Rust

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER lands at rank 1204 out of 1717 tested combos in Rust. This places the combo in the lower-middle tier of the database, indicating that while it can run the game, it will not deliver a high-refresh-rate experience at demanding settings. The ranking reflects a balance where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom for lower settings. Benchmark results indicate this is a functional but not exceptional pairing for Rust, with the combo's percentile positioning suggesting that roughly 70% of tested configurations outperform it.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1470 MHz, boosting to 1650 MHz, and it features 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. In Rust, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are significant factors, as the game can be demanding on VRAM at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 26.1 FPS, which is below playable thresholds, while at 4K Low it reaches 56.8 FPS, indicating the GPU's raw throughput is the limiting factor at this resolution. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the measured results confirm that 4K gaming requires a more powerful GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 139 FPS, but this drops to 95.1 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 56.8 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 59% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. At High settings, the drop is from 76.8 FPS at 1080p to 52.7 FPS at 1440p to 34.8 FPS at 4K, a 55% reduction. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 2060 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM become increasingly stressed as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence, as evidenced by the 139 FPS Low result, but the GPU still caps performance at Ultra (61.2 FPS). The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with 1440p being playable only at Low to Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the data points to 1080p with Medium settings as the optimal balance. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 94.4 FPS, which is smooth for most gameplay, while High settings at 76.8 FPS are still acceptable. Low settings at 1080p yield 139 FPS, but this sacrifices visual quality unnecessarily given the Medium result. At 1440p, Low settings (95.1 FPS) are the only viable option for competitive play, as Medium drops to 64.5 FPS and High to 52.7 FPS, both of which may feel less responsive. 4K is not recommended for this combo, as even Low settings (56.8 FPS) barely reach playable levels, and Medium (35.3 FPS) and High (34.8 FPS) are too low for a smooth experience. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as they produce the lowest results at every resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p: At Low settings, the combo achieves 139 FPS, the highest measured result. Medium settings produce 94.4 FPS, High delivers 76.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 61.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 44.6 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 17.6 FPS, and High to Ultra is 15.6 FPS.

1440p: Low settings yield 95.1 FPS, a 43.9 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium delivers 64.5 FPS, High produces 52.7 FPS, and Ultra manages 38.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 30.6 FPS reduction, while Medium to High is 11.8 FPS, and High to Ultra is 14.3 FPS.

4K: Low settings reach 56.8 FPS, which is the best 4K result. Medium produces 35.3 FPS, High delivers 34.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 21.5 FPS, while High and Medium are nearly identical with a 0.5 FPS gap, and Ultra is 8.7 FPS below High.

The data shows that the performance penalty for enabling Ultra is substantial at all resolutions, with the largest absolute drop occurring at 1440p where Ultra is 56.7 FPS below Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Rust at 4K?

A: At 4K Low, the combo achieves 56.8 FPS, which is playable, but Medium (35.3 FPS) and High (34.8 FPS) are too low for a smooth experience. Ultra at 4K produces only 26.1 FPS, making it unsuitable for gameplay.

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

A: 1080p is the best resolution, with Medium settings yielding 94.4 FPS and High delivering 76.8 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings (95.1 FPS) provide a high frame rate, while 4K requires Low settings for any playable result.

Q: How much FPS is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: At 1080p, the gain is 77.8 FPS (from 61.2 to 139). At 1440p, the gain is 56.7 FPS (from 38.4 to 95.1). At 4K, the gain is 30.7 FPS (from 26.1 to 56.8).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as shown by the significant FPS drops from 1080p to 4K. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz are sufficient for the game, but the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth limit performance.

Q: What settings should I use for a competitive advantage?

A: Low settings at 1080p (139 FPS) or 1440p (95.1 FPS) provide the highest frame rates, which is beneficial for competitive play. Medium at 1080p (94.4 FPS) is a good compromise if visual quality is desired.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It features 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Rust, the CPU's multithreading capability is relevant, as the game can utilize multiple cores. The i5-12400's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249, indicate strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for Rust's game logic. The CPU's percentile ranking of 77 versus all CPUs shows it is above average, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, has a nearly identical average score (19831 vs 19850, a 0.1% delta). This suggests the i5-12400 has comparable CPU performance to a previous-generation i7. In the measured FPS data, the CPU appears to be less of a limiting factor at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 139 FPS result at 1080p Low, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output in Rust. However, at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's role diminishes. The 65W TDP and 10 nm process node make this an efficient processor, but its performance is not sufficient to overcome the GPU's limitations at 4K.