Best CPU for Rust

What is the best CPU for Rust? Let's find out.

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Officially released in 2018, Rust is an action-packed multiplayer survival game developed by Facepunch Studios. Thanks to its hefty requirements, we’re looking at the best CPU for Rust.

Rust has been the subject of great interest and is especially well-known for its difficult but engaging survival and competitive gameplay. The game also has some pretty famous Twitch streamers who stream it frequently, only adding to its popularity.

If you’re looking to have a good time playing Rust, you’ll need a powerful CPU that can run the game seamlessly. If you want a good all-rounder, check out the Best CPU for gaming.

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Best CPU for Rust: Top picks

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What are Rust’s CPU requirements?

Here are the recommended system specs for Rust. These specs are recommended by the game’s developers themselves to ensure players have a positive experience. 

If you can meet the recommended specs, you can likely also run the game at high settings at 60FPS, although this isn’t always the case. 

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 11 64bit
• Processor: Intel Core i7-4790K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: GTX 980 / AMD R9 Fury
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 25 GB available space
• Additional Notes: SSD is highly recommended.

As you may be able to tell based on the above specs, Rust is a relatively CPU-intensive game. The i7-4790 and Ryzen 5 1600 are somewhat old processors from the mid-2010s, but they did offer decent performance at their time. 

Today’s processors are much more advanced, but you’ll need to go above entry level if you’re looking to experience Rust at its best. 

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Best CPU for Rust – i7-13700K

Our top pick for Rust is the Intel i7-13700K. The new Raptor Lake i7 is an absolute powerhouse. It outperforms the last-gen i9-12900K in many workloads. In other words, this new i7 processor is offering you what previously used to be an i9-level performance at a much lower price point. 

Intel Core i7-13700K

Cores

16

Threads

24

Base speed

P-cores 3.4 GHz / E-cores 2.5 GHz

Boost speed

P-cores 5.4 GHz / E-cores 4.2 GHz

Cache

24MB

TDP

125 W / 253 W boost.

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The i7-13700K has 16 cores and 24 threads. The CPU builds on the big.LITTLE architecture introduced by Intel with Alder Lake. It features 8 hyperthreaded performance cores and 8 single-threaded efficiency cores. 

The performance cores can reach a max boost clock of up to 5.4GHz, which is a record speed for an i7 processor. This CPU’s extraordinary boost clock, combined with its high thread count, can allow you to game at a high FPS without worrying about a bottleneck, no matter what graphics card you pair it with. 

That’s right – you can pair the 13700K with a 4090, and it’ll run perfectly fine at 1440p and 4K resolutions. You probably won’t need a 4090 for Rust, though. I recommend going with a 4070 or something from the RTX 3000 series. 

AMD’s 6000 series GPUs also make for a great pairing with The 13700K. 

The 13700K is an unlocked “K” processor, meaning it supports overclocking. A 5.4GHz boost clock is high enough as it is, but if you ever feel the need to push your processor even further, you will have that option in your back pocket.

Now, the 13700K does run rather hot, at a 125-watt base and a 253-watt max TDP. You will need a powerful AIO cooler to prevent it from throttling under heavy workloads. But besides that, it’s the perfect processor to play Rust with. 

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Final thoughts

Overall, the i7-13700K is a solid gaming processor that offers you a taste of flagship-level gaming performance at a much lower price point. 

While it is outperformed by the Raptor Lake i9 processors, it’s also more practical than them, making it the better CPU for games like Rust.