Rust

Rust is a demanding survival title that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily, and this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on the resolution and quality preset. The measured data shows a system that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p on lower settings, but which becomes heavily GPU-limited at 4K, dropping to sub-30 FPS on the Ultra preset. This analysis breaks down exactly how the components scale across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K reveal a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s headroom becomes apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 145 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 100 FPS, a 31% reduction, and at 4K Low the average falls to 59 FPS, another 41% drop from 1440p. This steep decline as resolution increases indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary limiting factor once the pixel count rises.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. With Medium settings, the averages are 98 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent: roughly 32% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 40% from 1440p to 4K. This near-linear scaling with pixel count is the signature of a GPU that is saturated, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at all tested resolutions. Notably, the 1080p Low result of 145 FPS suggests that the Core Ultra 5 235HX can push well beyond what the RTX 4060 can render at higher settings, meaning the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios.

At 4K, the situation becomes critical. The Ultra preset yields only 25 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Even the High preset at 4K only manages 33 FPS. The data shows that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming at high fidelity, as the GPU simply lacks the raw throughput to maintain acceptable frame rates. Conversely, at 1080p, the system excels, with even the Ultra preset hitting 63 FPS, indicating that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution. At 1080p, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) produce playable averages of 145, 98, 82, and 63 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only Low and Medium stay above 60 FPS, while at 4K, even the Low preset only reaches 59 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 perform at 4K in Rust?

A: The GPU struggles at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset averages just 25 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Medium averages 40 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches playability at 59 FPS, but this sacrifices most visual quality.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 235HX a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the CPU appears sufficient. At 1080p Low, the system hits 145 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. Since the frame rate drops dramatically as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, not the 14-core processor.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like on Medium settings?

A: The data includes min and max FPS for Medium presets. At 1080p, the range is 83 to 112 FPS (average 98). At 1440p, it is 57 to 77 FPS (average 67). At 4K, it is 34 to 46 FPS (average 40). These ranges indicate relatively stable performance with no severe stuttering.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: In Rust specifically, this combo ranks 1756 out of 2953 tested combinations. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is expected given the RTX 4060 is a mid-range mobile GPU.

Q: Does the CPU’s high single-core score help in Rust?

A: Yes, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4903 suggests strong per-thread performance, which is beneficial for Rust’s simulation logic. The data shows high FPS at 1080p Low (145 FPS), indicating the CPU can handle the game’s single-threaded demands without limiting frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at 1756 out of 2953 tested combinations in Rust, putting it in the 59th percentile of tested systems. This is a middling rank, reflecting the RTX 4060’s position as a mainstream mobile GPU rather than a high-end part. The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus score of 61 confirms this, as it sits slightly above the median of all GPUs in the database. The CPU, however, is much stronger, with a percentileVsAllCpus of 91, meaning it outperforms 91% of all CPUs in the database.

This discrepancy between CPU and GPU strength explains the measured results. The Core Ultra 5 235HX is clearly capable of driving higher frame rates than the RTX 4060 can deliver at higher resolutions. The rank of 1756 suggests that many other combos, likely those with stronger GPUs, achieve better performance in Rust. However, the combo is not at the bottom, and the 1080p results show it can compete with more expensive systems when playing at lower resolutions. The data indicates that this is a balanced pairing for 1080p gaming, but it falls behind in 1440p and 4K scenarios due to the GPU’s limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. The Low preset averages 145 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all tests. Medium averages 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 112 FPS. High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. All four presets at 1080p are above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution fully playable at any quality setting.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low averages 100 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium averages 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77 FPS, placing it just above the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 57 FPS, which is borderline playable, and Ultra drops to 43 FPS, which may feel stuttery in fast-paced situations. The data shows that 1440p is only recommended for Low or Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmed. Low averages 59 FPS, barely playable. Medium averages 40 FPS with a range of 34 to 46 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. None of these results are ideal for a smooth experience, and the Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent across all presets, with the Ultra preset showing the largest absolute drop from 63 FPS to 25 FPS, a 60% reduction.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with an AD107 chip, featuring 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it has a TDP of 115 W. These specifications place it as a mid-range mobile part, and the measured data confirms this positioning.

The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it may be a limiting factor at 4K in Rust, which can be memory-intensive. However, the frame rate drops at 4K are more likely due to raw compute limitations rather than VRAM capacity, as even the Low preset (which would use less VRAM) only reaches 59 FPS. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS is modest, and the data shows that it cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K. The GPU’s avgBenchmarkScore of 17639 and percentileVsAllGpus of 61 indicate it is slightly above average, but its nearest rivals include integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon 780M, which highlights its mid-range status.

The RTX 4060’s performance in Rust is best described as adequate for 1080p and acceptable for 1440p at lower settings. At 4K, it is simply not powerful enough, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS results on all presets. The GPU’s 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient for the high pixel count of 4K, and the data reflects this.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Ultra preset provides an average of 63 FPS, which is perfectly playable, and the High preset offers 82 FPS for a smoother experience. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is ideal for competitive play, while Low at 145 FPS is best for maximum frame rates. For most users at 1080p, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays well above 60 FPS.

For 1440p, the Low preset at 100 FPS is the only setting that provides a clearly smooth experience. Medium at 67 FPS is acceptable but may dip to 57 FPS in demanding scenes. High at 57 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 43 FPS is not recommended. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the best compromise, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS while offering improved visuals over Low.

For 4K, the data strongly suggests avoiding this resolution with this combo. The Low preset at 59 FPS is the only playable option, but it sacrifices most visual fidelity. Medium at 40 FPS, High at 33 FPS, and Ultra at 25 FPS are all below the playable threshold. Users with a 4K monitor should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3nm TSMC process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The CPU features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34731 and single-core score of 4903 place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

In Rust, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game. At 4K, the frame rates drop dramatically, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck. However, the CPU’s strong single-core performance is important for Rust, which is known for its server-side and client-side simulation. The PassMark single-thread score of 4683 confirms the CPU’s capability in single-threaded tasks.

The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for Rust, which typically uses fewer threads. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that the game’s main thread can run at maximum speed. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 91 means it outperforms most desktop and mobile CPUs, making it a strong partner for the RTX 4060. However, the data shows that in this specific combo, the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, especially above 1080p. The CPU’s performance is not a concern, as it consistently delivers high frame rates when the GPU can keep up.