Rust

This CPU and GPU pairing is a classic 1080p-oriented setup with a clear ceiling at higher resolutions. The data shows a mid-pack performer, with the combo ranking 1425th out of 1717 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of all tested hardware pairs. The GTX 1070, while aging, still offers a solid 8 GB of VRAM, but the 6-core i5-11400F proves to be a capable partner that keeps frame rates playable at 1080p, with significant drops as resolution climbs.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Rust at 1080p?

A: Yes, comfortably. Measured results show an average of 115.2 FPS at Low settings and 66.9 FPS at High settings in 1920x1080. This indicates a very playable experience for most settings presets at this resolution.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM enough for Rust?

A: The data suggests yes. While the GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, the frame rate drops are more closely tied to resolution and settings than a memory capacity limit. The largest FPS drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 1440p, which is a classic sign of GPU compute limits rather than memory starvation.

Q: How does the i5-11400F perform relative to its rivals?

A: The CPU sits at the 75th percentile of all processors. Its average benchmark score of 17181 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which scores 17189, and it is just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1240U. This places it in a very tight performance cluster.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: Based on the measured average FPS, 1920x1080 is the clear target. At 2560x1440, performance drops to 78.8 FPS at Low settings and 43.8 FPS at High settings, which is still playable but less consistent. At 3840x2160, all settings presets fall below 45.3 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is this a balanced pairing for Rust?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is sufficient to feed the GPU, but at 1440p and 4K, the massive frame rate drops show the GTX 1070 cannot keep up with the rendering load.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's multi-threading?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Benchmark results show a large jump from 2-thread (1691) to 4-thread (3171) scores, and a steady scaling up to 5652 at max threads. This indicates the game can utilize multiple cores, even if the single-thread score of 868 is more modest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the defining component for this pairing's performance ceiling in Rust. It is built on the Pascal architecture with 1920 shading units and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. The data clearly shows that this GPU, while historically strong, becomes a limiting factor as resolution increases.

The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is not the issue. The 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth and 256-bit memory bus are sufficient for the textures used. Instead, the raw compute power of 6.463 TFLOPS is what struggles. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1082 is low, indicating the card's modern API performance is weak. Its overall GPU percentile is 51, meaning it sits exactly in the middle of all tested GPUs.

Crucially, the GPU's nearest rivals show its age. It is only 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M. This positions the GTX 1070 as a card that is competitive with older high-end parts but has fallen behind more modern entry-level offerings. In Rust, this translates to a GPU that can manage 1080p gaming but is quickly overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. This is the clearest indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 66.9. Moving up to 2560x1440 High settings drops the average to 43.8 FPS, a significant reduction of 23.1 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 High settings is even more punishing, with the average FPS falling to 27.4.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 115.2 at 1080p to 78.8 at 1440p, and finally to 45.3 at 4K. The relative drop is enormous. This behavior is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's workload remains relatively constant, but the GPU must render exponentially more pixels, causing the average FPS to plummet. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is simply not powerful enough to sustain high frame rates at 1440p, let alone 4K, in Rust.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1425th out of 1717 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the bottom 20% of all possible pairings. This is a low ranking, but it is not surprising given the age of the GPU.

The rank is a holistic measure of the pairing's ability to run the game across all tested resolutions and settings. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, like a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372, cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. The GPU's average benchmark score is 12331, which is lower than its direct rivals like the GTX 1650 SUPER at 12504. This indicates the GPU is a weaker link in this chain, and the combo ranking reflects that. For a game like Rust, which can be demanding, this pairing is not a high performer, but it is functional at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The data shows this CPU is a strong performer for its class, sitting at the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

Its benchmark scores are robust. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029 show a balanced capability. The Geekbench multi-core score of 7579 and single-core score of 1979 reinforce this. The CPU's performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, all scoring within a 0.2% delta of its average score of 17181.

In the context of Rust, the CPU's role is to handle game logic and physics. The low FPS at 4K (27.4 at High) is not a CPU limitation, as the same CPU can push 115.2 FPS at 1080p Low. The CPU has enough headroom to deliver high frame rates, but the GPU is unable to match its output at higher resolutions. The CPU is a capable partner, but the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the pairing is most effective:

• Low: 115.2 FPS
• Medium: 78.0 FPS
• High: 66.9 FPS
• Ultra: 50.8 FPS

These numbers show that 1080p is the sweet spot, with all settings providing playable frame rates. The drop from Low to Medium is steep (37.2 FPS), indicating that the settings have a significant impact on the GPU load.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably:

• Low: 78.8 FPS
• Medium: 54.5 FPS
• High: 43.8 FPS
• Ultra: 30.3 FPS

Here, 1440p is playable at Low and Medium settings, but High and Ultra become difficult to run smoothly. The gap between Low and Medium is 24.3 FPS, showing the GPU is struggling to maintain higher fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmed:

• Low: 45.3 FPS
• Medium: 29.1 FPS
• High: 27.4 FPS
• Ultra: 19.7 FPS

4K gaming is not viable with this setup. Even at Low settings, the frame rate is below 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 19.7 FPS. The data is clear: this combo is for 1080p gaming, with a possibility of 1440p at lower settings.