Inside

Similar Performance Alternatives

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D sits at the very top of the CPU performance hierarchy, with an average benchmark score of 75,779. The nearest competing processors in the database are clustered extremely close: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75,738 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75,716 (0.1% lower), the AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75,582 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75,488 (0.4% lower). In practice, this means anyone considering the 9950X3D would see virtually identical application performance from any of these four alternatives; the deltas are well within run-to-run variance.

The Intel Arc B390, however, tells a very different story. Its average benchmark score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs worse than roughly 91% of recorded graphics cards. The nearest rivals in the database are all legacy or low-end parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463 (1.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1,460 (1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446 (2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443 (2.7% lower). These are all extremely close scores, so the B390 behaves similarly to those older discrete GPUs in terms of raw 3D performance, despite being a modern integrated solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture.

For this specific pairing, the practical takeaway is that the CPU is massively overprovisioned relative to the GPU. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D with 16 cores, 32 threads, and 128 MB of L3 cache will not be a limiting factor in any scenario, while the Arc B390's integrated-class performance (7.680 TFLOPS FP32, 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate) will dictate the frame rates. Users upgrading from a system with a GT 710 or GT 625 OEM would see a modest but measurable improvement, while those coming from a GT 520MX or GeForce 800M would see a slightly larger jump.

How This Combo Ranks

The database records this exact combination, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with Intel Arc B390, at rank 3,296 out of 3,716 tested combos for Inside. That places it in the bottom 11% of all recorded system configurations for this game, which is a striking result given the flagship CPU. The ranking is almost entirely a consequence of the GPU's low percentile standing; the Arc B390's 9th percentile score drags the overall system performance down despite the CPU's 95th percentile standing.

The measured frame rates confirm this ranking. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo averages 74 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. But at 2560x1440 Ultra, the average drops to 53 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra it falls to 34 FPS. The system is playable at 1080p across all presets, but higher resolutions require dropping settings. The rank of 3,296 reflects that the system can handle the game at lower resolutions, but it is far from the top of the pile; most other tested combos deliver higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K.

Looking at the percentile data, the CPU alone is in the top 5% of all processors, while the GPU is in the bottom 9%. The combination produces a system that is balanced only in the sense that the GPU is always the bottleneck. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which is not a demanding title by modern standards, the system still manages to be playable at 1080p, but the rank shows that many less exotic pairings would outperform it.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the system averages 156 FPS at Low, 125 FPS at Medium, 78 FPS at High, and 74 FPS at Ultra. All four presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p?

A: Medium is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440, averaging 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. High averages 56 FPS, which falls below the threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the system averages 70 FPS at Low, 56 FPS at Medium, 35 FPS at High, and 34 FPS at Ultra. The CPU's 95th percentile score indicates it is not the constraint.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in the database's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The nearest rivals are the GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), GeForce 800M (1,460), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446), and GeForce GT 710 (1,443), all within 2.7% of the B390's score.

Q: What settings should be used for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: Low settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 70 FPS, which is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at that resolution. Medium drops to 56 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 35 and 34 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the game run better at 1080p Ultra than 1440p Medium?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 74 FPS, while at 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 90 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting produces a higher frame rate, but 1080p Ultra is also above the playable threshold.

The Verdict

This system can run Inside, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and preset. The database's verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 74 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best choice at 90 FPS average. At 3840x2160, only Low clears the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 70 FPS.

The data shows a system that is perfectly capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1080p with maximum quality settings. For 1440p, users must compromise to Medium settings, and for 4K, the visual quality must be dropped to Low. The minimum frame rates recorded at 1080p Medium (106 FPS) and 1440p Medium (76 FPS) indicate that the system holds its frame times well without severe dips below the playable threshold.

Given that Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with relatively modest graphical demands, the fact that this system cannot run it at 4K High or Ultra is notable. The bottleneck is unambiguous: the Intel Arc B390, with its 9th percentile GPU ranking, is the component that determines the ceiling. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is more than sufficient for this game, and any frame rate limitation is entirely due to the integrated graphics solution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the frame rate. The CPU's 95th percentile score across all processors means it can feed the GPU with data far faster than the GPU can render frames. The scaling from 4K Low (70 FPS) to 4K Medium (56 FPS) to 4K High (35 FPS) shows a steep drop as the GPU's shading units (1,536), texture mapping units (48), and pixel rate (60.00 GPixel/s) become saturated.

At 2560x1440, the GPU remains the dominant factor, but the CPU's headroom becomes more relevant. The jump from Low (112 FPS) to Medium (90 FPS) is a 19.6% reduction, while the jump from Medium to High (56 FPS) is a 37.8% reduction. The pattern indicates that the GPU's fixed resources, particularly its 24 ROPs and 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, are the limiting factor once the resolution and preset demand more pixel throughput.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more visible. The system reaches 156 FPS at Low and 125 FPS at Medium, which are frame rates that require the CPU to maintain a high draw call throughput. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 16 cores and 32 threads, along with its single-thread score of 1,292 in 3DMark and 2,259 in Cinebench R23, are more than adequate for this task. The drop from Medium to High at 1080p (125 to 78 FPS) and High to Ultra (78 to 74 FPS) shows that the GPU begins to bottleneck at these settings, but the CPU still has ample reserve.

In summary, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at all resolutions, but its relative weakness becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p, where high frame rates are achievable, but even there, the GPU's ceiling prevents the system from exceeding 156 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

The recorded measurements provide clear guidance for the optimal settings at each resolution, defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low. The system averages 70 FPS at this preset, which is the only 4K configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 56 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 34 FPS. Users who prioritize resolution over visual fidelity should select Low at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Medium, which produces an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the threshold, and the minimum frame rate ensures that the experience remains smooth even during scene transitions. Low settings at 1440p average 112 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality with a still-significant frame rate advantage over the playable minimum.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which averages 74 FPS. This is the highest preset available, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 14 FPS margin. High settings average 78 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS, and Low averages 156 FPS, but none of these are necessary since Ultra already achieves playable performance.

The pattern is consistent with the GPU's capabilities: as resolution increases, the preset must be lowered to maintain 60 FPS. At 1080p, full quality is achievable. At 1440p, a mid-range preset is required. At 4K, only the lowest preset works. The data does not record a scenario where the system fails to reach 60 FPS at 1080p, which confirms that the combination is viable for this game at mainstream resolutions.