Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Arc B390 combination presents a highly unusual pairing: a top-tier 12-core desktop processor driving an integrated-class graphics solution. For a 2016 puzzle platformer like Inside, the results are surprisingly playable at lower resolutions, but the GPU quickly becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings scale upward. The recorded data below breaks down exactly what this combo can deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 156 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 125 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. High settings produce an average of 78 FPS, while Ultra settings still maintain an average of 74 FPS. All four presets at this resolution remain comfortably above the playable threshold, making 1080p the most flexible environment for this pairing.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, performance begins to show strain at the highest preset. Low settings deliver an average of 112 FPS, and Medium settings follow with 90 FPS average, backed by a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings drop to 56 FPS average, which falls just below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra settings average 53 FPS. At this resolution, only Low and Medium presets maintain consistent playability.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU's limitations become clearly evident. Low settings produce an average of 70 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K to stay above the playability line. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, showing noticeable frame dips. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings drop further to 34 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises, accepting either Low settings for smooth play or Medium settings with occasional stutter.

The frame time consistency also varies by resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a tight range from 106 to 144 FPS, suggesting stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the range widens to 76 to 103 FPS, still within acceptable bounds. At 4K Medium, the spread from 48 to 65 FPS indicates more pronounced frame pacing issues, which can be noticeable in a game like Inside that relies on atmospheric tension.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data clearly shows that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant performance limiter in this pairing. The Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, provides far more computational headroom than a puzzle platformer requires. The game's modest CPU demand means the processor's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs is largely irrelevant to the final frame rates; the GPU's 9th percentile ranking tells the real story.

Evidence for this comes from the scaling pattern. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra settings reduces the average FPS from 156 to 74, a drop of approximately 53%. At 1440p, the same settings change reduces average FPS from 112 to 53, a 53% decline. At 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra goes from 70 to 34 FPS, again roughly a 51% reduction. This consistent scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are being saturated at every level, while the CPU's role remains largely static.

Further evidence comes from the resolution scaling itself. At Low settings, going from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 156 to 112, a 28% drop. From 1440p to 4K, the average falls from 112 to 70, another 38% reduction. These losses are proportional to the pixel count increase, which is classic GPU-bound behavior. The Ryzen 9 7900X's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support are more than adequate for this workload; the bottleneck sits squarely at the Arc B390's system-shared memory and modest 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The CPU's influence would only become visible if the GPU were substantially faster. In this configuration, the processor's 29,300 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 2,617 Geekbench single-core score are never stressed by Inside's physics or logic. The GPU's 1,482 score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, is the metric that governs every frame produced in this test.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals in the database, the Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1,482 sits close to several legacy NVIDIA parts. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, a 1.3% delta. The GeForce 800M scores 1,460, a 1.5% difference. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446, 2.5% behind. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, 2.7% behind. Any of these GPUs paired with a strong CPU would deliver broadly similar frame rates in Inside, meaning the playability conclusions here would likely carry over to those combinations.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD EPYC 7313P with an average score of 53,206 and a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53,469 with a -0.3% delta. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52,974, 0.6% behind, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53,620, 0.6% ahead. For a game like Inside, swapping between any of these processors would produce virtually identical frame rates when paired with the same Arc B390 GPU, because none of them would shift the GPU-bound bottleneck.

The practical implication is that the Arc B390 behaves like a very low-end discrete GPU from a decade ago, despite its modern Xe3-LPG architecture and 3 nm process. The 1,536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply too few for demanding resolutions. Users coming from a GT 710 or GT 625 OEM would see a modest uplift from the Arc B390's 2.5% to 2.7% score advantage, but the experience in Inside would remain fundamentally similar: playable at 1080p, marginal at 1440p, and limited at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combination run Inside at 60 FPS on a 4K display?*

A: Only at Low settings, where the average frame rate is 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS with dips to 48 FPS, while High and Ultra average 35 and 34 FPS respectively, all below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best quality setting at 1440p while maintaining smooth gameplay?

A: The Medium preset is the highest playable option, delivering an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. High settings drop to 56 FPS average, which falls below the threshold, and Ultra averages 53 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in the database's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. It sits 1.3% ahead of the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X or the Arc B390 more important for this game's performance?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The resolution and settings scaling patterns show consistent 51-53% FPS reductions when moving from Low to Ultra at every resolution, indicating the Arc B390 is saturated while the Ryzen 9 7900X's substantial CPU headroom goes largely unused.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 74 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold. This makes 1080p the only resolution where every settings level is playable.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Inside?*

A: The combination ranks 3,296 out of 3,716 tested combos, placing it in the lower 11th percentile of all systems evaluated. This reflects the GPU's low percentile ranking rather than any deficiency in the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this combination at rank 3,296 out of 3,716 total tested configurations for Inside. That puts the pairing in the bottom 12% of all systems, which aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking does little to lift the overall position because the game's frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the graphics solution.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 4K, only the Low preset achieves playability, and even then at 70 FPS with no headroom for demanding scenes. At 1440p, two of four presets are playable. At 1080p, all four presets pass the threshold, but the maximum average of 156 FPS is far below what a dedicated mid-range GPU would achieve with the same processor.

The 3,716 tested combos include systems with both weaker and stronger GPUs. The Arc B390's position near the bottom of the GPU percentile distribution means any system with a mainstream discrete graphics card from the last decade would likely outrank this pairing. The Ryzen 9 7900X's contribution to the rank is neutral; it neither helps nor hinders the score, as the game's low CPU requirements leave the processor completely unconstrained.

For users specifically targeting Inside, this combination offers a functional but limited experience. The rank suggests that most other tested systems would deliver higher frame rates or support higher quality settings at the same resolutions. The only advantage here is the simplicity of an integrated solution, which avoids the need for a separate graphics card in a desktop build.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, averaging 74 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above the 60 FPS playability threshold, and it delivers the full visual experience of Inside's atmospheric lighting and shadow effects. The 74 FPS average provides a small buffer above the threshold, though users sensitive to frame drops may prefer High settings at 78 FPS for additional margin.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the optimal balance, averaging 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This setting combination provides a comfortable cushion above the 60 FPS line while maintaining better image quality than Low. The High preset falls to 56 FPS average, which violates the playability threshold, so Medium represents the highest quality option that remains consistently smooth.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS and dips to 48 FPS, which would cause noticeable stutter in a game that relies on precise timing and atmospheric tension. Low settings at 4K still render Inside's distinctive monochromatic art style effectively, but the visual downgrade is significant compared to Medium or higher.

The overall verdict from the recorded data is that this combo works best as a 1080p solution. Users with 1440p displays can run Medium settings confidently, while 4K owners should expect to play at Low settings or accept sub-60 FPS performance at Medium. The Ryzen 9 7900X provides ample CPU power for any scenario, but the Arc B390's integrated nature caps the experience at entry-level quality.