Rust

The pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400 with an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT in Rust produces a dataset that reveals a system heavily influenced by both its processor and graphics card, depending on where you look. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings paint a picture of a mid-range CPU trying to keep pace with a high-end GPU. This analysis breaks down the numbers to show exactly where the bottlenecks lie and what the experience is likely to be.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling data point in this benchmark is how performance degrades as resolution climbs. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 144.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, that figure drops to 127.7 FPS, a decrease of roughly 12%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 79.9 FPS, which represents a significant 38% drop from the 1440p result. This scaling suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is doing much of the heavy lifting, and the GPU has headroom to spare.

The picture changes dramatically when we look at the High settings preset. At 1080p High, the average is 113.5 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 76.5 FPS, a 33% reduction. The jump to 4K High yields just 46 FPS, another 40% decline. This steeper curve at higher settings indicates that the graphics card is becoming the limiting factor. The RX 7800 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus, is being pushed harder, and the frame rate responds accordingly.

The data suggests a dual-phase bottleneck. At 1080p and 1440p with lower settings, the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads are likely the constraint, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. However, as the resolution and settings increase, the workload shifts to the GPU, and the RX 7800 XT’s performance ceiling becomes the primary factor. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions, confirming that the graphics card’s rendering load grows faster than the CPU’s ability to feed it data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a squarely mid-range performer.

The nearest rivals in the database underscore this positioning. The Core i3-10305 scores 2300, a mere 0.2% difference, while the Core i7-8809G scores 2319, which is 0.6% higher. This tells us the i5-9400 is performing almost exactly as expected for its class; it is not an outlier in either direction.

In Rust, the CPU’s role appears to be most critical at 1080p. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at this resolution is 57.8 FPS (from 144.5 to 86.7), which is a substantial gap. This indicates that even at Low settings, the processor is working hard to maintain high frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low score of 144.5 FPS is the highest in the entire dataset suggests that the CPU can handle the game’s logic and draw calls, but it is likely near its limit.

The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is modest by current standards, and the lack of hyper-threading means only six threads are available. In a game like Rust, which can be demanding on a few cores, this could explain why the frame rates at 1080p High (113.5 FPS) are not higher. The CPU is likely the reason the 1080p Ultra score (86.7 FPS) is lower than the 1440p Low score (127.7 FPS), as the processor’s limitations become more apparent when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 144.5, followed by Medium at 121.4, High at 113.5, and Ultra at 86.7. For players with a 1080p monitor, the Medium or High presets offer a strong balance, as they stay well above 100 FPS while likely providing a more visually polished experience than Low.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that keeps the average above 120 FPS, hitting 127.7. The Medium preset still manages a respectable 92.8 FPS, while High drops to 76.5 and Ultra falls to 59.6. For 1440p users, the Medium setting appears to be the sweet spot, as it maintains a smooth frame rate without sacrificing as much visual fidelity as Low.

The 4K resolution is where the combination struggles. The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 79.9 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 56.1 FPS, which is borderline for a competitive game, and High and Ultra fall to 46 and 34.6 FPS, respectively. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires the Low preset to maintain a reasonable frame rate.

The overall recommendation from the numbers is to prioritize the Medium preset for most scenarios. It offers a significant jump from Low in terms of visual quality while keeping the average FPS above 90 at both 1080p and 1440p. Only when targeting 4K should players consider dropping to Low, as the performance penalty for higher settings is too severe.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for Rust, the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT pair ranks 750th out of 1717 combos. This places it in the 44th percentile, meaning roughly 56% of tested systems perform better. This is a mid-pack ranking, which aligns with the hardware’s individual profiles: the CPU is at the 50th percentile and the GPU is at the 76th percentile.

The ranking suggests that while the GPU is a strong component, the CPU is holding the combo back in a game like Rust. The data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 144.5 FPS, which is high, but the GPU is capable of much more. The RX 7800 XT’s average benchmark score is 32619, placing it at the 76th percentile of all GPUs, yet the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the processor’s limitations.

The delta values for the GPU’s nearest rivals show that the RX 7800 XT is not an outlier in its own performance. It scores 32540 on the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% faster) and 32747 on the NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% slower). This consistency means the GPU is performing as expected, and the combo’s rank is likely a direct result of the CPU’s mid-range capabilities. For players with this setup, the ranking indicates that upgrading the processor would yield a more significant improvement than upgrading the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Rust with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured frames per second, 1080p offers the highest frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset reaching 144.5 FPS. The 1440p resolution is also viable, with the Low preset hitting 127.7 FPS, but 4K is only playable at the Low preset, which averages 79.9 FPS.

Q: Does the RX 7800 XT bottleneck the i5-9400 in Rust?

A: The data indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is the limiting factor. For example, the 1080p Low score of 144.5 FPS is likely constrained by the processor’s six cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock, as the GPU has more headroom to offer.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305. It is 0.2% faster than the Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% faster than the Core i3-1125G4 (2299), but it is 0.6% slower than the Core i7-8809G (2319).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 127.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59.6 FPS. This is a difference of 68.1 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for maximum visual quality.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT’s performance consistent with its peers?

A: Yes, the GPU’s average benchmark score is 32619. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, scores 32540 (0.2% slower), and the NVIDIA P104-100 scores 32747 (0.4% faster). The RX 7800 XT is performing within the expected range.

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

A: The combo ranks 750th out of 1717 tested combinations, placing it in the 44th percentile. This means 967 combos perform better, and 750 perform worse.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset of measured average FPS is presented below for reference.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 144.5 FPS
• Medium: 121.4 FPS
• High: 113.5 FPS
• Ultra: 86.7 FPS

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 127.7 FPS
• Medium: 92.8 FPS
• High: 76.5 FPS
• Ultra: 59.6 FPS

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 79.9 FPS
• Medium: 56.1 FPS
• High: 46 FPS
• Ultra: 34.6 FPS

This breakdown shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap is 57.8 FPS. At 1440p, it grows to 68.1 FPS. At 4K, the gap is 45.3 FPS, but the absolute values are much lower, making the higher settings unusable. The Medium preset consistently offers a middle ground, but its viability diminishes at 4K, where the average of 56.1 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider smooth.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 32 chip. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The card’s boost clock is rated at 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. Its raw compute power is listed at 37.32 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

In the context of Rust, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 34.6 FPS, which is a clear indication that the graphics card is being pushed to its limits. The 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game’s textures, but the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms the rendering pipeline.

The RX 7800 XT’s percentile ranking of 76 places it well above the CPU’s 50th percentile, confirming its status as the stronger component in this pairing. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% faster) and the NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% slower), showing that it is not an exceptional performer relative to its peers, but it is a solid high-end card.

The GPU’s performance in Rust at 1080p Low (144.5 FPS) versus 4K Low (79.9 FPS) shows a 45% reduction in frame rate when the resolution quadruples the pixel count. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, but the fact that the 1080p Low score is not higher suggests the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential in less demanding scenes. The GPU’s 76th percentile ranking, combined with the combo’s 44th percentile ranking, points to the processor as the primary bottleneck for this system in Rust.