Inside

Inside is a restrained, side-scrolling puzzle platformer, but its minimalist art style hides a rendering workload that can scale dramatically with resolution and quality settings. For the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, the measured data presents a picture of overwhelming performance. The benchmark results show this pairing not merely clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold, but doing so with considerable headroom at every tested configuration. This analysis examines the measured frame rates, the balance between CPU and GPU workload, and what the numbers indicate for a prospective player.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination holds the 342nd position out of 3,716 tested combos for Inside. This rank places it comfortably within the top 10% of all tested configurations, a strong showing for a game that is not typically considered a hardware stress test. The percentile data supports this positioning: the CPU sits at the 96th percentile against all tested processors, while the GPU ranks at the 82nd percentile among all tested graphics cards. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in a system that is well above average for this title.

Looking at the CPU’s direct rivals provides context for its benchmark standing. The Intel Xeon 6520P posts an average score of 93,786, which is functionally identical to the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus’s 93,785 average benchmark score, resulting in a deltaPct of 0. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% ahead, the AMD EPYC 9175F is 1.9% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 4565P is 2.1% ahead. These deltas are marginal, indicating that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is competing in a very tight performance band for its overall benchmark average. For the GPU, the nearest rivals show similarly small gaps. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 0.1% ahead, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is 0.8% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 trails by 1.2% and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2%. These figures indicate that the RTX 5070’s average benchmark score of 40,377 is squarely within a cluster of professional and mobile workstation GPUs.

The rank of 342 out of 3,716 is more meaningful when considering the game’s nature. Inside is a 2D side-scroller with limited draw distance and no sprawling open world, so the absolute performance ceiling is far lower than for a modern 3D AAA title. The data shows that this combo is not merely playable; it is excessively powerful for the task. The gap between this system and the 60 FPS threshold is so large that the limiting factor is likely the game’s own frame rate cap, not the hardware’s capability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 106 FPS. This is a significant finding, as it means the system can run the game with every graphical option at its maximum setting at 4K resolution while still maintaining a frame rate that is 76% higher than the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at this resolution averages 111 FPS, while Medium averages 177 FPS and Low averages 222 FPS. All four presets clear the threshold, but Ultra represents the best visual quality available.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Ultra is the best settings choice, producing an average of 168 FPS. The High preset reaches 176 FPS, Medium reaches 282 FPS, and Low reaches 353 FPS. The jump from 4K to 1440p results in a substantial increase in frame rates across all presets, with Ultra improving from 106 FPS to 168 FPS, an increase of roughly 58%. This suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, and lowering the resolution to 1440p alleviates that pressure.

At 1920x1080, the system’s performance becomes almost absurdly high. Ultra presets average 234 FPS, High averages 245 FPS, Medium averages 392 FPS, and Low averages 456 FPS. Even the most demanding preset at 1080p produces frame rates that are nearly four times the playable threshold. The data indicates that at this resolution, the system is so far beyond the requirements of Inside that any preset can be selected without concern for performance. The best settings per resolution are therefore Ultra across the board, with the caveat that the visual difference between presets may be minimal for a game with such a distinctive, low-poly art style.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU in this game. At 3840x2160, the frame rate drops from 222 FPS on Low to 106 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 116 FPS or approximately 52%. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is heavily utilized at 4K, with the higher preset settings increasing the pixel shading and memory bandwidth demands. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is being taxed, though clearly not overwhelmed, as the minimum frame rate at Medium settings is 151 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the scaling is similar but less severe. Low settings average 353 FPS, while Ultra averages 168 FPS, a reduction of 185 FPS or approximately 52%. The consistency of this percentage drop across 4K and 1440p suggests that the GPU’s workload scales linearly with resolution and preset complexity. However, the absolute frame rates are higher at 1440p, indicating that the GPU has more headroom. At 1920x1080, the scaling pattern changes. Low settings average 456 FPS, while Ultra averages 234 FPS, a reduction of 222 FPS or approximately 49%. The frame rates are so high at 1080p that the CPU may begin to play a more significant role, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when examining the frame rate jumps between resolutions. Moving from 4K to 1440p on Ultra settings increases the average frame rate from 106 FPS to 168 FPS, a gain of 62 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 1080p on Ultra increases the average from 168 FPS to 234 FPS, a gain of 66 FPS. These gains are substantial, but they are not proportional to the pixel count reduction. 4K has 8.3 million pixels, 1440p has 3.7 million, and 1080p has 2.1 million. The fact that the frame rate does not quadruple when going from 4K to 1080p suggests that the CPU is becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is clearly a powerful processor, but even it cannot fully feed a GPU that is producing over 400 FPS.

