Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is an interesting combination for a game like Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The recorded data shows this pairing performs strongly across most modern resolutions, though the highest 4K settings present a challenge. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, compares the combo to similar hardware, and answers common questions about running this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains measured average frame rates for twelve different configurations, covering three resolutions and four quality presets. No minimum or maximum frame rate data is recorded for any of these configurations, so the analysis relies entirely on average FPS.

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high across the board. The Low preset reaches an average of 229.4 FPS, which is more than three and a half times the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 183.4 FPS, still a massive margin above the threshold. The High preset delivers 113.3 FPS on average, and the most demanding Ultra preset still produces an average of 110.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is relatively small at only 3.1 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional visual effects are not particularly taxing on this hardware at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the pattern remains similar but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce an average of 165.9 FPS, while Medium yields 132.3 FPS. High settings drop to 84.5 FPS, and Ultra maintains an average of 80.6 FPS. All four presets remain well above the 60 FPS threshold, with even the worst case, Ultra, sitting 20.6 FPS above the playable line. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in frame rates. For example, Ultra drops from 110.2 FPS to 80.6 FPS, a reduction of 29.6 FPS, while Low drops from 229.4 FPS to 165.9 FPS, a reduction of 63.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings still deliver a strong average of 106.4 FPS, and Medium remains comfortable at 83.5 FPS. However, High settings fall to 55.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is even more demanding, with an average of 50.8 FPS. This marks the only resolution where not all presets are playable. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep. High settings go from 84.5 FPS down to 55.1 FPS, a loss of 29.4 FPS. Ultra goes from 80.6 FPS to 50.8 FPS, a loss of 29.8 FPS. The data shows that the GTX 1070's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus are sufficient for the game's demands at 4K, but the GPU's raw compute power, rated at 6.463 TFLOPS, becomes the limiting factor at the higher presets.

The difference between presets at each resolution is informative. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 119.2 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 85.3 FPS. At 4K, the spread is 55.6 FPS. This narrowing spread indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's role diminishes. The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is clearly not the limiting factor at 4K, as even the Low preset at 4K achieves over 100 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database provides nearest rival comparisons for both the CPU and GPU, which helps contextualize this combo's performance.

For the Intel Core i5-12400, the closest rival in terms of average benchmark score is the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697 compared to the i5-12400's 18683. The difference is a mere 0.1 percent, meaning the i5-12400 is effectively tied with this server-class EPYC chip in aggregate benchmarks. The Intel Core i7-1355U is next, scoring 18730, which is 0.3 percent higher. Interestingly, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, 0.7 percent higher, while the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, 0.9 percent lower. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside when paired with the same GPU. The i5-12400 ranks in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, which is a strong showing for a mainstream desktop processor.

For the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, the nearest rivals are a mixed group. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803, which is 0.2 percent higher than the GTX 1070's 9780. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, 0.5 percent higher. On the lower side, the NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, 0.6 percent lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716, 0.7 percent lower. All four rivals are within 0.7 percent of the GTX 1070's average score, so in practice, any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Inside. The GTX 1070 sits in the 47th percentile among all GPUs, which is a middle-of-the-road position, but Inside is not a demanding game by modern standards.

When considering an upgrade or a similar build, this data suggests that swapping the i5-12400 for any of its nearest rivals would change frame rates by less than one percent. Similarly, swapping the GTX 1070 for any of its nearest rivals would have a negligible impact. The overall combination rank of 3048 out of 3716 tested combos indicates that while many other hardware pairings score higher in aggregate, this specific combo is still well-suited for Inside. The rank is influenced by the GPU's modest 47th percentile standing, but the game's low requirements mean that rank does not translate to poor playability.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 run Inside at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows all four presets at 1920x1080 exceed 60 FPS. Low averages 229.4 FPS, Medium averages 183.4 FPS, High averages 113.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 110.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is the best option, as it delivers an average of 80.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets at 1440p are playable, so users can choose based on visual preference without worrying about frame rate drops below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the GTX 1070 capable of running Inside at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low and Medium presets are playable. Low averages 106.4 FPS and Medium averages 83.5 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 55.1 FPS and 50.8 FPS respectively.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. High averages 113.3 FPS while Ultra averages 110.2 FPS, a gap of only 3.1 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 3.9 FPS (84.5 vs 80.6), and at 4K, the gap is 4.3 FPS (55.1 vs 50.8). The Ultra preset costs very little performance compared to High across all resolutions.

Q: Which component is more important for this game at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary factor even at 1080p, given that the frame rate varies significantly with resolution. However, the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs means it provides ample headroom. The i5-12400's single-thread score of 910 in 3dmark and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for game logic.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations for Inside?

