Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX presents a distinct performance profile in Rust, one where the CPU's six cores and twelve threads are constantly challenged by the game's simulation-heavy workload. The processor runs at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with the data showing a strong single-thread foundation relative to its multi-thread capabilities. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 910 in 3dmark single-thread and 2257 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are solid figures for the game's primary thread demands. However, Rust is notorious for its server-side and client-side simulation loops that scale with entity counts and building integrity checks. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 5873 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 indicate that while the i5-12400 is competent, it sits in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. This means it is outclassed by many higher-core-count processors in the database. The nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7643 and Intel Core i7-1355U, with deltas of -0.1% and -0.3% respectively, showing that the i5-12400 is not an outlier in its class but rather a middle-of-the-pack performer for overall compute tasks.

The 18 MB of shared L3 cache is a critical resource for Rust, as the game frequently accesses map data and entity lists. The data indicates that the CPU's architecture, Alder Lake-S, supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but the benchmark results do not specify which was used. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 1692 and 4-thread score of 3012 reveal that scaling from two to four threads is sublinear, suggesting that the game's main thread may be a bottleneck. Looking at the measured FPS, at 1080p Low settings the combo achieves 203 FPS, but this drops to 149 FPS at High settings, a 26.6% reduction. This performance cliff is more pronounced than what pure GPU load would explain, pointing to CPU limitations in handling the game's tick rate and physics calculations at higher settings. The passmark physics score of 1105 is particularly low compared to other metrics, reinforcing that the i5-12400's core layout is not optimized for the type of integer-heavy, branchy code that Rust generates. For a game like Rust, the CPU's role is not just about raw frame generation but about maintaining a stable simulation state; the data suggests that this CPU is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but will be the limiting factor when pushing for high refresh rates at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications indicate it is overqualified for the CPU's output in many scenarios. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This is substantial VRAM capacity for Rust, which can consume large amounts of memory for texture streaming and draw calls, especially on servers with many player-built structures. The GPU's boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz are high for the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and the 6144 shading units provide massive compute throughput. In synthetic tests, the GPU scores 31238 in passmark g3d and 85612 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 64th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with a delta of 0.4% and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp with a delta of 1.2%, which is surprising given the age of those cards but reflects the benchmark database's broader scoring methodology.

For Rust specifically, the GPU's role is to render large open-world environments with complex lighting and shadows. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo hits 203 FPS, which is likely GPU-bound at that point given the CPU's limitations. However, at 4K High settings, the average FPS falls to 60, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 46 FPS. The 24 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor in these tests, as Rust's texture budgets are unlikely to exceed even 8 GB at 4K with the current settings. The GPU's pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s are more than sufficient for the game's fill-rate demands. The data indicates that the RX 7900 XTX is not the bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p; the CPU is. At 4K, the GPU starts to become more relevant, but even then, the FPS drop from 107 at Low to 60 at High (a 44% reduction) suggests that both components are being stressed. The GPU's 96 ray tracing cores are largely irrelevant for Rust, as the game does not use hardware ray tracing in the measured settings. The memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is a strong asset for high-resolution texture streaming, but the benchmark results show that the CPU's inability to feed the GPU consistently at lower resolutions is the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 203 FPS, which is a high number but not the ceiling for the RX 7900 XTX. Moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 179, a 12% reduction, and at 4K Low it falls to 107, a 47% reduction from 1080p. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, but the drop from 1080p to 1440p is smaller than expected, indicating that the CPU is still playing a role. At Medium settings, the 1080p average is 174 FPS, while 1440p is 121 FPS and 4K is 72 FPS. The 1440p to 4K drop at Medium is 40%, which is close to the resolution pixel count difference (2.25x), suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at 4K Medium. However, at High settings, the 1080p average is 149 FPS, 1440p is 102 FPS, and 4K is 60 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 31.5%, which is higher than the 1440p to 4K drop of 41.2% when normalized per pixel, indicating that the CPU is more stressed at 1440p High than at 4K High.

The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 1080p Ultra runs at 113 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 78 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 46 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 31%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 41%. This pattern suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU's shading load becomes more significant, but the CPU still has a measurable impact at 1440p. The minimum FPS data points are sparse, but at 1440p Medium, the min FPS is 103 and max is 139, indicating a 26% variance. At 1080p Medium, the min is 148 and max is 201, showing a 26.4% variance. These frames-times are relatively stable for Rust, which is known for stutters in busy areas. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the combo can handle 4K High, but for 1440p gaming at high refresh rates, the CPU will prevent the GPU from reaching its full potential. The 1080p results show that the CPU is the primary limiter at Low and Medium settings, as the FPS does not scale proportionally with the GPU's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 520th out of 3723 tested combinations in Rust, placing it in the top 14% of all pairings. This rank is respectable but not exceptional, given that the RX 7900 XTX is a high-end GPU and the i5-12400 is a mid-range CPU. The rank reflects the CPU's limitations in Rust's simulation-heavy environment; many combos with slower GPUs but faster CPUs (like those with higher single-thread performance) likely rank higher. The percentile data for the CPU (72nd) and GPU (64th) individually would suggest a higher combined rank, but the game's specific workload punishes the CPU's six-core layout. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (203 FPS) is high, but the rank is pulled down by the 4K Ultra result (46 FPS), which is below the 60 FPS target that many users would expect from this GPU. The combo's position in the database indicates that it is a balanced pairing for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 102 FPS at High settings, but it is not optimized for 4K Ultra due to the CPU bottleneck. The nearest rival combos in the database are not listed specifically, but the CPU's rivals (like the AMD EPYC 7643) and GPU's rivals (like the NVIDIA TITAN Xp) suggest that the pairing is middle-of-the-road for high-end components.

