Rust

# Rust Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 delivers a playable but inconsistent Rust experience, with measured frame rates ranging from 113.6 FPS at 1080p Low to just 21.4 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data reveals a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the six-core CPU without hyper-threading holds its own at lower settings. This pairing ranks 1437th out of 1717 tested combos in Rust, placing it in the lower portion of the database, though the measured data shows it remains functional for competitive play at 1080p with modest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, confirming that the GTX 1070 becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. At High settings, average frame rate falls from 62 FPS at 1920x1080 to 45.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 26%, and then to 28.9 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 37% decline. This pattern of diminishing returns at higher resolutions is typical of a mid-range GPU being pushed beyond its comfortable envelope.

Low settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 113.6 FPS at 1080p dropping to 76.6 FPS at 1440p and then to 45.6 FPS at 4K. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot maintain 60 FPS indicates the GPU's raw throughput limits are being reached regardless of graphical complexity. Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 75.3 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 30.1 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with 48.9 FPS at 1080p, 33.1 FPS at 1440p, and 21.4 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior between 1080p and 1440p suggests a balanced system at those resolutions, since the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately. However, the 1440p-to-4K transition exposes the GTX 1070's memory bandwidth and compute limitations. The GPU's 256.3 GB/s bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 performance are simply insufficient for Rust's large draw distances and complex shading at 4K. The data shows that 1080p remains the only resolution where this combo can deliver consistently smooth gameplay across all settings, with even Ultra averaging 48.9 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six physical cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This Coffee Lake Refresh processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, offers a 9 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. In Rust, which is known for its demanding server-side simulation and large player bases, the CPU's role is significant at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 113.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of driving frame rates well above 100 when the GPU is not the limiting factor. The difference between 1080p Low (113.6 FPS) and 1440p Low (76.6 FPS) is primarily GPU-driven, but the CPU still manages to feed frames efficiently. The i5-9400's Cinebench R23 scores of 7969 multi-core and 1125 single-core place it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is nearly identical in average score to the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, deltaPct 0.2). The Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295, deltaPct 0.4) trails slightly, while the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319, deltaPct -0.6) is marginally ahead. This clustering indicates that the i5-9400's six cores without hyper-threading perform competitively with other mid-range options, but the lack of additional threads may limit performance in Rust's most CPU-intensive moments, such as large raid battles or heavily populated servers.

The 65 W TDP and end-of-life production status suggest this CPU is a mature design that prioritizes efficiency over raw throughput. For Rust specifically, the data shows that at 1080p Medium (75.3 FPS) and High (62 FPS), the CPU maintains acceptable frame pacing, but the gap between Low and Medium settings (113.6 vs 75.3 FPS) indicates that increased draw distance and entity counts do tax the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, based on the GP104 chip and Pascal architecture, provides 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. Its 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. The GPU's boost clock of 1683 MHz and 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the key factors driving Rust's frame rates at higher resolutions.

The GTX 1070's benchmark scores show a strong general-purpose GPU: Passmark G3D score of 13498, Geekbench Vulkan score of 47395, and Geekbench OpenCL score of 47490. Its percentile ranking of 51 places it in the middle of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241, deltaPct 0.7), which is slightly slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490, deltaPct -1.3), which is marginally faster; the GTX 1650 SUPER (12504, deltaPct -1.4) also edges ahead.

In Rust, the GPU's VRAM capacity of 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p textures, but the 4K Ultra setting (21.4 FPS) suggests that memory bandwidth becomes a constraint. The 256.3 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p but struggles with 4K's fourfold increase in pixel throughput. The GPU's power draw of 150 W with a recommended 450 W PSU indicates a reasonably efficient design, but the data shows that this efficiency does not translate to high frame rates at 4K.

The GTX 1070's DirectX 12 (12_1) support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility are relevant for Rust, which has been optimized for modern APIs. The Passmark DirectX scores reveal an interesting pattern: DirectX 11 (100) outperforms DirectX 12 (48), suggesting that Rust's implementation may favor older API paths. The GPU's 16 nm process node and 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die represent a mature design that delivers consistent, if not spectacular, performance in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings maintain playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 113.6 FPS, while even Ultra averages 48.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (76.6 FPS) and Medium (54 FPS) stay above 50 FPS, and at 3840x2160, all settings fall below 46 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, placing it 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). It is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295) and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319). These deltas are negligible in real-world terms.

Q: Does the GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM limit Rust performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR5 memory with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, where frame rates are consistent. At 4K Ultra (21.4 FPS) and 4K High (28.9 FPS), the performance drop suggests that memory bandwidth, rather than capacity, is the limiting factor, as the GPU's compute throughput also falls short at that resolution.

Q: What settings provide the best balance for 60 FPS gameplay?

A: At 1080p, Medium settings (75.3 FPS) and High settings (62 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings (76.6 FPS) achieve this target, while Medium (54 FPS) falls short. No 4K setting reaches 60 FPS, with the highest being Low at 45.6 FPS.

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

A: This combination ranks 1437th out of 1717 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 17% of the database. This ranking reflects the age of both components, as neither the i5-9400 nor the GTX 1070 represents current-generation hardware.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU's capabilities are more evident, with 113.6 FPS indicating headroom. However, the drop to 75.3 FPS at Medium and 62 FPS at High suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly involved as graphical complexity rises. The CPU's six threads may limit performance in CPU-bound scenarios, but the GPU is the primary constraint at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 achieves a rank of 1437 out of 1717 tested combos in Rust, placing it in the lower 16.3% of all configurations. This ranking is consistent with the hardware's position in the broader benchmark landscape: the CPU sits at the 50th percentile of all processors, and the GPU at the 51st percentile of all graphics cards. Neither component is a top-tier performer, and their combination in Rust does not boost either beyond its individual standing.

The measured FPS data reinforces this middling position. At 1080p, the combo delivers frame rates that range from 48.9 FPS (Ultra) to 113.6 FPS (Low), which is acceptable for casual play but not competitive with high-end systems. The 4K results, capped at 45.6 FPS even at Low settings, clearly indicate that this combo is not designed for ultra-high-resolution gaming. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the GTX 1650 SUPER (deltaPct -1.4) and GTX 880M (deltaPct -1.3), show that the GTX 1070 is closely matched with other mid-range Pascal and Turing cards, none of which are known for 4K prowess.

The CPU's position among rivals, with all deltas within 0.6% of the i5-9400, suggests that processor choice has minimal impact on the overall ranking. Instead, the GPU's performance ceiling governs this combo's placement. The 1717-combo database includes many systems with newer, more powerful graphics cards, and the GTX 1070's 51st percentile ranking means that over half of tested GPUs outperform it in synthetic benchmarks. In Rust specifically, the measured frame rates at 1080p High (62 FPS) and 1440p High (45.8 FPS) indicate that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings, where it remains functional but not exceptional. The rank of 1437 reflects a system that delivers playable performance at lower resolutions but cannot compete with modern hardware at higher demands.