Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a performance profile in Rust that is heavily dictated by graphics settings and resolution, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-limited environment at 1080p to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. The measured results indicate that this combination is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, where it can exceed 170 FPS on Low settings, while 4K Ultra remains a challenging target at just under 33 FPS. This is a well-balanced mid-range pairing, but the benchmark data reveals that its strengths lie in esports-style responsiveness rather than maximum visual fidelity at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the shifting bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 171.1 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 71.3 FPS — a reduction of 99.8 FPS. This 58% performance decrease when moving from 1080p to 4K on Low settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts, while the CPU still has headroom at lower resolutions. The scaling is even more pronounced on Ultra settings: 73.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 32.9 FPS at 4K, a 55% decline. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the RX 6750 XT's rendering pipeline is the constraining component when pixel count rises.

The data suggests that the i5-12400 is strong enough to feed the GPU adequately at 1080p, but the GPU's compute resources are exhausted as resolution increases. At 1440p, the drop from High (69.6 FPS) to Ultra (53.7 FPS) shows a 23% performance hit, which is less severe than the 4K Ultra penalty, indicating that 1440p is a more balanced operating point for this hardware. The resolution scaling data points to a system that can handle 1440p gaming comfortably on Medium to High settings, but 4K should be reserved for Low or Medium presets if playable frame rates are the priority.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings 6 cores and 12 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 19831, a delta of just 0.1%, making the i5-12400 effectively a statistical tie with that older 8-core part. The i5-12400 also edges out the Intel Core i5-11600K by 0.4%, scoring 19771. This competitive positioning suggests that the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance are both adequate for Rust's demanding simulation and physics workloads.

In Rust, which is known for heavy server-side and client-side computational loads, the i5-12400's 12 threads provide solid multi-threading capability. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and single-core score of 2249 indicate that the CPU can handle both the game's main thread and background tasks effectively. At 1080p Low, the 171.1 FPS result strongly suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the GPU has less work to do and the CPU can keep up with frame generation. However, the 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and the PassMark single-thread score of 3456 show that while single-core performance is good, it is not exceptional, which could explain why the combo does not rank higher in the overall game benchmark.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2600 MHz and game clock of 2495 MHz contribute to a 13.31 TFLOPS FP32 compute rate. The GPU sits in the 79th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35327. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600M, scores 35264, a delta of 0.2%, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 35787, putting the RX 6750 XT 1.3% behind that higher-tier card. This data shows that the RX 6750 XT is a capable mid-range performer, but its 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus limit its high-resolution potential.

The GPU's memory configuration is adequate for Rust at 1080p and 1440p, where the game's textures and draw distances fit comfortably within 12 GB. The measured FPS at 4K High (40.9 FPS) and 4K Ultra (32.9 FPS) indicate that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are overwhelmed at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput for 1080p gaming, where the combo achieves 97.3 FPS on High settings. The GPU's performance at 1440p Medium (82.3 FPS) shows it can handle the resolution well, but the Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 53.7 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's compute resources are stretched by the higher quality effects.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers a wide range of frame rates depending on settings. Low settings produce 171.1 FPS, Medium drops to 115.4 FPS, High yields 97.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 73.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 97.3 FPS, which represents a 57% performance penalty for maximum quality. This suggests that Rust's Ultra preset includes demanding effects that significantly impact the GPU, while the CPU has enough headroom to maintain playable frame rates even at the highest settings at this resolution.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates scale down predictably. Low settings deliver 120.5 FPS, Medium provides 82.3 FPS, High achieves 69.6 FPS, and Ultra produces 53.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 66.8 FPS, a 55% reduction. At 4K, the results become more constrained: Low produces 71.3 FPS, Medium drops to 49.2 FPS, High falls to 40.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is barely playable, while 4K Low offers a smooth experience. The data shows that this combo is most effective at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises to maintain acceptable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 787th out of 1717 tested combinations in Rust, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested hardware pairs. This middling ranking reflects the system's balanced but not exceptional performance. The data indicates that while the i5-12400 and RX 6750 XT are both solid mid-range components on their own — ranking in the 77th and 79th percentiles respectively — their combination in Rust does not push them into the upper echelon of results. This is likely due to Rust's optimization patterns, which may favor certain CPU architectures or GPU feature sets that this pairing does not fully exploit. The rank suggests that many other combos, likely with higher-tier CPUs or GPUs, achieve better frame rates in this specific title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the strongest resolution, with Low settings hitting 171.1 FPS and High achieving 97.3 FPS. At 1440p, Medium delivers 82.3 FPS, which is also playable, while 4K Ultra drops to 32.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-12400 scores 19850 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700's 19831. It also leads the Intel Core i5-11600K by 0.4%, which scores 19771.

Q: Is 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for Rust?

A: The 12 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient at all tested settings, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity in the measured results. The bottleneck at 4K is more likely the GPU's compute power rather than memory capacity.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 on High settings is 69.6 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios but below the 100+ FPS achievable at 1080p Low.

Q: How does the GPU rank against the RTX 3080?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 35327, which is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080's score of 35787.

Q: Is the combo better at 1080p or 1440p?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the sweet spot, with a 74% higher frame rate on Low settings compared to 1440p Low (171.1 vs 120.5 FPS). The gap narrows at Ultra, but 1080p still leads by 37%.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Low preset delivers the highest frame rates at 171.1 FPS, ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. If visual quality is preferred, the Medium preset at 115.4 FPS offers a strong balance, while High at 97.3 FPS still provides a smooth experience. Ultra at 73.8 FPS is playable but reduces the frame rate advantage of this hardware.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 82.3 FPS is the best compromise, providing solid performance without sacrificing too much visual detail. High at 69.6 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, but Low at 120.5 FPS should be chosen for fast action. Ultra at 53.7 FPS is best avoided unless the user prioritizes visuals over smoothness.

For 4K, only the Low preset at 71.3 FPS offers a genuinely playable experience. Medium at 49.2 FPS is marginal, and High at 40.9 FPS or Ultra at 32.9 FPS are not recommended for consistent gameplay. The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which delivers 115.4 FPS with a reasonable visual uplift over Low, making it the optimal choice for this CPU-GPU pairing.