Inside

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside across all tested resolutions, according to the database measurements. The recorded data shows that this combination never drops below the 60 FPS playability threshold at any resolution or preset, making it a highly capable setup for this puzzle platformer. At 4K, the combo still manages to clear the bar with headroom to spare, while at 1080p it produces frame rates that are far beyond what the game's visual style demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). The database provides average FPS for all configurations, with min and max FPS recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 222 FPS. Moving up to Medium yields an average of 205 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. The High preset averages 148 FPS, while the Ultra preset still holds an average of 141 FPS. This means that even the most demanding settings at 1080p deliver more than double the 60 FPS threshold, with the gap between Low and Ultra being roughly 81 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 199 FPS, which is only a modest drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 170 FPS, with a min of 145 FPS and a max of 196 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 106 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain an average of 101 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in performance, but the frame rates remain far above what the game needs for smooth play.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 134 FPS. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a min of 91 FPS and a max of 123 FPS. High settings drop the average to 67 FPS, while the Ultra preset lands at an average of 64 FPS. This is the only resolution where the highest settings come close to the 60 FPS threshold, but they still clear it. The 4K results show a much steeper performance falloff compared to the lower resolutions, particularly when moving from Low to Ultra.

The min and max data recorded for the Medium preset shows that the variance between frames is relatively tight. At 1080p, the spread from min to max is 61 FPS, at 1440p it is 51 FPS, and at 4K it is 32 FPS. This suggests that the game remains stable even when frame rates fluctuate, with no signs of severe stuttering in the recorded data.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database classifies the best settings as the most demanding preset that still stays at or above 60 FPS average at a given resolution. For this combination, every preset at every resolution qualifies, so the best settings are always Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 141 FPS. This is the highest visual quality available in the game, and it runs with enormous headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Players using a 1080p display can enable every visual feature without concern.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 101 FPS. This is still well above the threshold, offering a comfortable margin for any demanding scene. The drop from the 1080p Ultra result is 40 FPS, which is noticeable but does not threaten playability.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. This is the tightest margin in the entire dataset, sitting just 4 FPS above the threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 67 FPS, which is only 3 FPS higher than Ultra, so the difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is minimal. The data shows that Ultra at 4K is technically playable, but it leaves very little room for any performance dips that might occur in complex scenes.

For players who prefer a safety margin, the High preset at 4K with its 67 FPS average would be a more conservative choice, but by the strict definition of the database, Ultra is the best settings at every resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows how the balance between CPU and GPU workload shifts as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 141 at Ultra to 222 at Low. This wide spread indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor even at this lower resolution, since changing the graphics preset has a significant impact on frame rate. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the preset changes would show much smaller differences.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 101 at Ultra to 199 at Low. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a moderate performance drop across all presets. For example, the Low preset drops from 222 to 199 FPS, a reduction of 23 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops from 141 to 101 FPS, a reduction of 40 FPS. The larger drop at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is working harder at higher quality levels, confirming its dominant role.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 64 at Ultra to 134 at Low. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is much more severe. The Low preset drops from 199 to 134 FPS, a reduction of 65 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops from 101 to 64 FPS, a reduction of 37 FPS. The steep decline at Low settings when moving to 4K shows that the GPU is being pushed hard by the pixel count alone, regardless of the quality preset.

The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, has a benchmark percentile of 47 among all CPUs, meaning it sits roughly in the middle of the pack. The data indicates that this CPU is not a limiting factor in Inside, since the frame rates scale so heavily with resolution and preset changes. The RTX 5050, on the other hand, has a percentile of 66 among all GPUs, placing it above the majority of graphics cards. The performance scaling observed in the measurements is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at every resolution tested.

The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution further illustrates this point. At 1080p, the gap is 81 FPS, at 1440p it is 98 FPS, and at 4K it is 70 FPS. The GPU is responsible for these differences, as the CPU workload from Inside, a puzzle platformer, remains constant regardless of the resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The database shows an average of 64 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains an average of 101 FPS at 2560x1440, well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1920x1080 to 64 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 77 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is from 222 to 134 FPS, a reduction of 88 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the dominant factor. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution and preset changes, while the CPU, which sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, does not appear to constrain performance in the recorded data.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 174 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 145 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 91 FPS.

Q: Does the combo ever fall below 60 FPS in the tested configurations?

A: No. Every tested combination of resolution and settings stays at or above 64 FPS average, with the lowest recorded average being 64 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 compared to the i5-9400's 2254, a difference of 0.2 percent. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4 percent difference. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4 percent higher. These CPUs are all within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400 in average benchmark score, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside when paired with the same GPU.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21153 compared to the RTX 5050's 21035, a difference of 0.6 percent. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, which is 1 percent higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6 percent lower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6 percent higher. These GPUs are all within a narrow band of the RTX 5050's average benchmark score, so swapping to any of them would result in very similar performance in this game.

A system using any of these rival CPUs alongside the RTX 5050 would show FPS figures very close to those recorded for the i5-9400. Likewise, pairing the i5-9400 with any of the rival GPUs would keep the frame rates in the same general range, given the small score deltas. The closest CPU rival is the i7-1068NG7 at 0.2 percent lower score, and the closest GPU rival is the RX Vega M GL at 0.6 percent lower score.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2703 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the lower portion of the overall rankings, around the 27th percentile of tested systems. The ranking reflects the fact that while the RTX 5050 is a strong GPU, the i5-9400 is an older mid-range CPU that holds the combo back in the broader context of all tested hardware.

Despite the middling rank, the actual gameplay experience is excellent. The game is not demanding by modern standards, and the data shows that this combo exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and settings preset. The rank of 2703 out of 3716 means that there are many faster combos in the database, but for Inside specifically, the performance is more than sufficient. The gap between this combo and higher-ranked systems would be most visible in other, more demanding games, whereas here the surplus FPS is largely irrelevant beyond ensuring smooth play.

The RTX 5050's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that the graphics card is above average, while the i5-9400's 47th percentile among CPUs is slightly below the midpoint. The combo's rank in this game reflects the interaction between these two components, with the CPU being the weaker link in the pairing. However, for a game like Inside, the recorded measurements show that this weakness does not translate into any playability issues.