Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with a deliberately minimal aesthetic, yet the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a surprisingly complex performance profile. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings show a system that is clearly capable of smooth play at lower presets but struggles to maintain fluidity at the highest visual quality, suggesting a delicate balance between the CPU's strong multi-threaded foundation and the GPU's relatively modest rendering throughput.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, and its defining feature is a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is typical of the X3D line. This cache configuration is often beneficial in games that rely on frequent data access, though its impact is not directly visible in the measured FPS data for Inside. The CPU's PassMark multithreaded score of 20363 and single-thread score of 2941 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a strong overall performer. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, have average benchmark scores that are within 0.2% of the 5500X3D, confirming that it is a highly competitive mid-range part.

The relationship between this CPU and the game's results becomes clear when examining the FPS data. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 156 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution and preset. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, even Low settings drop the average FPS to 70, a significant reduction. This pattern indicates that while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. The CPU's 12 threads are more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer like Inside, which is not known for heavy multi-threaded simulation. The processor's high per-core performance, evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score, ensures that the game's main logic and physics are handled without issue, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 156, which occurs with Low settings. This drops to 125 FPS on Medium, 78 FPS on High, and 74 FPS on Ultra, showing a clear performance hierarchy based on preset.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to other tested hardware combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2547th out of 2887 tested combinations for Inside, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This rank reflects the GPU's low benchmark percentile, rather than the CPU's strong performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the performance limiter at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. The average FPS drops from 156 at 1080p Low to 70 at 4K Low, a 55% reduction that is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, while the CPU's high single-thread score indicates it is not the constraining factor.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Ultra and Low presets at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset achieves an average of 112 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 53 FPS. This represents a 59 FPS difference, or roughly a 53% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B390 have a higher or lower benchmark score than its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX's score of 1463. This indicates the Arc B390 is slightly faster in this specific benchmark.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium is 106, with a maximum of 144 FPS. This minimum suggests that even with occasional dips, the game remains playable, as it stays well above standard 60 FPS thresholds.

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

Examining the scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 156 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 112 FPS, and further to 4K Low, it falls to 70 FPS. This progression shows a consistent decline as pixel count increases, with the 4K figure being less than half of the 1080p result. The same trend is visible at other settings. For High settings, the FPS goes from 78 at 1080p, to 56 at 1440p, and down to 35 at 4K. The Ultra preset follows a similar path, with 74 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K.

The data implies that the Intel Arc B390, with its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 and a percentile of only 9, is the limiting factor. The GPU's low benchmark percentile, placing it near the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, highlights its limited rendering power. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill-rate and shader capabilities are stretched, leading to significant FPS drops. The CPU, on the other hand, maintains its headroom, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS at 1080p Low is high enough that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The scaling is not linear; for instance, moving from 1440p to 4K on Low settings results in a 42 FPS drop, which is larger than the 44 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linearity is typical of GPUs where memory bandwidth or pixel throughput becomes exhausted at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2547th out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places the combo in the bottom 12% of all configurations in the database. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's performance, as the CPU itself is a strong performer. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, which puts it in the 85th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within a fraction of a percent of its score. For example, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36945, a delta of 0.2%, and the Intel Core i9-12900T has a score of 37112, a delta of -0.3%.

In contrast, the Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of just 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, and GeForce GT 625 OEM, all of which are entry-level or legacy parts. This disparity between the CPU and GPU means that the combo is heavily imbalanced. While the CPU can easily handle the computational demands of Inside, the GPU struggles to render the game at higher settings and resolutions. The rank of 2547 suggests that most other tested combos, likely featuring more capable GPUs, would deliver better performance in this game, even if their CPUs are less powerful. The data indicates that for this specific title, the GPU is the determining factor for the combo's overall ranking, and the CPU's strong benchmark scores do little to boost the combo's position due to the GPU's limitations.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 156, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield an average of 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 78 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 74 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is minimal, only 4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset offers marginal visual gains for a slight performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings average 112 FPS, a 44 FPS decrease from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 56 FPS, and Ultra settings average 53 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution narrows to just 3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming saturated. At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the combo's limitations are fully exposed. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is still playable but a significant drop from the 112 FPS at 1440p. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings drop to 35 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low and Medium settings are viable for a smooth experience, as High and Ultra dip below 60 FPS.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. With an average of 125 FPS and a minimum of 106 FPS, it ensures a consistently smooth experience that takes full advantage of high refresh rate displays. The High and Ultra presets, at 78 and 74 FPS respectively, are also playable, but the 47 FPS difference between Medium and High suggests that the visual upgrade may not justify the performance loss, especially since the Ultra preset offers only a 4 FPS improvement over High.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, with an average of 90 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining a higher level of detail than Low. The Low preset at 112 FPS is also excellent for competitive play or if maximum frame rates are desired, but Medium offers a more visually rich experience without dropping below 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets, at 56 and 53 FPS, are borderline, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold and may introduce noticeable stutter. For 4K, the Low preset is the only sensible choice for a consistently smooth experience, averaging 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, which is playable but may have occasional dips to 48 FPS, as recorded in the minimum FPS. High and Ultra are not recommended, as their averages of 35 and 34 FPS are too low for a fluid puzzle platformer.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent," which ties performance to the memory subsystem of the host platform. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. Its theoretical peak performance is 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

The GPU's role in Inside's performance is clearly defined by its low benchmark percentile of 9, which places it in the same performance tier as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM. This is a low-end part, and the measured FPS reflects this. The 4K High preset's average of 35 FPS and the Ultra preset's 34 FPS are indicative of a GPU that is overwhelmed by the pixel count and shader complexity. The system-shared memory is a critical factor; without dedicated VRAM, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which can cause stutters and frame drops, particularly at higher resolutions. While the GPU's boost clock of 2500 MHz is respectable, its low core count and 24 ROPs limit its fill-rate, which is the primary constraint at 4K. The data suggests that for a game like Inside, which has a simple art style but still requires a certain level of rendering power, the Arc B390 is only suitable for lower resolutions and settings, with the CPU far exceeding its graphical capabilities.