Rust

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a performance profile in Rust that is heavily dictated by the graphics preset selected. The measured data reveals a system that is remarkably capable at 1080p, offering triple-digit frame rates across most settings, but which begins to show its limitations as resolution and visual fidelity increase. The benchmark results indicate a classic balance where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strength ensures that even at lower settings, the frame rate remains consistently high.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has a profound impact on the average frame rate, illustrating the GPU-bound nature of higher resolutions. At the "Low" preset, the system produces an average of 185 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, and further down to 75 FPS at 4K. This represents a 59% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, a clear sign that the rendering load is scaling aggressively with pixel count.

The scaling pattern at the "High" preset tells a similar story, with the average FPS falling from 105 at 1080p to 72 at 1440p, and then to 43 at 4K. The performance drop between 1080p and 4K here is 59%, nearly identical to the "Low" preset, which suggests that the limiting factor is the GPU's pixel throughput rather than the complexity of the scene. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K are far below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combination is not well-suited for 4K gaming at higher quality settings.

A more nuanced view emerges when examining the "Medium" preset, which is the only setting with complete min/max FPS data. At 1080p, the average is 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 143. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 85 FPS, with a minimum of 73 and a maximum of 98. At 4K, the average falls to 50 FPS, with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58. The gap between the minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases, from a 37 FPS spread at 1080p to a 15 FPS spread at 4K, which implies that the frame pacing becomes more consistent when the GPU is fully saturated, even if the overall speed is lower.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops are consistent with the increase in pixel count, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p, the high frame rates, especially at "Low" (185 FPS) and "Medium" (124 FPS), indicate that the Intel Core i7-13700K has ample headroom to feed the GPU, but the RTX 3070 cannot maintain high frame rates when the resolution demands more pixel shading work.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core processor with 24 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its core configuration and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide substantial processing power, and the benchmark results from the FACT PACK corroborate this. The CPU achieves a 3dmark_max_threads score of 12412 and a passmark_multithread score of 45887, placing it in the 89th percentile for all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. This high level of multithreaded performance is relevant for Rust, which is known to be a CPU-intensive survival game with complex world simulations and player interactions.

The CPU's role in this combo is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less burdened. At 1080p with the "Low" preset, the system hits 185 FPS, a figure that requires a processor capable of handling the game's simulation and draw calls quickly. The single-threaded performance, as indicated by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4333, is also robust, ensuring that the game's main thread is not a bottleneck. The data shows that the i7-13700K is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 3070 in this title.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46881 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900's score of 46971, and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375's score of 47022. It is 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and the Intel Xeon w3-2535, both of which have scores of 46654 and 46653, respectively. These are marginal differences, suggesting that the processor is not a differentiator in this specific game when paired with this GPU, as the performance is more heavily influenced by the graphics card at most settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an Ampere-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units contribute to its overall compute capability, and it holds an average benchmark score of 17208, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's performance in Rust is the primary determinant of frame rates at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the significant drops in FPS when moving from 1440p to 4K.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor to consider, especially at 4K resolution. The data shows that at 4K with "Ultra" settings, the average FPS falls to just 32, which is a steep decline from the 55 FPS at 1440p and 80 FPS at 1080p. While this could be attributed to the increased pixel workload, the large drop also suggests that the memory capacity or bandwidth might be a limiting factor with the highest texture and detail settings. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but the demands of 4K textures can strain the memory subsystem.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is tight. Its average benchmark score of 17208 is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT's score of 17083, and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690's score of 17037. It is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M's score of 17019, but 1.5% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c's score of 17468. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 3070 is positioned in a competitive performance tier, and the measured FPS in Rust reflects a GPU that can handle 1080p gaming with ease but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K on higher presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is found at the "Medium" preset for most resolutions. At 1920x1080, "Medium" yields an average of 124 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the 105 FPS at "High" and the 80 FPS at "Ultra," while still providing a better visual experience than the "Low" preset's 185 FPS. The 106 FPS minimum at 1080p "Medium" ensures that the frame rate remains above the 100 FPS threshold for most of the time, making it a smooth experience.

For 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset offers an average of 85 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS. This is the only setting at this resolution that consistently stays above the 60 FPS mark, as "High" averages 72 FPS and "Ultra" drops to 55 FPS. The "Medium" preset is therefore the recommended choice for 1440p gaming, as it provides a playable frame rate without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The 73 FPS minimum also indicates that the system will not experience severe stutters during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The "Low" preset is the only one that achieves an average FPS above 60, hitting 75 FPS. "Medium" averages 50 FPS, "High" averages 43 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 32 FPS. For 4K gaming, the "Low" preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, but users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate might consider the "Medium" preset, which offers a more balanced picture with an average of 50 FPS and a minimum of 43 FPS. The data clearly shows that "Ultra" is not recommended at any resolution, as it consistently delivers the lowest frame rates across the board.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking of tested combos for Rust, this specific configuration of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has a combo rank of 1580 out of 3723 total combos. This places it in the top 42.4% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a mid-to-upper-tier performer for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong processing capabilities and the GPU's mid-range performance, which together provide a solid experience at 1080p and 1440p, but not at the extreme high end.

The rank of 1580 suggests that there are many other CPU-GPU combinations that can deliver higher frame rates in Rust, likely those with more powerful GPUs. However, the data also implies that this combo is far from the bottom of the list, and it outperforms a significant portion of the tested hardware. The percentile ranking of the CPU (89th) and GPU (61st) independently highlight that the processor is a stronger component in this pairing, and the overall combo rank is likely held back by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average score, and the GPU's rivals are within 1.5%, which suggests that the specific choice of these components has a marginal impact on the final ranking. The combo's position in the 1580th spot out of 3723 is a direct result of the RTX 3070's inability to deliver high frame rates at 4K with high-quality settings, which is a common trait among GPUs in its performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown provides the exact measured FPS values for each resolution and settings combination, as recorded in the FACT PACK.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS is as follows:

• Low: 185 FPS
• Medium: 124 FPS (minimum 106, maximum 143)
• High: 105 FPS
• Ultra: 80 FPS

At 2560x1440, the average FPS is as follows:

• Low: 127 FPS
• Medium: 85 FPS (minimum 73, maximum 98)
• High: 72 FPS
• Ultra: 55 FPS

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is as follows:

• Low: 75 FPS
• Medium: 50 FPS (minimum 43, maximum 58)
• High: 43 FPS
• Ultra: 32 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as resolution increases. The difference between "Low" and "Ultra" settings at 1080p is 105 FPS, while at 4K, this difference narrows to 43 FPS, indicating that the GPU's workload becomes so heavy at higher resolutions that the graphical preset has less relative impact on the final frame rate. The "Medium" preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and it shows that the frame time consistency improves at lower resolutions, with a 37 FPS spread at 1080p compared to a 15 FPS spread at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Rust?

A: The highest average frame rate is 185 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the "Low" settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Rust?

A: The data shows that only the "Low" preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average FPS above 60, with 75 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 50 FPS, "High" averages 43 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 32 FPS, so smooth 4K gaming is limited to the lowest settings.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of performance and quality at 1440p?

A: The "Medium" preset is recommended for 2560x1440, as it delivers an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS, which is the only preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest rival in terms of CPU performance?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900's score of 46971, and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375's score of 47022. It is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 1920x1080 with "Medium" settings is 106 FPS, with an average of 124 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS.

Q: Where does this CPU-GPU combination rank among all tested combos for Rust?

A: This combo ranks 1580th out of 3723 total tested combos, placing it in the top 42.4% of all systems tested for Rust.