Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016, a game that is not typically demanding by modern standards. This particular hardware combination, however, is anything but typical. The pairing of a quad-core Intel Core i3-12100F with the flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D creates a massive performance delta between the two components. The benchmark data confirms that this combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, making it a formidable, if lopsided, configuration for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination shows performance that far exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold in every single scenario tested. The RTX 5090 D is so powerful that even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is more than double the target.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the frame rates are astronomical. With Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 315 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops slightly to 291 FPS, with a minimum of 247 FPS and a maximum of 334 FPS. High settings yield 242 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce a 238 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is only 77 FPS, indicating that the GPU is barely being stressed and the CPU is likely the limiting factor at these extreme frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains incredibly high. Low settings produce an average of 282 FPS. Medium settings average 260 FPS, with a minimum of 221 FPS and a maximum of 299 FPS. High settings deliver 217 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain a 213 FPS average. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a modest performance drop of roughly 10-11% across all settings, which is far less than the pixel count increase would suggest, further indicating a CPU bottleneck at the lower resolution.

The 3840x2160 (4K) results show where the GPU finally begins to do meaningful work. At Low settings, the average is 242 FPS. Medium settings produce 223 FPS, with a minimum of 190 FPS and a maximum of 256 FPS. High settings average 160 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 153 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate of 153 FPS is over 2.5 times the 60 FPS threshold. The larger drop between Medium and High settings at 4K (from 223 to 160 FPS) suggests that the higher preset introduces effects that are more taxing on the GPU. The minimum FPS recorded across all tests is 190 FPS, which occurred at 4K Medium, ensuring a consistently smooth experience without any noticeable frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 430th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 11.6% of all configurations tested for this game. The ranking is a reflection of the GPU's enormous raw power, which drives the frame rates to such high levels.

The CPU, however, is a different story. The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. This is a respectable score for a budget processor, but it is not a high-end part. Its nearest rivals in performance are the Intel Core 3 N355, with an average score of 13492 and a delta of 0%, and the Intel Core i5-9500, which scores 13452, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, putting the i3-12100F 0.7% behind it, and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, placing it 1.1% behind the i3. These rivals are all in a similar performance class, confirming that the CPU is a mid-tier part.

The GPU, in contrast, is in a league of its own. The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are surprisingly not other top-tier desktop cards, but rather the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76904 (1.1% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78940 (1.6% ahead). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB models score 79396 and 79605, respectively, placing them 2.1% and 2.4% ahead. The fact that the 5090 D's closest rivals are mobile and data center parts highlights its immense performance. The combo's overall rank is dragged down by the CPU, but the sheer GPU power ensures a high placing.

Best Settings per Resolution

Given the playable threshold of 60 FPS, this combo clears it with ease at every setting. The "best" settings are therefore the highest quality presets that maintain a playable frame rate, which in this case is the maximum preset available.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 238 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any high refresh rate monitor. There is no reason to lower the settings, as even the most demanding preset provides a massive performance buffer.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is again the best option, with an average of 213 FPS. The performance here is so high that users with 144Hz or even 240Hz 1440p monitors will be able to take full advantage of their display's capabilities.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset remains the best setting, achieving an average of 153 FPS. This is a stellar result for 4K gaming. While it is not as high as the 1440p or 1080p results, it is still far above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a very smooth experience on a high refresh rate 4K display. For all three resolutions, the data suggests pushing the settings to Ultra for the best visual fidelity without any concern for performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data, components that would behave similarly to the ones in this combo are not direct gaming equivalents but rather parts with similar average benchmark scores.

For the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F's performance is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Core 3 N355 and the Intel Core i5-9500 are essentially performance equivalents, with a delta of 0% and 0.3% respectively. The Intel Core 5 120UL is slightly faster, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is slightly slower. For a builder looking for similar CPU performance, these parts would yield comparable results in CPU-bound scenarios. However, it is important to note that these are not direct socket or platform matches, but they represent the performance tier of the i3-12100F.

For the GPU, the situation is more unusual. The nearest rivals to the RTX 5090 D by average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and the Radeon RX 6850M XT, which are mobile GPUs. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe models are data center accelerators. None of these are direct consumer desktop alternatives. This suggests that within the database, there are few, if any, consumer desktop GPUs that score in this exact range. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 D sits in a performance tier that is largely isolated from other consumer parts, making it a unique choice for gaming. A user looking for similar GPU performance would be looking at parts that are not typically compared in a gaming context.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in this configuration for Inside. The game is not graphically demanding, which means the GPU is rarely the bottleneck. Instead, the Intel Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Evidence for this is in the scaling between resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by roughly 10%. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more significant, around 26-28%. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, the frame rate would scale much more closely with the pixel count. The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p indicates that the CPU is holding the frame rate back at 1080p, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

The GPU's role becomes more prominent at 4K. The larger performance drop between Medium (223 FPS) and High (160 FPS) settings at 4K, compared to the smaller drops at 1440p and 1080p, shows that the higher resolution and more demanding presets finally start to tax the RTX 5090 D. At this resolution, the GPU is beginning to be the primary performance determinant. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, and at 4K, the GPU starts to take over as the main factor in determining performance. The i3-12100F is a strong part for its class, but it cannot keep up with the sheer speed of the RTX 5090 D.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Inside? Yes, unequivocally. The benchmark data shows that this combination of an Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D runs the game at frame rates that are several times higher than the 60 FPS playable threshold.

According to the verdictByResolution data, all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable at every resolution tested. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Ultra, with an average of 238 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best, averaging 213 FPS. At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is again Ultra, with an average of 153 FPS.

This system is ultimately overkill for a game like Inside. The performance is so high that it would be more accurately described as being limited by the CPU's single-thread speed at lower resolutions rather than the GPU's capabilities. The RTX 5090 D is an extreme piece of hardware, and when paired with a more modest CPU, it creates a bottleneck that prevents it from showing its full strength at 1080p. However, this is a non-issue in practice. The frame rates are so high that they exceed the refresh rates of most monitors on the market. For any user with a standard 60Hz, 144Hz, or even 240Hz display, this combo will provide a flawless, silky-smooth experience with maximum graphical settings at all resolutions. The verdict is simple: this PC does not just run the game; it dominates it.