Rust

Rust is a demanding survival title that scales heavily with both CPU and GPU resources, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on resolution and quality preset. Measured data shows this pairing ranks 559th out of 2953 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the top quintile of systems, though the absolute frame rates reveal that even top-tier hardware must make compromises at 4K Ultra. The Core Ultra 9 275HX, a 24-core, 24-thread Arrow Lake-HX mobile processor with a 5.40 GHz boost clock, and the RTX 4090, an Ada Lovelace flagship with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 2520 MHz boost clock, together deliver playable performance at most settings, but the data indicates a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions and a more balanced workload at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a game with heavy draw distances and complex object rendering. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 226 FPS, which falls to 156 FPS at 1440p and further to 92 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 41% reduction from 1440p to 4K at Low settings, demonstrating that the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises. The pattern is similar across all presets, but the percentage drops are steeper at higher quality settings.

Looking at Medium settings, the averages are 152 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 41%, mirroring the Low preset scaling almost exactly. This consistency suggests that the scaling behavior is dominated by resolution rather than by specific setting changes, which points to the RTX 4090’s rendering pipeline being the limiting factor as fill rate requirements grow. At High settings, the numbers are 128 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K, with drops of 31% and 41% respectively. The Ultra preset shows the same relative pattern: 98 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, again with approximately 32% and 40% reductions.

The 4K Ultra result of 40 FPS average is particularly telling. This is the only configuration measured that falls below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for fast-paced gameplay, and it represents just 18% of the performance available at 1080p Low. The scaling from 1080p Low (226 FPS) to 4K Ultra (40 FPS) shows an 82% performance loss, which is substantial even for a flagship GPU. The data indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient for capacity but the sheer pixel throughput demands exceed what the card can deliver at high quality settings in this particular title.

Interestingly, the scaling between Low and Ultra at the same resolution shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, Low to Ultra drops from 226 to 98 FPS, a 57% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 156 to 67 FPS, also a 57% reduction. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 92 to 40 FPS, a 57% reduction. This exact consistency across resolutions suggests that the quality presets scale the same workload regardless of pixel count, reinforcing that resolution scaling is purely GPU-bound while preset scaling affects both CPU and GPU load in a proportional manner.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 2.70 GHz, boosting to 5.40 GHz, and it features 36 MB of shared L3 cache with 3 MB of L2 per core. The CPU’s benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a single-core score of 2204, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 20795 and single-core score of 2458. These numbers place the processor in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469.

In Rust, the CPU’s role is significant at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 226 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, indicating that the Core Ultra 9 275HX is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 with enough draw calls and physics calculations to maintain high frame rates. The 24 threads, while not hyper-threaded, provide ample parallelism for Rust’s multi-threaded server and client simulation tasks. The processor’s nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (deltaPct -0.3), AMD EPYC 4484PX (deltaPct -0.5), AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (deltaPct -0.6), and Intel Xeon 6515P (deltaPct 0.7), showing that the 275HX sits in a competitive performance tier for workstation-class workloads.

However, the CPU’s impact on frame rates becomes less pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 40, which is far below what the CPU could theoretically support, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution. Benchmarks like PassMark’s physics test (score 3338) and integer math (score 155218) indicate strong computational throughput, but Rust’s engine appears to scale more with single-thread performance in certain scenarios. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2204 and Geekbench single-core score of 2458 are solid for a mobile processor, and the 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures responsive gameplay in CPU-bound situations. The 36 MB L3 cache helps with frequently accessed game data, though Rust’s large procedural maps can exceed even this capacity, leading to some reliance on memory bandwidth, which is rated at 102.4 GB/s for dual-channel DDR5.

The fact that 1080p Low hits 226 FPS while 4K Ultra drops to 40 FPS strongly suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rates would stay relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the 82% drop from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra shows a classic GPU-bound scaling curve. The Core Ultra 9 275HX’s performance percentile of 94% against all CPUs further confirms that it is a high-end part capable of sustaining high frame rates, but the data indicates that in this specific game, the GPU takes over as the performance ceiling once pixel counts rise.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU built on a 5 nm TSMC process, with 16384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. It has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock is 2520 MHz, with a base clock of 2235 MHz, and the card features 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. Its benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271631, and a PassMark G3D score of 38194, placing it in the 88th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60347.

