Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a distinctive performance profile in Rust, one that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics settings. The measured frames per second across the three primary resolutions reveal a system that scales predictably with workload, though the bottlenecks shift noticeably as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the combination is capable of very high frame rates, with the Low preset achieving an average of 201.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the same preset yields 176.5 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 132.2 FPS. This progression indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still being tasked with significant work as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate deltas between resolutions are telling. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops from 201.7 to 176.5, a reduction of 25.2 FPS. The step from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is more severe, falling from 176.5 to 132.2 FPS, a loss of 44.3 FPS. This non-linear drop is characteristic of a GPU that is beginning to hit its limits at 4K, even with the RTX 4090's substantial resources. At higher presets, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. For the Ultra preset, the average FPS goes from 140.9 at 1080p to 97.8 at 1440p and finally to 54.4 at 4K. The 43.4 FPS difference between 1440p and 4K on Ultra suggests that the GPU's raw throughput is the primary constraint at this extreme resolution, as the CPU has less relative impact when the graphics pipeline is saturated.

The data shows that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound or at least balanced, given the high frame rates across all presets. The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 enough data to reach 167 FPS on High settings. However, the gap between Low (201.7 FPS) and Ultra (140.9 FPS) at 1080p is only 60.8 FPS, which is narrower than the gap seen at higher resolutions. This suggests that the CPU is holding back the GPU from achieving even higher frame rates at 1080p, particularly on lower presets where the GPU could theoretically render faster. At 4K, the situation inverts; the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as evidenced by the dramatic drop to 54.4 FPS on Ultra, a figure that is nearly 40% lower than the 1080p Ultra result.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's specifications play a direct role in these results. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, the card has ample bandwidth for Rust's large maps and texture-heavy environments. The 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the GPU cores without stalling, even at 4K with high-resolution textures. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and the base clock of 2235 MHz provide the raw compute speed needed for the 16,384 shading units to process the game's geometry and lighting effects. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical ceiling, but the measured FPS shows that this headroom is only partially utilized at lower resolutions where the CPU cannot supply enough draw calls.

At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4090's performance is more indicative of its true rasterization limits in Rust. The 54.4 FPS average is respectable for such a demanding preset, but it is far from the high refresh rates achievable at 1080p. This suggests that Rust's engine, which is known for its complex object rendering and dynamic lighting, places a heavy load on the GPU's pixel shaders and ROPs. The 176 ROPs and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 4K, but the frame time still suffers under the cumulative load of Ultra settings. The GPU's 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its top-tier status, yet the data confirms that even this flagship card struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in Rust, a title that does not scale perfectly with raw compute power.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal balance between visual quality and performance lies in the Medium preset at 1440p, which delivers an average of 146.1 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the High preset at the same resolution, which yields 127.5 FPS, and it comes with only a modest visual fidelity reduction. At 4K, the Medium preset is the best choice for competitive play, offering 89.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 4K drops to 75.6 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for frame time spikes during intense moments. The Low preset at 1080p, while achieving 201.7 FPS, is not recommended for most users because it sacrifices too much visual clarity for a marginal gain over the Medium preset's 176.5 FPS.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it provides 176.5 FPS, which is close to the Low preset's 201.7 FPS but with better texture filtering and shadow quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 140.9 FPS, is still very smooth, but it introduces a performance cost that may not be justified given the minor visual differences in a survival game where distant object rendering is often more important than near-field effects. Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best overall experience, balancing frame rate and fidelity, while the High preset at 4K is the maximum setting that maintains a playable frame rate for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with the High preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset is 167 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: The average FPS drops from 97.8 at 2560x1440 to 54.4 at 3840x2160, a loss of 43.4 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest measured frame rate in this dataset?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves the highest measured average FPS at 201.7.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 bottlenecked by the i5-12400 at 4K?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, as the frame rate drops significantly across all presets, with the Ultra preset falling to 54.4 FPS.

Q: What is the recommended preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers an average of 146.1 FPS, which is the best balance of performance and visual quality in the measured rows.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 1080p provide a higher frame rate than the High preset at 1440p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1080p yields 140.9 FPS, while the High preset at 1440p yields 127.5 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 63 out of 1717 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the top 3.7% of all configurations tested, a strong showing that is largely attributable to the GPU's dominance. The i5-12400 itself has a percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 19831, a delta of only 0.1%, meaning the i5-12400 is effectively on par with that older i7 in general compute tasks. However, in gaming, the i5-12400's newer architecture provides better single-thread performance, which is critical for Rust's simulation and physics threads.

The RTX 4090, with a percentile rank of 91 against all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 66473, is the primary driver of this combo's high rank. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66733, a delta of -0.4%, but that is a data center card not designed for gaming. The combination's rank of 63 suggests that while the GPU is top-tier, the CPU does not hold it back significantly in Rust, as the game is not purely GPU-bound at lower resolutions. Compared to the 1717 other combos, this system is in the top percentile for overall performance, making it a high-end option for Rust players. The data implies that the i5-12400 is a capable partner for the RTX 4090, though pairing it with a stronger CPU might yield even higher frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU bottleneck is more evident.