A: It ranks 3048 out of 3716 tested combinations. This places it in the lower half of tested combos, but the game is so undemanding that this rank does not reflect poor playability. The rank is likely dragged down by the GTX 1070's 47th percentile GPU standing rather than any actual deficiency in running this specific title.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Inside is answered clearly by the data. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margin. The lowest average at this resolution is 110.2 FPS on Ultra, which is nearly double the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the situation is equally positive. All four presets are playable, with Ultra delivering 80.6 FPS. This means users with 1440p monitors can enable the highest settings and still maintain fluid frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is conditional. The database lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best option at an average of 83.5 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable, as they fall to 55.1 FPS and 50.8 FPS respectively. The recorded data does not include minimum frame rates, so users should note that the average figures could mask occasional dips, but the large margins at 1080p and 1440p provide ample buffer.

The overall assessment is that this combo runs Inside exceptionally well at 1080p and 1440p, and reasonably well at 4K when settings are adjusted to Medium or below. The game's 2016 release date and puzzle platformer genre mean it does not push hardware like modern AAA titles. The i5-12400, released in 2022, provides far more CPU performance than this game requires, and the GTX 1070, while older, still has enough graphics horsepower for all but the most demanding 4K presets.

CPU and GPU Roles

Understanding which component matters more requires examining the scaling between resolutions and presets. The measured data shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, frame rates drop consistently. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 63.5 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 59.5 FPS. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, because resolution changes directly affect the GPU's workload while leaving the CPU's workload largely unchanged.

At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29.6 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 29.8 FPS. The smaller absolute drops at Ultra compared to Low suggest that at higher presets, the GPU is already working harder, so the marginal cost of each resolution step is more consistent. The i5-12400's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it has ample capacity. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and Passmark multithread score of 18747 confirm strong multi-threaded performance, but Inside is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, so it likely does not use more than a few threads.

The data implies that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K High and Ultra presets. At 4K Ultra, the average is 50.8 FPS, which is below the threshold. Lowering to Medium at 4K brings the average up to 83.5 FPS, a gain of 32.7 FPS. This large gain from reducing settings confirms that the GPU's shading units and texture units are the limiting factor. The GTX 1070 has 1920 shading units and 120 texture mapping units, with a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s, which is respectable but not sufficient for 4K Ultra on this title.

At 1080p, the CPU's influence is minimal. The fact that Low settings produce 229.4 FPS means the game is not CPU-bound at that resolution, as a CPU bottleneck would cap frame rates regardless of GPU load. The i5-12400's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 910 and Geekbench single-core score of 1848, is more than adequate. Even the lowest recorded frame rate at 1080p, 110.2 FPS on Ultra, is far above what the CPU would need to sustain.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data identifies the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 110.2 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available and it clears the threshold by a wide margin. Users can enable every visual feature without concern.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also qualifies, with an average of 80.6 FPS. This is 20.6 FPS above the threshold, providing a comfortable buffer. The High preset at this resolution averages 84.5 FPS, which is slightly higher, but the Ultra preset offers better visuals for only a 3.9 FPS cost. The database confirms Ultra as the best setting for 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the situation differs. The most demanding playable preset is Medium, which averages 83.5 FPS. Low averages 106.4 FPS and is also playable, but Medium provides better image quality while still maintaining a healthy margin above 60 FPS. High and Ultra are not recommended at 4K, as they fall below the threshold at 55.1 FPS and 50.8 FPS respectively. The database explicitly lists Medium as the best setting for 4K.

These recommendations assume users prioritize maintaining at least 60 FPS. The margins at 1080p and 1440p are large enough that even the Ultra preset leaves significant headroom, making this combo a strong choice for those resolutions. At 4K, users who accept frame rates below 60 FPS could enable High or Ultra, but the data supports Medium as the optimal balance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 3048 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the 18th percentile of tested combos, meaning roughly 82 percent of tested hardware combinations score higher in aggregate benchmarks. However, this rank is based on the average benchmark scores of the CPU and GPU across many different tests, not specifically on Inside performance.

The CPU's percentile rank among all CPUs is 72, which is strong for a desktop processor. The GPU's percentile rank among all GPUs is 47, which is middling. The combination rank of 3048 likely reflects the GPU's lower percentile, as the GTX 1070 is an older card that scores well below modern GPUs in compute-heavy benchmarks. Yet for Inside, the actual measured frame rates are high enough that the rank is misleading if interpreted as poor performance.

The nearest rival comparisons reinforce this point. The CPU's closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, is within 0.1 percent in average score, yet that EPYC is a server processor with a much higher price point in real-world terms. The GPU's closest rival, the AMD FirePro W5000, is within 0.2 percent, but that is a workstation card. The data shows that aggregate benchmark scores do not always translate directly to game performance, especially for a light title like Inside.

In practical terms, this combo delivers playable frame rates at all tested resolutions except 4K High and Ultra. The rank of 3048 out of 3716 should be interpreted as a reflection of the hardware's overall benchmark standing, not its ability to run this specific game. The measured FPS data is the more relevant metric, and it shows a system that handles Inside with ease at 1080p and 1440p, and with setting adjustments at 4K. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of memory and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures, and the i5-12400's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support ensure smooth data flow. Users of this combo can expect a fluid experience in Inside at most settings and resolutions.