Rust

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing occupies the 91st position out of 1,717 tested combinations for Rust, placing it in the top 5.3% of all configurations analyzed. This is a notable result given the substantial disparity in component tiers; the RTX 4090 is an end-of-life flagship, while the Ryzen 5 5600 is a mid-range desktop processor from the 5000 series. The combo’s ranking suggests that while the GPU provides immense raw throughput, the CPU’s performance ceiling prevents this pairing from reaching the absolute top tier of results. Benchmark data shows the CPU achieves a 79th percentile ranking against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 21,765, placing it within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-11700F, which scores 21,957. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 91st percentile, with an average score of 66,473, and is within 1.3% of the NVIDIA Quadro P6000’s 67,320. The delta between these percentiles indicates a system where the processor is the limiting factor in overall performance, a pattern that becomes more evident when examining frame rates across different resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The 91st rank out of 1,717 combos is strong, but it is not a top-tier result for a system containing an RTX 4090. The data indicates that this configuration outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, yet it falls short of what the GPU alone might suggest. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 21,765 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9554P, which scores 21,899, a delta of -0.6%. This places the Ryzen 5 5600 in a performance band where small differences in score translate to significant changes in ranking. In Rust specifically, the combination’s rank suggests that the game’s engine, which is known for heavy single-thread and memory-sensitive workloads, responds more to the CPU’s 3.50 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks than to the sheer core count of other processors. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the CPU’s single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and 2,584 in Cinebench R23 are the driving metrics here. The result is a system that is fast, but one where a more capable processor would likely push the combo higher into the rankings, as the GPU’s 91st percentile performance is not being fully utilized.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This memory configuration is far beyond what Rust requires at any resolution, even at 4K. The GPU’s base clock is 2,235 MHz, boosting to 2,520 MHz, with memory running at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These clocks are high, but the data suggests that in Rust, the GPU is not the primary constraint. At 4K with Ultra settings, the combo produces 54.7 FPS, which is a playable frame rate but far from the GPU’s potential. When settings drop to Low at the same resolution, the frame rate jumps to 133.1 FPS, a massive increase of 143% from the Ultra figure. This scaling indicates that the GPU is being held back by CPU-bound scenarios at lower settings, where the processor cannot feed the GPU enough data. The RTX 4090’s 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores are largely idle in these cases, as evidenced by the PassMark G3D score of 38,194, which is strong but not exceptional for this card. The GPU’s compute score of 26,613 further shows that its raw power is not the bottleneck; rather, the CPU’s 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support limit how quickly scene data can be processed.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of CPU limitation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 193.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low yields 170.7 FPS, and 4K Low produces 133.1 FPS. This is a drop of 23 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and another 37.6 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The percentage drops are 11.9% and 22.0%, respectively. These are relatively modest declines, indicating that the GPU is still able to maintain high frame rates even as pixel count quadruples. However, at Ultra settings, the scaling is different. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 138.4 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 95 FPS, a 31.4% reduction. At 4K Ultra, it falls to 54.7 FPS, another 42.4% reduction from 1440p. The larger percentage drops at higher settings suggest that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the absolute frame rates are still lower than expected for an RTX 4090. The data points to a system where the CPU is the limiting component at lower resolutions and settings, while the GPU begins to take over at 4K Ultra, but even then, the frame rate is not GPU-bound to the degree one would expect. The 1080p High score of 155.8 FPS versus the 4K High score of 73.7 FPS shows a 52.7% reduction, which is a significant drop, but the fact that 1080p High is not much higher than 1440p Low (170.7 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capping performance around that range.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Rust to maintain high frame rates?

A: At 1440p with High settings, the combo achieves 125.2 FPS, which is a balanced point. At 1080p High, it reaches 155.8 FPS, but 1440p Ultra drops to 95 FPS. The data suggests 1440p High offers a strong combination of visual fidelity and frame rate.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 21,765. It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21,635) and 0.6% behind the AMD EPYC 9554P (21,899). It is also 0.9% behind the Intel Core i7-11700F (21,957).

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s memory bandwidth a factor in Rust’s performance?

A: The GPU has a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s from its 24 GB GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. This is far more than Rust requires, and the measured FPS data shows that the CPU’s 51.2 GB/s system memory bandwidth is more likely the limiting factor in frame delivery.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low settings produce 133.1 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 54.7 FPS. This is a difference of 78.4 FPS, or a 143% increase in performance when moving from Ultra to Low.

Q: Does the combo rank higher in the overall database than the GPU’s percentile suggests?

A: The combo ranks 91st out of 1,717, which is in the top 5.3% of all tested combos. The GPU’s percentile is 91, and the CPU’s is 79, so the combo’s ranking is between the two, reflecting the CPU’s limiting influence.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance relate to Rust’s results?

A: The CPU scores 882 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,584 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These scores are critical for Rust, as the game’s engine relies heavily on single-thread responsiveness, which is reflected in the frame rates being lower than the GPU’s capability would allow.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High setting provides 155.8 FPS, which is only slightly lower than the Low setting’s 193.7 FPS but offers notably better visuals. The Medium setting at 162.7 FPS is also viable, but High gives a better balance of quality and performance. At 1440p, the High setting again stands out with 125.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The Medium setting at 144.4 FPS is faster, but High is recommended for its visual improvements without a significant frame rate penalty. At 4K, the situation changes. The Ultra setting yields only 54.7 FPS, which is below the ideal for fast-paced survival gameplay. The High setting at 73.7 FPS is playable, but the Medium setting at 89.3 FPS is the better choice for maintaining a higher frame rate while still having decent visuals. The Low setting at 4K produces 133.1 FPS, but the visual quality is likely too degraded for most users. Therefore, the data recommends High settings at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium settings at 4K to get the best experience from this combo, balancing frame rate and visual fidelity based on the measured rows.