Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile for Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The benchmark data, measured directly from this configuration, shows that the combination not only meets but vastly exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and preset. With the CPU sitting in the 89th percentile among all tested processors and the GPU in the 61st percentile, this system is clearly overqualified for the game's demands, yet the scaling patterns between components and settings reveal interesting nuances about where the performance ceiling actually lies.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU in this system, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, belongs to the Core Ultra Series 2 family built on Arrow Lake architecture. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it in a tight cluster of competitors, with the nearest rivals all falling within a 0.2% delta of its performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 posts an average score of 46030, which is just 0.1% lower, making it a virtually identical performer in synthetic workloads. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, sitting 0.1% higher, while the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 achieve 45970 and 45960 respectively, each trailing by only 0.2%. For gaming purposes, any of these processors would deliver indistinguishable frame rates in Inside, as the title's puzzle-platformer nature rarely stresses multi-core throughput to its limits.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, achieves an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, scores 17083, which is 0.7% lower, indicating nearly identical rasterization performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M both score 17037 and 17019 respectively, each trailing by 1% and 1.1%, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c actually edges ahead with a score of 17468, 1.5% higher. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning a system builder swapping the RTX 3070 for any of these alternatives would see no perceptible difference in Inside's frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 becomes clear when examining frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 378 FPS, which drops to 272 FPS at 2560x1440 and 171 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, suggesting that even at the lowest graphical preset, resolution scaling imposes a significant load on the GPU. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads running at a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, never becomes the bottleneck in this scenario, as evidenced by the consistently high frame rates even at 1080p where CPU overhead typically matters most.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced when examining preset scaling at a fixed resolution. At 3840x2160, moving from Low to Medium increases the average FPS from 171 to 136, a 20% performance cost, while jumping to High drops it further to 85 FPS, and Ultra settles at 81 FPS. This pattern indicates that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth handle the higher-fidelity textures and effects without catastrophic frame rate collapses, but the scaling is not linear. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top preset tier, whereas the gap between Low and Medium is a substantial 35 FPS. This implies that the GPU's shading units and texture mapping units are the limiting factor at higher presets, not memory capacity or bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers extraordinary performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 378 FPS, while Medium achieves 302 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 257 and 347 FPS respectively. High settings yield 189 FPS, and Ultra drops to 180 FPS. The variance between Medium's minimum and maximum frames spans 90 FPS, indicating some scene complexity fluctuations, but even the lowest recorded frame at 257 FPS is more than four times the 60 FPS playability threshold. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is a mere 9 FPS, suggesting that the visual upgrade to Ultra comes at a minimal performance cost at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system maintains its commanding performance. Low settings average 272 FPS, Medium achieves 217 FPS with a minimum of 185 FPS and maximum of 250 FPS, High produces 136 FPS, and Ultra delivers 129 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction: Low drops by 28%, Medium by 28%, High by 28%, and Ultra by 28%. This uniform scaling indicates that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count consistently across all presets, with no single setting becoming disproportionately more demanding at higher resolution. The 185 FPS minimum at Medium remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay even during complex puzzle sequences.

At 3840x2160, the system still comfortably exceeds playability requirements. Low settings average 171 FPS, Medium achieves 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS, High produces 85 FPS, and Ultra delivers 81 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K imposes a more significant cost: Low drops by 37%, Medium by 37%, High by 37%, and Ultra by 37%. This consistent percentage reduction across presets reinforces that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not preset complexity. Even at the most demanding combination of 4K Ultra, the 81 FPS average is 21 FPS above the playability threshold, and the system never dips below 60 FPS in any measured scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1317 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 35% of all systems evaluated. This ranking is notable given that the game is from 2016 and the hardware is contemporary, suggesting that the benchmark database includes many older, less capable systems that this configuration easily surpasses. The rank reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across all resolutions and presets, but it also indicates that there are 1316 combinations that perform better, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or newer CPU generations.

The CPU's 89th percentile standing among all processors suggests that the Ultra 5 235 is a high-end part, but its influence on Inside's performance is secondary to the GPU. The RTX 3070's 61st percentile ranking places it solidly in the mid-to-upper tier of graphics cards, and its performance in this game is clearly sufficient. The combo's rank of 1317 out of 3716, when compared to the individual component percentiles, implies that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as a stronger GPU would likely push the combo higher in the rankings despite the CPU already being well above average.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside with exceptional ease, clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. At 3840x2160, the system achieves playable frame rates across all settings, with the best performance at Ultra delivering 81 FPS on average. The 2560x1440 resolution sees the system excel further, with Ultra settings producing 129 FPS, while 1920x1080 pushes Ultra to 180 FPS. The verdict data confirms that all four settings at each resolution—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the minimum recorded frame rate across the entire test suite being 116 FPS at 4K Medium, still nearly double the 60 FPS threshold.

For players seeking the highest visual fidelity, the system supports Ultra settings at every resolution without compromise. The 81 FPS at 4K Ultra ensures a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate displays, while the 180 FPS at 1080p Ultra is ideal for competitive or high-refresh gaming. Even the most demanding scenario—4K Ultra—maintains a 21 FPS margin above the playability threshold, providing headroom for any potential frame rate dips during intense puzzle-solving sequences. This configuration is not just playable; it is overkill for Inside, delivering performance that far exceeds the requirements of this Puzzle Platformer.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 81 FPS, which is 21 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The maximum average FPS recorded is 378 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, while the highest measured single frame is 347 FPS at 1080p Medium.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 scores 46062 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375's 46030 and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX's 46098.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's performance close to the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 17208 on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, a difference of 0.7%, making them nearly identical in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: No, the lowest minimum frame rate recorded is 116 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 129 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that still maintains a high frame rate.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 81 FPS. This is the highest visual quality available, and the system maintains a comfortable margin above the playability threshold. Players can enable all graphical features without concern, as the 81 FPS average leaves 21 FPS of headroom for any scene-specific complexity spikes.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best experience, achieving 129 FPS on average. This represents a 48 FPS improvement over the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating that the GPU has ample resources at this resolution to handle the most demanding preset while maintaining a very high frame rate. The 129 FPS average is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring buttery-smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings produce 180 FPS on average, which is the highest frame rate achievable with maximum visual fidelity. This combination of resolution and preset is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, as the 180 FPS average is three times the playability threshold. The system's performance at 1080p Ultra indicates that the CPU and GPU pairing has significant headroom, capable of driving displays with refresh rates up to 180 Hz without dropping below the playable threshold.