Rust

The pairing of an Intel Core i7-12700K with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Rust presents a stark study in component imbalance. The CPU is a high-end 12th Gen part with 12 cores and a 5.00 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is a 4 GB Turing-based card from 2019. The benchmark data shows a system where the graphics card is decisively the limiting factor, with frame rates collapsing at higher resolutions and settings. The combo ranks 1646th out of 1717 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 4% of all systems tested for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Rust?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 63.9 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score is 8713, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon 550X's score of 8749, and 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P2200's score of 8671.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K is in the 89th percentile for all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general benchmark tests.

Q: Does lowering the resolution from 1440p to 1080p always improve performance?

A: Yes, at every settings level, the average FPS increases when moving from 2560x1440 to 1920x1080. The most significant jump is at Low settings, where the average goes from 46.1 FPS to 63.9 FPS.

Q: What is the difference in multi-core performance between the i7-12700K and the Intel Core i7-13800H?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684, which is 0.8% higher than the i7-13800H's score of 35416.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 14.6 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 896 shading units and a 128-bit memory bus. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory provides a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is a critical constraint for a game like Rust that loads large, complex environments. The card's base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The benchmark results show this GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The data reveals a clear pattern: as graphical load increases, frame rates plummet. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 63.9, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 28.5. This significant drop of 35.4 FPS is a direct result of the GPU's limited shader and texture processing capabilities. Its percentile ranking of 43rd among all GPUs places it in the lower half of the performance spectrum, and its nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, have average scores within 0.5% of it, confirming its position in the entry-level market. The 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate a card designed for basic 1080p gaming, and the data suggests that even that target is a struggle at higher quality presets in Rust.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 39.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 25.1 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 17 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a 57.4% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is even more dramatic at Low settings, where the average FPS falls from 63.9 at 1080p to 46.1 at 1440p and then to 27.6 at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings represents a 40.1% drop in frame rate. This behavior strongly indicates that the system is GPU-limited. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively stable as resolution increases, since the CPU work per frame is relatively constant. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the number of pixels being rendered, which is a classic symptom of a graphics card that is saturated with work. The only way to achieve playable frame rates is to significantly reduce the resolution and settings to lessen the GPU's workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a complete matrix of average frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from a playable 63.9 FPS on Low to a barely functional 28.5 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset yields 43.9 FPS, while High provides 39.9 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop considerably. Low settings produce 46.1 FPS, which is still playable, but High falls to 25.1 FPS, and Ultra dips to a very choppy 20.3 FPS. Medium at 1440p is 28 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings are the only option that approaches playability at 27.6 FPS. High manages 17 FPS, Medium 16.2 FPS, and Ultra hits a low of 14.6 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra settings is most pronounced at 1080p, where the difference is 35.4 FPS, showing that the GPU has less headroom to absorb setting increases at higher resolutions. The data shows that only the 1080p Low preset provides a consistently fluid experience, with all other combinations requiring significant compromises on visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 25 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128. The CPU's percentile ranking of 89th among all CPUs confirms its high-end status. The nearest rival data shows it is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has a deltaPct of -0.3% relative to the i7-12700K's average score of 35684. In the context of this Rust benchmark, the CPU's performance is almost irrelevant. The evidence is overwhelming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the system produces only 14.6 FPS, a frame rate where even a much weaker CPU could provide the necessary instructions. The CPU is effectively "waiting" for the GPU to finish rendering frames. The data suggests that this processor has immense headroom for gaming, but it is completely masked by the graphics card's inability to keep up, even at lower resolutions and settings. The system is a case study in a powerful CPU paired with an underpowered GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the only configuration that delivers a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 63.9 FPS. This is the only preset across all resolutions that clears the 60 FPS threshold. For users who want a better visual experience at a slight cost to smoothness, the 1920x1080 Medium preset at 43.9 FPS is a viable alternative. The High preset at 1080p, with an average of 39.9 FPS, is also playable for less demanding titles, but the frame pacing may feel inconsistent in a fast-paced survival game. At 1440p, the Low preset at 46.1 FPS is the only option that is arguably playable, but the visual quality will be quite poor. All other settings and resolutions produce average frame rates below 30 FPS, which is generally considered too choppy for a comfortable experience in Rust. The data suggests that the user must prioritize performance over visual fidelity. The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions, and the benchmark numbers reflect this. The recommendation is to stick to 1080p and use the Low or Medium presets to get the best balance of playability and visual clarity from this specific hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1646th out of 1717 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the bottom 5% of all systems, a poor result that is entirely attributable to the graphics card. The CPU itself is a top-tier performer, but the GPU's 43rd percentile ranking drags the entire system down. The data implies that the GTX 1650 is a severe bottleneck in this pairing, and the combo's rank is a direct consequence of this imbalance. If the goal is to improve this ranking, the CPU is not the component that needs upgrading. The benchmark results indicate that the system's performance is almost solely determined by the GPU's capabilities. Even a modest upgrade to a graphics card with a higher percentile ranking would yield a massive improvement in the combo's standing. The current rank suggests that this system is not suitable for playing Rust at any reasonable quality level, and the measured FPS confirms this assessment. The powerful CPU is essentially wasted in this configuration, as it can never stretch its legs due to the GPU's limitations.