Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Rust, but the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the combination produces very high frame rates, with the gap between quality settings compressing, indicating that the CPU is a primary limiter. Moving to 4K, the average frame rates drop substantially, and the spread between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically, showing that the GPU takes over as the dominant constraint. This pattern is classic behavior for a balanced pairing where the i5-12400, despite its six Performance cores, can keep up with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER at lower resolutions but cedes control to the graphics card under heavier pixel workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a distinct scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 115.3 FPS on Ultra to 201.1 FPS on Low, a difference of 85.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same settings span from 80.8 FPS on Ultra to 179.1 FPS on Low, a gap of 98.3 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range tightens to between 47.7 FPS on Ultra and 109.3 FPS on Low, a difference of 61.6 FPS. This non-linear progression indicates that the 1080p results are partially limited by the CPU, as the performance delta between Low and Medium is only 29.3 FPS (201.1 to 171.8), while the jump from High to Ultra is a more substantial 33.6 FPS (148.9 to 115.3).

The 4K results tell a different story. The drop from 1440p to 2160p at High settings is 43.4 FPS (103.3 to 59.9), representing a 42% reduction. At Low settings, the same resolution change costs 69.8 FPS (179.1 to 109.3), a 39% decrease. The fact that the percentage drop is similar across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, as the rendering load scales consistently with pixel count. In contrast, the 1080p to 1440p transition at Low settings only costs 22 FPS (201.1 to 179.1), an 11% reduction, which is far less than the pixel count increase would suggest, reinforcing the CPU-limited nature of the lower-resolution runs. The data indicates that owners targeting 144Hz or higher refresh rates should stick to 1080p or 1440p with lower settings, while 4K gaming will require High or Medium settings to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 207th out of 1717 tested combos for Rust, placing it in the top 12% of all systems. This percentile ranking is strong, but it is important to contextualize it against the individual components. The Intel Core i5-12400 has a percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's overall rank of 207 suggests that the pairing is well-matched, as the GPU's higher percentile helps offset the CPU's slightly lower standing.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-12400 posts an average benchmark score of 19850, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, deltaPct -0.2). This places the i5-12400 in a very tight performance cluster, where the differences between these processors are within one percent. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19928, deltaPct -0.4) and the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771, deltaPct 0.4) are also within a negligible margin, indicating that the i5-12400's processing power is firmly in the mainstream desktop segment. For Rust specifically, the combo's 207th rank suggests that the system is positioned well above average, capable of handling the game's demanding simulation and rendering workloads without being held back by a weak link.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align with the observed 4K performance. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is crucial for Rust at high resolutions, as the game's large maps and asset streaming can consume significant video memory. The GPU's base clock is 2340 MHz with a boost clock of 2610 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 44.10 TFLOPS. These figures support the strong 1080p and 1440p results, where the GPU is not fully saturated.

The GPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the 4K Ultra setting, which yields 47.7 FPS. This is the only setting across all resolutions that falls below 60 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is being pushed to its limits. The transition from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs 24.6 FPS (72.3 to 47.7), a 34% reduction, while the same transition at 1080p costs 56.5 FPS (171.8 to 115.3), a 33% reduction. The consistency of this percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are the limiting factor at Ultra settings, regardless of resolution. The GPU's 96 ROPs and 264 TMUs provide the texture and pixel throughput necessary for the game's complex environments, but the data shows that 4K Ultra exceeds the card's comfortable envelope.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 201.1 FPS on Low, 171.8 FPS on Medium, 148.9 FPS on High, and 115.3 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra (33.6 FPS). The 1080p Low result of 201.1 FPS is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo, and it exceeds the 144Hz refresh rate commonly targeted by competitive players. Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 179.1 FPS on Low, 121.7 FPS on Medium, 103.3 FPS on High, and 80.8 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Low setting remains above 144 FPS, but the Medium and High settings fall below that threshold, with Ultra dipping to 80.8 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 109.3 FPS on Low, 72.3 FPS on Medium, 59.9 FPS on High, and 47.7 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low setting is the only one that stays above 100 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, with Ultra barely maintaining playability. The data shows a clear pattern: the system excels at 1080p and 1440p for high-refresh-rate gaming, but at 4K, users must select Medium or Low settings to achieve smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium result of 72.3 FPS is respectable, but the 4K High result of 59.9 FPS is right at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. For users with 1440p 144Hz monitors, the High setting offers a balanced 103.3 FPS, while those with 4K displays should prioritize Medium settings for a consistent experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, the High setting at 2560x1440 yields 103.3 FPS, which is above 100 FPS and suitable for most high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra setting drops to 80.8 FPS, while Medium offers 121.7 FPS for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

Q: Can this system handle 4K at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the Medium setting produces 72.3 FPS, and the High setting produces 59.9 FPS. The Ultra setting falls to 47.7 FPS, so users must select Medium or High to stay at or above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894). The differences are negligible, indicating near-identical processing power in this class.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (201.1 FPS) and Medium (171.8 FPS) is only 29.3 FPS, which is smaller than the difference between High and Ultra (33.6 FPS), indicating that the CPU cannot fully feed the GPU at lower settings.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 148.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59.9 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 89 FPS (59.8%). This significant drop highlights the GPU-bound nature of 4K rendering.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Rust?

A: The combo ranks 207th out of 1717 tested combinations, placing it in the top 12% of all systems. This rank is higher than the CPU's individual percentile (77) and lower than the GPU's percentile (86), reflecting a balanced pairing.