Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding than its genre might suggest. Benchmark data shows this combination produces triple-digit frame rates at every tested resolution and preset, with the lowest average being 143 FPS at 4K Ultra. This places the system in the 45th position out of 3,716 tested combos for this game, which represents a top-tier result given the enormous pool of hardware configurations. The RTX 5090, which ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, appears to be the dominant force here, though the Core Ultra 5 235's 89th percentile standing among CPUs ensures no bottleneck at the tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system operates at such high frame rates that the display refresh rate is likely the limiting factor. The Low preset averages 413 FPS, while Medium delivers 381 FPS with a minimum of 324 and a maximum of 439. High settings average 318 FPS, and Ultra runs at 313 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 100 FPS, which is substantial in absolute terms but represents only a 24% drop from the fastest setting. This suggests that even the most demanding preset at 1080p leaves considerable headroom, and the game's visual complexity at this resolution does not meaningfully stress the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory or 1.79 TB/s bandwidth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly but remains overwhelming. Low averages 370 FPS, Medium 342 FPS (minimum 291, maximum 393), High 239 FPS, and Ultra 228 FPS. The step from Medium to High is the largest single drop at 103 FPS, indicating that High preset introduces effects that significantly increase rendering cost. The 1440p Ultra result of 228 FPS is still nearly four times the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning users can max out settings without concern. The data shows a 142 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution, slightly larger in absolute terms than at 1080p but proportionally similar.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens considerably. Low settings average 300 FPS, Medium 240 FPS (minimum 204, maximum 276), High 150 FPS, and Ultra 143 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 60 FPS, while Medium to High costs 90 FPS — a much larger penalty than at lower resolutions. This indicates that 4K resolution amplifies the cost of High and Ultra presets, likely due to increased pixel shading and texture bandwidth demands. Even so, the Ultra average of 143 FPS is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, and the minimum FPS at Medium (204) is still far above playability. The highest recorded maximum across all tests is 439 FPS at 1080p Medium, while the lowest minimum is 204 FPS at 4K Medium, showing that frame pacing remains consistent even under load.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark performance are remarkably close in aggregate score. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46,030, just 0.1% below the Core Ultra 5 235's 46,062 average. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46,098, a 0.1% edge over the Ultra 5. The AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 score 45,970 and 45,960 respectively, both 0.2% behind. These deltas are within measurement noise, meaning any of these processors would likely produce identical FPS in Inside given the same GPU. The practical takeaway is that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game; a system builder choosing between these chips should focus on other factors like platform features or power efficiency.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are less obvious. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 in average benchmarks, 0.3% above the RTX 5090's 79,842. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, a 0.6% deficit. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, trailing by 1.1%, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, leading by 1.4%. These are workstation and mobile parts that would not typically be compared to a flagship consumer card, but their benchmark proximity suggests that Inside's rendering workload is not particularly sensitive to the architectural advantages of Blackwell 2.0. The RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is immense, but this game appears to cap out well before that ceiling.

It is worth remembering the nearest rivals are not gaming cards in the traditional sense. The Tesla P100 is a datacenter accelerator, and the RX 6850M XT is a laptop GPU. This implies that for Inside, any modern mid-range or high-end discrete GPU with adequate VRAM will deliver similar frame rates, and the RTX 5090's massive memory and compute resources are underutilized. The 0.3% to 1.4% deltas among these rivals are far smaller than the differences seen in more demanding titles, reinforcing that Inside is a lightweight workload for contemporary hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals which component dominates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 413 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability for this game. When resolution jumps to 1440p Low, FPS drops to 370 — an 11% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 300, a 19% further drop. This pattern indicates that the GPU is increasingly burdened as pixel count rises, but the CPU remains capable of feeding it. The Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 14 threads, running at up to 5.00 GHz boost, provide ample single-thread performance for a game that likely uses only a few cores.

Preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 24% (413 to 313). At 1440p, the reduction is 38% (370 to 228). At 4K, it is 52% (300 to 143). The widening gap shows that GPU load grows superlinearly with both resolution and preset complexity. The RTX 5090's 32 GB memory buffer and 512-bit bus are designed for 4K gaming, yet even at Ultra 4K, the card is not saturated — the 143 FPS average suggests there is still headroom. The CPU's role is more prominent at lower resolutions; at 1080p Low, the 413 FPS figure is likely constrained by the Core Ultra 5 235's ability to issue draw calls and update game logic, not by the GPU's rendering throughput.

