Rust

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 secures the 399th position out of 1,717 tested combinations in Rust. This places the combo comfortably within the top quarter of all systems evaluated, demonstrating that it is a well-balanced pairing for this survival title. The ranking reflects a configuration capable of delivering high frame rates across most settings, though the data indicates that the most demanding visual presets will challenge the system's ability to maintain peak performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 399 out of 1,717 tested combinations places it in the upper echelon of systems tested for Rust, roughly in the 77th percentile of all configurations. This is a strong showing, indicating that the pairing of the Core i5-13400F and RTX 4070 is well-suited to the game's demands. The CPU itself sits in the 82nd percentile against all processors, while the GPU holds an 81st percentile ranking against all graphics cards, suggesting that neither component is a significant bottleneck in this context. The measured frame rates support this, with the system achieving a 97.8 FPS average at 1080p Ultra, which is highly playable. However, the performance envelope narrows considerably at 4K Ultra, dropping to 40.5 FPS, revealing that the combination, while strong, is not an uncompromising powerhouse for every scenario. The ranking versus other combos suggests that users can expect a fluid experience at mainstream resolutions, but should temper expectations for 4K gaming with maximum settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its memory configuration is a key asset: 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory subsystem is crucial for Rust, a game known for its large, persistent worlds and frequent texture streaming. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz, boosting up to 2475 MHz, with memory running at an effective 21 Gbps. These clocks, combined with 5,888 shading units, allow the card to push substantial pixel and texture rates—158.4 GPixel/s and 455.4 GTexel/s, respectively. In the benchmark data, the GPU shows its strength in the raw compute score of 26,927 in Passmark's G3D test and 14,720 in the compute test. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows the GPU handling increased resolution gracefully, with High settings only dropping from 126.8 FPS to 87.4 FPS. However, the jump to 4K reveals the limits of the 12 GB frame buffer and the 192-bit bus, as the Ultra preset falls to 40.5 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is significant (213.2 FPS vs. 97.8 FPS), indicating that the GPU's shading and memory resources are heavily taxed by the higher-detail presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast, with Low settings producing 213.2 FPS and even Ultra maintaining a smooth 97.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain strong, with High settings at 87.4 FPS and Low at 153.3 FPS, showing only a moderate performance penalty. The 4K results, however, show a more pronounced drop-off. At 4K High, the average FPS falls to 52.2, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 40.5. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU appears to have ample headroom, as the performance gap between 1080p and 1440p is relatively small (e.g., High settings: 126.8 FPS to 87.4 FPS, a 31% drop). The gap from 1440p to 4K is much larger (e.g., High settings: 87.4 FPS to 52.2 FPS, a 40% drop), which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario where the rendering load outpaces the graphics card's capabilities. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, users would need to rely on the Low or Medium presets (91.7 FPS and 63.3 FPS, respectively) to achieve playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Rust with this combo for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: At 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance, with 152.8 FPS on Medium and 126.8 FPS on High settings. Even Ultra maintains a 97.8 FPS average, making 1080p the ideal resolution for maximizing frame rates on a high refresh rate display.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 91.7, and at Medium it is 63.3. However, 4K High drops to 52.2 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 40.5 FPS, which may not be smooth enough for some players. The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and memory bandwidth become limiting factors at this resolution.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25,236. This puts it in a virtual tie with the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201), and it is a mere 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365). It also sits 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37,283. This is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507) and 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36,371). It also scores 1.9% below the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A and 2.2% below the RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1440p?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p. The frame rate drop from 1080p High (126.8 FPS) to 1440p High (87.4 FPS) is a 31% reduction, which is more consistent with a GPU-bound scenario than a CPU bottleneck, given the CPU's strong single-threaded score of 960 in 3DMark.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance like for a game like Rust?

A: The i5-13400F shows robust multi-threading with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 10,971. While Rust may not use all 16 threads heavily, this headroom ensures the CPU will not be a bottleneck in most situations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,004. This is critical for Rust, which often relies on single-threaded physics and game logic. The multi-core results are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 25,032. The CPU sits at the 82nd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 25,236, placing it in a tight cluster with rivals like the Intel Core i7-13620H (within 0.1%). In the game's measured frame rates, the CPU's contribution is evident in the high FPS numbers at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 213.2 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain very high frame rates. The data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this combo, as performance scales predictably with GPU load across resolutions. The 65W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) round out a processor that provides a solid foundation for this gaming configuration without becoming a weak link.