Inside

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 70,879 places it within 1.3% of four nearby processors. The closest match is the Intel Xeon 6511P, which scores 71,051, a mere 0.2% higher. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 trails by 0.7% with a score of 71,370, while the Intel Core i7-14700KF comes in 1% lower at 70,163. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F rounds out the group at 69,996, a 1.3% deficit. For Inside, a puzzle platformer with modest CPU demands, any of these processors would deliver functionally identical frame pacing; the differences are well within measurement noise.

On the graphics side, the Intel Arc B390 is an outlier in the database. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 puts it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and the nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, just 1.3% behind. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% off at 1,460, the GeForce GT 625 OEM sits at 1,446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 trails by 2.7% with a score of 1,443. These are all entry-level or older discrete parts, and the Arc B390 edges past them. For a game like Inside, which relies on 2D rendering with limited 3D geometry, this class of GPU performance is sufficient, but users migrating from any of these rivals should expect broadly similar frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3,296 out of 3,716 tested combinations in Inside. That places this pairing in the bottom 11.3% of all systems in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's severe bottleneck: the CPU is in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. This is a profoundly imbalanced pairing for most workloads, but Inside's lightweight rendering demands mean the combo still clears playable thresholds at lower settings.

The rank of 3,296 is not a verdict on the game's playability, but rather a measure of raw performance headroom. Most combinations above this rank pair stronger graphics hardware with similar or weaker CPUs. For Inside specifically, the game's 2016 origins and stylized visuals mean that even this low-ranked combo can produce smooth framerates, provided the resolution and preset are chosen carefully. At 1080p, the system reaches 74 FPS on Ultra, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold used throughout the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a steep drop-off as settings increase. Low settings produce an average of 70 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings drop to 35 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 34 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 14 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS, indicating a non-linear cost to quality scaling.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves substantially. Low settings average 112 FPS, Medium averages 90 FPS with a range of 76 to 103 FPS, High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra averages 53 FPS. The Medium preset shows the only complete min/max data at this resolution, with a 27 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The step from Medium to High costs 34 FPS, which is the largest single-preset drop at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable. Low settings average 156 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS with a range of 106 to 144 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The Medium preset again provides the only full min/max data, showing a 38 FPS spread. The transition from Medium to High costs 47 FPS, while High to Ultra costs only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 60 FPS on any settings at 4K?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 70, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium settings fall below at 56 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this combo?

A: The best preset at 2560x1440 is Medium, which averages 90 FPS. Higher presets drop below 60 FPS: High averages 56 FPS and Ultra averages 53 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080. At 1080p, Ultra averages 74 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 53 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 34 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost between 1080p and 4K on the same preset?

A: At Low settings, the drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is from 156 FPS to 70 FPS, a 86 FPS reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 78 FPS to 35 FPS, a 43 FPS reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 125 FPS to 56 FPS, a 69 FPS reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 74 FPS to 34 FPS, a 40 FPS reduction.

Q: Which component is limiting performance in this system for Inside?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 7 265K ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets follows GPU-bound behavior, with large drops when pixel count and settings increase.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS in all presets at 1080p?

A: Yes. All four presets at 1920x1080 average above 60 FPS: Low at 156, Medium at 125, High at 78, and Ultra at 74. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 106 FPS, which is still well above the threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor in this pairing. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is an exceptionally strong processor, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a single-core score of 2,020. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 58,594 places it in the top 6% of all CPUs. For Inside, a game that primarily stresses single-threaded logic and simple physics, the CPU has enormous headroom. The game's release in 2016 predates the multi-thread scaling common in modern titles, so the 20 cores and 20 threads of the 265K are largely idle during gameplay.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is the limiting factor. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482 and 9th percentile ranking indicate very modest rasterization capabilities. The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for Inside's 2D sprite-based rendering, but the scaling between resolutions exposes the GPU's limits. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 156 to 112 (a 28% drop), and from 1440p to 4K reduces it from 112 to 70 (a 38% drop). This pattern is consistent with pixel fill-rate limits rather than CPU constraints.

The settings scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 82 FPS (from 156 to 74), a 53% reduction. At 4K, the same preset change costs 36 FPS (from 70 to 34), a 51% reduction. The proportional consistency suggests the GPU is the binding constraint at every resolution. The CPU's role is to feed frames quickly, and with a PassMark single-thread score of 4,928, it does so without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues. The recorded minimum FPS values, where available, show no catastrophic drops: the worst minimum is 48 FPS at 4K Medium, which is close to the average of 56 FPS for that preset.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 70 FPS. Medium falls to 56 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum, missing the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra are not viable, averaging 35 and 34 FPS respectively. For 4K users, Low settings are the recommended choice, and the 70 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, averaging 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. Low also qualifies at 112 FPS, but Medium offers substantially better visual quality while still maintaining a 30 FPS buffer over the threshold. High and Ultra both miss the target at 56 and 53 FPS respectively.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, and the best preset is Ultra at 74 FPS average. This is the only resolution where the system can run the game at maximum settings while staying above 60 FPS. The 74 FPS average leaves a 14 FPS margin, which is adequate for a puzzle platformer where frame pacing is less critical than in fast-paced action titles. For users prioritizing smoothness over visuals, Medium at 125 FPS or Low at 156 FPS are also available, but the database's verdict selects Ultra as the best settings preset at this resolution.