The benchmark data also shows the CPU’s individual strengths. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44,253 and single-core score of 2,439 indicate strong performance in both threaded and single-threaded workloads. The PassMark single-thread score of 5,068 further confirms this. For a game like Inside, which likely relies on a single main thread for game logic, this single-core performance is critical. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 456 FPS, which is likely near the point where CPU frame time becomes the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 4K resolution with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 106 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 4K are playable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra is the best settings choice at 2560x1440, producing an average of 168 FPS. Every preset at this resolution exceeds 60 FPS, so players can select Ultra without any performance concerns.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40,377. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 0.1% ahead at 40,318, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is 0.8% ahead at 40,063, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 trails by 1.2% and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes more influential. The frame rates are so high (456 FPS on Low, 234 FPS on Ultra) that the GPU is often waiting for the CPU to issue render commands. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus’s single-thread performance, indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,439, is crucial here.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 106 FPS, achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The minimum frame rate recorded for any setting is 151 FPS, which occurs at 4K with Medium settings.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus rank among all CPUs?

A: The CPU is at the 96th percentile against all tested processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, has a nearly identical average benchmark score with a deltaPct of 0.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system delivers a range of performance depending on the preset. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 222 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. Medium settings produce an average of 177 FPS, with a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 204 FPS. High settings average 111 FPS, and Ultra settings average 106 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 116 FPS, showing a clear impact from preset selection. The Medium preset’s recorded minimum of 151 FPS is notable, as it stays far above the 60 FPS threshold even in the most demanding moments.

At 2560x1440, performance improves across the board. Low settings average 353 FPS, Medium settings average 282 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS, High settings average 176 FPS, and Ultra settings average 168 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 240 FPS is particularly strong, indicating that even the most graphically intense scenes in Inside do not cause significant frame drops. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 185 FPS, which is larger in absolute terms than at 4K but proportionally similar.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates become extreme. Low settings average 456 FPS, Medium settings average 392 FPS with a minimum of 334 FPS and a maximum of 451 FPS, High settings average 245 FPS, and Ultra settings average 234 FPS. The Medium preset’s maximum of 451 FPS is nearly as high as the Low preset’s average, suggesting that the system is approaching a CPU or game engine limit. The minimum frame rate of 334 FPS at Medium settings is over five times the playable threshold, demonstrating that this system has no trouble maintaining smooth performance at 1080p.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 5070 and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus combination is capable of running Inside at frame rates that are multiple times higher than necessary. Even the most demanding scenario—4K Ultra—produces an average of 106 FPS, which is 76% above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum frame rate data, where available, shows no concerning dips. The Medium preset at each resolution has recorded minimums of 151 FPS at 4K, 240 FPS at 1440p, and 334 FPS at 1080p, all of which are comfortably above the playable threshold.

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: this PC can run Inside with exceptional performance at every resolution and preset tested. The verdictByResolution data confirms that all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, with average frame rates of 106 FPS at 4K, 168 FPS at 1440p, and 234 FPS at 1080p. These figures represent the highest visual quality the game offers, all while maintaining frame rates that are well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

For a game released in 2016, Inside is not a demanding title by modern standards. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, with its 24 cores and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, with its 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, are both far more powerful than the game requires. The data shows that the system’s performance is so high that the limiting factor is likely the game engine’s frame rate cap rather than the hardware. The 456 FPS average at 1080p Low settings is a clear indication of this.

The measured FPS breakdown shows that the system never drops below 151 FPS, even at 4K Medium settings, and the minimum frame rates at other configs are even higher. This means that not only does the system clear the 60 FPS threshold, it does so with a massive margin of safety. There are no scenarios in the data where the system struggles or approaches the playable limit. For players using high-refresh-rate monitors, the system can easily drive 144 Hz displays at 4K on Ultra settings, and 240 Hz displays at 1440p, given the 168 FPS average at that resolution.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus’s benchmark performance, which places it at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, ensures that there is no CPU bottleneck preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The RTX 5070, at the 82nd percentile among GPUs, is more than adequate for this title. The combination’s rank of 342 out of 3,716 tested combos reflects this balance. In summary, the data shows that this system is overkill for Inside, but that overkill translates into a flawless, high-refresh-rate experience at any resolution. Players can select Ultra settings at 4K and never think about performance again.