Rust

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile delivers a playable but uneven experience in Rust, with frame rates that scale dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K, revealing a clear performance hierarchy across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across the three resolutions demonstrates a steep performance curve that is typical of a GPU-bound title at higher pixel counts, yet also shows signs of CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 145 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 100 FPS, a reduction of 45 FPS or roughly 31% from the 1080p figure. At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields just 59 FPS, representing a further 41% decline from the 1440p result and a total drop of 86 FPS from 1080p.

This scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 4060 Mobile becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly large, indicating that the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain performance at the highest pixel count. However, the difference between 1080p and 1440p is less severe, which hints that at 1080p, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H with its 14 cores and 18 threads may be limiting the frame rate, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher values.

For High settings, the trend continues but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS goes from 82 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p, a 30% decrease, and then down to 33 at 4K, a 42% drop from 1440p. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 63 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and only 25 FPS at 4K. This shows that the performance cost of each resolution step is roughly proportional, but the starting point at 4K is already too low for a smooth experience.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts depending on the workload. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS, which is close to what a high-core-count mobile CPU can sustain in a physics-heavy game like Rust. At 4K Ultra, the 25 FPS average indicates the GPU is overwhelmed, with the 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 90.72 GPixel/s pixel rate proving insufficient for the pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is the dominant factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is a critical constraint in a game like Rust that features large, persistent worlds and frequent texture streaming. The benchmark results show that at 4K, the memory subsystem is likely saturated, as evidenced by the significant performance gap between Medium (40 FPS) and Low (59 FPS) settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest for a discrete mobile part, with a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1890 MHz. This translates to a texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s. In practice, these specifications allow the card to handle 1080p Medium at 98 FPS and 1080p High at 82 FPS, which are respectable numbers for a mobile GPU. However, the card's 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are not enough to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 59 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22729. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which is 0.7% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which is 0.8% slower. This suggests the RTX 4060 Mobile sits at a performance tier that is competitive with older desktop high-end cards but is not designed for 4K gaming in demanding titles. The measured data confirms this, as the 4K results are consistently below the 60 FPS threshold, with the Medium preset showing a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the jump from Low (145 FPS) to Medium (98 FPS) is a 47 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High (82 FPS) is a 16 FPS drop. This diminishing return suggests that the GPU's compute units are the bottleneck at Medium and above, rather than memory bandwidth. At 4K, the difference between Low (59 FPS) and Medium (40 FPS) is 19 FPS, while between Medium and High (33 FPS) is only 7 FPS, indicating that at these settings, the GPU is completely saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile ranks 2282 out of 3723 tested combos for Rust. This places it in the bottom 39% of all systems tested, which is a notable finding given that the individual components are relatively modern. The rank reflects the fact that Rust is a demanding title that does not scale well with this hardware configuration, particularly at higher resolutions.

The CPU's percentile rank of 81 among all processors suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a capable part, with an average benchmark score of 29093. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, scores 29123, which is only 0.1% higher. This indicates that the CPU is not the primary cause of the low combo rank. Similarly, the GPU's percentile rank of 67 shows it is above average, but its average benchmark score of 22729 is only 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080.

The low combo rank can be attributed to the fact that Rust's performance is heavily dependent on both CPU and GPU, and this mobile combination struggles to deliver high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo is competitive, but the rank is likely weighted across all resolutions, dragging it down. The fact that the combo ranks 2282 out of 3723 suggests that there are many other systems with better balance, possibly with desktop-class CPUs or more powerful GPUs.

The rank also implies that users of this specific laptop configuration will need to make significant compromises in settings to achieve playable frame rates. At 1080p, the combo can deliver 145 FPS on Low, which is excellent, but at 4K, even the Low preset cannot reach 60 FPS. This means the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can take advantage of the CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1700.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently achieves high frame rates. At Low settings, it averages 145 FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 43 to 100 depending on settings, while at 3840x2160, the maximum average is only 59 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Mobile compare to its nearest rival in terms of raw performance?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 22729, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (score 22895) and 0.8% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (score 22549). This places it in a similar performance tier as these desktop cards.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS, but the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and single-core score of 1700 indicate it is strong. The fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution from 1080p to 1440p suggests the CPU is limiting at the lower resolution.

Q: What settings provide the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers an average of 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that stays above 60 FPS on average, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Rust?

A: The data indicates no. At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 59 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages only 25 FPS, making it unplayable. The GPU's 8 GB memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's performance rank against other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29093. It is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores 29123, a delta of -0.1%. This shows it is a high-performing mobile CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The most balanced experience across all resolutions is the Medium preset, which provides a reasonable compromise between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, Medium yields an average of 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay with no major dips.

For users with a 2560x1440 display, the Medium preset is the only configuration that consistently maintains an average above 60 FPS, with a measured average of 67 FPS. The High preset at this resolution drops to 57 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for competitive play. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 100 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the performance gain for most users.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset is truly playable for a smooth experience. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium drops to 40 FPS. For 4K, the recommendation is to use the Low preset if a higher frame rate is desired, but users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 25 FPS, making it unusable for any practical gaming scenario.

For the best overall experience, the 1080p Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS. This provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains stable. The High preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 82 FPS, but it does not offer a substantial visual improvement over Medium to justify the 16 FPS loss.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H plays a crucial role in this combo, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully stressed. With 14 cores and 18 threads, this Meteor Lake architecture processor has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3, which helps with the complex world simulations that Rust is known for.

The CPU's benchmark results show a strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 22422. Its single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1700 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3521. This explains why the combo can achieve 145 FPS at 1080p Low, as the CPU can keep up with the game's physics and entity updates.

However, the CPU's role becomes less dominant as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates are clearly limited by the GPU, as shown by the fact that the average FPS at 4K Low (59) is nearly identical to the FPS at 1440p High (57). This suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions, and the GPU's raw performance is the deciding factor.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and dual-channel memory support are adequate for the game, but they may contribute to some of the performance drops at 1080p when the CPU is under load. The CPU's TDP of 28 W is typical for a mobile part, and its 7 nm process node allows for efficient operation. In terms of raw CPU power, it ranks in the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 29093, making it a strong component that is not holding back the system except in specific low-resolution, high-FPS scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a clear picture of this combo's performance in Rust. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates across the four settings are: 145 FPS for Low, 98 FPS for Medium, 82 FPS for High, and 63 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS, showing a variance of 29 FPS, which is manageable for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 100 FPS for Low, 67 FPS for Medium, 57 FPS for High, and 43 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, indicating that the frame rate can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 1440p offers a solid 100 FPS average, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 59 FPS for Low, 40 FPS for Medium, 33 FPS for High, and 25 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, which is a large variance and indicates that the GPU is struggling. The Low preset at 4K is the only one that approaches playable levels, but it still averages below 60 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the performance gap between Low and Medium is larger than the gap between Medium and High at all resolutions. At 1080p, the Low-to-Medium drop is 47 FPS, while the Medium-to-High drop is 16 FPS. At 1440p, the corresponding drops are 33 FPS and 10 FPS. At 4K, they are 19 FPS and 7 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces a significant increase in GPU workload, likely due to more complex shading and texture filtering, which the RTX 4060 Mobile can only partially handle.