Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured data for this specific pairing—the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D—reveals a fascinating bottleneck dynamic that is entirely dependent on resolution and settings. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of extreme frame rates, but the way those frames scale shows that the CPU is the primary limiter at lower resolutions, while the GPU eventually takes over as the workload intensifies. This analysis breaks down exactly what this combo delivers, where its strengths lie, and what settings you should actually use.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz. With a 65W TDP and 16 MB of L3 cache, it is a solid mid-range CPU, placing in the 73rd percentile against all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 19,593 puts it in direct competition with chips like the Intel Core i5-12500 and the Intel Core i7-10700F, where it trails the i5-12500 by 0.4% and beats the i7-10700F by 0.5%.

For a game like Inside, the CPU's job is less about raw multi-core muscle and more about maintaining a high enough frame pace to feed the GPU. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient for the game's logical threads. The data shows the Ryzen 5 5500 has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16,429 and a single-core score of 2,319. In a title like this, the single-core performance often dictates the maximum achievable frame rate, especially when the GPU is not the limiting factor.

The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p Low, the combo hits an average of 280 FPS. Moving to 1080p Ultra, it drops to 212 FPS. This 68 FPS drop is significant, but the fact that the GPU is still producing over 200 FPS at Ultra settings suggests the CPU is still keeping pace. However, the real story emerges when we look at the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 153. This is a 59 FPS drop from the 1080p Ultra result. While the RTX 5090 D is a monstrous GPU, the Ryzen 5 5500's Zen 3 architecture and PCIe Gen 3 interface are likely contributing to a ceiling that prevents the system from reaching the 300+ FPS territory that a more modern CPU might unlock in this scenario. The CPU is not a weak link in the sense of being unable to run the game, but it does cap the potential of the GPU at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured rows, the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, particularly for players with high refresh rate monitors. The data for Medium settings includes minimum FPS figures, which are useful for understanding frame pacing consistency. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 259 FPS with a minimum of 220 FPS. This is a strong result, ensuring a smooth experience on most high-refresh displays. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p is only a 43 FPS drop (from 259 to 216 FPS), but the High preset lacks the min FPS data, making it harder to guarantee consistency.

At 1440p, the Medium preset also stands out. It averages 232 FPS with a minimum of 197 FPS. This is a fantastic result for 1440p gaming, providing a buttery-smooth experience on 144Hz or even 165Hz monitors. The High preset at 1440p drops to 193 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium offers a more stable-looking frame time graph per the available data.

The story is similar at 4K. The Medium preset averages 199 FPS with a minimum of 169 FPS. This is exceptionally high for 4K gaming. The High preset at 4K is 160 FPS, which is also very good.

The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual fidelity, provides diminishing returns in this title. At 1080p, it averages 212 FPS, which is only 47 FPS lower than Medium. At 4K, Ultra drops to 153 FPS. Given that Inside is a game with a distinct, often dark art style, the visual difference between High and Ultra may be less perceptible than the frame rate difference.

Recommendation: For the best experience, use the Medium preset. It provides the highest average FPS with a confirmed minimum FPS that is still above 169 FPS even at 4K. This ensures the smoothest experience across all resolution classes. If you prefer visual fidelity, the High preset is a strong second choice, as it still delivers over 160 FPS at 4K and 193 FPS at 1440p. The data suggests that Ultra is not worth the performance cost in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions paints a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. Let's look at the Low settings row, which is the most CPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 280. At 1440p Low, it drops to 251 FPS. At 4K Low, it falls to 215 FPS. This is a total drop of 65 FPS from 1080p to 4K. If the system were purely GPU-bound, we would expect a much more dramatic drop, often 50% or more, as the pixel count quadruples.

Instead, the scaling here is relatively gentle. This indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p. The Ryzen 5 5500 is hitting a performance ceiling around the 250-280 FPS range. As we increase the resolution to 4K, the GPU starts to take on more work, and the system becomes more balanced, but the FPS drop is still not as severe as a pure GPU bottleneck.

Now, look at the Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the FPS is 212. At 1440p Ultra, it is 190. At 4K Ultra, it is 153. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 59 FPS. This is a smaller absolute drop than the Low settings, but the percentage drop is different. The 1080p to 4K drop on Low is 23%, while on Ultra it is 28%.

This data suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is starting to become a larger factor, but the CPU is still holding the system back from achieving even higher frame rates at lower resolutions. The RTX 5090 D is so powerful that it can handle the 4K Ultra workload at 153 FPS, but the Ryzen 5 5500 prevents the system from reaching 300+ FPS at 1080p Low. The limiting component in this combo is the CPU at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming more relevant as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The database ranks this specific combination of CPU and GPU for Inside. The combo rank is 615 out of 2,887 tested combos. This places it in the top 21.3% of all tested systems for this game. This is a strong ranking, but perhaps not as high as the individual components might suggest.

The RTX 5090 D is a top-tier GPU, ranking in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs. However, its average benchmark score of 77,712 puts it very close to the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which is a mobile GPU, and it is only 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT. This is a peculiar data point, but it highlights that the RTX 5090 D's raw compute power is immense.

The Ryzen 5 5500, while a capable CPU, is not a top-tier part. Its ranking of 615 out of 2887 combos suggests that there are many other CPU+GPU combinations that perform better in this specific game. This rank is likely dragged down by the CPU's limitation in feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. A combo with a faster CPU, like a Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i7/i9, paired with this same GPU would likely rank significantly higher, as it could unlock higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The 615th rank indicates that while this system is very capable, there is a clear ceiling on its performance that is not present in higher-ranked combos.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo good for playing Inside at 4K?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 153 FPS at 4K Ultra and 199 FPS at 4K Medium. This is exceptionally high performance for 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. At 1440p, it averages 232 FPS with a minimum of 197 FPS, ensuring it stays above the 144Hz refresh rate. Even at 4K, the Medium preset averages 199 FPS, which is well above 144Hz.

Q: Why does the FPS not double when going from 4K to 1080p?

A: The FPS scaling indicates a CPU bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 153 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, it averages 212 FPS. The increase is only 59 FPS because the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 cannot push frames much faster than 212 FPS in this game, regardless of the GPU's capability.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being held back by the Ryzen 5 5500?

A: Yes, the data suggests this is the case. At 1080p Low, the system averages 280 FPS. This is high, but a more powerful CPU would likely push this number higher, as the GPU is not working hard at that resolution. The CPU is the limiting factor in this combination.

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

A: It ranks 615th out of 2,887 tested combos for Inside. This means it performs better than most systems, but there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates, likely due to having a more capable CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the complete measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination in Inside.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 280 FPS
• Medium: Average 259 FPS, Minimum 220 FPS, Maximum 298 FPS
• High: Average 216 FPS
• Ultra: Average 212 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 251 FPS
• Medium: Average 232 FPS, Minimum 197 FPS, Maximum 267 FPS
• High: Average 193 FPS
• Ultra: Average 190 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 215 FPS
• Medium: Average 199 FPS, Minimum 169 FPS, Maximum 228 FPS
• High: Average 160 FPS
• Ultra: Average 153 FPS

The data shows a consistent trend. The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data, indicating it is the most thoroughly tested and likely the most stable. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, but the absolute FPS values remain high, making this a very capable system for this title. The primary takeaway is that the CPU limits the maximum frame rate, but the system still delivers excellent performance at all resolutions.