Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents an interesting case for running Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The recorded data shows that this combination is capable of delivering playable frame rates across most common resolutions, though the upper limits of 4K require careful settings selection. The measurements indicate a clear pattern: the CPU provides ample processing headroom, while the integrated GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and demanding presets.

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 58 W TDP. The chip features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and it offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The processor's benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 11860 and a single-core result of 1674, which places it in the 68th percentile among all CPUs tested in the database.

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and Panther Lake chip, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with memory being system shared and bandwidth dependent on the installed RAM. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance includes a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, and 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, which indicates a modest performance level.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database provides measured FPS data for Inside across three resolutions and four quality presets. The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS or higher.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS is Low quality. The recorded average FPS at this setting is 64. Medium quality drops to 51 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 32 and 30 FPS respectively. Therefore, the best settings for 4K resolution are Low, which delivers a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves significantly. Low quality achieves 101 FPS average, and Medium quality reaches 81 FPS. High quality sits at 51 FPS, just below the threshold, and Ultra drops to 48 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 81 FPS. This provides a strong experience with better visual fidelity than Low while maintaining well above the playable frame rate.

At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. Low quality delivers 141 FPS average, Medium achieves 113 FPS, High reaches 70 FPS, and Ultra provides 67 FPS. The most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 67 FPS. This means the full visual experience is available at 1080p, albeit with a modest margin above the playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The recorded data shows an average of 64 FPS at 3840x2160 with Low quality. Medium quality drops to 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest preset available at 1440p while maintaining 60 FPS?

A: Medium quality is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 81 FPS. Low quality achieves 101 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below the threshold at 51 and 48 FPS respectively.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at 1080p?

A: Yes, Ultra settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 67 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS for Ultra is not recorded, but the average indicates a playable experience.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% lower than the Arc B370.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Medium settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 141 FPS average, while Medium settings achieve 113 FPS average. The difference is 28 FPS, with Medium providing improved visuals at a still very playable frame rate.

Q: Does the CPU performance limit this GPU in Inside?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck. The Intel Core i3-12100F scores 11860 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1674 in single-core, placing it in the 68th percentile. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint, especially at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data for Inside with this hardware combination is as follows.

At 3840x2160, High settings produce an average of 32 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum values. Low settings achieve an average of 64 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, High settings deliver an average of 51 FPS. Low settings reach 101 FPS average. Medium settings achieve 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. Ultra settings provide 48 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, High settings produce 70 FPS average. Low settings achieve 141 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. Ultra settings yield 67 FPS average.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent. At 1080p, all presets are comfortably playable, with even Ultra maintaining a healthy margin above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the higher presets begin to struggle, with High and Ultra falling below the threshold. At 4K, only Low remains viable. The minimum FPS values, where recorded, show that Medium settings at 1080p never drop below 96 FPS, and at 1440p they stay above 69 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 43 FPS, confirming that this setting is not suitable for a smooth experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i3-12100F provide context for its performance level. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average benchmark score of 13492, essentially identical to the i3-12100F's 13494, with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, which is 1.1% lower. These CPUs would be expected to deliver very similar frame rates in Inside, as the game is not heavily multithreaded and the i3-12100F's single-thread performance is strong.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B370's nearest rivals are all older discrete or integrated graphics solutions. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% higher than the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. These results indicate that the Arc B370 performs in a similar range to these older GPUs, which means systems using those components would likely achieve comparable frame rates in Inside at the same settings and resolutions.

The delta values are small, all within 1.4%, so any of these alternatives would behave nearly identically in practice. The CPU alternatives are similarly close, with the largest difference being 1.1%. This suggests that the combination of a similar CPU and GPU would produce results within a few FPS of the measured data for this specific configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3422 out of 3716 total combos. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, which is consistent with the GPU's 5th percentile performance ranking among all GPUs. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this title.

The rank of 3422 out of 3716 indicates that 294 other combinations perform worse than this one in Inside, while 3421 perform better. The relatively low rank is driven primarily by the GPU's modest compute capabilities, as measured by its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184. However, the actual gameplay experience is still playable at several settings, as the game is not particularly demanding. The rank reflects the overall performance potential across all scenarios, not just the playable configurations.

For context, a combo ranking near the bottom quartile typically means that users will need to compromise on visual quality or resolution to achieve a smooth experience. In this case, the data shows that 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium are both attainable, which are reasonable outcomes for a system with an integrated GPU.

The Verdict

The measured data provides a clear verdict on whether this PC can run Inside.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable only at Low settings, with an average of 64 FPS. Medium drops to 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra are not viable at 32 and 30 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the system achieves playable frame rates at Low and Medium settings, with averages of 101 and 81 FPS. High and Ultra fall to 51 and 48 FPS, which are not playable. The best experience at this resolution is Medium, offering a solid 81 FPS average with improved visuals over Low.

At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable across all presets. Low achieves 141 FPS, Medium reaches 113 FPS, High delivers 70 FPS, and Ultra provides 67 FPS. The minimum recorded FPS at Medium is 96, indicating that even demanding scenes maintain high frame rates. The best experience at this resolution is Ultra, with an average of 67 FPS, which clears the playable threshold by a narrow but sufficient margin.

The verdict is that this PC can run Inside comfortably at 1080p with all settings enabled, and at 1440p with Medium settings. At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable experience. The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 is sufficient for this game, provided the user adjusts resolution and quality settings appropriately. The CPU's performance is more than adequate, while the GPU's capabilities dictate the limits. For a puzzle platformer with modest graphics requirements, this setup delivers a playable experience across most common gaming configurations.