Inside

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a decisively playable experience for Inside across every resolution and preset tested. The recorded data shows that this puzzle platformer runs far above the 60 FPS threshold in all scenarios, with the weakest result being 66 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. The pairing is overqualified for the game’s demands, making it a high-refresh-rate machine at 1080p and 1440p, while still preserving smooth motion at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 222 FPS, while Medium climbs to 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. High settings deliver 155 FPS, and Ultra remains well ahead of the 60 FPS target at 147 FPS. The data indicates that even the most demanding preset at this resolution leaves substantial headroom for monitor refresh rates above 144 Hz.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down modestly but stays exceptionally strong. Low averages 199 FPS, Medium drops to 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 204 FPS, and High reaches 111 FPS. Ultra at 1440p still hits 106 FPS, which is comfortably above the playable threshold and suitable for high-refresh gaming.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain smooth but show a more pronounced step down. Low averages 140 FPS, Medium delivers 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, and High settles at 70 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the slowest configuration recorded, with an average of 66 FPS. Even this worst-case scenario clears the 60 FPS line, though it leaves less margin for sudden drops.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Inside is not a demanding title for this hardware. The only preset with recorded minimums, Medium, shows that the lowest frame rates stay far above the playable threshold. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 174 FPS is nearly three times the 60 FPS target, and at 1440p Medium the minimum of 151 FPS is still more than double. The 4K Medium minimum of 95 FPS confirms that even the most constrained scenario remains fluid.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside, but the CPU does not become a bottleneck at any resolution. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a moderate frame rate reduction across presets, while the jump to 4K produces a larger drop, which is typical of a GPU-bound workload. For example, at Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 147 at 1080p to 106 at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 66 at 4K, a further 38% reduction. This progressive decline points to the GPU being the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions, where the frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 222 FPS, which suggests that the Intel Core i5-9400’s six cores and six threads are sufficient to feed the Radeon RX 9060 efficiently. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 place it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, indicating mid-range processing power that is more than adequate for this game’s physics and logic. Since Inside is a 2D puzzle platformer with limited AI and simulation complexity, the CPU’s workload is light, and the data shows no evidence of a CPU ceiling even at the highest frame rates.

The GPU, by contrast, holds a 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its PassMark G3D score of 17631 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 suggest a capable mid-range graphics card. The performance difference between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution reflects the GPU’s workload scaling. At 4K, Low averages 140 FPS while Ultra averages 66 FPS, a 53% reduction, which demonstrates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting when visual effects increase. The conclusion is straightforward: for Inside, the Radeon RX 9060 is the performance driver, and the Core i5-9400 is never a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database’s ranking of all tested CPU and GPU combinations for Inside, this pairing sits at rank 2474 out of 3716 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution, meaning that while it performs admirably for this specific game, there are many faster combinations recorded. The rank is somewhat surprising given the high frame rates, but it reflects the fact that Inside is an older title from 2016, and many modern high-end systems will produce even higher numbers, particularly at 1080p where the frame rates are already very high.

The combo’s rank of 2474 out of 3716 corresponds to roughly the 33rd percentile of tested systems. This indicates that two-thirds of recorded combinations outperform it, though the practical difference is minimal because the game is already running far above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that the combination is not competitive with top-tier hardware, but it is also far from the bottom of the list. For a game like Inside, the rank is less meaningful than the absolute frame rates, which are uniformly playable.

When interpreting the rank, it is important to consider that the database includes many combinations with newer, higher-end CPUs and GPUs. The Core i5-9400’s 47th percentile CPU score and the Radeon RX 9060’s 59th percentile GPU score are both mid-range, so the combined rank in the lower third is consistent with their individual standings. The verdict is clear: the rank does not reflect a poor experience, but rather a modest hardware pairing that happens to be more than sufficient for this particular game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would deliver similar results. For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has an average benchmark score of 2259, a negligible 0.2% difference. The Intel Core i3-10305 is also within 0.4%, with a score of 2264, while the Intel Core i7-10710U trails by 0.3% at 2248. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% behind at 2246. These four CPUs would all behave nearly identically to the Core i5-9400 in Inside, as their processing power is far beyond what the game requires.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 on average, a 0.7% difference. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1% ahead at 15862, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is also 1% ahead at 15852. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 2.1% behind at 15679. For Inside, any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the Radeon RX 9060, meaning users with these alternatives should expect essentially the same experience: 60+ FPS at all resolutions and presets, with 4K Ultra hovering near 66 FPS.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is part of a cluster of mid-range hardware that all handles Inside with ease. Swapping the CPU for any of its rivals or the GPU for any of its rivals would not change the playability verdict. The game is so far above the 60 FPS threshold that even a 2% difference in performance is imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The database lists Ultra as the best settings for 4K.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average is 222 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. At Medium settings, the average is 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary performance driver. Frame rates scale significantly with resolution and preset changes, which indicates GPU-bound workloads. The CPU’s mid-range scores are more than sufficient for Inside’s light processing demands.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2474 out of 3716 combinations in the database. This is in the lower third of tested systems, but the absolute frame rates are far above the playable threshold, so the rank does not indicate a poor experience.

Q: What other GPUs would perform similarly to the Radeon RX 9060?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is within 0.7%, the AMD Radeon R9 370X and Radeon RX 7700 are each 1% ahead, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 2.1% behind. All would produce nearly identical results in Inside.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. The lowest recorded average is 66 FPS at 4K Ultra. The lowest recorded minimum is 95 FPS at 4K Medium, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside flawlessly at every resolution and preset tested. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, are playable at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. The best settings for each resolution are Ultra, with average frame rates of 147 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K.

The data shows no scenario where this combination fails to clear the 60 FPS mark. Even the most demanding configuration, 4K Ultra, maintains an average of 66 FPS, leaving a small but real buffer above the playable threshold. At 1440p and below, the frame rates are high enough for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors, with 1080p Medium reaching 205 FPS average and 1440p Low hitting 199 FPS.

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 pairing is a strong match for Inside, though it sits in the lower third of the database’s tested combinations. The game’s 2016 release date means it is not demanding by modern standards, and this hardware has ample headroom. For users targeting 60 FPS, this system delivers with ease. For users with 144 Hz monitors, the 1080p and 1440p results are more than sufficient. The only caveat is 4K Ultra, where the 66 FPS average is playable but leaves less room for frame time spikes. Overall, the verdict is a clear pass.