Inside

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers overwhelming performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far from demanding by modern standards. Measured data shows the combo never dips below 145.4 FPS average even at 4K with Ultra settings, making it a textbook case of extreme hardware headroom. The benchmark results are clear: this system obliterates the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested, with the lowest recorded average still more than double the target. Below, the FPS breakdown is detailed across resolutions and settings, followed by an analysis of component roles, ranking position, and practical guidance for maximizing visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces staggeringly high frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS hits 430.4, the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings deliver 399.1 FPS, High settings yield 329.6 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain an average of 321 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 109.4 FPS, indicating that even the most demanding preset at this resolution leaves massive performance on the table. No minimum or maximum FPS values are provided, so the analysis relies solely on averages.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain exceptionally high but show a noticeable drop compared to 1080p. Low settings average 385.9 FPS, Medium settings average 354.2 FPS, High settings average 242.8 FPS, and Ultra settings average 227.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 158.4 FPS, which is wider than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU begins to flex its muscles more as pixel count increases. Still, every setting stays far above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens further. Low settings average 301.9 FPS, Medium settings average 243.8 FPS, High settings average 151.2 FPS, and Ultra settings average 145.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 156.5 FPS, nearly identical to the 1440p spread. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 145.4, which is more than double the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The data shows that resolution scaling is substantial: 4K Ultra is 224.6 FPS slower than 1080p Ultra, a 69.9% reduction, yet the absolute performance remains overwhelming.

The verdict data confirms that all four settings at each resolution are playable. At 3840x2160, the playable settings list includes High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with Ultra selected as the best setting at 145.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same four settings are playable, with Ultra at 227.5 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best setting at 321 FPS. There are no min or max FPS values in the dataset, so the analysis cannot assess frame-time consistency or 1% lows, but the average figures alone suggest no playability concerns whatsoever.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component importance as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU likely plays a more significant role, but the i9-14900K's capabilities are so extensive that it never becomes a bottleneck. The evidence for this is the relatively modest FPS drop between presets at 1080p: from Low to Ultra, the average falls by 109.4 FPS, which is a 25.4% reduction. This suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower pixel counts, and the CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with a 6.00 GHz boost clock, are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 5090.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The FPS difference between Low and Ultra grows to 158.4 FPS, a 41.1% reduction from Low to Ultra. This wider spread indicates that the graphics card is now more heavily utilized, as the increased pixel count puts greater stress on the 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 21760 shading units. The CPU remains capable, but the scaling suggests the RTX 5090 is the primary driver of performance differences between presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominance is unmistakable. The drop from Low to Ultra is 156.5 FPS, a 51.8% reduction. Comparing across resolutions, 4K Ultra produces 145.4 FPS versus 227.5 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 321 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This 175.6 FPS gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra demonstrates that the RTX 5090's rendering workload scales significantly with resolution, while the i9-14900K's role diminishes. In a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry, the GPU is the clear limiting factor at higher resolutions, but neither component ever approaches a bottleneck that threatens playability.

The benchmark results indicate that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound in the sense that the GPU has spare capacity, but the i9-14900K's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5) and multi-core might (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5) ensure it stays ahead of the GPU's demands. At 4K, the RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance becomes the dominant factor, and the FPS scaling between resolutions confirms this interpretation.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 21st out of 3716 tested combos in Inside according to the comboRankInGame field. This places it in the top 0.6% of all tested configurations, an elite position that underscores the hardware's capability. The percentileVsAllCpus for the CPU is 95, meaning it outperforms 95% of all CPUs in the database, while the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 92, indicating it beats 92% of all GPUs. The combination of a top-5% CPU and top-8% GPU yields a top-0.6% gaming result, which is consistent with the measured FPS data.

The rank of 21 out of 3716 is notable because it suggests that only 20 other combinations achieve higher average FPS in this game. Given that Inside is an older title with modest graphical demands, the ranking is likely driven by raw CPU and GPU horsepower rather than any specific optimization. The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, and the measured FPS at every resolution and setting confirms that it is among the fastest configurations in the database. The gap between this combo and the 20th-ranked system is not specified, but the percentile figures provide context: the CPU's 95th percentile and GPU's 92nd percentile combine to produce a result that is far above the median.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average FPS of 145.4 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution field confirms Ultra is the best setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded across all tests?

A: The highest average FPS is 430.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak figure in the dataset, with no other resolution or preset combination exceeding it.

Q: Is there any resolution where the system fails to hit 60 FPS?

A: No. All twelve tested combinations (four settings at three resolutions) produce average FPS figures above 145.4. The lowest average is 145.4 at 4K Ultra, which is still more than double the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, scores 79371, which is 0.3% higher. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, which is 1.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, which is 0.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, which is 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: According to the verdict data, Ultra is the best setting at 2560x1440, producing an average FPS of 227.5. All four settings are playable, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality without sacrificing performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores are all within a narrow performance band. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, which is 0.3% higher than the i9-14900K's 79097, making it a near-identical alternative. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, a 0.6% advantage, while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, a 1.2% lead. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower. In practical terms, all four rivals would produce statistically indistinguishable frame rates in Inside, as the game is not heavily CPU-dependent at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show more variance. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, which is 0.3% lower than the RTX 5090's 79842, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, a 0.6% deficit. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, a 1.1% gap, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher. These alternatives would likely produce similar FPS in Inside, though the RTX 5090's 32 GB memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide a theoretical advantage that is irrelevant for this game's modest requirements. The deltaPct values indicate that no rival deviates more than 1.4% from the RTX 5090's average score, so any of these GPUs paired with a comparable CPU would deliver essentially the same user experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, which delivers an average FPS of 321. All four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, but Ultra provides the maximum visual quality with no playability risk. The data shows that even at Ultra, the system has 261 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average FPS of 227.5. The verdict data lists all four settings as playable, and Ultra is the recommended choice. The 167.5 FPS of headroom above 60 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in the most visually complex scenes.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is Ultra as well, with an average FPS of 145.4. This is the lowest average across all best settings, but it still provides 85.4 FPS of headroom above the playable threshold. High settings at 4K produce 151.2 FPS, which is slightly higher, but Ultra's 145.4 FPS is still far above the minimum requirement. The verdict field explicitly designates Ultra as the best setting at 4K, confirming that the system has sufficient power to run the game at maximum visual fidelity without compromising frame rates.