Rust

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Rust with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 248 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 198 FPS, a reduction of roughly 20%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 117 FPS, which is about 41% below the 1080p Low figure. This scaling behavior indicates that the system is not entirely GPU-bound at lower resolutions, as the frame rate does not scale linearly with pixel count.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with a slightly different slope. The 1080p Medium average is 193 FPS, the 1440p Medium average is 133 FPS, and the 4K Medium average is 79 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 31%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 41%. This suggests that as settings increase, the GPU becomes a more significant limiting factor, but the CPU still plays a role at 1080p.

High settings show a more pronounced resolution penalty. At 1080p High, the average is 163 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 112 FPS, a 31% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 66 FPS, which is 59% below the 1080p High result. This steeper decline indicates that the RTX 4080 is being pushed harder by the combination of higher resolution and increased graphical fidelity, though the 4K High figure of 66 FPS remains playable.

Ultra settings exhibit the most dramatic scaling. The 1080p Ultra average is 124 FPS, the 1440p Ultra average is 85 FPS, and the 4K Ultra average is 50 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 31% performance, and from 1440p to 4K costs about 41% more. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, indicating that this preset pushes the combo to its limits.

The data reveals that at 1080p, even with Low settings, the frame rate of 248 FPS is very high, suggesting that the CPU (with its 12 cores and 24 threads) is capable of feeding the GPU adequately. As resolution climbs, the GPU workload increases proportionally, and the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth become more relevant. The limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the 50 FPS result indicates a hard ceiling.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Rust if targeting 60 FPS or higher?

A: At 4K, the High preset delivers 66 FPS average, and the Medium preset delivers 79 FPS average, both above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 50 FPS average, so it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, all presets from Low to Ultra exceed 85 FPS average, with the lowest being Ultra at 85 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's memory configuration affect Rust performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 50, while at 4K Medium it is 79 FPS, showing that the memory subsystem is sufficient for the game's demands, but the GPU's compute capabilities (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) become the limiting factor at higher settings.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 7900X bottleneck the RTX 4080 in Rust?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 248 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads, along with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, appear sufficient to avoid severe bottlenecks. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 and multi-thread score of 12536 suggest strong per-core and multi-core performance, but the exact bottleneck depends on the specific frame rate target and settings.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 133, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. This indicates a relatively tight frame time distribution, with the minimum being about 15% below the average, suggesting consistent performance without major hitches.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in Rust?

A: The combo ranks 221st out of 3,723 tested combinations in Rust. This places it in the top 6% of all combos, indicating that it is a high-performing setup for this game, though not the absolute top tier.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this hardware?

A: The 4K Ultra preset yields an average of 50 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth, it is still playable for many users. The 1440p Ultra preset at 85 FPS average offers a more comfortable margin, and the 1080p Ultra at 124 FPS is well above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 221 out of 3,723 tested combos in Rust. This places the setup in the top 5.9% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the game's demanding nature. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU and GPU, as well as their individual capabilities.

The Ryzen 9 7900X sits in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,288. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7313P (avg score 53,206, delta +0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (avg score 53,469, delta -0.3%), the Intel Xeon 634 (avg score 52,974, delta +0.6%), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (avg score 53,620, delta -0.6%). These deltas are all within 1% of the 7900X, indicating that the CPU's performance level is closely matched by several alternatives, but the 7900X holds its own in this competitive range.

The RTX 4080 is in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (avg score 54,209, delta +0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (avg score 54,828, delta -1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (avg score 55,698, delta -2.6%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S (avg score 55,757, delta -2.7%). The RTX 4080 is essentially tied with the 4080 SUPER, while it trails the AMD offerings by roughly 1-3%.

