Rust

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It features a 25 MB shared L3 cache, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 80 KB L1 per core, built on Intel's 10 nm process. The CPU's 3DMark scores show a balanced scaling pattern: 2,065 in the 2-thread test, 4,011 in 4-thread, 7,202 in 8-thread, 9,276 in 16-thread, and 9,979 at max threads. This progression indicates strong multi-threaded scaling, though the gains taper off significantly beyond 8 threads — the jump from 8-thread to max-thread is only about 38.5% additional score, while the jump from 2-thread to 4-thread is roughly 94%.

In Rust, a survival game that relies heavily on server-side simulation and world persistence, single-thread performance often matters more than raw core counts. The i7-12700K posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,850.5, with a multi-core score of 19,784. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,013 and multithread score of 34,404 further confirm that the CPU has strong per-core capability. The 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that this processor outperforms the vast majority of installed hardware, which is relevant for Rust's frequent AI updates, building calculations, and physics ticks that can bottleneck on slower cores.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest it can sustain high clocks under load, though the measured frame rates in this combo suggest that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at most settings. The Cinebench R20 results — 1,726 single-core and 12,229 multi-core — show a 7.09x scaling factor from single to multi, which is reasonable for a 12-core part with 20 threads. The Geekbench scores of 2,308 single-core and 15,790 multi-core reinforce that this CPU is well above average for gaming workloads. However, when paired with the Intel Arc B390, the data shows that the CPU's headroom is largely unused at higher resolutions, as the frame rates drop dramatically regardless of the CPU's capability.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process with 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. It has 12 ray tracing cores and a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2,500 MHz. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM — the GPU uses the system's main memory, which makes bandwidth and capacity dependent on the host platform. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS and FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

The GPU's single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1,482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which is remarkably low. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1,463, 1.3% faster), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1,460, 1.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1,446, 2.5% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1,443, 2.7% faster). This places the Arc B390 in the same performance tier as decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, which explains the low frame rates observed in Rust across all tested settings.

In Rust, the GPU is responsible for rendering the game's large open-world environments, including terrain, structures, and lighting. The system-shared memory architecture means the GPU has access to the same DDR4/DDR5 memory as the CPU, but this is typically slower than dedicated GDDR6 or GDDR6X. The 80 W TDP and integrated nature of the GPU (slot width "IGP") also limit its sustained performance under load. The 12 RT cores are present but are unlikely to provide meaningful ray tracing performance at this level of overall throughput, and Rust does not heavily use ray tracing in its default rendering path.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this combination. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 76 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 13 FPS — a reduction of 82.9% — which is consistent with a GPU that simply cannot fill enough pixels at higher resolutions. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by its benchmark scores, but the GPU's 9th percentile ranking means that the frame rate ceiling is set almost entirely by the Arc B390's rasterization capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,601 out of 2,953 tested combos in Rust, placing it in the bottom 11.9% of all tested configurations. This is a stark contrast to the CPU's individual ranking at the 84th percentile, highlighting that the GPU drags the overall performance down dramatically. The combo rank of 2,601 out of 2,953 means that only 352 tested combos perform worse, which puts this pairing in the lower tier of gaming systems for Rust.

The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentile rankings — 84th versus 9th — is one of the largest mismatches possible. This indicates a severely imbalanced pairing where the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates but is held back by the integrated GPU. The data suggests that for Rust specifically, the GPU is the limiting factor at all tested resolutions and settings, as the frame rates scale more with resolution changes than with settings changes, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in the bottom percentile range. The nearest rival GPUs (GT 520MX, 800M, GT 625 OEM, GT 710) all have similar average scores, and the measured FPS data confirms that this combo delivers playable frame rates only at 1080p with Low settings. At 1440p, only Low settings break 50 FPS, and at 4K, no settings achieve even 35 FPS. The rank of 2,601 out of 2,953 also suggests that while this combo is near the bottom, it is not the absolute worst — the 13 FPS at 4K Ultra is low but not the lowest possible, indicating that some combos perform even worse.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates across most settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 76, and at 1080p Medium it is 51. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 50 FPS with 53 FPS, while 4K never exceeds 31 FPS even on Low.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,287, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,305 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35,365 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,403 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35,428 (0.4% higher). The differences are all within 0.4%, so the CPU is effectively tied with these alternatives.

