Rust

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Rust with the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti reveals a predictable but steep scaling curve as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 157.4 FPS, but this drops to 106.6 FPS at 1440p and further to 64 FPS at 4K. This represents a 59.3% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern holds across all quality presets, though the percentage drops vary slightly.

For High settings, the scaling shows 88.2 FPS at 1080p, 59.4 FPS at 1440p, and 33.3 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.7%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 43.9%. This accelerating decline indicates that the GTX 1080 Ti's rendering capabilities become the dominant constraint at higher resolutions. Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 103.5 FPS at 1080p, 71.4 FPS at 1440p, and 43.4 FPS at 4K.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling, with 64.6 FPS at 1080p falling to 48.9 FPS at 1440p and 24.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for most users. The data suggests that at 1080p, particularly with lower presets, the CPU and GPU are better balanced, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. The GTX 1080 Ti's 484.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and 139.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are the specs most relevant to this scaling behavior.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, built on the Pascal architecture with a 16 nm process from TSMC, carries 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 ROPs. Its base clock of 1481 MHz boosts to 1582 MHz, with memory running at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The 11 GB GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus delivers 484.4 GB/s bandwidth. These specifications position the card in the 61st percentile of all GPUs in the database.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its gaming performance. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2231, while PassMark G3D shows 18600 and PassMark GPU Compute 9632. Its average benchmark score of 19402 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (19405, 0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 560X (19426, -0.1%), and NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19184, 1.1%). The near-identical scores to the GTX 780 and Radeon Pro 560X suggest that in Rust, the card's raw compute is similar to those older or lower-tier parts, despite architectural differences.

In Rust specifically, the GPU's memory subsystem appears critical. At 4K Ultra, the card manages only 24.6 FPS, indicating that both memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate are saturated. The card's FP32 throughput of 11.34 TFLOPS provides sufficient compute for most scenes, but the 88 ROPs become a bottleneck at high resolutions with heavy overdraw. The 250 W TDP and dual-slot cooler are consistent with its performance class, and the 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors align with its power demands.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 1007 out of 1717 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution, which is consistent with the GTX 1080 Ti's 61st percentile standing among all GPUs and the i5-11400F's 75th percentile among all CPUs. The ranking suggests that while individual components are mid-pack or better, their pairing does not produce top-tier results in Rust.

The i5-11400F's nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (avg score 17189, 0% delta), Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215, -0.2%). These deltas are all within 0.2%, meaning the CPU's performance is virtually identical to these alternatives. The GTX 1080 Ti's nearest rivals show slightly more variance, with the TITAN Xp 1.1% ahead and the Tesla K40m 0.6% behind.

The combo's rank of 1007 out of 1717 means 710 combos perform worse in Rust, while 1006 perform better. This distribution reflects that the GTX 1080 Ti, while historically capable, is now outclassed by modern GPUs in this game. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads at 2.60 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost provide adequate processing power, but the GPU's age limits the overall combo's standing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Rust?

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the most playable frame rates across all presets, with Low achieving 157.4 FPS, Medium 103.5 FPS, High 88.2 FPS, and Ultra 64.6 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (106.6 FPS) and Medium (71.4 FPS) remain above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score of 19402 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (19405, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro 560X (19426, -0.1%). The NVIDIA TITAN Xp is 1.1% ahead at 19184.

Q: Is the i5-11400F a bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 157.4 FPS, which is significantly higher than higher presets. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.40 GHz, appear sufficient at this resolution, but the frame rate ceiling may be influenced by both components.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance?

A: The i5-11400F scores 868 in 3DMark single-thread, 204 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 852 in Cinebench R20 single-core, 2029 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 1979 in Geekbench single-core. These scores indicate solid single-thread capability.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K across presets?

A: At 4K, Low yields 64 FPS, Medium 43.4 FPS, High 33.3 FPS, and Ultra 24.6 FPS. Only the Low preset reaches a playable threshold, and it does so by a slim margin.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti features 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, with 1376 MHz memory clock (11 Gbps effective) and 484.4 GB/s bandwidth. This configuration is consistent with its 4K performance limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers 103.5 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness. High at 1080p yields 88.2 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 64.6 FPS — playable but with reduced headroom for demanding scenes.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 71.4 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience without the visual compromises of Low (106.6 FPS) or the frame rate penalty of High (59.4 FPS). The Ultra preset at 48.9 FPS is borderline, and High at 59.4 FPS is close to the 60 FPS target but may dip in complex environments.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 64 FPS is the only option that maintains a consistent playable frame rate. Medium at 43.4 FPS is tolerable for less demanding gameplay but will struggle in busy scenes. High at 33.3 FPS and Ultra at 24.6 FPS are not recommended for competitive play.

The data indicates that the best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which delivers 103.5 FPS — a 46.9% improvement over 1080p High at 88.2 FPS, while still offering better visuals than Low at 157.4 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 157.4 FPS is the clear choice, particularly for competitive scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F, part of the Core 11th Gen series built on Rocket Lake architecture at 14 nm, provides 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz boosts to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 12 MB shared L3. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal its multi-threaded capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14372 multi-core and 2029 single-core, while Geekbench shows 7579 multi-core and 1979 single-core. PassMark multi-thread score is 16908, with single-thread at 2981. The 3DMark results show 5619 for 16 threads, 3171 for 4 threads, and 868 for single-thread, indicating scaling that is not perfectly linear — the 16-thread score is only 73.7% higher than the 8-thread score of 4691.

In Rust, the CPU's role is evident when comparing frame rates at 1080p Low (157.4 FPS) versus 4K Low (64 FPS). The 1080p result suggests the CPU can feed the GPU at high frame rates, but the gap between 1080p and 1440p Low (106.6 FPS) shows that the GPU becomes limiting as resolution increases. The CPU's 75th percentile standing among all CPUs means it outperforms three-quarters of tested processors, which is adequate for this game.

The i5-11400F's nearest rivals — AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (0% delta), Intel Core i7-1260P (-0.2%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (-0.2%) — all show nearly identical average scores. This indicates that the i5-11400F's performance in Rust is not uniquely strong or weak, but rather representative of its class. The CPU's 12 threads provide enough parallelism for Rust's simulation and physics workloads, while the 4.40 GHz boost clock handles single-threaded tasks effectively.