Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer with modest rendering demands. Measured data shows the pairing never dips below 81 FPS on average, even at 4K with the highest preset, making it a thoroughly overpowered setup for this title. The benchmark results are consistent across all resolutions, with the only frame-time variance appearing in Medium settings, where minimum and maximum FPS values were recorded.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces triple-digit averages across every preset. Low settings yield 378 FPS on average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 302 FPS, with a minimum of 257 FPS and a maximum of 347 FPS. High settings drop to 189 FPS, while Ultra settles at 180 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial — roughly a 2.1x difference — but even the most demanding preset at 1080p remains far above any display refresh rate concern.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern holds with a predictable scaling penalty. Low settings average 272 FPS, Medium averages 217 FPS with a recorded range of 185 FPS minimum to 250 FPS maximum. High settings produce 136 FPS, and Ultra delivers 129 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 28-30% of the average frame rate at each preset, which is a moderate penalty typical of a GPU-bound workload at these high output levels.

At 3840x2160, the combo remains firmly playable but shows the largest relative drop. Low settings still average 171 FPS. Medium averages 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS. High settings produce 85 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the weakest measured point in the dataset, yet it still clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a significant margin. The scaling from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 37-40% of the average frame rate, indicating that pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth begin to matter more at this resolution.

Notably, the Medium preset is the only configuration where min/max FPS data was captured. At 1080p Medium, the frame time spread is 257 to 347 FPS, a 90 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 185 to 250 FPS, a 65 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the spread tightens further to 116 to 157 FPS, a 41 FPS range. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame pacing becomes more consistent, likely because the GPU becomes the limiting factor and reduces CPU-side variability.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1317 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. That places it in the top 35.4% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing for a game that is not particularly demanding. The percentile data supports this: the CPU sits at the 85th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 61st percentile against all GPUs.

The ranking indicates that the combo outperforms roughly two-thirds of the tested systems for this specific game. However, the rank is not near the top of the list, which reflects the fact that many higher-end GPUs and newer CPUs can produce even more extreme frame rates in a game this lightweight. The RTX 3070's 61st percentile GPU standing is the limiting factor here; several faster cards exist that would push the combo higher in the rankings. Still, for practical purposes, the measured FPS data shows the combo is far beyond what Inside requires for smooth gameplay.

The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles is notable. The Core Ultra 5 225 is a much stronger component relative to its peers than the RTX 3070 is relative to its own peers. This imbalance suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing, which is consistent with the resolution scaling observed in the FPS data.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across the three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary driver of the extreme frame rates. The jump from Low (378 FPS) to Ultra (180 FPS) is a 52% reduction, which is a larger percentage drop than at higher resolutions. This indicates that at 1080p, the game's rendering load is light enough that the CPU's instruction throughput and cache performance dictate the ceiling.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is 53%, which is similar to 1080p, but the absolute FPS values are lower across the board. The GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth start to constrain the frame rate, as evidenced by the 28-30% scaling penalty when moving from 1080p to 1440p at each preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The scaling penalty from 1440p to 4K is 37-40%, which is steeper than the 1080p-to-1440p penalty. The Ultra preset at 4K (81 FPS) is the closest the combo comes to any performance concern, and the 171 FPS Low result still shows the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 225 has sufficient headroom to support the RTX 3070 even at 4K, but the GPU's compute and memory subsystems become the binding constraint.

The Medium preset data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Medium, the min/max spread of 257-347 FPS shows the CPU can push frames rapidly, but the GPU cannot always keep up. At 4K Medium, the spread of 116-157 FPS is tighter because the GPU is consistently the bottleneck, smoothing out frame delivery. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads are more than adequate for Inside, which is a light-threaded game, so the single-core performance is what matters most.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with the Ultra preset?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 81 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 21 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this hardware?

A: The highest measured average is 378 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 302 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 272 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU limit performance more in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary factor, as shown by the 52% drop from Low to Ultra. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with a 37-40% scaling penalty from 1440p and a tighter min/max spread on Medium settings.

Q: Is there any preset where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. The lowest measured average is 81 FPS at 4K Ultra. The playable settings list includes High, Low, Medium, and Ultra at every resolution, meaning all tested configurations stay above 60 FPS.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?*

A: It ranks 1317 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 35.4% of the database. The CPU is at the 85th percentile, while the GPU is at the 61st percentile.

Q: What is the frame pacing like at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The min/max spread narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p Medium, the range is 257-347 FPS (90 FPS spread). At 1440p Medium, it is 185-250 FPS (65 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, it is 116-157 FPS (41 FPS spread), indicating more consistent frame delivery at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are closely matched. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores an average of 36945, which is identical to the Core Ultra 5 225's 36938 average (0% delta). The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018, just 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093, 0.4% higher. The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112, 0.5% higher. All four rivals would deliver virtually identical CPU-bound performance in Inside, meaning any of them paired with the RTX 3070 would produce nearly the same measured FPS at 1080p.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals show a similar tight grouping. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3070's 17208 average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, 1% lower. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, 1.1% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, 1.5% higher. None of these GPUs would change the playability verdict for Inside — all would remain above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, though the exact average FPS would shift by roughly one to two percent. The RX 7600 XT is the most practical alternative, as it is a modern card with similar performance.

For a system builder, swapping the Core Ultra 5 225 for any of its CPU rivals would not change the ranking meaningfully. Similarly, swapping the RTX 3070 for an RX 7600 XT would produce nearly identical frame rates. The data indicates that this game is so undemanding that any of these near-identical components would deliver an equivalent experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 180 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the dataset, and it delivers triple the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 129 FPS. This is 69 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, providing substantial headroom for any display with a high refresh rate.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the optimal preset, averaging 81 FPS. This exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 21 FPS, which is sufficient for a smooth experience on a standard 60 Hz 4K display. The High preset at 4K averages 85 FPS, which is only 4 FPS higher than Ultra, so the quality gain from stepping down to High is marginal. The verdict data lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable at all three resolutions, confirming that no setting combination falls below the playable threshold. For 4K, Ultra is the recommended choice because the 81 FPS average provides both visual fidelity and comfortable frame pacing, with no meaningful risk of dropping below 60 FPS based on the measured data.