Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016-07-06. This combination ranks in the 90th percentile among 3,716 tested combos, and the measured data shows it running the game at frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold. Across every resolution tested, the system clears the playability bar by a wide margin, making it a definitive overachiever for this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 126 FPS. This means the system has enough headroom to run the game at its highest visual quality while still delivering more than double the playable threshold. Lower presets at this resolution, such as High at 132 FPS, Medium at 211 FPS, and Low at 264 FPS, all exceed 60 FPS as well, but Ultra offers the best visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 200 FPS. This is a substantial jump from the 4K result, showing that the GPU has significant spare capacity at this resolution. High settings run at 210 FPS, Medium at 336 FPS, and Low at 396 FPS, all far above the 60 FPS floor. The Ultra preset here is the clear choice, as it provides the maximum graphical detail at a frame rate that is more than three times the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system again runs Ultra at an average of 278 FPS. This is the highest average across all resolutions, reflecting the lighter load on both CPU and GPU at 1080p. High settings hit 292 FPS, Medium reaches 408 FPS, and Low peaks at 442 FPS. The data indicates that even at the most demanding preset, the frame rate is so high that the game becomes limited by display refresh rates rather than hardware capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this system at rank 90 out of 3,716 tested combinations, putting it in the top 2.4% of all configurations. This is an extraordinary result for a game like Inside, which is not typically considered a heavy system stressor. The ranking reflects not only the raw power of the RTX 4080 SUPER but also the efficiency of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus in feeding the GPU at high frame rates.

The CPU itself sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83,807 (a delta of 0.2% in favor of the 290K Plus), the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% slower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% slower). The only rival with a higher score is the AMD EPYC 7F72 at 85,072 (-1.3% relative to the 290K Plus), but that is a server-grade part. The GPU is in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 54,209. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54,247 (-0.1%), meaning the SUPER variant is essentially equivalent, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (-1.1% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (-2.7% slower).

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings yield 264 FPS average, Medium yields 211 FPS with a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 243 FPS, High yields 132 FPS, and Ultra yields 126 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is roughly 2.1x, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor at this resolution. The lack of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra suggests that frame pacing is consistent enough that only the Medium preset recorded variance, which was still well above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 396 FPS average, Medium produces 336 FPS (min 286 FPS, max 387 FPS), High produces 210 FPS, and Ultra produces 200 FPS. The transition from Medium to High represents a significant drop of about 37%, which points to a substantial increase in shading and texture work at the High preset. Even the minimum recorded frame rate at Medium, 286 FPS, is nearly five times the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring zero perceptible stutter.

At 1920x1080, Low settings reach 442 FPS average, Medium reaches 408 FPS (min 347 FPS, max 469 FPS), High reaches 292 FPS, and Ultra reaches 278 FPS. The frame rates are so high that they approach the limits of what most displays can show. The scaling from Low to Ultra is about 1.6x, which is the smallest relative drop among all resolutions. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant in maintaining high frame rates, since the GPU is not fully saturated.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Inside at 4K with all settings maxed out?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 126 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum recorded frame rate for Medium settings at 4K is 180 FPS, suggesting that Ultra would also stay well above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for the highest frame rate?

A: The highest average frame rate is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, reaching 442 FPS. However, for a balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p Ultra at 278 FPS is the most demanding preset that still delivers an extremely high frame rate.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems in the database?

A: This combo ranks 90th out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.4%. The CPU is in the 96th percentile and the GPU is in the 86th percentile, indicating a well-balanced high-end pairing.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between Medium and High settings?

A: Yes, the drop from Medium to High is steep. At 4K, Medium runs at 211 FPS while High runs at 132 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 336 FPS to 210 FPS, and at 1080p from 408 FPS to 292 FPS. This suggests that High settings introduce a heavy graphical workload.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU matter more for this game at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the scaling between Low (264 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) is primarily driven by the GPU, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at all presets. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 7,303 in Cinebench R23 supports this, as Inside is not a multi-threaded workload.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate scales almost proportionally with the preset: Low is 264 FPS, Medium is 211 FPS, High is 132 FPS, and Ultra is 126 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s shading units, texture units, and memory bandwidth (736.3 GB/s) are the limiting resource. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is not a bottleneck at this resolution, as even the highest preset only requires a fraction of its capability.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still leads, but the CPU begins to show its influence. The jump from Medium (336 FPS) to High (210 FPS) is larger than the jump from High to Ultra (200 FPS), suggesting that the High preset triggers a specific GPU workload spike. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that frame generation is never starved, but the data shows that the GPU is still the primary constraint.

At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role becomes more pronounced. The frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets, with Low at 442 FPS and Ultra at 278 FPS. The scaling factor from Low to Ultra is only 1.6x, which is the smallest among all resolutions. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303) is increasingly relevant, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls in some scenarios. However, even at Ultra, the system never dips below 278 FPS, so the CPU is more than adequate.

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: this PC can run Inside flawlessly 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 126 FPS at 4K, 200 FPS at 1440p, and 278 FPS at 1080p. These figures are not merely above the 60 FPS threshold; they are multiples of it, providing a buttery-smooth experience even in the most demanding scenes.

The only caveat is that Inside is a Puzzle Platformer with a 2016 release date, meaning it is not a graphically intensive title by modern standards. The hardware is vastly overqualified, but that is not a negative. For users who own a high-refresh-rate display, the system can drive frame rates that fully utilize 240Hz or even 360Hz screens at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the 126 FPS average at Ultra is ideal for 120Hz displays. The data shows no scenario where the system struggles, and the ranking of 90th out of 3,716 combos reinforces that this is a top-tier configuration for any game, let alone one with such modest requirements.