Inside

Best Settings per Resolution

At 4K (3840x2160), the most demanding preset that holds at or above 60 FPS is Medium, where the recorded average is 94.3 FPS. High and Ultra both dip below the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 57.6 FPS and 56.9 FPS respectively, so those presets are not viable for smooth play at this resolution. Low at 4K runs much faster at 115.9 FPS, but Medium is the highest visual quality that still clears the playability bar.

Moving down to 1440p (2560x1440), the situation improves substantially. Every preset stays above 60 FPS, including Ultra, which averages 87.8 FPS. That makes Ultra the best settings choice at this resolution, since it delivers the maximum visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. High averages 90.1 FPS, Medium 147.6 FPS, and Low 187.4 FPS, but none of those are necessary when Ultra already clears the threshold.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the hardware has even more headroom. Ultra again is the best settings pick, with an average of 124.7 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS minimum. High runs at 127.9 FPS, Medium at 206.9 FPS, and Low at 223.8 FPS. The pattern across resolutions is clear: the demanding presets only become problematic at 4K, while 1440p and 1080p allow the full Ultra experience without compromise.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i5-9400 at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered around that figure. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher, making it essentially identical in performance. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 also scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 rounds out the group with 2264, 0.4% higher. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in this game, since the differences are all within a fraction of a percent.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19036. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19030, which is 0% different, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049, 0.1% higher, the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19089, 0.3% higher, and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation at 18954, 0.4% lower. These deltas are negligible for gaming purposes, so swapping the RX 6600 for any of these cards would yield nearly the same performance in Inside.

For users considering an upgrade or a system with similar behavior, pairing any of these rival CPUs with the RX 6600 would produce frame rates within a couple of percent of the measured results. Likewise, keeping the i5-9400 and substituting one of the rival GPUs would not meaningfully change the experience. The data indicates that this combination sits in a performance neighborhood where component substitutions within the rival groups are unlikely to push any resolution across a playability boundary, except perhaps at 4K High and Ultra, where the margins are already thin.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, with average frame rates captured for each combination. Minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded for any configuration, so the analysis relies on average performance.

At 3840x2160, Low settings produce an average of 115.9 FPS. Medium drops to 94.3 FPS, a 21.6 FPS reduction. High falls further to 57.6 FPS, and Ultra lands at 56.9 FPS. The step from Medium to High is the steepest at this resolution, representing a 36.7 FPS loss, which is a dramatic shift for a single settings tier. The gap between High and Ultra is only 0.7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little extra cost over High at 4K, yet both remain below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 187.4 FPS. Medium follows at 147.6 FPS, a 39.8 FPS drop. High comes in at 90.1 FPS, losing 57.5 FPS from Medium. Ultra averages 87.8 FPS, only 2.3 FPS below High. Once again, the High to Ultra transition is minor, while the Medium to High jump is the largest single-tier decline. Every setting at 1440p stays well above 60 FPS, with even the slowest preset, Ultra, maintaining an 87.8 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, Low reaches 223.8 FPS. Medium is nearly as fast at 206.9 FPS, a 16.9 FPS difference. High drops to 127.9 FPS, a 79 FPS loss from Medium, which is the largest settings gap across all resolutions. Ultra averages 124.7 FPS, just 3.2 FPS below High. The 1080p numbers show that the CPU and GPU combination has substantial headroom, with all presets exceeding 120 FPS.

Comparing across resolutions, the scaling is consistent with expectations. At Low settings, 1080p is 223.8 FPS, 1440p is 187.4 FPS, and 4K is 115.9 FPS. At Ultra, the same progression is 124.7 FPS, 87.8 FPS, and 56.9 FPS. The resolution penalty grows as settings increase, which points to a GPU-bound workload at higher quality levels.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside, but the answer depends heavily on the chosen resolution and preset. The verdict data marks 4K as only partially playable: Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best settings option at an average of 94.3 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K fall short of 60 FPS, with averages of 57.6 FPS and 56.9 FPS respectively. These are close to the threshold, but they do not clear it.

