Rust

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 presents a classic high-end GPU, mid-range CPU combination in Rust. Benchmark results show this pairing produces a highly playable experience across all tested resolutions, but the data reveals the CPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p, the RTX 5090 is nowhere near its potential, with frame rates capped by the i5-12400F’s 6-core, 12-thread setup. As resolution increases, the GPU takes on more work, and the measured FPS drops accordingly, but the system still delivers smooth gameplay. This analysis will break down the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable pattern: performance scales down as resolution increases, but the scaling curve is not uniform across settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 166 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p to 75 at 4K. This is a 23.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40.9% drop from 1440p to 4K. That is a substantial hit, but the reduced scaling at 1440p suggests the GPU is still not the fully saturated component at that resolution.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 176 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K; the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14.8%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 40.7%. At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 205 FPS at 1080p, 181 at 1440p, and 132 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 11.7%, but from 1440p to 4K it is 27.1%. This is a smaller percentage drop than at High, which is interesting. It suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is more of a limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p, so the GPU has more headroom to scale.

The 4K numbers tell the story: at 4K Ultra, the combo averages 57 FPS; at 4K Medium, 89 FPS; at 4K High, 75 FPS; and at 4K Low, 132 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 57/140 = 40.7% of the 1080p score. For Low it is 132/205 = 64.4%. This shows that at Ultra, the GPU is being pushed hard and the resolution has a large impact. At Low, the system is more CPU-bound, so the resolution has less impact on the average FPS.

Clearly, the RTX 5090 is extremely powerful. The 4K numbers are still very playable, but the 1080p numbers are not far from the 205 FPS cap. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, and the GPU is not fully utilized. At 4K Ultra, the system is likely GPU-bound, but the 57 FPS average suggests even the RTX 5090 cannot push this game with all settings maxed at 4K. The scaling curve shows the GPU is powerful enough to handle 4K, but the CPU holds it back at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best balance of visual quality and performance is the Medium preset at 1440p. It delivers 150 FPS average, with a minimum of 128 FPS. This ensures the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p is 127 FPS, which is still good, but Medium provides a better margin. At 1080p, Medium hits 176 FPS, High 166 FPS, and Ultra 140 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is only 10 FPS, so High is also a viable option for those who want better visuals.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. The High preset delivers 75 FPS, and Medium 89 FPS. Low hits 132 FPS. For a smooth experience at 4K, Medium is the best choice, as it is 14 FPS faster than High. Ultra is not recommended at 4K, as it drops to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, High is a good middle ground, but Medium is the sweet spot.

If you prioritize frame rate, Low at 1080p (205 FPS) is the maximum. However, that is unnecessary for most monitors. The best experience is Medium at 1440p, as it offers 150 FPS with a minimum of 128. At 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides 89 FPS. The data shows that Medium is the best balance across all resolutions, with a 176/150/89 FPS split at 1080p/1440p/4K.

For players with 144Hz monitors, 1440p Medium is the way to go. The average of 150 FPS is above 144Hz, and the minimum of 128 FPS is still above it. At 1080p, High is also a good option, hitting 166 FPS, but the min is not provided. The measured data only gives min/max for Medium, so it is the only preset with confirmed frame time stability.

The Ultra preset is not worth it at any resolution, as it only gives 140 FPS at 1080p, 97 at 1440p, and 57 at 4K. The gains over High are minimal, but the FPS cost is significant. At 1080p, Ultra is 26 FPS slower than High; at 1440p, it is 30 FPS slower; at 4K, it is 18 FPS slower. The visual difference is likely small, so stick to High or Medium.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 is an absolute monster. It has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The base clock is 2017 MHz, and the boost clock is 2407 MHz. The memory is clocked at 1750 MHz, effective 28 Gbps.

In Rust, the GPU role is important at high resolutions, but the data shows that even this GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p. The 1080p Ultra score of 140 FPS is impressive, but the CPU is clearly limiting the system. The 4K Ultra score of 57 FPS shows that the RTX 5090 is not able to maintain 60 FPS at the highest settings, which is a surprising result for such a powerful card. The game is likely heavy on the CPU core count.

The 32 GB VRAM is not a limitation in this game, as the game does not seem to require that much. However, the GPU's raw power is evident in the 4K Medium score of 89 FPS. The card is able to handle 4K with medium settings. The boost clock of 2407 MHz helps, but the game is not fully using the GPU.

The RTX 5090 has a 92.2 billion transistor count, a large die size of 750 mm², and a TDP of 575 W. It supports PCIe 5.0 x16, which is not likely to be a bottleneck. The card's 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores are heavy. In Rust, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering, but the CPU is more important.

The data shows that the GPU is underutilized at 1080p. The difference between 1080p Low (205 FPS) and 1440p Low (181 FPS) is 24 FPS, but the difference between 1440p and 4K Low is 49 FPS. This shows that the GPU is not fully utilized until 4K. The 4K High of 75 FPS and 4K Medium of 89 FPS indicate that the GPU is powerful enough for 4K at moderate settings.

The RTX 5090 has a tensor core count of 680, but this is not relevant to Rust. The GPU's performance is not VRAM-limited in this game, so the 32 GB is not a factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Here is the full breakdown of measured FPS values.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 205 FPS average
• Medium: 176 FPS average, 149 min, 202 max
• High: 166 FPS average
• Ultra: 140 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 181 FPS average
• Medium: 150 FPS average, 128 min, 173 max
• High: 127 FPS average
• Ultra: 97 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 132 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average, 76 min, 102 max
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

The pattern is clear: the system is strongest at 1080p, with all settings above 140 FPS. At 1440p, all settings are above 97 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra setting dips below 60 FPS, at 57 FPS.

