Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should be trivial for modern hardware to run. However, the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a surprisingly steep performance curve that is heavily dictated by graphics settings and resolution. This combination, ranking 2547 out of 2887 tested combos, demonstrates that the integrated graphics solution on the Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck, creating a scenario where the capable six-core CPU is largely left waiting on the GPU. The results indicate that this is not a system for high-refresh-rate gaming at maximum fidelity, but rather a configuration that requires careful tuning to achieve playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 156 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 112 FPS, a reduction of approximately 28%. Scaling further to 4K (2160p) at Low settings yields an average of 70 FPS, which is a 55% drop from the 1440p figure and a 55% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the pixel throughput demands of higher resolutions, a clear sign that the Intel Arc B390's compute and memory resources are the limiting factor.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. For High settings, the average frame rate falls from 78 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p (a 28% decrease), and then to 35 FPS at 4K (a 37.5% decrease from 1440p). The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 125 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, starts at 74 FPS at 1080p, drops to 53 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 34 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across presets strongly suggests that resolution scaling is independent of the specific graphical features being toggled; the bottleneck is purely the GPU's ability to fill pixels.

The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU, an AMD Ryzen 5 3600, has ample headroom in this title. The evidence lies in the fact that even at 4K Ultra, which is the most demanding scenario for the GPU, the frame rate does not collapse to a point where CPU overhead would become relevant; it simply follows the linear scaling of pixel count. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as resolution decreases, with 1080p and 1440p results being much closer together. Instead, we see a near-perfect inverse relationship with resolution, confirming that the Arc B390's integrated graphics are working at their absolute limit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, it offers substantial compute power for a game like Inside, which is not known for being heavily threaded. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124, place it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. This indicates a robust processor that should easily handle the game's logic and physics simulation.

In the context of these benchmark results, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game state. Given that the frame rates are consistently low at high resolutions and settings, it is evident that the CPU is not the performance limiter. The nearest rivals to the Ryzen 5 3600 in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-1260P (0.2% faster) and the Intel Core i5-11400 (0.2% slower). These deltas are negligible, suggesting that any of these CPUs would perform nearly identically in this specific test scenario, as they are all likely waiting on the GPU.

The data indicates that the CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for Inside. The game's release date of 2016 predates the CPU's 2019 release, and the title was designed for the hardware of its era. With a PassMark multi-thread score of 17700 and a single-thread score of 2562, the Ryzen 5 3600 provides a substantial amount of processing power that is left underutilized. The performance scaling we observe is entirely dictated by the GPU's capabilities, meaning that users with this CPU could theoretically achieve higher frame rates with a more powerful discrete graphics card, but the current combo is strictly bound by the Arc B390.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the critical component in this analysis, and its specifications explain the measured performance. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Crucially, its memory configuration is listed as "System Shared," with a bus width and bandwidth also marked as "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's main DDR4 memory, which is a significant bottleneck compared to dedicated VRAM.

The GPU's compute specifications include 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. It also features 12 ray tracing cores. The theoretical peak performance is 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16. Despite these seemingly modern numbers, the GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) is only 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% slower). These are ancient, entry-level discrete GPUs, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance level.

The performance data aligns perfectly with this profile. The GPU's reliance on shared system memory for bandwidth severely hampers its ability to handle high-resolution textures and pixel shading. The measured 4K Ultra average of 34 FPS and 1080p Ultra average of 74 FPS are indicative of a GPU that is overwhelmed by the workload. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high, but the memory subsystem is the limiting factor, causing the frame rates to drop significantly as resolution and settings increase. The GPU is the definitive constraint in this system, and its 9th percentile ranking suggests it is only suitable for light or older titles at lower settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 125 FPS and a minimum of 106 FPS. This provides a smooth, fluid experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p still delivers a playable 78 FPS average, but the Medium preset's higher minimum frame rate (106 FPS vs. null data for High) suggests a more stable experience. The Low preset achieves 156 FPS, but the visual fidelity is likely compromised.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, delivering an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This is a solid result for a higher resolution. The High preset at 1440p drops to 56 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for some users, but the Medium preset's 90 FPS average provides a much more comfortable margin. The Low preset at 1440p yields 112 FPS, which is excellent but comes with the visual trade-offs. For 4K resolution, the data becomes more challenging. The only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Low, at 70 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while High (35 FPS) and Ultra (34 FPS) are not recommended for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the "best experience" is to prioritize the Medium preset across all resolutions. It provides the highest minimum frame rates in the measured data (106 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K) while offering a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. For 4K users, dropping to Low is necessary to achieve a consistent 60+ FPS, but Medium remains the best visual option for those willing to accept a 56 FPS average. The Ultra preset provides no measurable benefit in terms of stability over High, and its performance hit is substantial, so it should be avoided.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2547 out of 2887 combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations tested on this benchmark database. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a mid-range performer from 2019 that is more than capable for this title.

The rank of 2547 is a stark indicator that this system is not built for gaming performance. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking is dragged down by the GPU's 9th percentile ranking. The combo's overall position in the database suggests that the majority of other systems tested, which likely include discrete graphics cards, will significantly outperform this configuration. The delta between this combo and others is not explicitly listed, but the raw rank implies that there are only 340 other combos that perform worse.

This ranking is important for context. While the Ryzen 5 3600 is a competent processor, its pairing with an IGP like the Arc B390 creates a system that is fundamentally unbalanced for gaming. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, but the overall combo suffers because the GPU cannot utilize the CPU's potential. Users looking at this benchmark should understand that the Arc B390 is the defining component, and its performance class is comparable to decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS.

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo capable of 4K gaming?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, at 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, while High (35 FPS) and Ultra (34 FPS) are below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-core performance score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6318 in Cinebench R20 multi-core.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most stable performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset offers the best stability, with an average of 90 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS, which is higher than the other presets' reported minimums.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?

A: This combination ranks 2547 out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is a comprehensive list of all measured frame rates for this hardware configuration in Inside.

1920x1080

• Low: Average FPS 156.
• Medium: Average FPS 125, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144.
• High: Average FPS 78.
• Ultra: Average FPS 74.

2560x1440

• Low: Average FPS 112.
• Medium: Average FPS 90, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103.
• High: Average FPS 56.
• Ultra: Average FPS 53.

3840x2160

• Low: Average FPS 70.
• Medium: Average FPS 56, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65.
• High: Average FPS 35.
• Ultra: Average FPS 34.

The data clearly shows a consistent degradation in performance as resolution and settings increase. The most notable observation is the significant drop from 1080p Medium (125 FPS) to 1440p Medium (90 FPS), and the subsequent drop to 4K Medium (56 FPS). This pattern is consistent across all settings, confirming the GPU as the sole performance bottleneck. The system's overall rank of 2547 out of 2887 combos underscores that while the Ryzen 5 3600 is a solid processor, the Arc B390 integrated graphics severely limit the gaming potential of this pairing, making it suitable only for lower resolutions and modest settings.