Rust

FAQ

Q: How does this CPU-GPU combination rank for Rust among all tested combos?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1505 out of 1717 tested combinations in Rust. This places it in the lower portion of the field, indicating that while it can run the game, it is not positioned for high-refresh-rate or maximum-quality play at demanding resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the combination delivers an average of 105.1 FPS on Low settings and 45.8 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a drop of 59.3 FPS, or roughly 56 percent, when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is 0.1 percent lower than the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897). The delta is minimal, indicating near-identical overall CPU throughput between these two parts in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect Rust?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. For Rust, this bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 6 GB capacity can become a limiting factor at 4K with higher texture settings.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock and core configuration?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It is built on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne) using a 7 nm process, and it supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Is the measured FPS data considered reliable?

A: Yes, the dataIsMeasured field is set to true, indicating that these are actual benchmark results rather than estimates or projections. The measurements cover four resolutions and four quality presets for this specific hardware combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with the TU116 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die, with 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, delivering a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 5.027 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

In Rust, the GPU's role is most evident when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 105.1 on Low to 57.5 on High, and further to 45.8 on Ultra. This scaling of nearly 2.3x between Low and Ultra indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary bottleneck for higher quality presets. The 6 GB VRAM capacity, while sufficient for 1080p, becomes strained at 4K where the Ultra preset yields only 21.8 FPS. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is a notable strength for this class, but it cannot compensate for the raw shader throughput limits when rendering Rust's large open-world environments at high pixel counts.

The GPU's percentile rank among all GPUs is 55, meaning it sits slightly above the median. Its average benchmark score of 14286 is within 0.7 percent of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389), and 0.5 percent below the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352). These close margins suggest that the GTX 1660 SUPER performs essentially on par with those competing parts in general compute, but its specific strengths in rasterization and memory bandwidth are what matter for Rust.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS moves from 105.1 at 1920x1080, to 73.3 at 2560x1440, and finally to 45.1 at 3840x2160. This represents a 57 percent drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling is steeper at higher quality presets: at Ultra settings, FPS drops from 45.8 at 1080p to 32.8 at 1440p (a 28 percent reduction), and then to 21.8 at 4K (a further 34 percent reduction from 1440p).

The fact that even at Low settings the frame rate halves when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is heavily pixel-bound. At 1080p Low, the system achieves over 100 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at that resolution. However, as pixel count increases, the GTX 1660 SUPER's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant constraints. The 4K results — 45.1 FPS on Low, 30.5 on Medium, 24.8 on High, and 21.8 on Ultra — all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, meaning this combination is not viable for smooth 4K play in Rust regardless of settings.

The resolution scaling also highlights the CPU's role. At 1080p Low, the 105.1 FPS result suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 is capable of keeping up with the GPU's output. When resolution increases, the frame rate drops in a manner consistent with GPU limitation rather than CPU bottlenecking. This is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a modern 6-core processor in a game like Rust, which is known for its server-side and world-streaming demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers an average of 105.1 FPS on Low settings, which is the only preset that exceeds the 60 FPS mark. Medium settings produce 69.3 FPS, High produces 57.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 35.8 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 11.8 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 11.7 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns from quality increases beyond Medium, with the largest performance cost occurring when moving from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the results are more constrained. Low settings yield 73.3 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS at this resolution. Medium produces 46.4 FPS, High produces 43.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32.8 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is only 2.6 FPS, indicating that at 1440p the GPU is already saturated and additional quality settings have a minimal impact on frame rate. The Ultra preset at 32.8 FPS is borderline playable for slower-paced gameplay but will feel stuttery in combat scenarios.

At 3840x2160, all presets fall well below playable thresholds. Low settings produce 45.1 FPS, Medium produces 30.5 FPS, High produces 24.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 21.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 51.7 percent reduction in frame rate. None of these results approach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset at 45.1 FPS would be marginal for a game like Rust where quick reactions are often necessary. For 4K, this hardware combination is only suitable for static or very slow gameplay with reduced settings.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings provide the headroom, Medium is the practical ceiling for smooth play, and High/Ultra are only viable at 1080p where the GPU can still muster acceptable frame rates. The data does not include minimum or maximum FPS values, so the analysis relies on averages, which may mask occasional stutters during world loading or large-scale building destruction events.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU has a 16 MB L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 3. The processor is unlocked, allowing for overclocking, and fits the AMD Socket AM4 platform.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5500 demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 16429, and its single-core score is 2319. The Passmark multithread score is 19330, with a single-thread score of 3058. The CPU's average benchmark score of 20875 places it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it outperforms roughly four out of five processors in general compute workloads. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897, 0.1 percent higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900, 0.1 percent higher), and the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20845, 0.1 percent lower).

For Rust, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 105.1 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500 can drive frame rates well above 100 FPS when the GPU is not heavily loaded. However, the 12 threads are beneficial for Rust's simulation and networking workloads, which can scale across multiple cores. The 3.60 GHz base clock and 4.20 GHz boost clock provide adequate single-thread performance for the game's main loop, while the 16 MB L3 cache helps with world-data access patterns.

The CPU's percentile rank of 79 indicates that it is a solid mid-range processor, but its nearest rivals are all within 0.2 percent in average score, meaning there is little to distinguish it from similar parts. In Rust, the measured frame rates at 1080p Low (105.1) versus 1440p Low (73.3) show a 31.8 FPS drop, which is primarily GPU-driven. The CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but it is capable enough to avoid bottlenecking the GTX 1660 SUPER at 1080p. For players targeting high refresh rates at 1080p with reduced settings, this CPU-GPU pairing can deliver, but the GPU will cap performance at higher quality presets.