Inside

Inside is a 2D puzzle-platformer with a deliberately restrained visual style, but that does not mean it is free of hardware demands. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination reveals a configuration that is capable of smooth play, but only when settings and resolution are chosen with care. The benchmark results show a wide performance spread across presets, from a very playable 134 FPS at 1080p Low down to a borderline 29 FPS at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down the measured frames, the role of each component, and how this pairing stacks up against other tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly indicates that the Low preset is the most reliable choice for high refresh rate gameplay, while Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 134 FPS, which is more than double the 64 FPS seen at Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that consistently stays above the 90 FPS threshold. For users with 144Hz displays, the Low preset is the only option that approaches the refresh ceiling, while Medium is the sensible pick for 60Hz panels.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. The Low preset still performs admirably at 97 FPS average, but the Medium preset drops to 77 FPS average with a minimum of 66 FPS. The High preset at 1440p falls to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Therefore, for 1440p, the Low preset is the recommended choice to maintain fluidity, as Medium, while playable, introduces a noticeable frame rate reduction. The Ultra preset at this resolution is not advisable, as its 46 FPS average is too close to the 30 FPS threshold for comfort.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1650 is clearly overextended. The Low preset is the only playable option, yielding 61 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 49 FPS, which is borderline, but the High and Ultra presets fall to 30 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, making them effectively unplayable for a responsive experience. The data suggests that 4K should be reserved for the Low preset, and even then, users should expect a significant compromise in visual quality. Overall, the Medium preset at 1080p represents the sweet spot for this combo, delivering 107 FPS average with a 91 FPS minimum, which is the best combination of visual quality and performance stability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. Its memory configuration consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. This hardware profile places the GTX 1650 at the 40th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A310, which scores 7550, and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, which scores 7447, showing the GTX 1650 is competitive with entry-level discrete and integrated solutions.

In Inside, the GPU's role is heavily dependent on the resolution and settings selected. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is sufficient to drive high frame rates, with the Low preset achieving 134 FPS. However, the 4 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate collapses to 29 FPS, which is only 46% of the 64 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This dramatic drop indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are overwhelmed by the higher pixel count and texture demands. The GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is a bottleneck when rendering at 4K, as the GPU must constantly swap data in and out of its limited 4 GB frame buffer.

The clock speeds of 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for the game's 2D rendering style. The pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s are adequate for the low-polygon environments of Inside. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 52% reduction in frame rate (134 to 64 FPS), which is a direct consequence of the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 134 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 61 FPS at 4K, a 37% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with the GPU's rendering load increasing with pixel count. The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 107 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, representing a 28% and 36% drop respectively.

The High preset exhibits a steeper decline, falling from 67 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 30 FPS at 4K (a 38% drop). The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with frame rates of 64 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K for each preset is as follows: Low (54%), Medium (54%), High (55%), and Ultra (55%). This consistency across presets suggests that the limiting component is the GPU's raw pixel throughput, not any specific setting.

The fact that the frame rate roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not scale with pixel count. The observed scaling behavior confirms that the Ryzen 5 5600 is not holding back the GTX 1650 in this game. The CPU's capability is demonstrated by its ability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the 134 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond the GPU's rendering capacity, and it is only at higher resolutions that the GPU's limitations become apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a full range of performance across the four settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 134 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this resolution. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, indicating stable performance. The High preset averages 67 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not heavily taxing the GPU at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all settings. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS. The High preset drops to 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 46 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 2 FPS, mirroring the pattern seen at 1080p, which suggests that the Ultra preset is not significantly more demanding than High in this game.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1650 struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is the only setting that exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, showing a wide variance that could lead to stuttering. The High preset averages 30 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS, both of which are below the 30 FPS threshold for a smooth experience. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 4K is the highest quality option that remains technically playable, though its 41 FPS minimum is a concern for frame time consistency.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 3575 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 4% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's age and limited capabilities, as the CPU is a relatively modern and capable part. The Ryzen 5 5600 alone sits at the 74th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468, while the GTX 1650 is at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 7472. The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance levels explains why this combo falls so low in the rankings.

The nearest rivals to the GPU highlight its position in the market. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550, which is 1% higher than the GTX 1650's 7472. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, which is 0.3% lower, and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441, which is 0.4% lower. These small deltas indicate that the GTX 1650 is clustered with other entry-level GPUs, and its performance in Inside is consistent with this grouping. The combo rank of 3575 out of 3716 suggests that most other tested combinations, likely featuring more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the Ryzen 5 5600 is well-positioned among processors. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V scores 20454, which is 0.1% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G scores 20425, which is 0.2% lower. This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this combo. The data supports the conclusion that the GTX 1650 is the primary factor holding back the combo's ranking, as the CPU is capable of supporting much higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 107 FPS with a minimum of 91 FPS. The Low preset achieves 134 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 61 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 49 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 30 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The frame rate drops by roughly 54% from 1080p to 4K across all presets, indicating that the GTX 1650's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447 (0.3% lower), and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441 (0.4% lower).

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 3575 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 4% of all configurations.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600 hold back the GTX 1650?

A: No. The CPU scores at the 74th percentile of all CPUs, and its performance is sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p Low, where the combo achieves 134 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor is built on a 7 nm process node and has a transistor count of 4,150 million on a 74 mm² die.

In Inside, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and entity updates, which are not graphically intensive. The benchmark results show that the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU at all tested resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 134 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit or the GPU's maximum output. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2584. This ensures that the game's main thread, which is typically the bottleneck in 2D platformers, does not limit performance.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 9158. However, Inside is not a heavily threaded game, so the 6-core, 12-thread configuration provides ample headroom. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate scales consistently with resolution, which is a GPU-bound behavior. The Ryzen 5 5600's position at the 74th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468, further confirms its capability. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (20454) and AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (20425), perform nearly identically, indicating that the CPU is well-matched to its peers and does not introduce any performance penalty in this game.