In Rust, the RTX 4090’s performance is strong but not overwhelming at 4K. The 4K Medium average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS shows that the GPU can handle moderate settings at 4K, but the Ultra preset’s 40 FPS average indicates that the card’s raw compute power is stretched thin by the highest quality settings. The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Rust’s textures, which are typically not the most demanding, but the memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s becomes a factor at 4K where the GPU must move large amounts of pixel data. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (226 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions, as the frame rate is likely capped by CPU or game engine limitations rather than GPU throughput.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4090’s average benchmark score of 60347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, deltaPct 0) and slightly above the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, deltaPct 0.3). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores higher at 61896 (deltaPct -2.5), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores lower at 58657 (deltaPct 2.9). This indicates that the RTX 4090 is positioned in a specific performance tier for synthetic benchmarks, but its real-world gaming performance in Rust is what matters here. The GPU’s 88th percentile ranking versus all GPUs is respectable, though not top-of-the-line, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing that 4K Ultra is not comfortably playable.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1290.2 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that help explain the 4K scaling. At 4K, the GPU must fill 8.3 million pixels per frame, and at Ultra settings with heavy post-processing and shadow effects, the fill rate becomes a bottleneck. The RTX 4090’s FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS is substantial, but Rust’s rendering pipeline may not fully utilize this compute capability, instead relying more on memory bandwidth and pixel throughput. The 4K Low average of 92 FPS versus the 4K Ultra average of 40 FPS shows a 57% drop, which is consistent with the preset scaling observed at other resolutions, but the absolute numbers indicate that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K regardless of settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 226, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset averages 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The highest 4K average is 92 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: 1080p Low averages 226 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 40 FPS, making the 1080p Low result 5.65 times higher in average frame rate.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 89 and the maximum is 120, with an average of 105 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count relate to the results?

A: The Core Ultra 9 275HX has 24 cores and 24 threads, which provides ample multi-threading for Rust’s simulation, but the data shows that at higher resolutions the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is ample for Rust’s texture requirements, as the performance drops at 4K are more likely due to pixel fill rate and bandwidth limitations rather than VRAM capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 226 FPS, Medium at 152 FPS, High at 128 FPS, and Ultra at 98 FPS. For competitive play or high refresh rate displays, Low or Medium settings are recommended, as the 226 FPS and 152 FPS averages respectively exceed the refresh rates of most 144Hz monitors. For a more visually rich experience at 1080p, High settings at 128 FPS still provide smooth gameplay, while Ultra at 98 FPS remains above 90 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Ultra settings drop to 67 FPS average, which is playable but may have occasional dips. High settings at 88 FPS and Medium at 105 FPS both offer smoother experiences, with Medium providing a 57% performance uplift over Ultra while maintaining decent visual quality. For 1440p, High or Medium settings are the sweet spot, as they stay comfortably above 60 FPS with room to spare. Low settings at 156 FPS are excessive for most displays and sacrifice too much visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Ultra settings average 40 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold and likely to feel stuttery in fast-paced scenarios. High settings at 52 FPS are marginally better but still below 60 FPS. Medium settings at 62 FPS (with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS) are the only preset that consistently reaches near 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming on this hardware. Low settings at 92 FPS provide the smoothest 4K experience but significantly reduce visual quality. For most players, Medium at 4K offers the best trade-off, delivering playable frame rates while retaining moderate visual detail. If 60 FPS is a hard requirement, Low settings at 4K are the safest option, as the 92 FPS average provides ample headroom.

The measured data suggests that the RTX 4090 is best utilized at 1440p High or Medium, where it can showcase its capabilities without hitting the pixel throughput wall seen at 4K Ultra. At 1080p, the CPU becomes the more relevant factor, and the Core Ultra 9 275HX’s strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204) helps maintain high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in Rust is as follows:

At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 226 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and maximum of 175 FPS. High settings average 128 FPS. Ultra settings average 98 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 128 FPS, with Ultra delivering 43% of the Low preset’s frame rate.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 156 FPS. Medium settings average 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS. High settings average 88 FPS. Ultra settings average 67 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each preset is consistent: Low falls from 226 to 156 FPS, Medium from 152 to 105 FPS, High from 128 to 88 FPS, and Ultra from 98 to 67 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 92 FPS. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS. High settings average 52 FPS. Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The 4K results show the most significant performance degradation, with Ultra averaging less than half the frame rate of Low (40 vs 92 FPS). The Medium preset at 4K is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, indicating a range of 52 to 71 FPS, which highlights potential frame time variance even at moderate settings.

The data reveals that the RTX 4090’s performance scales predictably with resolution, but the preset impact is consistent across all resolutions, with Ultra always delivering approximately 43-45% of the Low preset’s frame rate. This consistency suggests that the quality presets in Rust apply uniform workload increases regardless of resolution, making the performance relationship between settings predictable. For the smoothest experience, 1080p Low or Medium is ideal, while 4K players should stick to Medium or Low to maintain playable frame rates. The combination of the Core Ultra 9 275HX’s high single-thread performance and the RTX 4090’s massive memory bandwidth ensures that Rust runs well across most configurations, with only 4K Ultra falling below acceptable thresholds.