Rust

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti lands in the upper half of all tested combos for Rust, securing the 1408th position out of 2953 total configurations. This placement indicates that the pairing is competitive but not elite, with a substantial portion of the field outperforming it. The combination demonstrates a solid balance between CPU and GPU capabilities, though the data suggests that neither component is so dominant that it completely masks the other's limitations in this specific survival title.

The Ultra 5 235 itself sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, a strong showing that places it within striking distance of several high-end processors. Its average benchmark score of 46062 puts it within 0.1 percent of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, and within 0.2 percent of both the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303. These margins are negligible in real-world terms, meaning the CPU is performing exactly where it should be for its class. The GPU, meanwhile, holds the 59th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of 16129. This places it within 0.7 percent of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and within 1.4 percent of both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. The GPU's mid-pack positioning is a clear indicator that the RTX 3060 Ti is the more modest component in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The 1408th rank out of 2953 combos places this system in the 52nd percentile, meaning roughly half of tested configurations deliver better or worse frame rates in Rust. This middle-of-the-road placement is consistent with the hardware pairing: a top-tier CPU from the Core Ultra Series 2 generation combined with a GPU that, while capable, is not a current-generation flagship. The data indicates that the CPU is performing above its weight class relative to the GPU, which pulls the overall combo ranking down from what the processor alone might suggest.

Benchmark results show the Ultra 5 235 achieving a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085, figures that align with its 89th percentile CPU ranking. The PassMark multi-thread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 further corroborate the CPU's strength. In contrast, the RTX 3060 Ti's PassMark G3D score of 20349 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626 place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentiles—89 versus 59—is the primary reason the combo does not rank higher. For Rust, a game that can be demanding on both processor and graphics resources, the GPU becomes the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

The nearest rivals for the CPU all sit within 0.2 percent of its average score, suggesting that the Ultra 5 235 is perfectly positioned within a performance cluster. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030, the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, and the two EPYC parts score 45970 and 45960 respectively. This tight grouping means that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would produce virtually identical results in Rust. The GPU's nearest rivals show slightly larger variance, with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 (0.7 percent slower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351 (1.4 percent faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT at 16361 (1.4 percent faster). These differences are minor enough that they would likely translate to only a few frames per second in actual gameplay.

GPU Role

The RTX 3060 Ti brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The card's base clock runs at 1410 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective. These specifications are from the Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. The GPU's 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines are accompanied by 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores. This hardware configuration supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring full feature support for modern game engines.

In Rust specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate but not generous. At 4K resolution with Medium settings, the measured average frame rate is 46 FPS, which suggests the card is managing memory allocation without severe bottlenecks. However, the step up to High settings at 4K drops the average to 39 FPS, and Ultra settings push it down to 30 FPS. The VRAM capacity becomes more relevant at these higher settings, where texture detail and draw distances demand more memory. The card's 448 GB/s bandwidth helps mitigate potential stuttering, but the data shows a clear ceiling at 4K. The GPU's FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS and texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s are solid for the 30-series generation, but they are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at maximum settings in Rust at 4K. The card's pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s contributes to its ability to handle 1440p and 1080p resolutions more comfortably.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming progressively more stressed. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 169 FPS average, which drops to 117 FPS at 1440p and further to 69 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31 percent reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 59 percent reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, though the percentage drops vary.

At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 114 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p (a 32 percent drop) and then to 46 at 4K (a 60 percent drop from 1080p). High settings show 96 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p (31 percent drop), and 39 FPS at 4K (59 percent drop). Ultra settings follow suit with 73 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p (32 percent drop), and 30 FPS at 4K (59 percent drop). The consistent 31-32 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p and 59-60 percent drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the percentage drops would become less severe at higher resolutions because the GPU would be doing relatively more of the work. Instead, the uniform scaling suggests the RTX 3060 Ti is consistently the constraint from 1080p upward.

