Rust

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in Rust. The data indicates a configuration that is heavily bound by the GPU at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance provides a solid foundation at 1080p. The measured results show that users should prioritize lower settings at 1440p and above, while 1080p offers the most flexibility across all presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 106 FPS at 1920x1080 to 73 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 33 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average further drops to 43 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU with a 192-bit memory bus and 6 GB of VRAM, as the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 60 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p, and then to 24 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe degradation, with averages of 46, 31, and 19 FPS across the three resolutions respectively. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 24 FPS, which indicates that the visual fidelity gains from the Ultra preset are not worth the massive performance cost at this resolution.

The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combination, as even the Low preset fails to reach 60 FPS. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GTX 1660 SUPER, as its 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to feed the pixel pipeline of a 3840x2160 display. The 1440p results are more promising, with the Low preset achieving a playable 73 FPS, but the Medium and High presets fall into the 41-49 FPS range, which may be acceptable for slower-paced survival gameplay but not for competitive scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides a robust processing foundation for Rust, with its 10 cores and 10 threads operating at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU’s single-thread performance is its standout attribute, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4412. This is critical for Rust, which relies heavily on game logic and world simulation that often runs on a single primary thread.

The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache also contribute to its ability to handle the game’s entity and asset management. The benchmark results indicate that the Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. This places it in direct competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945 and a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018 with a deltaPct of -0.2. The Ultra 5 225 is effectively neck-and-neck with these rivals, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this pairing.

In practice, the CPU’s role is to ensure that the GPU is not starved of data at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 106 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GTX 1660 SUPER to its limits. However, the CPU’s performance ceiling becomes apparent when comparing the 1080p Ultra result of 46 FPS to the 1440p Ultra result of 31 FPS. The 15 FPS drop is entirely attributable to the GPU, but the fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p does not exceed the Low preset at 1440p by more than 33 FPS shows that the CPU’s strong single-core performance is not enough to overcome the GPU’s limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured frame rates. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The core runs at a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, delivering 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. These figures place the GTX 1660 SUPER at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940 with a deltaPct of 0.4, and the AMD Radeon RX 580, which scores 12928 with a deltaPct of 0.4. The GTX 1660 SUPER is also closely matched with the NVIDIA Tesla M2090, which scores 13075 with a deltaPct of -0.7. This indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a middle-of-the-road GPU, and the Rust results reflect this.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a significant factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS, which is likely due to the GPU running out of memory and resorting to slower system memory paging. The 24 FPS average at 4K High further confirms this, as the texture and geometry data required for these presets exceed the available VRAM. The Low preset at 4K, which uses less memory, still only achieves 43 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s compute and fill rate are the primary constraints rather than just memory capacity.

The GPU’s 48 ROPs and 88 TMUs are also relevant. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. At 1080p, however, these specifications are adequate, as the Low preset achieves 106 FPS and the Medium preset achieves 71 FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor in this system, and its performance degrades predictably as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. This guarantees a smooth experience in most scenarios, and the jump from Low to Medium provides noticeable visual improvements without sacrificing playability.

For users with 1440p displays, the Low preset is the only viable option for consistent gameplay, as it achieves 73 FPS on average. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 49 FPS, which may be acceptable for exploration but is risky for combat situations where frame drops can be detrimental. The High preset at 1440p, averaging 41 FPS, is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 31 FPS is not recommended.

At 4K, none of the presets provide a satisfactory experience. The Low preset, at 43 FPS, is the only one that approaches playability, but even this is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players prefer. The data suggests that users should avoid 4K entirely with this hardware, as the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and limited compute power are insufficient. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 19 FPS, should be avoided at all costs.

The measured minimum FPS values for the Medium preset provide additional insight. At 1080p, the minimum is 60 FPS, which aligns perfectly with the average of 71 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing. At 1440p, the minimum drops to 42 FPS against a 49 FPS average, showing more variance. At 4K, the minimum is 25 FPS against a 29 FPS average, which highlights the instability of the experience at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Rust at 4K?

A: The data shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this configuration. The best result at 3840x2160 is 43 FPS on the Low preset, while the High preset averages only 24 FPS and Ultra drops to 19 FPS. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K workloads.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the best experience, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. This provides a stable, smooth frame rate while maintaining better visual fidelity than the Low preset, which averages 106 FPS but sacrifices quality.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, deltaPct -0.2). It also matches the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, deltaPct -0.5). The CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER the limiting factor in Rust?

A: Yes. The GPU’s performance drops sharply with resolution, from 106 FPS at 1080p Low to 43 FPS at 4K Low. The 6 GB VRAM is likely exhausted at high settings and 4K, as evidenced by the 19 FPS Ultra result. The GPU sits at the 53rd percentile, indicating mid-range performance.

Q: What is the expected performance drop from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 106 to 73, a 33 FPS reduction. At High settings, it drops from 60 to 41, a 19 FPS reduction. The scaling is consistent across presets, confirming that the GPU is the primary performance limiter.

Q: Does the Medium preset provide consistent frame times?

A: The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset shows that at 1080p, the minimum is 60 FPS against a 71 FPS average, indicating good consistency. At 1440p, the minimum is 42 FPS against a 49 FPS average, showing more variance. At 4K, the minimum is 25 FPS against a 29 FPS average, indicating an unstable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration demonstrates its strongest performance. The Low preset averages 106 FPS, which is the highest result across all resolutions and settings. The Medium preset follows at 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. The High preset averages 60 FPS, matching the Medium preset’s minimum, which suggests that the GPU is starting to struggle with the increased shading load. The Ultra preset drops to 46 FPS, representing a 60 FPS difference from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. The Low preset averages 73 FPS, which is still playable but 33 FPS lower than the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. The High preset averages 41 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to 31 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 42 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is the only result above 30 FPS. The Medium preset averages 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is brutal, with the Low preset losing 30 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 12 FPS. This confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER is not designed for 4K gaming, and the 6 GB VRAM is a significant constraint at this resolution.