Rust

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers playable performance in Rust, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by resolution and settings. The combo ranks 1363rd out of 1717 tested configurations, placing it in the lower half of the database. This is not a high-end pairing, but the measured FPS shows it can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, while 4K remains a challenge.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is drastic and clearly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 127.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 88.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of 30.2%, and then plummets to 51.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a 59.3% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

The situation worsens at higher presets. With High settings, the average drops from 69.6 FPS at 1080p to 48.9 FPS at 1440p, and then to 30.2 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, starting at 53.5 FPS at 1080p, falling to 39.6 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to 20.5 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU still has headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the RTX 2060 is clearly the limiting component, as the frame rates across all settings converge to a narrow band between 20.5 and 51.8 FPS.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 73.8 FPS (127.3 vs 53.5), but at 4K, it shrinks to just 31.3 FPS (51.8 vs 20.5). This compression indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU's raw throughput becomes the dominant factor, and the settings-based workload differences matter less. For this combo, 1080p is clearly the sweet spot, with 1440p being viable only on lower presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, 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 dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. Its benchmark scores position it as a mid-range part, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125.

In the context of Rust, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 127.3 FPS, which suggests the processor is capable of driving high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck. However, the fact that the combo ranks 1363rd of 1717 indicates that this CPU is not a top-tier performer for this title. Its 6-thread configuration may limit performance in a game that can utilize more cores, but the data shows it is sufficient for 60 FPS at 1440p Medium (60 FPS) and 1080p High (69.6 FPS).

The processor sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a delta of 0.2%, while the Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319, putting it 0.6% ahead. These margins are tiny, suggesting that the i5-9400 is essentially on par with several other mid-range chips. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary driver of performance, but as resolution increases, its influence wanes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. It has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. With 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, it delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. It also includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, though these are not directly relevant to Rust's rasterization workload.

The GPU's percentile rank is 58, with an average benchmark score of 16074, placing it slightly above the median. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Radeon RX 7600S scores 15996 (0.5% behind), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 16351 (1.7% ahead). This indicates the RTX 2060 is firmly in the mid-range GPU tier.

The GPU's 6 GB VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 20.5, which is unplayable. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, as the frame rates at these resolutions are far lower than what the CPU could theoretically support. At 1440p High, the system achieves 48.9 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 30.2 FPS. These numbers suggest that the RTX 2060 struggles to maintain smooth frame rates beyond 1080p with higher presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 127.3 FPS on Low, 81.6 FPS on Medium, 69.6 FPS on High, and 53.5 FPS on Ultra. This is a solid range, with Low and Medium easily exceeding 60 FPS, and High also crossing that threshold.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 88.8 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium, 48.9 FPS on High, and 39.6 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset hits exactly 60 FPS, making it a viable option for smooth gameplay, while High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS mark. Low remains playable with a high frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the results are much weaker: 51.8 FPS on Low, 36 FPS on Medium, 30.2 FPS on High, and 20.5 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset approaches playability, and even it is below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unusable, with an average below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1363rd out of 1717 tested combinations in Rust, placing it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations. This is a low ranking, which is consistent with the hardware's mid-range status. The data indicates that while the i5-9400 and RTX 2060 can run the game, they do not deliver the high frame rates seen with more powerful components.

This ranking suggests that for Rust, this combo is significantly outperformed by many other pairings. However, the measured FPS shows that it is still capable of providing a decent experience at 1080p. The rank of 1363 is a holistic measure, but the specific resolution and settings data show that the combo is not universally weak—it just requires the right configuration to shine.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the best resolution, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 50 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average is 127.3 FPS, and at High, it is 69.6 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Rust at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 51.8 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra, the averages are 36, 30.2, and 20.5 FPS, respectively, which are below 60 FPS.

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

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319).

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score relative to its peers?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 16074 on average, which is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.7% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (16351).

Q: Is 1440p playable with this setup?

A: Yes, but the settings matter. At 1440p Medium, the average is exactly 60 FPS, while Low reaches 88.8 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 50 FPS.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 127.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with High settings, which yields an average of 69.6 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding 60 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 127.3 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it hits exactly 60 FPS. This is the highest settings option that maintains a smooth 60 FPS at this resolution. The Low preset at 1440p offers a higher frame rate of 88.8 FPS, but with reduced visual fidelity.

For 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset, which averages 51.8 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold but may be acceptable for less demanding players. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended, as they all fall below 40 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 20.5 FPS. Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p Medium as a secondary option.