The 4K results are particularly telling. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 69, which is below the 1440p Low result of 117 and the 1080p Low result of 169. The card's 8 GB VRAM and compute resources are simply not sufficient to feed a 4K display at high frame rates in Rust. At 1440p, the results are more playable, with Medium and High settings delivering 78 and 66 FPS respectively. At 1080p, the combo performs admirably, with even Ultra settings achieving 73 FPS average. The data clearly shows that 1080p is this pairing's sweet spot, and 1440p is viable with adjusted settings, while 4K should be reserved for less demanding scenarios or lower quality presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS. This is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the Low preset's 169 FPS average offers diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a large frame rate gain. The High preset at 96 FPS average is also viable, but the Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 97 FPS ensures a smoother experience with less risk of noticeable dips. Ultra at 73 FPS average is playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing can become inconsistent in fast-paced scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the recommended choice. The 78 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 90 FPS provides a good balance. The High preset at 66 FPS average is borderline for competitive play, while Low at 117 FPS sacrifices too much visual detail. Ultra at 50 FPS average is not recommended for responsive gameplay. The Medium preset's minimum of 67 FPS keeps the experience above the 60 FPS threshold for most of the time, making it the most consistent option.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 69 FPS average is the only setting that approaches playability, but it requires sacrificing significant visual quality. Medium at 46 FPS average is marginal, High at 39 FPS is below the standard of smooth gameplay, and Ultra at 30 FPS is effectively a slideshow. For 4K, the Low preset is the pragmatic choice if the resolution is non-negotiable, but the data strongly suggests that 1440p or 1080p would provide a superior experience. The recommendation is to prioritize resolution scaling down to 1440p with Medium settings for the best overall experience, or stick to 1080p for maximum performance headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 169 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings yield 114 FPS average with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings achieve 96 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 73 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 57 percent reduction in average FPS, from 169 down to 73, which is a substantial penalty for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains playable at most settings. Low settings achieve 117 FPS average, which is 31 percent lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings deliver 78 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 90 FPS. High settings reach 66 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 50 FPS average. The minimum frame rate at Medium settings is 67 FPS, which means the experience stays above 60 FPS for the vast majority of the time, though there are brief dips. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure, but the CPU's strong single-thread performance helps maintain reasonable frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings produce 69 FPS average, which is the only setting that remains above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 46 FPS average with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, showing significant variability. High settings fall to 39 FPS average, and Ultra settings bottom out at 30 FPS average. The 4K results highlight the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB VRAM and compute limitations. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 39 FPS, which is a 57 percent reduction, similar to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests that the GPU's workload scales uniformly with settings, regardless of resolution, but the absolute performance at 4K is simply too low for demanding presets.

FAQ

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1 percent higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375's 46030 and 0.1 percent lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX's 46098. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, both of which score around 45970 and 45960 respectively, by 0.2 percent.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile, and what does it indicate?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16129. This places it in the upper-middle range of graphics cards, but it trails the top performers by a significant margin. Its nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, are 1.4 percent faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7 percent slower.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo deliver the highest average FPS?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 169 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration tested that approaches high refresh rate territory, and it exceeds the 1440p Low result of 117 FPS by 44 percent and the 4K Low result of 69 FPS by 145 percent.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 97. At 2560x1440, the minimum drops to 67 FPS. At 3840x2160, the minimum falls to 39 FPS. These minimums are important because they indicate the worst-case frame times during gameplay, with the 4K result being the most concerning for smoothness.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth compare to its VRAM capacity?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective. This bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 8 GB capacity becomes a constraint at 4K with higher settings, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops above Medium settings at that resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this pairing for Rust?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 89th percentile while the GPU ranks at the 59th percentile. The consistent FPS drops from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets—around 31-32 percent from 1080p to 1440p and 59-60 percent from 1080p to 4K—confirm that the GPU's workload scaling drives the performance decline, not the CPU's ability to feed frames.