Rust

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 19th out of 2,953 tested combinations in Rust, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations. This is a dominant position that reflects the hardware's ability to drive the game at extreme frame rates, though the data reveals that the RTX 5090 D's colossal specifications are frequently held back by the CPU and the game engine itself at lower resolutions. The combination delivers playable 4K performance and exceptional 1440p speed, but its ranking relative to other combos suggests that the GPU's full potential is only realized at the highest pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's 19th-place finish out of 2,953 tested configurations places it firmly in the elite tier of systems for Rust. This top-1% standing is not merely a function of the GPU's raw compute, but rather the result of a balanced partnership with the Core i7-13700K. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, clocked up to 5.40 GHz, provide the single-thread headroom that Rust's simulation-heavy gameplay demands, while the GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth eliminate any conceivable VRAM or memory bandwidth bottleneck. The data shows that this rank is well-earned: the combo delivers a 254 FPS average at 1080p Low, which is near the practical ceiling for many high-refresh monitors.

Compared to other tested combos, the i7-13700K's own benchmark percentile of 89 versus all CPUs indicates it is a strong but not top-tier processor, yet it still manages to keep pace with the RTX 5090 D. The GPU itself sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the database—such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants—are within a 2.4% margin of its average benchmark score. This suggests that the graphics card is not uniquely superior in synthetic tests, but the measured FPS in Rust shows the real-world benefit of its architecture. The combo's high ranking reflects the fact that in this specific game, the combination of a high-clock x86 CPU and a top-tier Blackwell GPU produces results that outpace the vast majority of the 2,953 tested systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and the measured FPS data confirms its role as the primary driver of frame rates at 4K. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Rust's texture streaming and draw distances at any setting. The GPU's 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores are backed by a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and the data shows that at 4K, the card scales almost linearly with settings. At 4K Low, the combo achieves 141 FPS average; moving to Medium drops it to 95 FPS, High to 80 FPS, and Ultra to 61 FPS. This 80 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the render resolution and settings directly dictate the workload.

The RTX 5090 D's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the headline number, but in Rust, the more relevant specifications are the 680 TMUs and 176 ROPs, which handle texture filtering and pixel output. The 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate are what allow it to push 80 FPS at 4K High without dropping below playable thresholds. It is notably the GPU's nearest rivals in the database—the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants—all have lower average benchmark scores, but the RTX 5090 D's lead in Rust is more pronounced than the 1-2% delta in synthetic tests. This implies that the card's architecture, with its Blackwell 2.0 design and 5 nm process from TSMC, is particularly well-suited to the draw-call and shading patterns found in Rust's open-world environments.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K serves as the supporting pillar, and its role becomes more critical as resolution decreases. With 16 cores (8 performance and 8 efficiency) and 24 threads, the CPU has a 30 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing. Its boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the key metric for Rust, as the game's simulation and physics logic often rely on a single primary thread. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,136 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,116 show that this CPU has strong single-core performance, but the data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU becomes the limiting factor.

Evidence for this comes from the FPS scaling between 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 254 FPS average; at 1440p Low, it produces 224 FPS. This 30 FPS drop is relatively modest compared to the 83 FPS drop seen when moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low (224 to 141 FPS). The 1080p results are capped by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU, as the RTX 5090 D cannot fully stretch its legs when the render workload is light. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 45,887 and 3DMark max-thread score of 12,412 are respectable, but its percentile of 89 versus all CPUs shows that it is not the fastest processor available. Yet, in this combo, it does not embarrass itself, as the 1080p High average of 197 FPS remains exceptionally high for a game like Rust, which is known for its demanding CPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the combo starts at 254 FPS average on Low, drops to 218 FPS on Medium, 197 FPS on High, and 150 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum FPS of 185 and a maximum of 251, indicating that even the lowest frame rates remain far above the refresh rate of standard 144Hz monitors. Moving to 1440p, the averages are 224 FPS on Low, 161 FPS on Medium, 136 FPS on High, and 103 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium preset has a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 185, suggesting that the 1% lows are still very playable. At 4K, the averages drop to 141 FPS on Low, 95 FPS on Medium, 80 FPS on High, and 61 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset records a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 109 FPS, which means that the experience is smooth but not immune to dips.

The data reveals a clear pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 104 FPS (254 to 150). At 1440p, the difference is 121 FPS (224 to 103). At 4K, the difference is 80 FPS (141 to 61). This non-linear scaling suggests that at 1440p, the system is transitioning from a CPU-bound state to a GPU-bound state, where the GPU's workload increases faster than the CPU's. The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS average is the only measurement that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which is a critical consideration for gamers seeking a locked 60 FPS experience. In contrast, the 4K High setting at 80 FPS average provides a comfortable buffer above 60 FPS, while 4K Low at 141 FPS is ideal for high-refresh 4K monitors.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling analysis shows that the combo is heavily GPU-bound at 4K but becomes increasingly CPU-bound as resolution decreases. Comparing Low settings across resolutions, the FPS drops from 254 at 1080p to 224 at 1440p (an 11.8% decrease) and then to 141 at 4K (a 37.1% decrease from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. The 30 FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p Low is relatively small, confirming that the i7-13700K's single-thread performance is the limiting factor.

At High settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 197 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p (a 31% decrease), and 80 FPS at 4K (a 41.2% decrease). The larger percentage drop between 1080p and 1440p at High settings compared to Low settings suggests that the GPU's workload is increasing significantly, but the CPU is still holding back the absolute frame rate. At Ultra settings, the pattern shifts: 150 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p (a 31.3% decrease), and 61 FPS at 4K (a 40.8% decrease). The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS indicates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the render workload is so high that the CPU has ample time to prepare frames. The data suggests that for maximum frame rates at 1080p or 1440p, the CPU is the limiting component, while for maximum visual fidelity at 4K, the GPU is performing near its limit.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 240Hz monitor, the Low preset at 254 FPS average is the best choice for competitive play, though the Medium preset at 218 FPS average with a minimum of 185 FPS still exceeds 240Hz refresh rates in most scenarios. For 1440p, the High preset at 136 FPS average is the sweet spot for 144Hz displays, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (161 FPS) while remaining above the 120 FPS threshold. The 1440p Ultra preset at 103 FPS average is viable for 100Hz monitors, but the 33 FPS difference between High and Ultra does not justify the visual gains for most players.

For 4K, the data strongly recommends the High preset at 80 FPS average. This provides a 19 FPS improvement over Ultra (61 FPS) and a 15 FPS deficit from Medium (95 FPS), but the visual difference between High and Ultra is often negligible in Rust's open-world environments. The 4K Medium preset at 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS is also an excellent choice for those who prioritize smoothness over maximum detail, as the minimum FPS stays well above 60. The 4K Low preset at 141 FPS average is the best option for 4K 120Hz+ monitors, but it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for most players. Ultimately, the measured data shows that the RTX 5090 D and i7-13700K combo is best utilized at 1440p High or 4K High, where the balance between CPU and GPU utilization yields the most consistent and enjoyable experience.