Rust

Rust presents a demanding workload that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a performance profile that is heavily dependent on resolution and quality settings. The benchmark data for this combo shows a system capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but one that begins to show its limitations at 4K with higher presets. This analysis breaks down the measured results, placing the combo's performance in context with its rivals and identifying where each component becomes the primary bottleneck.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration and offers a shared 12 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a 3DMark max-threads score of 4735 and a single-thread score of 688, which indicates a solid balance for gaming. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451 further demonstrate its capability in threaded workloads.

Given its 6 cores and 12 threads, the i5-10400F provides enough parallelism for Rust's server-side and physics calculations, but the data suggests that single-thread performance is a key factor in the game's performance. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking against all CPUs means that while it is not at the top of the heap, it sits comfortably above the majority of processors. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-10400F is nearly identical in average benchmark score, with a delta of 0.2% against the Intel Xeon 6756E and -0.3% against the Intel Core 7 160UL. This indicates that in raw processing power, there is little to separate these chips.

However, in Rust, the CPU's role is pivotal at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not fully saturated. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 149, which is only 18% higher than the 1080p High score of 121. This relatively small difference suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is already working hard to keep up with the GPU's frame output, and increasing settings does not proportionally reduce performance because the CPU is the limiting factor. At 4K, the opposite is true; the CPU has more breathing room as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, which is reflected in the larger percentage drops when moving from Low to High settings.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 128, with a minimum of 109 and a maximum of 147.

Q: How does this combo's frame rate at 1440p High compare to its 4K High result?

A: At 1440p High, the average FPS is 87, which is 67% higher than the 4K High average of 52 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 39, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking against all other GPUs?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an 83rd percentile ranking, indicating it performs better than 83% of all GPUs in the database.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: No, the i5-10400F's average benchmark score is 14185, which is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6756E's score of 14163.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded for this combo at any setting?

A: The maximum FPS recorded is 149, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti holds a rank of 1260 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust. This places the combo in the 66th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the combos in the database. This ranking is a comprehensive look at overall performance across all tested resolutions and settings, providing a holistic view of how this pairing handles Rust.

This rank is notable because the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end GPU, but the i5-10400F is a mid-range CPU. The data suggests that the combo's ranking is held back slightly by the CPU's limitations in certain scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck. If this combo were paired with a stronger CPU, its rank would likely be higher. However, despite the CPU's mid-range status, the combo still manages to outperform a significant majority of other tested systems, showcasing the raw power of the RTX 3080 Ti. The 3723 combos tested provide a large sample size, making this rank a reliable indicator of relative performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest average FPS of 149 on Low settings. Moving up the quality ladder, the average drops to 128 on Medium, 121 on High, and 96 on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 109 and a maximum of 147, indicating a playable range for most of the time. The span from Low to Ultra represents a 36% decrease in average frame rate, which is a moderate scaling curve.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset delivers an average of 131 FPS, which drops to 103 on Medium, 87 on High, and 66 on Ultra. The Medium preset's minimum of 88 and maximum of 119 show a wider variance than at 1080p. The overall drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 12%, a relatively small penalty for the resolution increase, suggesting the GPU is still capable of handling the extra pixels without a massive frame rate hit.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals a significant shift in performance. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, which is a 39% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 and maximum of 70, while High averages 52 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, yielding an average of just 39 FPS. The scaling from 1440p Low to 4K Low is a 31% decrease, and from 1080p Low to 4K Low is a 39% decrease, indicating that 4K is where the GPU starts to struggle with this title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data shows a clear pattern of GPU dependency as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 149 at 1080p, to 131 at 1440p, and finally to 91 at 4K. This represents an 11% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 31% drop from 1440p to 4K. The larger relative drop at 4K suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering capabilities are being pushed harder, and the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck.

When looking at High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 121 at 1080p, to 87 at 1440p, and down to 52 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28%, and from 1440p to 4K is a massive 40%. This indicates that at High settings, the combination of increased resolution and higher graphical fidelity is heavily taxing the GPU. The CPU is less of a factor at these higher resolutions because the frame time is dominated by the GPU's rendering workload.

The data implies that the i5-10400F is sufficient to feed the RTX 3080 Ti at 1080p, but its influence wanes as resolution increases. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, further confirming that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, but at 4K, the difference is 52 FPS, a similar absolute number but a much larger relative difference (57% vs 36%). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is working to its absolute limits, and the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset varies depending on the target resolution and frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, as it delivers an average of 91 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K averages 61 FPS, which is just at the edge, but the minimum of 52 FPS could lead to noticeable stutters. High and Ultra presets at 4K, with averages of 52 and 39 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a consistent experience, though they are playable if visual fidelity is prioritized over smoothness.

At 1440p, the High preset is a strong choice, providing an average of 87 FPS with no minimum data recorded. The Ultra preset averages 66 FPS, which is still playable on most displays. However, for maximum fluidity, the Low preset at 1440p offers an average of 131 FPS, making it ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset at 1440p, averaging 103 FPS with a minimum of 88, strikes a good balance between visual quality and performance.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice for visual quality, as it still maintains an average of 96 FPS. The High preset averages 121 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. If the user has a 144 Hz or higher display, the Low preset's 149 FPS average is the only way to fully utilize it, but the Medium preset's 128 FPS average is also a solid option. Ultimately, for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p or the High preset at 1440p seem to be the sweet spots, offering smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much graphical detail.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end graphics card based on the Ampere architecture and built on an 8 nm process node. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with a memory clock of 1188 MHz. It comes with 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. The card's raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS.

The GPU's launch MSRP is 1,199 USD. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 26896 in PassMark G3D and 170037 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 41187, which is 0.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. This indicates that while it is a powerful card, it is not at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy.

In Rust, the GPU's role is most apparent at higher resolutions and settings. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game at all tested resolutions, preventing any memory-related bottlenecks. The 912.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled efficiently. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, particularly on High and Ultra presets, where the average frame rates drop to 52 and 39 respectively. The card's 83rd percentile ranking and its high raw compute power are reflected in its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, even on Ultra settings. However, the data clearly shows that for 4K gaming at maximum settings, the RTX 3080 Ti is pushed to its limits, and users may need to compromise on settings to achieve a consistent frame rate.