Q: What settings give the highest average FPS at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is achieved with Low settings, which produces 76 FPS. Medium settings yield 51 FPS, High settings yield 43 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 33 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is this combo GPU-bound or CPU-bound in Rust?

A: The data indicates the combo is GPU-bound. The CPU ranks at the 84th percentile while the GPU ranks at the 9th percentile. Frame rates drop significantly with resolution increases (from 76 FPS at 1080p Low to 31 FPS at 4K Low), which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the worst-performing setting and resolution combination?

A: The worst combination is 4K Ultra, which achieves an average of 13 FPS. The next lowest is 4K High at 18 FPS, followed by 4K Medium at 21 FPS. All 4K settings produce sub-35 FPS averages, making the resolution effectively unplayable.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1,482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1,460 (1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446 (2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443 (2.7% slower). The Arc B390 is the fastest among these five, but only by a small margin.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 76 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p (a 30.3% decrease) and then to 31 at 4K (a 41.5% decrease from 1440p, or 59.2% from 1080p). This steep decline is typical of a GPU that lacks the fill rate to handle high pixel counts. At Medium settings, the progression is 51 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K — a 31.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 40.0% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The High settings show a similar pattern: 43 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K, representing a 30.2% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 40.0% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 33 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K — a 30.3% drop and a 43.5% drop respectively. Across all settings, the resolution scaling is remarkably consistent, with roughly 30% performance loss going from 1080p to 1440p and roughly 40% loss going from 1440p to 4K.

This consistent scaling pattern strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain relatively constant. Instead, the frame rates drop proportionally with the pixel count increase, which is the hallmark of a GPU that is saturated at all tested settings. The 4K results — all below 32 FPS — suggest that the Arc B390 simply cannot handle the 8.3 million pixels of 3840x2160, regardless of the graphical preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's target resolution and minimum acceptable frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset is the only configuration that delivers a smooth experience, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings at 1080p produce 51 FPS, which is playable but may feel less fluid, especially in combat-heavy scenarios where Rust's frame rate can dip. High settings at 1080p drop to 43 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider ideal for a survival game.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 53 FPS. Medium at 1440p yields 35 FPS, High yields 30 FPS, and Ultra yields 23 FPS — none of these are recommended for a smooth experience. At 4K, no settings are recommended, as even Low only achieves 31 FPS, and the maximum at any setting is 31 FPS. The data suggests that users should either play at 1080p Low for the best frame rate, or accept lower frame rates at higher settings if visual fidelity is prioritized over smoothness.

The Medium preset at 1080p offers a reasonable compromise, with 51 FPS average and a minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 59 FPS. This is the only setting above Low that maintains a minimum FPS above 40. For context, the 4K Medium preset has a minimum of 18 FPS and maximum of 24 FPS, which is a very tight band that indicates the GPU is consistently underpowered. The 1440p Medium range (30 to 41 FPS) is similarly narrow. The recommendation is to use 1080p Low for competitive play or 1080p Medium for a balance of visuals and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete measured FPS data for this combo in Rust, organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 76 FPS average
• Medium: 51 FPS average (minimum 44, maximum 59)
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 53 FPS average
• Medium: 35 FPS average (minimum 30, maximum 41)
• High: 30 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 21 FPS average (minimum 18, maximum 24)
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 13 FPS average

The data shows that the only configuration achieving 60+ FPS is 1080p Low at 76 FPS. The next highest is 1440p Low at 53 FPS, followed by 1080p Medium at 51 FPS. All other configurations fall below 50 FPS. The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings, showing 44 at 1080p, 30 at 1440p, and 18 at 4K — these are the only rows with min/max values, so they provide the only insight into frame time consistency. The 1080p Medium range (44-59) is the tightest in absolute terms, suggesting relatively stable performance, while the 4K Medium range (18-24) is the tightest in relative terms, with only a 33.3% spread.

The scaling from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium shows a 31.4% performance drop, and from 1440p Medium to 4K Medium shows a 40.0% drop. This consistent degradation pattern across all settings confirms that the Intel Arc B390's rendering throughput is the dominant factor in this combo's performance, regardless of the graphical preset selected.