Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that places far more emphasis on atmosphere and timing than on raw hardware demands. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a combination that utterly overwhelms this title, producing frame rates that are almost comically high. The benchmark results indicate a system that is not merely playable but operates in a performance tier where the game's engine, rather than the hardware, is likely the limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examines the role of each component, and provides a clear verdict on this combo's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Inside reveals a consistent pattern of extreme performance across all tested configurations. At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo delivers an average of 160 FPS on High settings, which jumps to 256 FPS on Medium with a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS. Low settings at 4K push the average to 321 FPS, while Ultra settings still maintain a robust 153 FPS average. The 4K results show that even the most demanding preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, with the gap between High and Ultra being a relatively modest 7 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not being pushed to its limits.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance scales upward significantly. High settings produce an average of 255 FPS, while Medium settings reach 365 FPS with a minimum of 310 FPS and a maximum of 420 FPS. Low settings at 1440p hit an average of 396 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 243 FPS. The jump from 4K to 1440p on High settings represents a 59% increase in average FPS, indicating that resolution scaling has a substantial impact on frame rates. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings also show excellent frame pacing, with the 310 FPS floor at 1440p ensuring a smooth experience even in demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the frame rates become extraordinary. High settings average 340 FPS, Medium settings average 408 FPS with a minimum of 347 FPS and a maximum of 469 FPS, Low settings reach 442 FPS, and Ultra settings hit 334 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset shows the highest minimum FPS in the entire dataset at 347 FPS, which is over five times the playable threshold. Interestingly, the difference between 1080p and 1440p on Ultra settings is only 91 FPS, suggesting that the GPU has enough headroom that the CPU may begin to play a larger role at lower resolutions. The data shows no bottlenecking issues, as even the most conservative measurements remain far above any playability concerns.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the benchmark data shows an average FPS of 153 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the verdict confirms Ultra is the best setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS in the dataset is 442, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is over seven times the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. Every single tested configuration, from 4K Ultra to 1080p Low, maintains an average FPS well above 60. The lowest average recorded is 153 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does the minimum FPS compare to the average at Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum FPS is 218 against an average of 256, representing a 15% drop. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 310 against an average of 365, a 15% drop. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 347 against an average of 408, also a 15% drop. This consistency suggests stable frame delivery.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: The data suggests not. The FPS scales consistently with resolution, and even at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest, the average FPS reaches 334 on Ultra. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs supports its ability to feed the GPU effectively.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested hardware combinations for this game?

A: This combination ranks 4th out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the top 0.1% of all configurations tested, indicating near-top-tier performance for Inside.

CPU and GPU Roles

The interaction between the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Inside can be inferred from the scaling patterns across resolutions. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, is a top-tier processor that ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. However, Inside is not a CPU-intensive title; it is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry and physics. The GPU, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 21,760 shading units, is likely the primary driver of frame rates, but even it is not fully utilized given the low graphical demands.

Evidence for GPU dominance comes from the resolution scaling. At 4K, the average FPS on Ultra is 153, while at 1440p it rises to 243 and at 1080p to 334. This scaling pattern—where FPS increases by roughly 59% from 4K to 1440p and another 37% from 1440p to 1080p—indicates that the GPU is doing most of the work, as reducing pixel count directly translates to higher frame rates. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing returns at lower resolutions, but the data shows consistent gains down to 1080p.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 108 FPS (442 vs 334), while at 4K the difference is 168 FPS (321 vs 153). This larger gap at 4K suggests that the GPU is more sensitive to settings changes at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains a relatively stable baseline. The fact that even at 1080p Low the FPS does not exceed 442, despite the GPU's massive compute power, hints that the CPU's single-thread performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303—is adequate but not the limiting factor. The game's engine likely caps effective frame rates around this level due to its 2016 origins.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: this PC can run Inside at any resolution and setting combination tested, and it does so with extraordinary headroom. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 4K, the best playable setting is Ultra with an average FPS of 153, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1440p, Ultra delivers 243 FPS average, and at 1080p, Ultra achieves 334 FPS average.

The playable threshold of 60 FPS is cleared by a minimum factor of 2.5x even in the most demanding scenario (4K Ultra at 153 FPS). The minimum FPS values recorded—218 FPS at 4K Medium, 310 FPS at 1440p Medium, and 347 FPS at 1080p Medium—are all well above the threshold, ensuring no frame drops below playability. For gamers seeking the highest visual fidelity, Ultra settings at 4K are not just viable but deliver a buttery-smooth experience. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the 1080p Low setting at 442 FPS average would satisfy even the most demanding 360 Hz or 480 Hz displays. The verdict is clear: this combo runs Inside flawlessly at maximum settings across all resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all hardware combinations tested for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 4th out of 3,716 combos. This places it in the top 0.1% of all tested configurations, a remarkable position that reflects the raw power of both components. The 4th place ranking is notable because it is not the absolute top, suggesting that there are three other combinations that achieve even higher frame rates in this specific game. Given that the CPU has a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU has a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, the 4th place overall ranking is consistent with expectations for such high-end hardware.

The ranking implies that while this combo is exceptionally fast, it is not the fastest possible. The three combos ahead of it likely feature even more specialized hardware or configurations that edge out this pairing in Inside's specific workload. However, the practical difference is likely negligible given that all configurations are already far above the 60 FPS threshold. For context, the combo's performance is so high that the ranking becomes more of a theoretical exercise than a practical differentiator. The 4th place rank out of 3,716 is a strong testament to the hardware's capabilities, but the real-world experience of playing Inside on this system will be indistinguishable from the top-ranked combos in terms of smoothness.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the optimal settings balance maximum visual quality with the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data shows that Ultra settings are achievable at all resolutions, making them the clear choice for the best visual experience.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, delivering an average FPS of 153. This is more than double the playable threshold, and the visual fidelity of Ultra settings at 4K will provide the most detailed image with all graphical features enabled. The 153 FPS average leaves enough headroom for any minor frame drops without falling below 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best experience with an average FPS of 243. This is a significant improvement over 4K, and the higher frame rate will be noticeable on high-refresh-rate monitors. The 243 FPS average ensures that even the most demanding scenes will remain smooth.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver an average FPS of 334. This is the highest average FPS for Ultra settings across all resolutions, making it ideal for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate displays. The 334 FPS average is over five times the playable threshold, providing an exceptionally responsive experience. In all cases, the most demanding preset stays well above 60 FPS, so players can choose Ultra without any performance concerns.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide insight into what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, the closest match is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average benchmark score of 83,807, which is 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84,003 average. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% lower), the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072 (1.3% higher). These deltas are all within a few percentage points, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver virtually identical frame rates in Inside, as the game is not CPU-bound.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the nearest rivals are interesting in that they are significantly less powerful GPUs on paper. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT has an average benchmark score of 76,904, which is 1.1% lower than the 5090 D's 77,712. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.6% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (2.1% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (2.4% higher). These small deltas suggest that, despite being mobile or data-center parts, these GPUs would produce similar frame rates in Inside due to the game's low graphical demands. However, the 5090 D's massive 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond what Inside requires, so any of these rivals would likely still clear 60 FPS easily at all settings. The practical takeaway is that for Inside, the CPU choice matters little, and even a mid-range GPU would suffice, though this combo ensures maximum headroom.