Rust

Rust with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti presents a distinct performance profile, one where the CPU’s six cores and the GPU’s high compute capacity interact in ways that shift with resolution and settings. The measured data reveals a system that is capable of high frame rates but whose behavior is heavily dictated by the workload, particularly at the extremes of 4K and Ultra presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions, contextualizes the combo’s standing, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the provided figures.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a significant, but not uniform, drop in average FPS across all settings presets, indicating a system that is still largely GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU limitation at lower ones. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 142 FPS at 1920x1080 to 125 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of 17 FPS, and then further to 105 FPS at 3840x2160. This pattern shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the primary scaling factor, though the relatively small drop between 1080p and 1440p suggests the CPU is beginning to cap performance at the lower resolution.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is more pronounced. The average FPS is 122 at 1080p, 108 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, a 36 FPS reduction, which strongly suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated by the 3840x2160 resolution. The High preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 115, 101, and 61 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The 40 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings is the largest single-step decline in the dataset, highlighting how the GPU’s workload becomes exponentially harder at 4K with higher graphical fidelity.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, starting at 104 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 78 FPS at 1440p, and finally settling at 46 FPS at 4K. This data shows that Ultra settings at 4K are the most demanding configuration tested, pushing the combo to its limits. The scaling pattern across all presets—where the 1080p to 1440p drop is often smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop—indicates that while the i5-9400 can keep up at 1080p, the resolution increase places the burden squarely on the GPU. The 4K results, particularly at Medium and High, show that the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting component, as its performance scales directly with the pixel count. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, settings must be moderated to achieve smooth frame rates, while at 1080p, the CPU’s six threads may be the limiting factor in maximizing the GPU’s potential.

How This Combo Ranks

In the aggregate database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti in Rust ranks at 1094 out of 3723 tested combos. This places the combo in the top 29% of all configurations, a solid standing that reflects the GPU’s high compute capability. The rank indicates that while this is not a top-tier, state-of-the-art configuration, it outperforms the majority of systems tested for this title. The combo’s percentile position is a direct result of the RTX 4070 Ti’s strong benchmark scores, which place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, counterbalancing the more modest standing of the i5-9400, which sits in the 47th percentile of all CPUs.

The i5-9400’s average benchmark score is 2254, which puts it in close competition with several other processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, a mere 0.2% difference, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% gap. This tight clustering shows that the CPU’s performance is typical for its class and generation. In contrast, the RTX 4070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 44795 is far more substantial. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152, which is only 0.8% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45384, a 1.3% difference. This proximity to much newer or specialized hardware underscores the GPU’s raw power. The data shows that the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the CPU, which is not in the same performance tier as the GPU, but the pairing still yields a highly playable experience in Rust.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Rust?

A: The highest average frame rate is 142 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo fail to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: The combo drops below a 60 FPS average only at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset, where it produces an average of 46 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, a 0.2% difference, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% difference.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, the Low preset yields 125 FPS on average, while the Ultra preset yields 78 FPS, a difference of 47 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than 84% of the graphics cards in the database.

Q: Which settings preset at 4K offers the highest average FPS above 100?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one to achieve an average FPS above 100, with a score of 105 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how settings affect performance, allowing for a precise recommendation based on the user’s priority for frame rate or visual fidelity. For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering an average of 142 FPS. This setting is also viable at 2560x1440, where it still produces a very smooth 125 FPS average. Even at 3840x2160, the Low preset maintains a playable 105 FPS average, making it the only preset to exceed the 100 FPS threshold at 4K.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is a strong candidate, with an average of 101 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while keeping the frame rate well above 100. Alternatively, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a 122 FPS average and includes a recorded minimum FPS of 104, which suggests good frame time consistency. At 4K, the Medium preset is the most demanding setting that still achieves a comfortable average of 72 FPS, making it the best option for 4K gaming if visual fidelity is more important than maximum refresh rate. The Ultra preset is only recommended for players who prioritize image quality above all else and can accept lower frame rates, as it is the only preset to drop below 60 FPS on average, happening at 4K with a 46 FPS result. For a 60 FPS target at 4K, the data shows that the High preset, with its 61 FPS average, is the borderline choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

A detailed breakdown of the measured frame rates reveals a consistent pattern of performance scaling with settings and resolution. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 142 at Low, to 122 at Medium, 115 at High, and 104 at Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a range of 104 to 140. The progression shows a 38 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality settings, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p to handle the increased load from higher presets without a catastrophic drop in performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 125 FPS for Low, 108 FPS for Medium, 101 FPS for High, and 78 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra widens to 47 FPS, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of graphical features. At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more severe, with averages of 105 FPS for Low, 72 FPS for Medium, 61 FPS for High, and 46 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 83 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is a substantial 59 FPS. The data shows that the 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that fails to maintain an average above 60 FPS, making it the clear outlier in terms of system strain.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, along with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a multi-core strength that is moderate for its time, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 for multi-core and 1389 for single-core. These figures place the CPU in the 47th percentile of all processors, indicating it is an average performer.

In Rust, the CPU’s role is evident in the scaling between 1080p and 1440p. At the Low preset, the average FPS only drops from 142 to 125 when moving from 1080p to 1440p, a relatively small decline that suggests the CPU is limiting the frame rate at 1080p. The 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, but they prevent the system from achieving even higher frame rates. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is crucial for single-threaded performance, which is often a bottleneck in game logic. The data shows that while the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, its performance ceiling is a factor in the overall frame rate at 1080p, preventing the RTX 4070 Ti from reaching its full potential. The CPU’s performance is comparable to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has a nearly identical average benchmark score, confirming its position in the performance hierarchy.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. Its compute capabilities are substantial, with 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. It also includes 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GPU’s raw compute power is reflected in its FP32 performance of 40.09 TFLOPS. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 31624 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 213808, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s role in Rust is clearly the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The significant frame rate drops from 1440p to 4K across all settings are a direct result of the GPU’s workload increasing with pixel count. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the settings tested, but the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is likely a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the 46 FPS average indicates the GPU is heavily saturated. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti is a very capable card, but its performance in this title is constrained by the CPU at 1080p and by its own limits at 4K. The GPU’s benchmark scores, which are within 1.3% of rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, confirm its high-end positioning, but the measured FPS in Rust demonstrates that even a powerful GPU requires a balanced system to achieve optimal results. The 4K Medium preset, with its 72 FPS average, shows the GPU can deliver a smooth experience when not paired with the most demanding settings.