Rust

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary limiting component in this pairing. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 107.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 73.7 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 43.5 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 59% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern holds at Medium settings, where 73.1 FPS at 1080p drops to 48.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 31.5 FPS at 4K — a 57% loss. At High settings, the decline is from 60.2 FPS to 40.6 FPS to 25.9 FPS, a 57% reduction. Ultra settings show the same trend: 44.6 FPS at 1080p, 30.6 FPS at 1440p, and 20.6 FPS at 4K, a 54% drop.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated as resolution rises. The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K, the sheer number of pixels overwhelms this configuration. The fact that even Low settings at 4K only produce 43.5 FPS — below the 60 FPS threshold — confirms that no amount of graphical detail reduction can make 4K playable on this combo. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the bottleneck here; the consistent percentage drops across settings point squarely at the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: No. The best 4K result is 43.5 FPS at Low settings. High settings yield 25.9 FPS, Medium gives 31.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 20.6 FPS. All fall well below the 60 FPS target, indicating the GPU cannot handle 4K resolution in this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this pairing?

A: The maximum recorded average is 107.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 14286, placing it at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, scores 14314, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14315 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT scores 14389 (0.7% higher). The GTX 1660 SUPER trails all of them by less than 1%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the FPS drops at higher resolutions?

A: The GPU. The FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings (roughly 54-59% lower), regardless of whether Low or Ultra is selected. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the drop would be less pronounced at lower settings where the GPU has less work.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1489 out of 1717 tested combinations in Rust. This places it in the lower portion of the database, indicating that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better performance in this title.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600’s single-thread performance help in Rust?

A: The CPU scores 2584 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 882 in 3DMark single-thread, with a passmark single-thread score of 3256. These are strong numbers, but the measured FPS at 4K (max 43.5) shows the GPU limits overall performance. At 1080p Low, the 107.1 FPS result suggests the CPU can keep up when the GPU is not the constraint.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer), built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration is well-suited for Rust, which benefits from strong single-threaded performance and moderate multi-threading.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmarks are respectable. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2584 single-core and 18309 multi-core. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 882, while the max-thread score is 5659. The passmark single-thread score is 3256, and the multithread score is 21541. These numbers place the Ryzen 5 5600 at the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21765. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% higher score), the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core i7-11700F (0.9% lower).

In Rust, the CPU’s role becomes evident at 1080p Low settings, where the frame rate reaches 107.1 FPS. This high value indicates that the processor can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions. However, as resolution increases, the FPS drops proportionally regardless of settings, suggesting the CPU has headroom left unused. The 12 threads allow for background tasks and game logic, but the measured data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor above 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1660 SUPER delivers 107.1 FPS on Low settings, 73.1 FPS on Medium, 60.2 FPS on High, and 44.6 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium costs 34 FPS (32%), while the step from Medium to High costs another 13 FPS (18%). Ultra is the most demanding, dropping 15.6 FPS below High. This resolution is the only one where the combo approaches playable frame rates across all settings, though Ultra dips below 45 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages fall to 73.7 FPS (Low), 48.9 FPS (Medium), 40.6 FPS (High), and 30.6 FPS (Ultra). The Low setting remains above 60 FPS, but every other preset fails to reach that threshold. Medium loses 24.8 FPS compared to Low, and High loses another 8.3 FPS. Ultra is 10 FPS below High, making it the least viable option at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are 43.5 FPS (Low), 31.5 FPS (Medium), 25.9 FPS (High), and 20.6 FPS (Ultra). No setting reaches 60 FPS. Low is the only preset above 40 FPS, and even that is marginal for competitive play. The gap between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 5.6 FPS. Ultra is only 5.3 FPS lower than High, showing diminishing returns at the top end.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture (TU116 chip) using a 12 nm process. It has 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. Memory is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card’s FP32 compute is 5.027 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark scores are modest. In Passmark, it scores 12699 in G3D and 5076 in GPU compute. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1278. Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 62664 and 59933, respectively. These figures place the GPU at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.7% of its score: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389).

In Rust, the GPU’s limitations surface clearly. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate become constraints. The consistent FPS drops across all settings at 4K (from 43.5 Low to 20.6 Ultra) indicate that the GPU is saturated. Even at 1080p Ultra, the card only manages 44.6 FPS, suggesting that high-detail rendering taxes the shading units heavily. The boost clock of 1785 MHz helps at lower resolutions, but cannot compensate for the architectural limits at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best experience with 107.1 FPS, offering smooth gameplay well above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 73.1 FPS is also viable for players wanting better visuals without sacrificing frame rate. High at 60.2 FPS is borderline acceptable, but any dips below 60 FPS could affect gameplay. Ultra at 44.6 FPS is not recommended for competitive play, though it is usable for single-player or less demanding scenarios.

At 2560x1440, Low is the only setting that exceeds 60 FPS (73.7). Medium at 48.9 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. High at 40.6 FPS and Ultra at 30.6 FPS are too low for a smooth experience. Players at this resolution should stick to Low or Medium.

At 3840x2160, no setting is truly playable. Low at 43.5 FPS is the least bad option, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. Medium at 31.5 FPS, High at 25.9 FPS, and Ultra at 20.6 FPS are all below acceptable thresholds. The data suggests avoiding 4K entirely with this combo, or accepting a significant frame rate compromise.

The best overall experience is 1080p Low at 107.1 FPS, which balances responsiveness with visual clarity. Players who prioritize graphics over frame rate can use 1080p Medium (73.1 FPS) or High (60.2 FPS), but should avoid Ultra at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 1489 out of 1717 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the bottom 13% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU’s modest performance relative to other tested systems. The CPU’s 79th percentile ranking contrasts sharply with the GPU’s 55th percentile, indicating a clear imbalance in this pairing.

The combo’s position suggests that many other systems deliver better FPS in Rust. However, the measured data shows this combo is still capable of 1080p gaming at high frame rates. The low rank is driven largely by the GPU’s inability to handle higher resolutions, which is a common limitation for mid-range cards. Players using this combo should target 1080p to get the most out of the hardware. The rank also implies that upgrading the GPU would yield significant gains, while the CPU has enough performance headroom to support a faster graphics card.