Rust

Rust presents an unusually demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB pairing. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by the game's engine, showing significant performance swings based on both resolution and quality settings. This analysis breaks down the measured results, focusing on how the CPU and GPU divide their responsibilities across different scenarios.

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and can boost up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 12 MB of shared L3 cache, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core. This configuration places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster), Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% slower), indicating the i5-11400F sits in a very tightly contested performance band.

In Rust, the CPU's influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 175 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This suggests that at this setting, the processor is able to feed the GPU adequately, and the bottleneck shifts more towards the graphics card. However, the picture changes dramatically when we look at the scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K. The 6-core, 12-thread design appears sufficient for Rust's core simulation and entity tracking, but the data implies that the CPU's single-threaded performance, which scores 2024 in Cinebench R23 single-core, might be limiting in certain scenarios. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz helps, but the processor's architecture is from an older generation.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU can push high frame rates at 1080p Low (175 FPS), but when the settings increase to High or Ultra, the frame rates drop significantly even at the same resolution. This drop is not purely a CPU limitation; it reflects the increased load on the GPU. Yet, the fact that the 1080p Low result is so much higher than 1080p High (175 vs 107 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at High settings. Instead, the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant factor. The CPU's 14 nm process and 65 W TDP suggest it has a certain thermal and power envelope, but the data does not directly indicate thermal throttling. The processor's performance percentile of 71% against all CPUs suggests it is a capable mid-range part, but in a game like Rust, which is known for its heavy server-side and client-side simulation, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame pacing, which seems achievable given the high Low-setting results.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Rust?

A: The highest average FPS is 175, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is significantly higher than any other measured configuration.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 33 FPS. This is the lowest measured result in the dataset, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM GPU and the CPU are both heavily stressed at this extreme configuration.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 1440p Low?

A: The average FPS drops from 175 at 1080p Low to 129 at 1440p Low. This represents a 46 FPS decrease, or roughly 26%, showing a significant performance cost for the resolution increase.

Q: Are there any measured minimum FPS values in the dataset?

A: Yes, minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 107 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 74 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 44 FPS. No minimums are listed for Low, High, or Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB's score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 4901. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro W5130M, scores 4904, which is 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893, which is 0.2% lower. This puts the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB in a very narrow performance band relative to these older cards in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations in Rust?

A: The combo ranks 1179th out of 2953 total tested combinations. This places it in the 40th percentile of all combos, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear narrative about which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 175 at 1080p to 129 at 1440p, and then to 76 at 4K. This is a step-down of 46 FPS (26%) from 1080p to 1440p, and another 53 FPS (41%) from 1440p to 4K. The GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck here, as the CPU is capable of producing high frame rates at 1080p Low. The fact that the FPS nearly halves from 1440p to 4K suggests that the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the FPS drops from 107 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p, and then to 43 at 4K. The percentage drops are 32% and 41% respectively. This pattern is consistent with the Low settings, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor. The RTX 5060 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is likely a constraint at 4K, as the game's textures and draw distances require more memory than what is available, potentially leading to lower performance.

However, the scaling between settings at the same resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the FPS drops from 175 (Low) to 126 (Medium) to 107 (High) to 81 (Ultra). This is a 54% reduction from Low to Ultra. The GPU is clearly the bottleneck here, as the CPU's workload does not change as dramatically with these settings. The data indicates that the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, despite its modern architecture, is not a high-end card, and its 29th percentile ranking (with an average score of 4901) relative to all GPUs suggests it is a mid-range part. The GPU's performance is further contextualized by its nearest rivals, which include the AMD FirePro W5130M and NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, both of which are much older and less capable cards. This indicates that the RTX 5060 Ti's raw performance in synthetic tests is not exceptional, even though it supports modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K High, the combo averages 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 33 FPS. These numbers suggest that the GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution, regardless of the CPU's capabilities. The CPU's role in this scenario is to maintain a minimum frame rate, but the data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 1179th out of 2953 tested combinations in Rust. This places it in the 40th percentile of all combos (specifically, 1179/2953 = 39.9%). This is a mid-pack ranking, which is consistent with the individual component performance. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs is higher than the GPU's 29th percentile ranking among all GPUs. This suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, and the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card.

