Rust

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-12400 bottleneck the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Rust?

A: Benchmark results indicate that the bottleneck shifts depending on settings and resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 203 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still feeding frames effectively. However, the scaling from 1080p to 4K (a 4x pixel increase) only drops FPS by roughly 42% at Low settings (from 203 to 117), indicating that at lower resolutions, the CPU is a more significant limiting factor than at 4K where the GPU takes over.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, putting it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697 (a 0.1% difference). The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730 (0.3% higher), while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811 (0.7% higher). The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's performance close to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: Yes, the data shows they are nearly identical. The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of only 0.1%. This means in real-world gaming, the two cards should perform within a rounding error of each other.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming on this hardware?

A: For 4K, the Medium preset delivers 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is the smoothest experience above the 60 FPS threshold. High runs at 66 FPS average but lacks a reported minimum, while Ultra drops to 50 FPS. The Low preset at 4K runs at 117 FPS but sacrifices visual fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's memory configuration affect Rust's performance?

A: The RTX 4080 comes with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Rust's large, persistent world and frequent asset streaming benefit from this capacity and bandwidth, as evidenced by the card's ability to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (50 FPS) where texture and draw-distance demands are highest.

Q: Where does this CPU+GPU combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 339th out of 3723 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9.1% of all tested setups. This indicates a strong pairing that should handle Rust comfortably at most settings, though not at the absolute top tier.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at an effective 22.4 Gbps, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth across a 256-bit bus. This memory configuration is substantial for Rust, a game known for its large maps and heavy texture streaming, as the card can hold vast amounts of terrain and building data in VRAM without resorting to slower system memory.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost. With 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, the RTX 4080 delivers a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s. In Rust specifically, these raw throughput numbers translate to the ability to render complex geometry and detailed textures at high resolutions. The card also includes 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, though Rust does not heavily utilize ray tracing features.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS, which is more than sufficient for the game's lighting and shadow calculations. At 4K Ultra settings, the RTX 4080 produces 50 FPS, showing that even the most demanding preset is within reach. The card's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is a high-power component, but the benchmark results show it is effectively deployed here. The RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

Compared to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, the standard 4080 is essentially tied at 0.1% difference. This means users of this combo are getting performance nearly identical to the newer SUPER variant, at least in synthetic benchmarks. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is a key asset in Rust, where memory usage can spike during base-building and raiding scenarios, and the data shows this capacity is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of how resolution affects performance in Rust with this hardware. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 203 FPS, which drops to 179 FPS at 2560x1440 (an 11.8% reduction), and further to 117 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 42.4% reduction from 1080p). This scaling suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly but is constrained by the i5-12400's processing speed.

Moving to the High preset, the scaling is more linear: 163 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p (31.3% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K (59.5% drop from 1080p). This steeper decline indicates that as settings increase, the GPU becomes more heavily loaded, and the resolution scaling approaches what would be expected from a purely GPU-bound scenario. The fact that 4K High still maintains 66 FPS shows the RTX 4080 has enough rendering power to handle increased pixel counts, but the gap between 1440p and 4K (46 FPS difference) highlights the demanding nature of 4K rendering.

The Medium preset shows the most consistent scaling with minimum FPS reported: 174 FPS at 1080p (min 148), 133 FPS at 1440p (min 113), and 79 FPS at 4K (min 67). The minimum frame rates at each resolution are roughly 85% of the average, indicating stable performance without severe drops. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset provides a balanced workload between CPU and GPU, allowing both components to contribute effectively.

Ultra settings exhibit the most dramatic resolution scaling: 124 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p (31.5% drop), and 50 FPS at 4K (59.7% drop). The near-identical percentage drops between High and Ultra from 1440p to 4K (59.5% vs 59.7%) indicate that both presets become equally GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The limiting component at 1080p is clearly the CPU, as evidenced by the diminishing returns when lowering resolution — the jump from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings only yields 24 FPS (13.4% increase), whereas the same resolution change at Medium yields 41 FPS (30.8% increase).

