Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that is exceptionally light on GPU demands, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B370 combination reflects this, showing a system that is heavily CPU-limited at lower resolutions and only begins to feel GPU-bound at 4K. The dataset reveals a component pairing where the integrated graphics solution, despite its low raw benchmark percentile, delivers playable results across the board, with the CPU’s large L3 cache and six Zen 3 cores providing the necessary headroom for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for this combo, and the best experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. This is a significant jump from the High preset’s 70 FPS average and the Ultra preset’s 67 FPS average, while the Low preset pushes to 141 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 96 FPS is particularly important for a platformer, ensuring that frame pacing remains consistent during fast movement, and it offers a 61% improvement in average FPS over High with only a 20% drop from Low, making it the most efficient balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low, which produces an average of 101 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution yields 81 FPS on average with a minimum of 69 FPS, which is still very playable, but the Low preset provides a safer margin above the 60 FPS threshold for smoother gameplay. The High preset at 1440p drops to 51 FPS, which is below the ideal target for a responsive platformer, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. For users who prioritize a locked 60 FPS experience, Low is the recommended choice, while those with adaptive sync displays might prefer Medium for the improved visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation inverts, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, producing an average of 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS, which could lead to noticeable stutter in a game that requires precise timing. The High preset at 32 FPS and the Ultra preset at 30 FPS are not recommended for playable experiences. The data suggests that for 4K, users should stick to Low settings to maintain a playable framerate, as the Intel Arc B370’s integrated nature simply cannot handle higher presets at this resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process by Intel. Its benchmark presence is minimal, with a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs and making it comparable to very old discrete parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190. The GPU’s clock speeds are listed with a 300 MHz base and a 2400 MHz boost, but its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system’s DDR4 RAM for both capacity and bandwidth, making its performance "System Dependent."

The data for Inside shows that this shared memory setup is adequate for the game’s demands at lower settings, but it struggles at higher resolutions and presets. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS and the 4K High result of 32 FPS indicate that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are exhausted when pixel count increases. The GPU’s pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures. The FP32 compute is 6.144 TFLOPS, which is enough for a puzzle platformer but not for heavy effects. The data implies that the Arc B370 behaves like a classic entry-level GPU: it excels at low-resolution, low-detail workloads but falls off a cliff as resolution scales.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best balance, yielding an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings are needed to stay above 100 FPS, while 4K only achieves playable results with Low settings at 64 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is within 0.5% of the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190) and 0.2% of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186). It is 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192) and 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. The FPS difference between Low (141) and Medium (113) is only 28 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High (70) is a massive 43 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU handles the lower presets easily while the CPU maintains high frame rates.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. The 4K Low preset averages 64 FPS, while Medium drops to 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS. High (32 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) are not playable.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance standing relative to other processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, and 0.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and 0.3% slower than the Intel Core i9-12900T.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured rows show a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce an average of 141 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. High settings drop to 70 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 67 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal, just 3 FPS, suggesting that Ultra adds little visual benefit for a measurable performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 101 FPS. Medium settings average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings drop to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 48 FPS. The drop from Medium to High at 1440p is 30 FPS, which is a 37% reduction, indicating that the GPU starts to struggle with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the results show a severe scaling penalty. Low settings average 64 FPS. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. High settings plummet to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings are at 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is only 13 FPS, but the gap between Medium and High is 19 FPS, showing that the GPU’s resources are quickly exhausted as texture quality and effects increase.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a consistent pattern of FPS degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 64 at 4K, a further 37% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is relatively gentle, suggesting that at Low settings, the system is partially CPU-bound even at 4K, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the lower detail level.

At Medium settings, the scaling is steeper. The average FPS drops from 113 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 51 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The minimum FPS also scales poorly, from 96 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p and 43 at 4K. This indicates that the GPU’s shared memory bandwidth is becoming a bottleneck as resolution increases.

At High and Ultra settings, the scaling is dramatic. High settings drop from 70 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p (a 27% drop) and then to 32 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop). Ultra settings drop from 67 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 30 FPS at 4K (a 38% drop). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical across all presets when moving from 1440p to 4K suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor, as 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p, and the FPS roughly halves, which is expected for a fill-rate-bound scenario.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. It features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key asset for gaming. Its average benchmark score is 37018, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945, a delta of 0.2%. This indicates that the 5500X3D is a high-performing mainstream CPU.

In the context of Inside, the CPU’s role is to maintain high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low preset result of 141 FPS is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this setting, as the GPU is capable of pushing well over 100 FPS. The 1080p Medium result of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS shows that the CPU can sustain a high minimum frame rate, which is crucial for a platformer. The PassMark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363 support this, as Inside is not a heavily multithreaded title. The CPU’s 96 MB L3 cache likely helps with asset streaming and physics calculations common in puzzle platformers, allowing for consistent frame times. The processor’s 105W TDP and 7 nm process node are notable, but the data shows that in this game, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor until the GPU is pushed to its limits at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2654 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, in contrast, is in the 85th percentile, meaning that the processor is performing at a high level while the graphics solution is dragging down the overall ranking.

The data shows that this combo is capable of delivering playable frame rates, but it cannot compete with systems that have discrete graphics cards. The ranking of 2654 out of 2887 suggests that most other combos in the database achieve higher average FPS, likely due to superior GPU performance. However, the fact that this combo can achieve 141 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU is not holding back the system in a significant way for this specific game. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions and presets. The combo’s rank would likely improve significantly if paired with a more capable discrete GPU, as the CPU has the headroom to support much higher frame rates. The delta between the CPU’s 85th percentile and the GPU’s 5th percentile is stark, and it explains why the overall combo rank is so low despite the CPU’s strong performance.