Rust

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER presents a striking imbalance in Rust. The data shows a combination where a modern, high-core-count processor is severely bottlenecked by an older, entry-level graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions. This pairing ranks at 2520 out of 2953 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 15% of systems, a direct result of the GPU's limitations in a game that scales heavily with graphical settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly exposes the GPU as the primary limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 106 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 73 FPS, a reduction of 33 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 43 FPS, meaning the system loses 63 FPS from the 1080p baseline—a 59% decrease in performance. This steep decline is typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing power.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling at higher quality presets. At 1080p High, the system produces 60 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K High, it plummets to 24 FPS. The frame rate at 4K High is below 30 FPS, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. The progression from 60 to 41 to 24 FPS shows a nearly linear relationship with the increase in pixel count, which strongly indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of VRAM and its compute capabilities are being saturated. The CPU, which is capable of much higher frame rates, is essentially idle-waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame.

Comparing the Low and High presets at each resolution shows that the GPU is also heavily taxed by graphical features. At 1080p, the difference between Low (106 FPS) and High (60 FPS) is 46 FPS. At 4K, the difference is only 19 FPS (43 vs 24). This compression of the performance gap at higher resolutions is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck; when the GPU is already at its limit just filling pixels, the extra cost of higher-quality textures and shading effects doesn't scale the frame rate down as much because the base performance is so low. The data suggests that to get a smooth experience at 1440p or 4K, the settings must be lowered significantly to compensate for the GPU's limited headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. This places the CPU in the 90th percentile of all tested processors, indicating it is a high-performing part for productivity and multi-threaded workloads. In this Rust configuration, however, its role is largely to feed frames to the GPU, and it does so without breaking a sweat.

The CPU's base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide ample single-thread performance, which is crucial for Rust's game logic and physics calculations. The benchmark results show that even in the most demanding scenario tested (4K Ultra), the average FPS is 19, a figure that is far below what this CPU could theoretically deliver. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting in this data set. The performance differences between presets are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload.

The data suggests that users with this CPU would see identical frame rates if they paired it with a significantly more powerful GPU, as the Core Ultra 5 245 has the headroom to handle much higher FPS in this title. The 14 cores and 24 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient for Rust's current engine. The processor's PassMark multithread score of 38706 further confirms its capability. Ultimately, the CPU is a non-factor in this specific combo's poor performance, as it is never the component that is holding the system back. The lack of hyperthreading (14 cores, 14 threads) doesn't appear to hurt in this scenario, as the game is not CPU-bound at these frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear anchor on this system's performance. Based on the Turing architecture, it features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1785 MHz. While these specs were respectable for 1080p gaming at the time of its release, they are insufficient for the demands of Rust at higher resolutions. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 12699, place it in the 53rd percentile, showing it is an average performer by today's standards.

The VRAM capacity is a likely culprit for the poor performance at 4K. With only 6 GB of memory, the GPU is likely forced to swap textures in and out of system memory, which causes severe stuttering and frame rate drops. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 25, which is well below the average of 29, indicating inconsistent frame pacing. The 4K High preset averages only 24 FPS, which is barely playable. The GPU is simply overwhelmed by the pixel count and the high-resolution texture data at 4K.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's performance relative to its immediate rivals is telling. Its average benchmark score of 12986 is 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 580. This places it in a performance tier with mobile and older desktop parts. In Rust, this level of performance translates to playable frame rates only at 1080p. For example, at 1080p Medium, the system produces 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS, which is a smooth and enjoyable experience. However, at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 49 FPS, and the experience becomes less fluid. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the component that dictates the limits of this system, and those limits are firmly at 1080p resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2520 out of 2953 tested combinations puts it in the 15th percentile of all systems tested for Rust. This is a low ranking, confirming that the pairing is far from optimal for this game. The CPU is a top-tier performer (90th percentile), but the GPU is a mid-range part (53rd percentile). The combination of a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU creates a significant imbalance, and the overall ranking reflects the system's weakest link. The data indicates that this combo performs worse than the vast majority of other pairings that have been measured.

This ranking is not surprising given the FPS data. A rank in the bottom 15% suggests that most other tested systems, even those with older or less powerful CPUs, are able to achieve better frame rates because they are likely paired with more capable graphics cards. The system is effectively being held back by the GTX 1660 SUPER. The CPU's high benchmark scores are irrelevant to the gaming experience in this case, as it is never the bottleneck. The overall ranking would likely be significantly higher if the same CPU were paired with a GPU that is in the 70th or 80th percentile of performance. This ranking serves as a clear warning that the GPU is the primary component to upgrade if a user wants to improve their experience in Rust with this system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across different settings and resolutions. At 1080p, the system is playable on all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 106 FPS, while Medium averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 and maximum of 82. High settings average 60 FPS, and even Ultra is playable at an average of 46 FPS. This makes 1080p the only viable resolution for a smooth experience across all settings.

At 1440p, the system's limitations become apparent. The Low preset averages 73 FPS, which is good. Medium averages 49 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced gameplay. High settings drop to an average of 41 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS. These numbers suggest that at 1440p, users will need to stick to Low or Medium presets to maintain a playable frame rate. The jump from Low to Medium at this resolution results in a 24 FPS drop, which is significant.

At 4K, the system is largely unplayable. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, averaging 43 FPS. Medium drops to 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS, indicating stuttering. High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra is a slideshow at 19 FPS. These numbers confirm that the GTX 1660 SUPER is not suitable for 4K gaming in Rust. The 6 GB VRAM buffer is too small, and the GPU's compute power is insufficient for the resolution. The data suggests that users should avoid 4K entirely with this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this system is at 1080p resolution. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is the recommended starting point, as it provides an average of 60 FPS. This is a smooth, playable frame rate for a survival game where responsiveness is important. If a user prefers higher visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p is still playable at an average of 46 FPS, though the lower frame rate may be noticeable in combat situations.

For users who prioritize competitive performance and maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the best choice, delivering 106 FPS. This high frame rate can provide a significant advantage in player-versus-player encounters. The Medium preset offers a middle ground at 71 FPS, which is also a very good experience. The data shows that the 1080p Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 60, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes in the game will not cause the frame rate to drop below a comfortable level.

At 1440p, the recommendation is to use the Low preset, which averages 73 FPS. This is the only setting at this resolution that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 49 FPS and a minimum of 42 FPS, is playable but may feel less fluid. Users should avoid the High and Ultra presets at 1440p, as the frame rates of 41 and 31 FPS respectively are not ideal for a game like Rust. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as no preset provides a playable experience; the best case is the Low preset at 43 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS target for a smooth game. The overall recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium or High settings for the best balance of visual quality and performance.