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 339th out of 3723 tested combinations in Rust, placing this setup in the top 9.1% of all configurations tested. This rank reflects a strong pairing that should deliver excellent performance in most scenarios, though it is not at the very top tier where more powerful CPUs like high-end Ryzen or Core i9 chips would be paired with the same GPU.

The CPU itself sits in the 72nd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 18683. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD EPYC 7643 is 0.1% ahead, the Intel Core i7-1355U is 0.3% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 is 0.7% ahead. The Intel Core i3-14100F trails by 0.9%. This clustering indicates the i5-12400 is competitively positioned within its performance class, offering similar compute capability to workstation-class and newer mobile processors.

The GPU ranks in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its closest competitor, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is essentially identical at 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 2.6% and 2.7% higher, respectively. These figures show that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU whose synthetic performance rivals even newer releases.

The combination of a 72nd-percentile CPU with an 86th-percentile GPU yields a top-10% overall ranking in Rust, which is a demanding game due to its large world size and frequent asset loading. The rank of 339 out of 3723 suggests that most higher-ranked combos likely use more expensive CPUs with higher core counts, but the i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads prove sufficient for Rust's engine, which does not scale perfectly with many cores.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 203 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors (200 Hz+), while the Medium preset at 174 FPS (min 148) offers a better visual experience while still exceeding 144 Hz. The High preset at 163 FPS remains smooth for 144 Hz displays, while Ultra at 124 FPS is still playable but may not fully utilize a 144 Hz panel.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides 133 FPS (min 113), which is the best balance for 144 Hz gaming. The High preset at 112 FPS is suitable for 120 Hz displays, while Low at 179 FPS is overkill unless chasing maximum frame rates. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is below 100 FPS, making it less ideal for competitive play but still smooth for casual gaming.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, delivering 79 FPS (min 67) which stays above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The High preset at 66 FPS is also acceptable for 60 Hz monitors but has no reported minimum, making it riskier. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS dips below 60, which can cause noticeable stutter on standard displays. The Low preset at 117 FPS is playable but sacrifices significant visual quality, making Medium the best overall choice for 4K.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the most consistent performance across all resolutions, with the smallest gap between average and minimum FPS. This consistency is likely due to the balanced workload it places on the CPU and GPU, avoiding the CPU-bound scenarios seen at Low settings and the GPU-bound scenarios at Ultra. For most users, starting at Medium and adjusting individual settings based on preference is the recommended approach.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 203 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate measured for this combo, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution and setting.
• Medium: 174 FPS average, with a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. The narrow range (148-201) suggests stable performance.
• High: 163 FPS average. No minimum or maximum reported, but the average is 11 FPS lower than Medium, showing the GPU load increases.
• Ultra: 124 FPS average. This represents a 39 FPS drop from High, demonstrating the significant cost of Ultra settings at 1080p.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 179 FPS average. This is 24 FPS lower than 1080p Low, confirming the CPU headroom is being reduced as pixel count increases.
• Medium: 133 FPS average, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. The 40 FPS spread is wider than at 1080p, indicating more frame-time variance.
• High: 112 FPS average. This is a 51 FPS drop from 1080p High, showing the GPU is becoming more heavily loaded.
• Ultra: 85 FPS average. The drop from High to Ultra is 27 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p (39 FPS), suggesting the GPU is near its limits.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 117 FPS average. This is still highly playable, but the 62 FPS drop from 1080p Low indicates the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.
• Medium: 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. The 23 FPS range is the tightest at 4K, showing consistent performance.
• High: 66 FPS average. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but without a reported minimum, it is unclear if there are occasional dips below 60.
• Ultra: 50 FPS average. This is the lowest measured frame rate, confirming that Ultra at 4K is too demanding for this combo to maintain smooth gameplay.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the CPU limits performance, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability across all resolutions, with the smallest gap between average and minimum FPS. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM ensures that even at 4K Ultra, memory capacity is not an issue, but the raw compute power is insufficient to maintain 60 FPS at that extreme preset.