Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is an overwhelmingly capable combination for running Inside, with benchmark data showing that every tested resolution and preset configuration clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. The most demanding setup—3840x2160 at Ultra settings—still averages 72 FPS, meaning this system has substantial headroom across the board. The data indicates the GPU is the primary performance driver, but the CPU's massive multi-threaded capability ensures no bottleneck at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this configuration covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with average FPS figures consistently high. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance: Low settings produce an average of 333 FPS, Medium settings average 266 FPS with a minimum of 226 FPS and a maximum of 306 FPS, High settings average 167 FPS, and Ultra settings average 159 FPS. This resolution shows the system operating far beyond what the game requires, with even the most demanding preset providing more than 2.5 times the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains extremely strong. Low settings average 239 FPS, Medium settings average 192 FPS with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 220 FPS, High settings average 120 FPS, and Ultra settings average 114 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in frame rates, but the system maintains over 100 FPS even at the highest quality settings, indicating that the RTX 4060 has ample compute headroom at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows the system still performs admirably. Low settings average 150 FPS, Medium settings average 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS, High settings average 75 FPS, and Ultra settings average 72 FPS. This represents the first time in the dataset where frame rates approach the 60 FPS threshold, but the system never falls below it. The jump from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 37% of the average FPS across comparable settings, which is typical for a GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit memory bus.

Notably, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS figures only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 3840x2160 Medium, the 102 FPS minimum and 138 FPS maximum indicate a relatively tight frame time distribution, suggesting consistent performance without major stutters. At 2560x1440 Medium, the 163 FPS minimum and 220 FPS maximum show similar stability. At 1920x1080 Medium, the 226 FPS minimum and 306 FPS maximum demonstrate that even the lowest recorded frame rate is nearly four times the playability threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system achieves this at Ultra settings with an average of 159 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available in the dataset, and the system runs it with substantial margin, indicating that players can enable every visual enhancement without concern.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also deliver the best experience, averaging 114 FPS. This is 54 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, providing smooth gameplay even in scenes that might cause frame rate dips. The data shows that High settings at this resolution average 120 FPS, but Ultra's 114 FPS is close enough that choosing the higher quality preset is the obvious recommendation.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 72 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 12 FPS. This is the only resolution where the choice between High and Ultra involves any meaningful trade-off, with High averaging 75 FPS and Ultra averaging 72 FPS. The 3 FPS difference is minimal, so the verdict data specifies Ultra as the best setting, delivering the full visual experience while staying above the playability threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus indicate that several high-end CPUs deliver nearly identical average benchmark scores. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83807, which is 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003 average. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, 1.1% lower. The AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, 1.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. These delta percentages are remarkably small, meaning any of these alternatives would produce essentially the same frame rates in Inside for CPU-bound scenarios.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the nearest rivals are all substantially different hardware in terms of architecture and era, yet their average benchmark scores are closely matched. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, just 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639 average. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% lower. These delta percentages indicate that these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Inside, though the RTX 4060's modern feature set and driver optimization may yield better real-world consistency.

The combination rank of 1863 out of 3716 tested combos places this system in the upper half of all configurations tested for Inside, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing comfortable margins above the playability threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Inside at playable frame rates across every resolution and preset combination tested. The verdict data confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the lowest average FPS recorded across all twelve test scenarios is 72 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra settings.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 159 FPS at Ultra settings, which is the best settings recommendation. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 114 FPS, again the best recommendation. At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 72 FPS, maintaining the 60 FPS requirement with a 12 FPS buffer. The verdict is unambiguous: this hardware combination provides a premium experience for Inside at any resolution, with no need to compromise on visual quality.

The data shows that the system's weak point—if it can be called that—is 4K Ultra performance, where the 72 FPS average leaves less headroom than lower resolutions. However, 72 FPS is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and the game's puzzle-platformer genre typically does not demand rapid camera movements that would expose frame pacing issues.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU split their workload across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary performance limiter, as evidenced by the massive frame rate scaling between settings: Low averages 333 FPS while Ultra averages 159 FPS, a 52% reduction. This scaling indicates that the RTX 4060's compute units are doing the heavy lifting, and the CPU is not constraining performance, as even the highest frame rates at Low settings are far above what the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus would bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with slightly less dramatic scaling. Low averages 239 FPS while Ultra averages 114 FPS, a 52% reduction that mirrors the 1080p scaling. The consistency of this scaling across resolutions suggests that the GPU remains the dominant factor, with the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads providing ample processing power for the game's physics and logic.

At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more pronounced: Low averages 150 FPS while Ultra averages 72 FPS, a 52% reduction. The absolute frame rates at 4K are lower than at 1440p across all settings, confirming that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are being fully utilized at this resolution, while the CPU's workload remains relatively unchanged.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the frame rate deltas between resolutions at the same settings. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p drops the average from 333 to 239 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K drops it from 239 to 150 FPS. These reductions are entirely attributable to GPU load, as the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance—evidenced by its 4823 Passmark single-thread score and 60860 multithread score—is more than sufficient for this game.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 72 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is 12 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: Ultra settings are recommended at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 114 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available and remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance difference is there between 1080p and 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the system averages 159 FPS at 1920x1080 and 72 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 54% reduction in average frame rate when moving between these resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 sufficient for this game, or is it a bottleneck?

A: The RTX 4060 is fully sufficient for Inside. The GPU is the primary performance driver at all resolutions, but the lowest recorded average FPS of 72 at 4K Ultra demonstrates that it handles the game's demands with margin to spare.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival CPU?

A: The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807 in average benchmarks, which is 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003 score. This difference is negligible for gaming performance.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame times, or are there drops?

A: The minimum FPS data at Medium settings shows 226 FPS at 1080p, 163 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating stable performance without major frame time spikes.