Inside

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. Measured data shows this combination produces frame rates far exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold at every tested resolution and preset, positioning it as a top-tier configuration for this title. The benchmark results indicate a system with massive headroom, capable of running the game at maximum settings with frame rates well above display refresh rates for most monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo delivers a wide range of performance depending on the preset. The Low preset achieves an average of 300 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 240 FPS with a minimum of 204 FPS and a maximum of 276 FPS. Moving to High, the average drops to 150 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still maintains an average of 143 FPS. The data shows a clear scaling pattern where each step up in visual fidelity costs a significant portion of the frame rate, yet even the heaviest settings leave the system far from struggling.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance scales up substantially. The Low preset reaches an average of 355 FPS, and Medium climbs to 328 FPS with a minimum of 279 FPS and a maximum of 377 FPS. High settings produce an average of 239 FPS, while Ultra delivers 228 FPS. The jump from 4K to 1440p yields roughly a 50-60% increase in average frame rates across presets, showing the GPU has ample resources to handle lower pixel counts with ease.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results become almost academic in their extremity. Low settings average 396 FPS, Medium averages 366 FPS with a minimum of 311 FPS and a maximum of 421 FPS, and High reaches 305 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages an average of 300 FPS. The consistency across presets at 1080p is notable; the difference between Low and Ultra is only about 96 FPS, indicating that at this resolution, the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance.

The only preset with full min/max data is Medium across all resolutions, showing the frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the spread between min and max is 72 FPS; at 1440p it is 98 FPS; at 1080p it is 110 FPS. This widening spread at lower resolutions suggests the system is hitting CPU-related bottlenecks, where frame times become less uniform despite higher averages.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a shifting balance between CPU and GPU influence depending on resolution. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the primary driver of performance. The scaling from Low (300 FPS) to Ultra (143 FPS) shows a 157 FPS drop, a 52% reduction, as the rendering load increases. This steep decline indicates the RTX 5090 is working hard to fill the 8.3 million pixels at 3840x2160, and its raw throughput dictates the frame rate.

At 1440p, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU begins to assert itself. The gap between Low (355 FPS) and Ultra (228 FPS) narrows to 127 FPS, a 36% reduction. The absolute numbers are higher, but the relative penalty for enabling Ultra settings is smaller, suggesting the CPU is starting to cap the maximum achievable frame rate. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, has enough processing power to feed the GPU at these rates, but the ceiling is approaching.

At 1080p, the CPU becomes the limiting factor. The difference between Low (396 FPS) and Ultra (300 FPS) is only 96 FPS, a 24% reduction. This compression of the performance envelope shows that the GPU is no longer the bottleneck; the CPU’s single-thread and multi-thread capabilities are what prevent the system from exceeding roughly 400 FPS. The i7-13700K’s benchmarks, such as a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4333, are strong, but they establish a ceiling that the RTX 5090 cannot push past at this resolution.

The Medium preset data reinforces this analysis. At 4K, the min FPS of 204 is 85% of the average, showing GPU-bound stability. At 1440p, the min of 279 is 85% of the average as well, but at 1080p, the min of 311 is also 85% of the average. The consistency of this ratio indicates that the frame pacing is stable, but the absolute values show that the CPU’s role grows as pixel count shrinks.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 143 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, leaving substantial headroom for any scene complexity that might cause temporary dips. The data shows that even the most demanding settings at 4K cannot bring this system below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also wins, with an average of 228 FPS. This is nearly four times the playable threshold, providing a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. The gap between High (239 FPS) and Ultra (228 FPS) is only 11 FPS, making the visual upgrade essentially free in terms of playability.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is again the top pick, averaging 300 FPS. This exactly matches the 4K Low preset’s average, showing that the system can deliver the same frame rate at 1080p Ultra as it does at 4K Low. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, this configuration offers maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing performance.

The verdict data confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution tested. The best settings, as defined by the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, are always Ultra, with the lowest average being 143 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 143 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset also works at 150 FPS, and even Medium at 240 FPS is far beyond playable.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 355 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 228 FPS. This represents a 127 FPS difference, or a 36% reduction in performance when enabling maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1920x1080. The frame rate spread between Low (396 FPS) and Ultra (300 FPS) is only 96 FPS, which is narrower than at higher resolutions, suggesting the Intel Core i7-13700K caps the maximum output.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame times?

A: For the Medium preset, the data shows a minimum of 204 FPS at 4K, 279 FPS at 1440p, and 311 FPS at 1080p. The min-to-average ratio is approximately 85% across all resolutions, indicating stable frame pacing without severe stutters.

Q: How does the RTX 5090’s performance compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a deltaPct of 0.3%, the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 0.6%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 1.1%. These deltas are small, meaning those GPUs would likely produce similar frame rates, though no direct game-specific data is provided.

Q: What is the playable threshold and how far above it does this combo sit?

A: The playable threshold is 60 FPS. At the worst-case tested setting (4K Ultra), the system delivers 143 FPS, which is 83 FPS above the threshold. At 1080p Ultra, it delivers 300 FPS, which is 240 FPS above the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. The nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 with an average score of 46971 and a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning it is essentially identical in performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, a -0.3% delta, also effectively equal. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score around 46654, a 0.5% delta, indicating they are marginally slower. Any of these CPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Inside, given the game’s low CPU demands at 4K and moderate demands at 1080p.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a score of 79605 (0.3% delta), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.1% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, a -1.4% delta, meaning it is slightly faster in synthetic tests. In Inside, these GPUs would all deliver frame rates in the same broad range, though the RTX 5090’s lead over the RX 6850M XT would translate to roughly 1-2% higher FPS at 4K.

The practical implication is that this combo is not unique in its performance class. Builders with a Ryzen 9 5900 or a Tesla P100 would see nearly identical frame rates in this puzzle platformer, making the specific choice of CPU and GPU less critical for Inside than for more demanding titles.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 70th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 2% of all configurations in the database. The high rank is driven primarily by the GPU’s raw power, as the RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 89th percentile. The combination of two top-tier components ensures that this system outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, with only 69 combos achieving higher frame rates.

The rank of 70 out of 3716 is notable because it shows that while this is a flagship setup, it is not the absolute best. Combos with newer or more specialized hardware, such as those with higher multi-threaded CPU scores or faster GPUs, occupy the top 69 positions. For Inside, however, the difference between rank 70 and rank 1 is likely small in absolute FPS terms, given that the game is not particularly demanding and the system already delivers 143 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The percentile data supports this interpretation. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 89 and the GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus of 92 indicate that both components are in the top 8-11% of their respective categories. The combo rank of 70 out of 3716 (top 1.9%) is slightly better than either individual percentile, suggesting that the pairing is well balanced for this particular workload.

The Verdict

This PC runs Inside flawlessly at every resolution and preset tested. The verdict data confirms that all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The best settings at each resolution are always Ultra, with average frame rates of 143 FPS at 4K, 228 FPS at 1440p, and 300 FPS at 1080p.

The 60 FPS playable threshold is cleared by a wide margin in every scenario. Even the most demanding configuration, 4K Ultra, delivers more than double the required frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces five times the threshold, making it suitable for 240Hz or even 300Hz displays. The data shows no scenario where this combo would dip below 60 FPS, and the minimum recorded frame rate across all tests is 204 FPS at 4K Medium.

For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which emphasizes atmospheric visuals and precise timing, this hardware provides an experience that is both visually pristine and technically flawless. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads handle the game’s logic and physics without breaking a sweat, while the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth render the dark, moody environments at maximum quality with enormous headroom. This is a system that will not be challenged by Inside now or in any foreseeable update.