The data shows that this combo is not optimized for high-end 4K gaming, as its rank is likely influenced by the GPU's limitations. However, the 1080p Low result of 175 FPS is competitive with many other combos, and the 1080p High result of 107 FPS is also respectable. The combo's ranking in Rust is a function of both the CPU and GPU, but the GPU's lower percentile is the more significant factor. In Rust, which is a survival game with large open worlds and complex rendering, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are likely bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

The nearest rivals for the GPU (AMD FirePro W5130M, NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450) are older and much less capable, which is a curious comparison. This suggests that the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB's synthetic average score is heavily weighted by its compute performance, but in gaming scenarios, it likely performs much better than those rivals. However, the data provided does not include gaming benchmarks for those rivals, so a direct comparison in Rust is not possible. The combo's rank of 1179 out of 2953 indicates that there are many better-performing combos, but also a significant number of worse ones.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. For 1080p, the Low setting provides the highest average FPS at 175, which is excellent for competitive play. However, the Medium setting at 126 FPS offers a better visual quality while still maintaining a high frame rate, with a minimum of 107 FPS. The High setting at 107 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra setting at 81 FPS is the lowest of the 1080p group.

For 1440p, the Low setting provides 129 FPS, which is very smooth. The Medium setting at 87 FPS (with a minimum of 74) is a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The High setting at 73 FPS is playable, but the Ultra setting at 56 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable in fast-paced moments.

At 4K, the Low setting averages 76 FPS, which is surprisingly playable. The Medium setting at 51 FPS (with a minimum of 44) is borderline, and the High setting at 43 FPS is likely too slow for most players. The Ultra setting at 33 FPS is not recommended for any playable experience.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is at 1080p Medium, which delivers 126 FPS average with a minimum of 107 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience without sacrificing too much visual quality. For 1440p, the Medium setting is the best compromise, offering 87 FPS average. At 4K, the Low setting is the only one that consistently hits above 60 FPS, so it is the only viable option for a playable experience.

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

1920x1080:

• Low: 175 FPS average
• Medium: 126 FPS average (minimum 107, maximum 145)
• High: 107 FPS average
• Ultra: 81 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 129 FPS average
• Medium: 87 FPS average (minimum 74, maximum 100)
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 76 FPS average
• Medium: 51 FPS average (minimum 44, maximum 59)
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops significantly for all settings. The Medium settings are the only ones with measured minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a clearer picture of frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 107 FPS indicates that the combo can maintain a high frame rate even during intense scenes. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 74 FPS shows a more noticeable dip, while at 4K Medium, the minimum of 44 FPS is quite low. This suggests that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame times at higher resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, with a 5 nm process node and 21,900 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2407 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 23.70 TFLOPS, and it has a TDP of 180 W.

In Rust, the GPU's role is critical, as the game's rendering engine relies heavily on the graphics card for draw calls, texture streaming, and post-processing effects. The 8 GB VRAM is a key factor, as Rust's large maps and detailed textures can quickly fill up memory. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 33 FPS, which is likely due to the GPU being unable to handle the memory and compute load. The 128-bit memory bus, while providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is narrower than higher-end cards, which can limit performance at high resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4019, but its Passmark G3D score is 21981, and its Passmark GPU Compute score is 11365. These numbers indicate a mid-range GPU, and its percentile ranking of 29% among all GPUs confirms this. The nearest rivals in the data are ancient cards like the AMD FirePro W5130M and NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, which are in a similar synthetic score range, but the RTX 5060 Ti is clearly a much more modern and capable part for gaming. The GPU's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with Rust's rendering API, but the architectural differences mean that the RTX 5060 Ti's true gaming performance is better than its synthetic score suggests.

The boost clock of 2572 MHz is relatively high, but the GPU's TDP of 180 W and the suggested 450 W PSU indicate that it is a power-efficient card. The 8 GB VRAM is the most likely bottleneck in Rust at higher settings, as the game is known for its memory usage. The measured FPS data supports this, as the drop from 1080p to 4K is more pronounced at higher settings, suggesting that the GPU is running out of memory or bandwidth.