS difference between Low (131) and Ultra (96) is only 35 FPS, whereas a modern CPU might show a larger gap because the GPU would be the bottleneck at all settings. This suggests that the CPU is the primary constraint at 1080p, and the GPU only becomes the bottleneck at 4K where the resolution alone limits frame rates.