Rust

Rust’s benchmark results with the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 reveal a configuration where the CPU’s capabilities align closely with the demands of a simulation-heavy survival title, while the GPU’s raw throughput dominates at lower resolutions. The data indicates a system that is exceptionally fast at 1080p, but which becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution scales to 4K, with the measured frame rates reflecting a predictable shift in bottleneck behavior.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a Meteor Lake mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads, a configuration that balances multi-threaded headroom with single-thread responsiveness. Its base clock is listed at 3.60 GHz, boosting up to 4.60 GHz, and it carries 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In the context of Rust, which is known for its heavy server-side simulation and complex entity interactions, this CPU’s thread count and clock speeds are directly relevant to maintaining consistent frame pacing, particularly when many players or structures are on screen.

Benchmark data shows the Core Ultra 5 135H scores 11,875.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,700 in single-core. Its Passmark single-thread score is 3,521, while the multithread score is 22,422. These figures place the chip at the 81st percentile among all CPUs in the database. When compared to its nearest rivals, the processor is nearly identical in overall average score to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, with a delta of -0.1%, and is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT. It trails the Intel Core i5-13500HX by 0.6%.

For Rust, the single-thread performance is often the primary driver of minimum frame rates during complex physics calculations or when loading new areas. The 4.60 GHz boost clock provides the necessary headroom for such tasks, while the 18 threads ensure that background simulation tasks do not starve the main game thread. The data suggests that at 1080p, where the RTX 4090 is not the limiting factor, this CPU is sufficient to push average frame rates to 204 FPS on Low settings, indicating that the processor is not a bottleneck at that resolution. However, the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p (204 FPS vs 98 FPS) shows that the CPU’s performance envelope is still tied to the game’s settings, which affect draw distance and entity count.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the Ada Lovelace generation, built on a 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2,235 MHz with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz. This hardware configuration is overkill for most titles, and Rust is no exception, as the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor until 4K resolution.

In Passmark G3D tests, the RTX 4090 scores 38,194, placing it at the 88th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 60,347, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48. The GPU’s massive VRAM pool of 24 GB is not stressed by Rust, which is not a VRAM-intensive title, but it ensures that texture streaming at Ultra settings does not cause stutter.

At 1440p, the RTX 4090’s power becomes evident, with average FPS ranging from 156 on Low to 67 on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction in FPS of approximately 24% at High settings (128 to 88 FPS), which is consistent with a GPU that is still not fully saturated. The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for Rust’s rendering pipeline, which relies on draw calls and shadow rendering rather than raw shader complexity. The data indicates that the RTX 4090’s role in this combo is to provide a high ceiling for frame rates, but that ceiling is only approached when the CPU can keep up with the game’s simulation logic.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p with Medium settings, the average FPS is 152. Moving to 1440p Medium drops this to 105 FPS, a 31% reduction. At 4K Medium, the average is 62 FPS, which is a 59% reduction from 1440p and a 59% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4090 is becoming the primary limiting component as resolution increases, because the number of pixels being rendered quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The same pattern holds for High settings: 128 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop), and 52 FPS at 4K (a 41% drop from 1440p). However, the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is smaller for High settings than for Medium, suggesting that the CPU’s role becomes more significant at lower settings where the GPU has spare capacity. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 204 at 1080p to 156 at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 92 at 4K (a 41% drop). The fact that the 4K Low setting still yields 92 FPS indicates that the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to brute-force the game’s rendering even at high pixel counts, but the scaling curve shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the combo is CPU-bound, as evidenced by the relatively modest FPS difference between Low (204) and Medium (152) settings compared to the larger gap between Medium and High (128). At 4K, the combo is firmly GPU-bound, with the FPS dropping to 40 on Ultra, which is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset. This scaling behavior is typical for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range mobile CPU, where the processor’s single-thread performance sets the upper limit at low resolutions, but the GPU’s pixel throughput dominates at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 654th out of 2,953 tested combos in Rust, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations tested. This rank is notably lower than what the GPU alone would suggest, given that the RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile among GPUs. The CPU, at the 81st percentile, is comparatively weaker, which explains the combo’s position.

The rank of 654 out of 2,953 implies that there are many combos with faster processors that achieve higher frame rates in Rust, despite having slower GPUs. This is a direct consequence of Rust’s CPU sensitivity, particularly in scenarios with high entity counts or complex base building. The data shows that the RTX 4090’s immense power is partially wasted at 1080p, where the CPU limits the average FPS to 204 on Low, whereas a desktop-class processor paired with a mid-range GPU might achieve similar or better results in CPU-bound scenarios.

However, the combo’s rank should be interpreted with caution. The rank reflects the average FPS across all settings and resolutions in the database, and this particular combo excels at 4K, where the GPU’s strength is fully utilized. At 4K Ultra, it achieves 40 FPS, while at 4K Low it hits 92 FPS, numbers that many cheaper combos cannot reach. The rank of 654 is therefore a compromise between the CPU’s limitations and the GPU’s strengths, with the overall position being dragged down by the CPU’s inability to fully feed the RTX 4090 at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Rust?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 204, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 135H scores 3,521 in Passmark single-thread, which is within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT in overall average score.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the primary bottleneck?

A: The data shows a significant FPS drop from 1440p to 4K on all settings, indicating that the RTX 4090 becomes the limiting component at 4K, where the pixel workload overwhelms the CPU’s simulation headroom.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 40, measured at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is the CPU compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT?

A: The Core Ultra 5 135H has a 0.5% higher average benchmark score than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top 10% of tested systems?

A: No, it ranks 654th out of 2,953 combos, which places it in the top 22% but not the top 10%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers an average FPS of 152, which is a substantial improvement over High (128 FPS) while still providing a visually detailed experience. The jump from Medium to High costs 24 FPS, which is a 16% reduction, suggesting that Medium is the sweet spot for competitive play at this resolution.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 105 FPS, which is smooth for most players, while High drops to 88 FPS. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, Medium at 1440p is recommended, as it maintains frame rates above the 100 FPS threshold that is often considered the minimum for fluid gameplay.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, which is acceptable for a survival game that is not twitch-reflex dependent. High settings at 4K drop to 52 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play. The Ultra preset at 40 FPS is not recommended, as the visual improvement is marginal compared to the performance hit. For 4K, Low settings at 92 FPS are the best option if frame rate is a priority, but Medium at 62 FPS offers a reasonable compromise between image quality and playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 204 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS. High settings average 128 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 98 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 52% reduction in average FPS, highlighting the CPU’s role in settings-dependent draw calls and object counts.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down as expected. Low settings average 156 FPS. Medium settings average 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. High settings average 88 FPS, and Ultra settings average 67 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 57%, which is slightly steeper than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is beginning to take on more of the load.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 92 FPS. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. High settings average 52 FPS. Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is only 10 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is heavily saturated, and the difference between High and Ultra is just 12 FPS. The data shows that 4K is the only resolution where the combo falls below 60 FPS on most settings, with only Low and Medium presets exceeding that threshold.