The Medium presets have the only min/max data, so we can see the frame drops. At 1080p Medium, the min is 149 FPS and the max is 202 FPS. That is a 53 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the min is 128 FPS and the max is 173 FPS, a 45 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the min is 76 FPS and the max is 102 FPS, a 26 FPS spread. This shows that the frame time consistency gets better at higher resolutions, which is unusual.

The 4K Ultra score of 57 FPS is the lowest. The 4K High score of 75 FPS is just above 60. The 1440p Ultra score of 97 FPS is good. At 1080p Ultra, the 140 FPS is solid.

Looking at the scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution: At 1080p, the Ultra is 68% of the Low score (140/205). At 1440p, Ultra is 53.6% of Low (97/181). At 4K, Ultra is 43.2% of Low (57/132). So the Ultra setting becomes more expensive as resolution increases, which is expected.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU and GPU combination ranks 173 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust. The top 173rd place puts it in the top 4.6% of all tested combos. That is a strong performance, but not surprising given the RTX 5090. However, the CPU might hold it back, as the combo is not in the top 100.

In the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 19039. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19047, which is 0% difference, and the Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 with a -0.1% delta. The i5-1335U is 0.3% better, and the AMD EPYC 7773X is 0.3% better. These are all within 0.3% of each other, so the i5-12400F is a middle-of-the-pack CPU.

The RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which is 0.3% better, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is 0.6% better. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% better, and the Pro Vega 64X is -1.4% worse. So the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU.

The combo rank of 173 out of 3723 is a strong showing, but it could be higher if the CPU were faster. The data shows that the i5-12400F is not a top-tier CPU, but it is sufficient for this game.

Given that the GPU is 92nd percentile and the CPU is 73rd percentile, the combo rank is likely pulled down by the CPU. The RTX 5090 is a monster GPU, and the i5-12400F is a mid-range CPU. The rank of 173 suggests that the combo is still very fast, but not the absolute best.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake family, on the LGA 1700 socket. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, and the boost clock is 4.40 GHz. It has an 18 MB shared L3 cache, and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache. The TDP is 65 W. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU has a 3DMark single-thread score of 909, and a multi-thread (max threads) score of 5912.

In Rust, the CPU is clearly the bottleneck at 1080p. The CPU's single-thread score of 909 is below average, but the game is not fully single-threaded. The multi-thread score of 5912 is decent. However, the FPS at 1080p is heavily limited. The 1080p Low score of 205 FPS is likely the CPU limit, as the GPU would be able to hit much higher FPS if it were not CPU-bound.

The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are enough for Rust, but the game likely likes more cores. The 1080p Ultra score of 140 FPS is a 45% drop from the Low score. This suggests that the game is sensitive to CPU performance.

The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 909 is a bit low. The 3DMark 2-thread score is 1699, and 4-thread is 3067. The 8-thread score is 4779. The max-thread score is 5912. These are typical for a mid-range CPU.

In the benchmark comparison, the i5-12400F is within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, the Intel Core 3 201E, the i5-1335U, and the AMD EPYC 7773X. So the CPU is not a standout.

The 73rd percentile of all CPUs means it is above average, but not top-tier. The 12 threads are likely well-utilized in Rust, but the game is still limited by the CPU at 1080p. The 4.4 GHz boost clock is not high, but the CPU is not overclockable (multiplier is locked). The 65W TDP is low, but that is not an issue.

The CPU's L2 cache is 1.25 MB per core, and L3 is 18 MB shared. The game might use more cache, but the data does not show it. The CPU's memory support is dual-channel DDR4/DDR5, which is good.

The 1080p Low FPS of 205 is the maximum we see, and it is likely the CPU's limit. The 4K Low score of 132 FPS shows the GPU is still able to push high FPS, but the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, but the CPU is still able to keep up.

Overall, the i5-12400F is a capable CPU for Rust, but it is the limiting factor at lower resolutions. If you want to get the most out of the RTX 5090 at 1080p, you would need a stronger CPU. But if you play at 1440p or 4K, the CPU is less of a concern.

The data shows that the CPU's role is to keep up with the GPU's potential. At 1080p, the CPU can only deliver 205 FPS, while the GPU could deliver more. At 1440p, the CPU can deliver 181 FPS at Low, which is still a high number. At 4K, the CPU can deliver 132 FPS at Low, which is not a limitation.

In the end, the CPU is the bottleneck, but the system is still solid. The single-thread performance is not top-tier, but it is enough for Rust. The game is likely not multi-threaded enough to use all 6 cores, so the 6 cores are fine.

The i5-12400F has a launch MSRP of $174, making it an affordable option, but this analysis does not focus on pricing. The CPU's performance in Rust is good, but it is not a top-tier CPU. The 73rd percentile shows it is a solid mid-range processor.

The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score is 5895, and the max-thread score is 5912, showing that the multi-threading is consistent. The Cinebench R23 multi score is 12380, and single-thread is 1680. These are typical for a 6-core CPU.

In summary, the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, but the system is still strong. The 6-core, 12-thread design is enough for a modern game, but the RTX 5090 is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU is less of a bottleneck, and the GPU takes over. The combo rank of 173 out of 3723 shows that the system is in the top 5%, but it is not the absolute best. The data indicates that for the best value, you would want a stronger CPU to match the GPU, but the current setup is still a high performer.