Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 occupies the 1446th position out of 2953 tested combinations for Rust. This places the combo almost exactly in the middle of the database, at roughly the 51st percentile of all tested systems. The mid-pack ranking suggests that while this pairing is not a top-tier performer, it is far from a weak configuration, and the benchmark data indicates a system that can handle the game's demands with adjustments to settings and resolution.

The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is a severe bottleneck at the resolutions tested, but the data also shows that the CPU's six cores and six threads are a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The GPU, on the other hand, demonstrates enough headroom to push higher frame rates when the resolution is lowered, but the CPU's single-threaded performance becomes a constraint. This results in a combo that is neither a high-end enthusiast setup nor a low-end entry point, but rather a dependable mid-range option that can deliver playable performance across the board.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2459 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz, and its 2560 shading units provide a substantial amount of compute power. In the context of Rust, the large memory pool is particularly relevant, as the game is known for requiring significant VRAM for textures and world data, especially at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 20974 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 15852 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862, a delta of -0.1%. The RX 7700 also sits close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has an average score of 16129, making the RX 7700 about 1.7% slower in synthetic benchmarks. These figures indicate that the GPU is a capable performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not designed to dominate at 4K with maximum settings.

When analyzing the measured frame rates, the GPU's role becomes clearer. At 4K with Ultra settings, the combo manages an average of 30 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily stressed at this resolution and quality level. Dropping to High settings at 4K improves the average to 40 FPS, which is still below the ideal for smooth gameplay. However, the GPU shows its strength when the resolution is lowered to 1440p, where High settings produce an average of 67 FPS, and at 1080p, where High settings yield 98 FPS. The data suggests that the RX 7700's VRAM and bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands, but its raw compute power is the limiting factor at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 142 FPS, which drops to 119 FPS at 1440p, and further to 70 FPS at 4K. This represents a 50% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases. At High settings, the scaling is similar: 98 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, a 59% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the frame rates are high but not as high as the GPU's potential would suggest. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads may be holding back the RX 7700 at this resolution, as the game's simulation and physics calculations become more prominent. As the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate drops become more linear, indicating that the GPU is now the bottleneck. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain respectable frame rates, while 4K performance is only playable at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 142, which is the best result in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield an average of 116 FPS, with a minimum of 99 and a maximum of 133 FPS. High settings produce an average of 98 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to an average of 75 FPS. The data shows a consistent decline from Low to Ultra, with a 47% reduction from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings maintain an average of 119 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings deliver an average of 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92 FPS. High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to an average of 51 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 57%, showing a steeper drop than at 1080p, which indicates the GPU's growing workload.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings average 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 30 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve over 100 FPS?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 142 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average drops to 119 FPS. No other resolution or setting combination in the dataset exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 370X's score of 15862. It is also 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests so. At 1080p with Low settings, the frame rate is 142 FPS, but the GPU is capable of higher performance in other games. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads likely limit the CPU's ability to feed the GPU at this resolution, as frame rates do not scale proportionally with GPU load.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 30, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only measurement in the dataset that falls below 30 FPS.

Q: Does the combo support ray tracing in Rust?

A: The GPU has 40 ray tracing cores, but the FACT PACK does not provide any measured FPS data with ray tracing enabled. Therefore, the performance impact of ray tracing in Rust cannot be assessed from this data.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does the GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is facilitated by its 256-bit memory bus and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, delivering an average of 98 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the visual quality is significantly better than Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 116 FPS, which is also excellent, but High provides a better visual experience with only a 15% reduction in frame rate. For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 142 FPS is the clear choice, but it sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, as it achieves an average of 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS, ensuring a stable experience. The High preset at 67 FPS is also playable, but the lower minimum frame rate may cause occasional stutters in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 119 FPS is ideal for competitive play, but it is not the best visual experience. For 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset is viable, with an average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset at 47 FPS and High at 40 FPS are below the 60 FPS target and may result in a less responsive experience.

The data indicates that the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates with medium to high settings. At 4K, users should stick to Low settings to achieve playable performance, as the GPU is not powerful enough to handle higher presets without dropping below 50 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The CPU's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 6629, and its single-core score is 935. In Geekbench, it scores 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. The CPU's percentile rank against all CPUs is 47, indicating it is slightly below average in overall performance.

In the context of Rust, the CPU's role is significant, as the game is known for its CPU-intensive simulation and physics calculations. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates do not scale as much as the GPU's potential would suggest. For instance, at 1080p, Low settings yield 142 FPS, while at 1440p, Low settings yield 119 FPS, a drop of only 16%. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. However, at 4K, the frame rate drops more significantly (from 119 to 70 FPS at Low settings), indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has an average score of 2259, virtually identical to the i5-9400's average score of 2254, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher. These rivals are all in the same performance tier, confirming that the i5-9400 is a mid-range processor. The data shows that while the CPU can handle the game's demands, its six threads are a limiting factor in achieving the highest possible frame rates at 1080p, and users should expect better scaling at higher resolutions where the GPU takes over.