Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers playable frame rates at 1080p in Rust, but the data clearly shows a system that struggles as resolution increases. The benchmark results indicate a significant performance cliff between 1440p and 4K, where the GPU becomes the overwhelming bottleneck, making high-refresh-rate gameplay at those resolutions unattainable.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark and predictable decline as resolution scales upward. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 106 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that breaks the 100 FPS threshold. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average drops to 73 FPS, a reduction of 33 FPS. At 3840x2160 Low, the average plummets to 43 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Low result.

This pattern becomes more pronounced at higher graphical presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 60 at 1080p, to 41 at 1440p, and finally to 24 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling failure: 46 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 19 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the gap between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is 19 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 17 FPS, demonstrating that the performance cost of rendering at 4K is consistently severe.

The scaling behavior suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. At 4K, the pixel throughput requirements overwhelm this bandwidth, causing the frame rate to collapse. The fact that the 1080p Low setting yields 106 FPS while 4K Low yields only 43 FPS shows that even with reduced graphical complexity, the sheer number of pixels at 4K is too much for this GPU to handle efficiently.

Interestingly, the Medium preset shows the most stable scaling pattern. At 1080p Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a min of 60 and max of 82. At 1440p Medium, the average is 49 FPS with a min of 42 and max of 56. At 4K Medium, the average is 29 FPS with a min of 25 and max of 33. The consistent 20-22 FPS drop between each resolution step at Medium settings indicates a balanced workload distribution, but the final 4K result remains below the playable threshold.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a solid foundation for Rust, but its influence on the measured FPS is secondary to the GPU in most scenarios. This processor features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It belongs to the Alder Lake architecture and has a 65 W TDP. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680.

In Rust, which is known for its physics and entity simulation, the CPU's 12 threads are relevant. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and max-thread score of 5912 indicate that the processor can handle substantial parallel workloads. The PassMark multithread score of 19433 and physics score of 1202 further confirm its capability in simulation-heavy tasks. However, the benchmark results show that as resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is less taxed, the CPU's performance ceiling allows for 106 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 19 FPS, which is a GPU-bound scenario where the CPU's potential is largely untapped.

The i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a competent mid-range processor. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a delta of 0% and the Intel Core 3 201E at -0.1%. This suggests that the i5-12400F is performance-competitive with these alternatives, but the measured Rust FPS data shows that this CPU is not the limiting factor in most configurations tested. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are adequate for the game's data access patterns, but the game's performance scaling with resolution points squarely at the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3188 out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places the combo in the lower percentile of all possible pairings, indicating that while it is functional at 1080p, it is far from optimal for this title. The rank of 3188 suggests that more than 85% of the tested system combinations deliver better or equal performance in Rust.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's overall position in the market. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile with a delta of 0.4% and the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 0.4%. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 12699 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 place it in the mid-range tier. The CPU, on the other hand, is more favorably positioned at the 73rd percentile, but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the combo rank is not a reflection of CPU deficiency but rather a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19039 is respectable, but the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K gaming in Rust. The rank of 3188 out of 3723 indicates that users seeking better Rust performance should prioritize a GPU upgrade over a CPU upgrade, as the i5-12400F provides enough headroom for a more powerful graphics card.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo delivers consistently playable frame rates. At Low settings, the average is 106 FPS, and at High settings, it is 60 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 73 FPS on Low and 41 FPS on High, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. At 4K, all settings produce averages below 43 FPS, with the Ultra preset at just 19 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 (delta 0.4%) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12928 (delta 0.4%). The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores slightly higher at 13075 (-0.7% delta), while the AMD Radeon 740M scores lower at 12870 (0.9% delta).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Rust at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 106 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 46 FPS. This indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase, even at 1080p. The CPU's 12 threads and 4.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient for Rust's CPU demands, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 1408 shading units constrain performance at higher presets.

Q: What is the combo's rank relative to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 3188 out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the lower 15% of all tested systems, indicating that most other combinations of CPUs and GPUs deliver better performance in this game.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Rust?

A: No. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 shows averages of 43 FPS on Low, 29 FPS on Medium, 24 FPS on High, and 19 FPS on Ultra. These results are below the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the Low setting at 4K does not provide a consistently playable experience.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect Rust?

A: The i5-12400F has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3481. These scores indicate strong single-thread capability, which is important for Rust's game logic and physics. However, the benchmark data shows that the GPU's limitations dominate performance at resolutions above 1080p, so the CPU's single-thread strength is only fully utilized at lower resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive factor in this combo's Rust performance, and the measured FPS data shows it is insufficient for high-resolution gaming. This GPU features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and it has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The architecture is Turing on a 12 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 284 mm² and 6,600 million transistors.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s. These specifications place it in the mid-range tier, as evidenced by its 53rd percentile rank among all GPUs. The PassMark G3D score of 12699 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 52490 confirm its position. The GTX 1660 SUPER's nearest rivals in average score are the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and RX 580, both within 0.4% of its score, indicating that it is a well-known and widely benchmarked component.

In Rust, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM is a critical limitation at 4K. The game's high-resolution textures and large draw distances can exceed this memory capacity, leading to the observed frame rate collapse. At 1080p, the GPU has enough bandwidth and memory to deliver 60 FPS on High settings, but the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to sustain 60 FPS at 1440p on the same preset, where the average drops to 41 FPS. The data shows a clear linear relationship between resolution and FPS, with the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth being the primary constraints.

The GPU's 12 nm process and 125 W TDP mean it is a power-efficient card for its performance class, but its specification profile is simply too weak for Rust at 4K. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is not enough to handle 4K (3840x2160, approximately 8.3 million pixels) at high frame rates. Even at Low settings, the 4K average of 43 FPS demonstrates that the GPU is operating near its theoretical limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate never drops below a smooth threshold. The High preset at 1080p averages 60 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 46 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, with an average of 73 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 49 FPS, which is playable but may experience stutters in heavy combat. The High preset at 1440p averages 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for a responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 31 FPS, which is near-unplayable.

At 3840x2160, no preset delivers a satisfactory experience. The Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is the best 4K result, but even this is below the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset averages 29 FPS, and the High preset averages 24 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 19 FPS, which is a slideshow. Users should avoid 4K with this combo for anything other than static screenshots.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings. This configuration provides an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring consistent performance. Users seeking higher visual fidelity can use High settings at 1080p, but they should expect occasional drops below 60 FPS. The 1440p Low setting is the only way to achieve frame rates above 60 FPS at that resolution, but it sacrifices visual quality significantly. In summary, this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with Medium to High settings, with the GTX 1660 SUPER being the limiting factor for higher resolutions.