Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016, and the measured performance data for this specific CPU and GPU combination shows a system that is highly capable at lower resolutions but becomes constrained as the pixel count climbs. The Intel Core i7-14700K is a dominant desktop processor with a 94th percentile ranking across all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, sits at just the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This pairing creates an unusual dynamic where the CPU is never the limiting factor, and the GPU dictates the frame rate at every resolution tested.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database groups this processor with a tight cluster of high-end CPUs. The Intel Core i7-14700K produces an average benchmark score of 69355, which places it within 1% of several formidable alternatives. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a delta of just 0.1%, meaning the two are effectively interchangeable in synthetic workloads. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X sits at 69515, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel part, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX reaches 69875, putting it 0.7% above. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F leads this group with 69996, a 0.9% advantage. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, so any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Inside when paired with the same GPU.

The GPU side tells a very different story. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, and its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M comes in at 1460, a 1.5% deficit. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, trailing by 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% behind at 1443. These are all extremely low-end GPUs from previous generations, and the Arc B390 sits marginally above them. The data indicates that anyone expecting discrete-class performance from this integrated GPU would be disappointed, but for a lightweight 2D puzzle platformer like Inside, the GPU still manages to deliver playable results at most settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i7-14700K and the Intel Arc B390 is stark. The CPU, with 20 cores and 28 threads, a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5, is vastly overqualified for a game that released in 2016. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2569. None of the frame rate limitations observed in the measured data can be attributed to the processor.

The GPU, by contrast, is the sole bottleneck. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS. These specifications are modest for a modern graphics solution, and the 9th percentile ranking confirms that it trails the vast majority of GPUs in the database. In Inside, the frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

Evidence of this appears in the resolution scaling. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces 156 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low drops the average to 112 FPS, a 28% reduction. Stepping up to 3840x2160 at Low yields 70 FPS, another 38% decline. The CPU could handle far more frames at every step, but the GPU simply runs out of throughput as pixel count increases. The same pattern holds for Medium settings: 125 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K.

Preset scaling also points to GPU dominance. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Medium reduces the average from 156 to 125 FPS, and High drops to 78 FPS, with Ultra at 74 FPS. The CPU has no involvement in these differences; the Arc B390 is doing all the work. The conclusion is unambiguous: for this game, the GPU is the component that matters, and the CPU is essentially a bystander. The processor becomes relevant only if the user upgrades the GPU later, at which point the i7-14700K would still be far from a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 156 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum, indicating a very stable frame rate. Medium settings average 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. High settings drop to 78 FPS on average. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still hold an average of 74 FPS. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the minimum recorded frame rate at Medium, 106 FPS, is far above it.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show strain. Low settings average 112 FPS. Medium settings average 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings fall to 56 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 53 FPS. The data shows that 1440p users must stick to Low or Medium presets to maintain a smooth experience. High and Ultra are technically playable but will exhibit occasional dips below the target.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overextended. Low settings are the only playable option, averaging 70 FPS. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings drop to 35 FPS, and Ultra averages just 34 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is severe, a 37% reduction, and the difference between High and Ultra is negligible at 1 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the Arc B390 is hitting a hard architectural limit that additional settings tweaks cannot overcome.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, which provides a useful window into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range spans from 106 to 144 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 76 to 103 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range compresses further to 48 to 65 FPS. The minimum frame rates at 1440p and 4K are both below the 60 FPS threshold, which means even though the averages at 1440p Medium are high, there are moments of perceptible stutter.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside, but the experience depends entirely on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable across all four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra all clear 60 FPS. The best choice at this resolution is Ultra, which averages 74 FPS, comfortably above the threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium averaging 90 FPS as the best option. High and Ultra fall short at 56 and 53 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 70 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS, with averages of 56, 35, and 34 FPS.

The verdict data confirms these findings. The playable settings list for 3840x2160 contains only Low, with a best average of 70 FPS. For 2560x1440, the list includes Low and Medium, with Medium as the best at 90 FPS. For 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, and Ultra is the best at 74 FPS. The 60 FPS threshold is the dividing line, and the system crosses it easily at 1080p, partially at 1440p, and barely at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with maxed out settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 34 FPS, well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Even High settings only reach 35 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra settings are fully playable at 1080p, averaging 74 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The CPU is far more powerful than required. It ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the frame rate scales with resolution and settings in a way that indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What average frame rate does Medium settings produce at 2560x1440?

A: Medium settings at 1440p average 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. This is the best playable preset at this resolution.

Q: How many tested combinations does this CPU and GPU pairing rank above in Inside?

A: The combo ranks 3296 out of 3716 tested combinations, meaning it performs better than 420 other tested systems in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3296 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the lower portion of the database, which is expected given the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The rank reflects the fact that Inside is not a demanding game by modern standards, but the Arc B390 is simply not a high-performance graphics solution. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking does little to boost the overall position when the GPU is this weak. The recorded data shows that the system outperforms 420 other tested combinations, but it also trails the vast majority of systems in the database. For users comparing this build to others, the takeaway is that the GPU is the deciding factor, and the CPU is a non-issue.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best playable settings preset is Low, which averages 70 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall short, with averages of 56, 35, and 34 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, averaging 90 FPS. This is the most demanding settings level that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p, and it does so with a minimum of 76 FPS. Low averages 112 FPS and is also playable, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High at 56 FPS and Ultra at 53 FPS are not playable under the 60 FPS rule.

At 1920x1440 resolution, the best playable preset is Ultra, averaging 74 FPS. All four presets at 1080p are playable, including High at 78 FPS, Medium at 125 FPS, and Low at 156 FPS. Ultra is the recommended choice because it delivers 60 FPS playability at the highest settings level available.

These three data points define the optimal configuration for Inside with this hardware. The system is a 1080p machine first, a 1440p machine with settings compromises, and a 4K machine only at minimum settings. The Intel Core i7-14700K provides all the processing headroom anyone could want, but the Intel Arc B390 sets a hard ceiling on visual fidelity at higher resolutions. For a puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands, the experience at 1080p is excellent, and at 1440p it is still very good with the right preset. At 4K, users should expect to run Low settings and nothing more. The measured data is clear on this point, and no amount of CPU power can change the GPU's fundamental limits.