In Rust specifically, the combo's rank of 221 out of 3,723 indicates that the pairing is well-optimized for this game. The high rank is consistent with the measured FPS results, which show the combo delivering playable frame rates at all resolutions up to 4K, with the exception of the 4K Ultra preset falling just below 60 FPS. The rank also suggests that few other combinations of CPUs and GPUs can outperform this setup in Rust, making it a top-tier choice for players seeking high frame rates at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS figures across presets: Low at 248 FPS, Medium at 193 FPS (with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS), High at 163 FPS, and Ultra at 124 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is roughly 50%, with the Medium preset showing a minimum that is about 15% below its average, indicating good frame pacing.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are: Low at 198 FPS, Medium at 133 FPS (with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS), High at 112 FPS, and Ultra at 85 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by 20% at Low, 31% at Medium, 31% at High, and 31% at Ultra. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor, but the CPU still provides enough headroom to maintain high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS figures are: Low at 117 FPS, Medium at 79 FPS (with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS), High at 66 FPS, and Ultra at 50 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 67 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, while the High preset averages 66 FPS and the Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that the RTX 4080's compute power (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) is the primary driver, with the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth being sufficient.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low settings always provide the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in descending order. The gap between Low and Ultra grows with resolution, from 50% at 1080p to 57% at 1440p and 57% at 4K. This indicates that the GPU's shading units (9,728), texture mapping units (304), and render output units (112) are being taxed more heavily at higher settings and resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features the AD103 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units, along with 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores. The base clock is 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. These specifications translate to a peak FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS, which is a key indicator of the GPU's raw compute capability.

The memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps. This memory configuration is well-suited for Rust's open-world environments, which can require large textures and geometry data. The 16 GB capacity ensures that the game's assets fit comfortably within VRAM, even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings.

In Rust, the RTX 4080's role is evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rate of 248 FPS is likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. As resolution and settings increase, the GPU's workload grows, and the 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS indicates that the GPU is fully utilized. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s provide theoretical limits that align with the measured performance.

The GPU's power envelope is 320 W TDP, with a suggested power supply of 700 W. The triple-slot design and 1x 16-pin power connector indicate that this is a high-power, high-performance part. The benchmark scores for the RTX 4080 include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 214,739, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779. These synthetic benchmarks corroborate the real-world Rust performance, showing that the GPU is capable of handling modern game workloads.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver well above 60 FPS, with the Ultra preset achieving 124 FPS average. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 248 FPS or the Medium preset at 193 FPS would provide the smoothest experience, while the High preset at 163 FPS offers a balanced visual quality and performance trade-off.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 85 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but may not be sufficient for 144 Hz displays. The High preset at 112 FPS is a better choice for high refresh rate gaming, while the Medium preset at 133 FPS provides a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. The Low preset at 198 FPS is ideal for competitive play, where frame rate is prioritized over visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the choice is more constrained. The High preset at 66 FPS average is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 79 FPS average offers a slightly higher frame rate with a minor reduction in visual quality, and the Low preset at 117 FPS provides a substantial performance boost for players who prefer higher frame rates over graphical fidelity. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold and is only recommended for players who prioritize visual quality over smoothness.

The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best overall experience for most players, with an average of 133 FPS and a minimum of 113 FPS, which ensures consistent performance. At 4K, the High preset at 66 FPS average is the recommended choice for a balance of quality and performance, while the Medium preset at 79 FPS is a viable alternative for those who want a slightly higher frame rate. For players with variable refresh rate monitors, the 4K Medium preset with its 67 FPS minimum would provide a smooth experience without dropping below the critical threshold.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael, and manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The base clock is 4.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU has a substantial cache hierarchy: 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is crucial for game performance, as Rust's simulation and physics calculations can benefit from large on-die caches.

The CPU's memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for feeding the GPU and handling the game's data streaming. The 7900X also supports PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes, providing ample bandwidth for the RTX 4080's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The integrated Radeon Graphics, while not used for gaming, adds to the CPU's versatility.

In Rust, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 248 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is capable of handling the game's single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,093 and multi-thread score of 12,536 indicate strong performance, and the Cinebench R23 scores of 2,016.5 (single-core) and 29,300 (multi-core) corroborate this. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,238 and multi-thread score of 51,406 further support the CPU's capability.

The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are beneficial for Rust, which can utilize multiple threads for world generation, entity updates, and network processing. The L3 cache of 64 MB shared is particularly useful for keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores. The 7900X's percentile ranking of 91 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,288, places it in the upper echelon of processors, and its nearest rivals (all within 1% delta) confirm this competitive position.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. However, the 7900X's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that it can keep up with the RTX 4080's demands, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS of 50 is likely GPU-limited. The CPU's power envelope of 170 W TDP, with a launch MSRP of $549, positions it as a high-end desktop processor that pairs well with the RTX 4080 for gaming, as evidenced by the combo's strong rank of 221 out of 3,723 in Rust.