Rust

Rust with the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a wide performance envelope that shifts dramatically depending on resolution and quality preset. At 1080p Low, the pairing produces an average of 204.7 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it falls to 49.1 FPS. The data indicates a system capable of high-refresh 1080p and smooth 1440p play, but one that requires careful settings management at 4K to maintain playable frame rates. This combination ranks 119th out of 1717 tested configurations for Rust, placing it in the top 7% of all tested combos, with the GPU holding an 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU a 77th percentile among all CPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, moving from 1920x1080 (204.7 FPS) to 2560x1440 (180.9 FPS) results in an 11.6% drop, and then to 3840x2160 (119 FPS) marks a further 34.2% reduction from the 1440p figure. This relatively modest scaling at Low settings suggests that the CPU is a significant limiting factor at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

At High settings, the scaling pattern is more pronounced. The transition from 1080p (165 FPS) to 1440p (113.1 FPS) is a 31.5% decrease, and moving from 1440p to 4K (67.7 FPS) results in a 40.1% drop. This indicates that as the graphical load increases, the RTX 4080 SUPER becomes the primary bottleneck, with its performance scaling more directly with pixel count. The gap between Low and High at 4K is substantial — 119 FPS versus 67.7 FPS — showing that even at 4K, the Low preset allows the hardware to operate much closer to its peak potential.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest curve, with 123 FPS at 1080p dropping to 86.6 FPS at 1440p (a 29.6% decrease) and then to 49.1 FPS at 4K (a 43.3% decrease from 1440p). The pattern across all presets is clear: higher resolutions amplify the GPU's role, while at 1080p, the CPU's influence is more apparent, particularly at Low settings where the 204.7 FPS result suggests headroom that the processor cannot fully exploit in more demanding scenes. The data shows that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Ultra, with the crossover point varying by preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and a multithreaded score of 5912 in the max-threads test, while Cinebench R23 yields 2332 single-core and 16518 multi-core scores. These figures place the CPU in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221, making it statistically indistinguishable from the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 (a delta of 0.1%).

In Rust, the CPU's role is most evident in the 1080p Low preset, where the average FPS of 204.7 suggests that the processor is the primary constraint. The jump from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium (178.3 FPS) is a 12.9% decrease, while the jump from Medium to High (165 FPS) is another 7.5% decrease. This relatively small spread at 1080p indicates that the CPU is maintaining high frame delivery even as the GPU load increases, but it cannot push beyond the ~205 FPS ceiling seen at Low. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration with an 18 MB shared L3 cache appears sufficient for Rust's simulation and world-update logic, as the frame rates remain high even at 1440p High (113.1 FPS).

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400F's performance is essentially tied with the Core i7-8700K and the Core i5-1335U (0.3% delta), while it trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% and leads the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3%. These small deltas suggest that the CPU is not a differentiator in this specific game at higher resolutions, but at 1080p Low, its 12 threads help sustain the high frame rates observed. The processor's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is likely a key factor in maintaining consistent single-thread performance, which Rust relies on for its core game loop.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Passmark G3D score of 34245 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489 (a 0.2% delta), while the RTX 5070 Ti trails by 2.9%.

In Rust, the GPU's dominance becomes clear as resolution and settings increase. At 4K, the difference between Low (119 FPS) and Medium (79.8 FPS) is a 32.9% drop, while the drop from Medium to High (67.7 FPS) is 15.2%, and from High to Ultra (49.1 FPS) is 27.5%. This scaling shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw compute power is being taxed heavily by the higher presets, particularly Ultra, which demands more from the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Rust at these resolutions, as the frame rates do not indicate any memory-related stuttering, but the 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is a factor in the 4K Ultra result.

At 1440p, the GPU still plays a significant role, with Ultra (86.6 FPS) being 34.6% slower than Low (180.9 FPS). The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is clearly being utilized, but the data shows that the most demanding preset at 4K cuts the frame rate to less than a quarter of the 1080p Low result. The RTX 4080 SUPER's performance relative to its rivals — being 0.2% faster than the RX 6900 XT and 2.1% faster than the RX 7700S — suggests that it is a top-tier option, yet Rust's Ultra settings at 4K still prove challenging, pushing the average below 50 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Rust?

A: The highest recorded average is 204.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution and preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 67.7, which is a 59% drop from the 1440p High result of 113.1 FPS, showing the GPU's load at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low, as evidenced by the 204.7 FPS result being only slightly higher than the 180.9 FPS at 1440p Low, indicating limited GPU scaling at this setting.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 132.5 FPS while Ultra delivers 86.6 FPS, a 34.6% reduction, highlighting the significant performance cost of Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in this context?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT's 53489, indicating near-identical overall performance.

Q: What rank does this specific CPU/GPU combo hold for Rust?

A: The combination ranks 119th out of 1717 tested configurations, placing it in the top 7% of all combos for Rust performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset provides an excellent balance with 165 FPS, which is 24.4% faster than Ultra (123 FPS) while still offering improved visual quality over Medium (178.3 FPS). Players seeking maximum smoothness can opt for Medium, which delivers 178.3 FPS, but the jump to High is only a 7.5% reduction and likely worth the visual upgrade.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation, delivering 113.1 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for high-refresh monitors. The Medium preset offers 132.5 FPS for those who prioritize frame rate, but the step to Ultra (86.6 FPS) is a significant 34.6% drop that may not be justified for the visual gains. The Low preset at 1440p (180.9 FPS) is unnecessary for most users, as High already provides a smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that High settings (67.7 FPS) are the most viable option for a playable experience, as Medium (79.8 FPS) offers only a 17.9% improvement while Ultra (49.1 FPS) falls below 50 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a survival game requiring quick reactions. The Low preset at 4K (119 FPS) is an option for those with high-refresh 4K displays, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended based on the measured 49.1 FPS average, which indicates the GPU is fully saturated and the experience would be suboptimal. The best overall experience per the measured rows is achieved with the High preset at both 1080p and 1440p, while at 4K, Medium provides the best trade-off between visual quality and frame rate, though High remains playable.