The data implies that for Inside, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck only at 4K Ultra, and even then, it is not a hard limit. The CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p, but since it delivers 228+ FPS at those resolutions, this is irrelevant in practice. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile ranking versus the CPU's 89th percentile suggests they are well matched for this title, with neither component drastically outpacing the other in a way that would cause stuttering or frame drops. The measured minimum FPS values, which only exist for Medium presets, show 204 FPS at 4K, 291 at 1440p, and 324 at 1080p — all far above the playable threshold, indicating consistent frame delivery without major hitches.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside at every resolution and preset combination tested, with all results clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High (150 FPS), Low (300 FPS), Medium (240 FPS), and Ultra (143 FPS). The best settings at this resolution are Ultra, which averages 143 FPS — more than double the 60 FPS target. At 2560x1440, all presets are playable, and Ultra runs at 228 FPS. The 1920x1080 resolution sees Ultra at 313 FPS, meaning even the most demanding settings leave massive headroom.

The verdict is unambiguous: this system is overkill for Inside. The lowest recorded average across all tests is 143 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum is 204 FPS at 4K Medium. Users seeking a locked 60 FPS experience can enable any preset at any resolution without concern. For those with high-refresh-rate displays, the system can drive 240 Hz at 1440p with High settings (239 FPS) or 300 FPS at 4K with Low settings. The only potential limitation is the CPU at 1080p Low, where 413 FPS suggests a ceiling, but that is far beyond any practical display refresh rate. Based on the data, this combination delivers a flawless experience in Inside, with no settings combination dropping below 143 FPS average.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 143 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four tested settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are listed as playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest frame rate recorded in the benchmark data?

A: The maximum FPS recorded is 439, achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The next highest is 413 FPS at 1080p Low, and the lowest maximum is 276 FPS at 4K Medium.

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

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 is within 1.4% of its closest rivals. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959 (1.4% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.1% lower).

Q: Does the CPU or GPU matter more for this game?

A: The GPU becomes more important at higher resolutions and presets. At 4K Ultra, FPS drops to 143 from 300 at 4K Low, showing a 52% reduction. At 1080p, the drop is only 24%, indicating the CPU is more involved at lower resolutions, but both components deliver far more than needed.

Q: Is a 60 FPS experience achievable at all tested settings?

A: Yes. Every resolution and preset combination in the measured data exceeds 60 FPS. The lowest average is 143 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum is 204 FPS at 4K Medium, so there is no scenario where the game drops below playable frame rates.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Inside?*

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + RTX 5090 combination ranks 45th out of 3,716 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top 1.2% of all configurations, indicating exceptional performance relative to the broader pool.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 143 FPS. This is the best visual quality available, and it still runs at more than double the playable threshold. Lower presets offer higher frame rates — High averages 150 FPS, Medium 240 FPS, and Low 300 FPS — but Ultra provides the highest fidelity without sacrificing playability. The minimum FPS at Medium is 204, so even if frame drops occur, they remain far above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 228 FPS. This is a 38% reduction from Low's 370 FPS, but the absolute performance is so high that the tradeoff for maximum visual quality is negligible. The minimum FPS at Medium is 291, meaning even the most demanding preset will not dip below 200 FPS in practice. Users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors can enable Ultra and still have frame rate headroom.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 313 FPS, making it the definitive best setting. The difference between Low (413 FPS) and Ultra (313 FPS) is 100 FPS, but both are far beyond any current display's refresh rate. The maximum FPS recorded at Medium is 439, which is the highest in the entire dataset. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, Low or Medium might be chosen, but for visual quality, Ultra is the clear recommendation at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 45th out of 3,716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 1.2% of all configurations in the database, which is an exceptional result given the large pool of hardware. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs contribute to this high placement. The aggregate benchmark score of 46,062 for the CPU and 79,842 for the GPU suggest that neither component is a weak link.

The rank of 45 is notable because it is not the absolute top, despite the RTX 5090 being the flagship consumer GPU. This implies that some combos achieve higher performance in Inside, likely due to CPUs with higher single-thread performance or systems with faster memory. However, the difference between rank 45 and rank 1 is unlikely to be perceptible, as the minimum FPS at any setting is 204. The data shows that this combo delivers a consistent, high-frame-rate experience that would be indistinguishable from the top-ranked systems in real-world gameplay. For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer rather than a competitive shooter, this level of performance is far beyond what is necessary for an excellent experience.