At 1440p, all four presets are playable. Ultra is the best settings choice, averaging 87.8 FPS, which leaves a 27.8 FPS margin over the 60 FPS target. This means users with a 1440p display can max out the game and still enjoy smooth performance. The same holds at 1080p, where Ultra averages 124.7 FPS, more than double the playability threshold. High at 1080p runs at 127.9 FPS, Medium at 206.9 FPS, and Low at 223.8 FPS, all far above 60 FPS.

The practical takeaway is that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with everything maxed out. At 4K, users must compromise by selecting Medium or lower to stay above 60 FPS. The close margins at 4K High and Ultra suggest that even minor additional load, such as background processes or higher refresh rate demands, could push those presets further below the threshold. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, the game's slower pacing might make sub-60 FPS at 4K acceptable to some players, but by the database's strict 60 FPS standard, those presets are not recommended.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 becomes visible when comparing frame rates across resolutions and settings. At Low settings, the frame rates are extremely high at every resolution: 223.8 FPS at 1080p, 187.4 FPS at 1440p, and 115.9 FPS at 4K. The relatively modest drop from 1080p to 4K at Low, roughly a 48% reduction, indicates that the GPU is not fully taxed at these settings. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 6 threads running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost of 4.10 GHz, is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to reach these levels.

As settings increase to Medium, the frame rates fall more sharply with resolution: 206.9 FPS at 1080p, 147.6 FPS at 1440p, and 94.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result is still far above 60 FPS, which suggests the GPU is doing more work but still has headroom. At High and Ultra, the picture changes. At 4K, High drops to 57.6 FPS and Ultra to 56.9 FPS, both below the threshold. The GPU, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, becomes the limiting factor at these settings and resolution. The 1440p and 1080p High and Ultra results remain well above 60 FPS, confirming that the GPU is only stressed at 4K with demanding presets.

The scaling pattern implies that Inside is primarily GPU-bound at higher settings and resolutions. The CPU is never the bottleneck in the measured data, since even at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 223.8 FPS, which is a level where CPU limitations typically appear in other games, but here the i5-9400 keeps pace. At 4K, the GPU's pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are insufficient to maintain 60 FPS on High and Ultra, while the CPU's role fades into the background. The data suggests that users who want to improve 4K performance should look to a faster GPU, not a faster CPU, since the CPU is already delivering frame rates far above what the GPU can render at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 places at rank 2967 out of 3716 total combos. That puts it in the lower portion of the overall distribution, around the 20th percentile from the top. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong frame rates measured at 1080p and 1440p, but it reflects the fact that many other combinations in the database achieve even higher performance, particularly at 4K where this combo struggles with High and Ultra presets.

The rank also makes sense when considering the individual component percentiles. The CPU sits at the 47th percentile, meaning roughly half of all CPUs in the database score higher. The GPU is stronger, at the 63rd percentile. The combination of a mid-tier CPU and an upper-mid-tier GPU places the overall combo below many systems that feature higher-end processors, even if the GPU is capable. For a game like Inside, which does not appear to be extremely demanding given the high frame rates at 1080p, the ranking may be more reflective of the database's broad mix of hardware rather than a statement about this combo's adequacy for the game.

Users evaluating this system should interpret the rank cautiously. A lower rank does not mean the game is unplayable; the measured FPS data at 1080p and 1440p is excellent. It simply means that many other tested combinations deliver even higher frame rates, likely at 4K or with more demanding games. Within the context of Inside, this combo is more than sufficient for smooth play at mainstream resolutions, and the rank should be seen as a relative position among all tested hardware, not a measure of playability.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 56.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is Medium, which averages 94.3 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 87.8 FPS, making it the highest preset that clears the threshold. All other presets at this resolution also exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 223.8 FPS while Ultra averages 124.7 FPS. That is a 99.1 FPS difference, or roughly 79% higher frame rate at Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K High settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K High, where the average drops to 57.6 FPS. The same CPU achieves 127.9 FPS at 1080p High, showing it is capable of much higher frame rates when the GPU is not stressed.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, scores 19030, a 0% difference. The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19049, 0.1% higher, and the Tesla K20m scores 19089, 0.3% higher. These differences are negligible.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The recorded average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 147.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience.