Rust

The data for Rust with the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT shows a combination that scales predictably with resolution, but the relationship between settings and frame rate is far from linear. At 1080p, the combo delivers a very playable experience across all presets, with the frame rate ranging from 97.1 FPS on Ultra to 144.9 FPS on Low. Moving to 1440p, the performance drops are noticeable but still manageable; the High preset yields 85.7 FPS, while Low pushes to 125.4 FPS. The jump to 4K is where the GPU begins to struggle significantly, as the Ultra preset falls to 37.3 FPS, and even the High preset only manages 54.4 FPS. The Low preset at 4K produces 88.6 FPS, which is the only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience at that resolution.

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K reveals that the RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i5-9400 appears sufficient to feed the GPU at lower settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 47.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom and the CPU is holding the combo back from reaching even higher frame rates. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 51.3 FPS, which suggests the GPU is now the bottleneck, as the CPU has less impact on the overall throughput. The mid-range settings show the most consistent scaling, with Medium at 1080p delivering 124.7 FPS, which is 19.9 FPS higher than High, but only 20.2 FPS lower than Low. This suggests that the game's engine responds more to certain settings than others, with shadows and textures likely having a disproportionate impact on performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Rust, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT sits at rank 614 out of 1717 combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a majority of configurations but is far from the top. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all resolution and settings combinations, and this combo's performance is heavily influenced by the 4K results, which drag down its overall standing. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo would likely rank much higher, but the inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K on higher presets penalizes its aggregate score.

The CPU's benchmark percentile is 50, meaning it sits exactly at the midpoint of all CPUs tested, which is consistent with its performance in this game. Its average benchmark score is 2305, which puts it in a tight cluster with several rivals. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a delta of 0.2 percent, while the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295, also a 0.4 percent delta. The Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319, which is 0.6 percent higher. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, so the CPU's performance in Rust is not a differentiator compared to these alternatives. The GPU, however, is a different story, with a percentile rank of 82, placing it well above average, and its nearest rivals show a similar clustering of scores, with the AMD Radeon Pro 575 at 39703 and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39568, both within 0.2 percent of the RX 9070 XT's average score of 39647.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a high-end card with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz, and it has 4096 shading units. These specifications directly influence the measured FPS, particularly at 4K where the memory bandwidth and compute power are stressed. The card's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is a top-tier performer, but in Rust, the 4K Ultra preset still only yields 37.3 FPS, showing that even this powerful card cannot brute-force the game's highest settings at that resolution. The GPU's memory capacity is sufficient for the game, but the engine seems to be limited by the raw compute throughput at high resolutions and settings.

The RX 9070 XT's launch MSRP is 599 USD, and its performance in this game reflects its positioning as a high-end product. The card's texture rate is 760.3 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 380.2 GPixel/s, which explains why it can handle 1440p High at 85.7 FPS without breaking a sweat. However, when pushing to 4K Ultra, the card's FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS is insufficient to maintain a smooth frame rate, resulting in a sub-60 FPS experience. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component in determining performance at 1440p and above, as the CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads are not the limiting factor at these resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU is still capable of producing 144.9 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is the bottleneck in that scenario, as the GPU has more performance to give.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the most consistent resolution, with all presets delivering above 97 FPS. 1440p is also viable, with the High preset at 85.7 FPS, but 4K is only playable on the Low preset, which yields 88.6 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2 percent higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.4 percent higher than the Intel Xeon E-2134. It is 0.6 percent lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G, making these differences negligible for gaming.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes, the data indicates that the RX 9070 XT is the limiting factor at 4K. The Ultra preset only reaches 37.3 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 88.6 FPS, showing that reducing settings has a significant impact on performance, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the 1440p High preset is 85.7, which is a smooth experience for most players. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 105.8 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 144.9 FPS, but the difference between Low and Ultra is only 47.8 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is limiting the maximum frame rate, as the GPU is capable of higher output, but the CPU cannot keep up.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Rust?

A: This combo ranks 614th out of 1717 tested combinations. This places it in the upper 35 percent of all systems, but its 4K performance drags down its overall rank.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests that the 1440p Medium preset offers the optimal balance, delivering 105.8 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. At 1080p, the High preset is the sweet spot, producing 117.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and only 27.8 FPS lower than the Low preset. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 97.1 FPS, making it a viable option for players who prioritize image quality over a higher refresh rate. However, at 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 63.5 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, so the Medium preset is recommended for a smoother experience.

At 4K, the only recommended setting is Low, which yields 88.6 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 60.6 FPS, which is borderline, and the High preset at 54.4 FPS is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K is essentially unplayable at 37.3 FPS. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for players who are willing to sacrifice visual settings for playable frame rates. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 47.8 FPS, while at 1440p it is 61.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions, allowing players to crank up settings without a major performance hit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. In Rust, the CPU's role is evident at lower resolutions, where the frame rate is not fully GPU-bound. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 47.8 FPS, which is smaller than the 51.3 FPS difference at 4K, suggesting that the CPU is partially limiting the frame rate at 1080p. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile, meaning it is an average performer among all CPUs tested.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that it is closely matched with other mid-range processors, with a 0.2 percent difference from the Intel Core i3-10305 and a 0.6 percent difference from the Intel Core i7-8809G. These small deltas indicate that in Rust, the choice between these CPUs would have minimal impact on the measured FPS. The CPU's 6 threads are sufficient for this game, as the data shows that it does not become a severe bottleneck until the GPU is not fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 144.9 FPS, but the GPU could likely push higher if the CPU were faster. The CPU's TDP of 65 watts and its end-of-life production status suggest that it is a dated design, but its performance in this game remains adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as long as the GPU is powerful enough to take over at higher resolutions.