The rank of 520 out of 3723 means that there are 3203 combos that perform worse, but also 519 that perform better. This is a meaningful distinction for a game like Rust, where server performance and player counts can vary. The data shows that the combo is capable of hitting 60 FPS at 4K High, which is a playable threshold, but the 46 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates that the CPU cannot sustain the simulation load at maximum settings. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the combo can deliver 107 FPS at 4K Low, which is a smooth experience. The rank also reflects the GPU's end-of-life production status, meaning that this pairing represents a specific point in hardware history where high-end RDNA 3 meets a budget-conscious Alder Lake CPU. The benchmark results are measured, not estimated, which adds confidence to the rank's validity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset delivers an average of 107 FPS, while Medium drops to 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82. High further reduces the average to 60 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. This progression shows a clear relationship between settings and frame rate: going from Low to Medium costs 35 FPS (32.7%), from Medium to High costs 12 FPS (16.7%), and from High to Ultra costs 14 FPS (23.3%). The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 61, which is above the 60 FPS target, but the average at High is exactly 60, meaning that any scene complexity increase could cause drops below 60. At 2560x1440 (1440p), the Low preset achieves 179 FPS, Medium reaches 121 FPS with a min of 103 and max of 139, High runs at 102 FPS, and Ultra hits 78 FPS. The 1440p Medium results show a 29.8% variance between min and max, indicating that the CPU's frame pacing is not perfectly stable. The 1080p results are the most varied: Low averages 203 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS with a min of 148 and max of 201, High averages 149 FPS, and Ultra averages 113 FPS. The 1080p Medium min FPS of 148 is significantly higher than the 1440p Medium min of 103, showing that resolution scaling has a substantial impact on the CPU's ability to maintain minimum frame rates.

The data reveals that the combo's sweet spot is 1440p Medium, where it achieves 121 FPS with a min of 103, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS for most scenarios. At 1080p, the Low preset at 203 FPS is likely GPU-bound, but the Ultra preset at 113 FPS shows that the CPU can still deliver high frame rates when the GPU load is reduced. The 4K results are the most telling: the jump from Low (107 FPS) to Medium (72 FPS) is a 35 FPS drop, which is the largest single-setting drop across all resolutions. This suggests that Medium settings introduce additional GPU load that the CPU cannot fully feed, or that the game's draw calls increase significantly. The overall pattern shows that the combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates with headroom, and that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a consistent 60+ FPS experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 149 FPS offers a smooth experience with good visual fidelity, while the Ultra preset at 113 FPS is also playable but with a 24% penalty. The Medium preset at 174 FPS with a min of 148 provides the best balance for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it maintains a minimum above 144 FPS. For 1440p, the Medium preset at 121 FPS (min 103) is the clear recommendation, as it delivers a high average with a minimum that stays above 100 FPS. The High preset at 102 FPS is also viable, but the lower minimum (not recorded) and the fact that the average is only slightly above 100 FPS suggest that Medium is safer for consistent frame times. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is acceptable for less competitive play, but the 36% drop from High to Ultra is not worth the visual gains for most users. For 4K, the Low preset at 107 FPS is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while the Medium preset at 72 FPS (min 61) is playable but close to the edge. The High preset at 60 FPS is exactly at the target, which means any busy scene with many players or buildings will likely cause drops below 60. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay scenario, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that is standard for competitive survival games.

The data indicates that the best overall experience is at 1440p Medium settings, which provides 121 FPS average with a minimum of 103 FPS. This setup maximizes the combo's strengths: the CPU can handle the simulation load at 1440p, and the GPU has enough headroom to render detailed environments without bottlenecking. For users with 1080p monitors, the Medium preset at 174 FPS is the best choice for esports-style responsiveness, as it offers a high refresh rate with a strong minimum. The High preset at 149 FPS is a good alternative if you prioritize visual quality over raw FPS. At 4K, the Low preset at 107 FPS is the only recommended option, as it provides a smooth experience while still using the GPU's full resolution capabilities. The Medium preset at 72 FPS is acceptable for cinematic play, but the minimum of 61 FPS indicates that frame pacing will be inconsistent in demanding scenes. The measured data does not include min FPS for High and Ultra at 4K, but the averages of 60 and 46 respectively suggest that these settings are not viable for sustained 60 FPS gameplay. Overall, the combo is best utilized at 1440p with Medium settings, offering a balanced experience that leverages the CPU's capabilities without overburdening it.