Rust

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers a playable but heavily resolution-dependent experience in Rust. The data shows that this combo is clearly positioned for 1080p gaming, where it achieves high frame rates, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions, settings, and the specific roles of the CPU and GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, pointing squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 167 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 115 FPS, a reduction of 31%. At 4K, the average falls to 68 FPS, which is 59% below the 1080p Low result. This pattern indicates that the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering capabilities become the bottleneck as pixel count rises.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. With Ultra settings, the combo delivers 72 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and only 29 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Ultra represents a 60% performance drop. This is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario, where the RX 9060 XT's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in a game like Rust.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (167 FPS) and Ultra (72 FPS) is 95 FPS. At 4K, the difference narrows to 39 FPS (68 vs 29). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count. The 4K Medium preset (46 FPS) sits just 8 FPS above the 4K Low preset, indicating diminishing returns from settings adjustments at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 1898 out of 3723 tested combos in Rust. This positions it in the lower-middle tier of all possible configurations, which is consistent with the measured FPS numbers. The combo outperforms roughly 49% of tested systems, but it is far from the top percentile for this game.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's modest performance profile. The RX 9060 XT 8 GB has an average benchmark score of 4093 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which places it in the 24th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel HD Graphics 630 (deltaPct 0.4), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (deltaPct -1.4), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M (deltaPct 1.5). These are entry-level or older mobile parts, indicating that the GPU is not competitive with modern mid-range or high-end desktop cards.

The CPU, by contrast, performs much better relative to its peers. The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (deltaPct 0), Intel Core 5 120 (deltaPct -0.3), and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (deltaPct -0.3). This suggests the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU in most scenarios, but the GPU's limitations cap the overall combo's potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench R23, where it scores 22604 in multi-core and 3191 in single-core tests.

In Rust, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 167 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU can handle the game's simulation and physics workloads without bottlenecking the GPU. The 16 threads are particularly useful for Rust's server-side and entity-tracking tasks, which can be demanding in populated areas.

However, the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 68 FPS even on Low settings, which is a clear indication that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU is not holding back the system; rather, the RX 9060 XT cannot render enough pixels to keep up with the processor's capabilities. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and PassMark multi-thread score of 25032 confirm that the CPU has substantial compute headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 167 FPS on Low, 112 FPS on Medium, 95 FPS on High, and 72 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum values of 95 and 129 FPS, respectively, indicating some frame variability but generally stable performance.

At 1440p, the averages drop to 115 FPS on Low, 77 FPS on Medium, 65 FPS on High, and 49 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a range of 66 to 89 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1440p is still playable, but the margins above 60 FPS are thinner, especially on High and Ultra settings. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Low or Medium for consistent 60+ FPS.

At 4K, the performance becomes marginal. The averages are 68 FPS on Low, 46 FPS on Medium, 38 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, and even then, it is close to the edge. The Medium preset has a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, which means users will experience noticeable dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes. High and Ultra are not viable for smooth gameplay at 4K, as the averages fall below 40 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is the primary determinant of this combo's gaming performance. It is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The GPU has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a boost clock of 3130 MHz, and a game clock of 2530 MHz. It features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 32 ray tracing cores.

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s. The memory clock is 2518 MHz, with an effective data rate of 20.1 Gbps. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 200.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 400.6 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 25.64 TFLOPS, which is respectable for a mid-range card but not sufficient for demanding 4K workloads.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 4093 places it in the 24th percentile of all GPUs, which is low for a modern desktop card. Its nearest rivals include integrated and older mobile GPUs, confirming that it is a budget-oriented part. In Rust, this translates to the measured FPS drops at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture-heavy scenes can exceed this capacity, causing performance to degrade to 29 FPS. At 1080p, the VRAM is sufficient, and the GPU can deliver playable frame rates across all settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets exceed 60 FPS. The highest average at 1080p is 167 FPS on Low, and even Ultra achieves 72 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium stay above 60 FPS, while 4K is below 60 FPS on all presets except Low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, deltaPct 0) and Intel Core 5 120 (25362, deltaPct -0.3). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, deltaPct 0.4) and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, deltaPct -0.3).

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The measured FPS at 4K ranges from 68 FPS on Low to 29 FPS on Ultra, while the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, especially on High and Ultra settings.

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

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 115 FPS, while Ultra averages 49 FPS. This represents a 66 FPS difference, or a 57% reduction in performance when switching from the lowest to the highest settings preset.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all GPUs?

A: The RX 9060 XT 8 GB has an average benchmark score of 4093 and is in the 24th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the Intel HD Graphics 630 (4075, deltaPct 0.4) and NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (4151, deltaPct -1.4), both of which are far less capable in gaming workloads.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Rust?

A: The combo ranks 1898 out of 3723 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This reflects the GPU's limited performance despite the CPU's above-average standing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset (95 FPS) offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, while Ultra (72 FPS) is still playable and provides the best visuals. Users with high refresh rate monitors may prefer Low (167 FPS) or Medium (112 FPS) to maximize smoothness.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (77 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Low (115 FPS) and avoiding the performance drop seen on High (65 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS). The Medium preset's range of 66 to 89 FPS indicates it can handle most scenes without dropping below 60 FPS.

For 4K, only the Low preset (68 FPS) achieves an average above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (46 FPS) and High (38 FPS) are playable but will exhibit noticeable stuttering, and Ultra (29 FPS) is not recommended for anything other than screenshots. Users who prioritize frame rate at 4K should stick to Low, while those who prioritize visuals should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p and using Medium or High.

The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver smooth performance across all settings. At higher resolutions, users will need to make significant compromises in visual quality to maintain playable frame rates.