Rust

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 presents a well-balanced configuration for Rust, a survival title known for its demanding simulation and rendering loads. The measured FPS data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions, though the performance ceiling at lower settings indicates that the CPU plays a substantial role in dictating frame rates. This analysis examines the measured data to interpret the balance between the processor and graphics card across the tested spectrum.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate declines from 126.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90.6 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 54.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 57% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count. The RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, handles the increased memory pressure of higher resolutions, but the raw compute demand of 4K ultimately brings the average down to just above the 54.3 FPS mark.

The scaling pattern shifts dramatically when looking at Low settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 203.9 FPS, which drops to 156.8 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 90.1 FPS at 3840x2160. The 1080p to 4K drop here is 56%, a similar percentage to High settings, but the absolute numbers are much higher. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU remains the primary limiter at higher resolutions, as the frame rate is still constrained by pixel throughput rather than the CPU. The gap between Low and High settings at 4K is 35.8 FPS, which narrows the relative advantage of lowering settings at 4K compared to 1080p.

Notably, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p at most settings. For Medium settings, the drop is from 103.2 FPS to 64.1 FPS, a 38% reduction, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is from 149 FPS to 103.2 FPS, a 31% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests that memory bandwidth and fill-rate constraints become more pronounced at 4K, where the RTX 4070's 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate is pushed harder. The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe scaling, falling from 96.5 FPS at 1080p to 65.6 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 37.4 FPS at 4K, showing that the most demanding settings amplify the resolution penalty.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides the computational foundation for this system, and its impact is most visible when the GPU is not fully saturated. At 1080p Low, the average of 203.9 FPS approaches the practical ceiling for this processor, given its 6 cores and 12 threads. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a 3DMark max threads score of 5890, indicates strong multi-threaded capability that can feed frames to the RTX 4070 at high rates. However, the data shows that even this CPU cannot push frame rates higher at 1080p Low, suggesting a CPU-bound condition.

The processor's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single thread score of 910 and a PassMark single thread score of 3456, is critical for Rust's game logic and simulation threads. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the necessary responsiveness, but the scaling from Low to High settings at 1080p shows a drop from 203.9 FPS to 126.4 FPS, which is a 38% reduction. This large gap indicates that when the GPU load increases with higher settings, the CPU is no longer the limiting factor, and the frame rate becomes more dependent on the graphics card's capabilities.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K. This puts it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors in general benchmarks. In the context of Rust, the 12 threads allow for efficient handling of the game's background tasks, such as world simulation and entity updates, which is reflected in the ability to maintain 149 FPS at 1080p Medium. The CPU's performance is adequate for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p, but the data indicates that the RTX 4070 is the primary driver of frame rate at 1440p and 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this system in Rust?

A: The highest recorded average is 203.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 200 FPS barrier in the measured data.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 37.4 FPS. This is the lowest result in the dataset, indicating that this resolution and settings combination is not suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1440p High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the system averages 90.6 FPS. Given that the frame rate is significantly lower than the 126.4 FPS at 1080p High, the GPU is the primary limiter at this resolution, as the increased pixel count places a heavier load on the RTX 4070.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is 107.4 FPS, with Low averaging 203.9 FPS and Ultra averaging 96.5 FPS. This shows that settings have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. It is also 2.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: Does the system achieve playable frame rates at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, at 4K Low the average is 90.1 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 64.1 FPS. These are above the 60 FPS threshold, making them viable for gameplay, whereas High and Ultra fall below this mark.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its highest performance range. With Low settings, the average FPS is 203.9, providing a very smooth experience for competitive play. Medium settings yield 149 FPS, while High settings drop to 126.4 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset averages 96.5 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and offers a visually rich experience. The progression shows a steady decline of roughly 54 FPS from Low to Ultra, indicating that each settings tier adds a consistent load on the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low settings average 156.8 FPS, which is a 23% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings achieve 103.2 FPS, and High settings average 90.6 FPS. Ultra at 1440p drops to 65.6 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 91.2 FPS, showing that settings still have a significant impact, but the overall numbers are lower due to the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 90.1 FPS, which is playable, while Medium settings drop to 64.1 FPS. High settings average 54.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.4 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 52.7 FPS drop, which is a smaller absolute difference than at lower resolutions, but the relative impact is severe since the starting point is already lower. This data confirms that 4K is the most demanding scenario for this configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, serves as the primary rendering engine for this system. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Rust's texture-heavy environments at high resolutions. The 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, which is a key factor in the frame rates observed at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz ensures that it can maintain high throughput when the workload demands it.

The RTX 4070's performance in synthetic benchmarks places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. This is 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, but 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5300M. The GPU's compute capabilities, including 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are well-suited for the shading and post-processing effects in Rust. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate of 203.9 FPS is likely constrained by the CPU.

The GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution and settings increase. At 1440p Ultra, the average of 65.6 FPS shows that the RTX 4070 is handling the load, but the 4K Ultra result of 37.4 FPS indicates that the card is reaching its limits. The 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die provide the necessary compute density, but the memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s appears to be a limiting factor at 4K, where the large frame buffer demands more data throughput. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is beneficial for the latest rendering techniques, but the core challenge remains the pixel fill rate at high resolutions. The data indicates that this GPU is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring reduced settings to maintain acceptable frame rates.