Inside

Inside is a deliberately minimalist puzzle-platformer, yet its rendering load scales dramatically with settings and resolution. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the Intel Arc B390, using only the benchmark data provided. The results reveal a system where the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck, but the CPU’s strong multi-threaded foundation ensures frame pacing remains stable even when the graphics card is saturated.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a desktop processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It provides 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For a 2016 puzzle platformer like Inside, this is an extreme amount of processing power; the game’s physics and logic are simple, and the data confirms the CPU is not the limiting factor in any measured configuration.

The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15476 multi-core and 1574.5 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 27732, with a single-thread score of 3445. These are strong numbers, placing the 5800X in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Inside, even the most demanding 1080p Ultra setting yields 74 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could deliver; the bottleneck lies elsewhere.

The nearest rivals in the benchmark database show how close the 5800X sits to other processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has an average score of 29093, a delta of +0.1% compared to the 5800X’s average of 29123. The Intel Xeon Phi 7210 is 0.4% slower, and the Intel Core i5-13500HX is 0.5% slower. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.6% faster. This clustering indicates that the 5800X is a balanced mid-to-high-end part, but for Inside, this differentiation is irrelevant. The game cannot utilize the full thread count; what matters is that the single-thread performance is more than sufficient to feed the GPU.

The data shows that the CPU’s role in this specific game is to provide a stable, high-frequency baseline. The 3.80 GHz base clock and 4.70 GHz boost clock ensure that no frame drops are caused by physics calculations or AI logic. The 32 MB of L3 cache is ample for the game’s small asset footprint. In essence, the 5800X is overqualified for the task, which is beneficial because it allows the measured FPS to purely reflect the GPU’s rendering capabilities across different settings and resolutions.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is the polar opposite of the CPU in this pairing. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 300 MHz, boosting to 2500 MHz. Crucially, its memory is "System Shared," meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and relies on the system’s DDR4 memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a critical factor for a game like Inside that has a dark, detailed art style.

The GPU’s benchmark score is a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1482. This places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating very low performance relative to discrete graphics cards. Its nearest rivals are ancient parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, 1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). This is a stark warning that the Arc B390 is not designed for gaming at high settings.

The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p Low, the Arc B390 manages 156 FPS, which is playable. However, moving to 1080p High drops the average to 78 FPS, and 1080p Ultra falls to 74 FPS. The drop from Low to High is a 50% reduction in performance, directly tied to the GPU’s limited shading units (1536) and texture mapping units (48). The 24 ROPs also limit fill rate, which becomes a problem at higher resolutions.

The shared memory architecture is the primary constraint. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU must access the system memory via the memory bus, which is shared with the CPU. This causes significant bandwidth contention, especially at 4K where the framebuffer is much larger. The data shows a 35 FPS average at 4K High, which is nearly unplayable. The GPU is clearly the bottleneck, and its performance scales poorly with increasing load because the memory subsystem cannot keep up.

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

The resolution scaling data paints a clear picture of a GPU-bound system. Starting at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 156. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 112, a reduction of 28.2%. At 4K Low, it falls to 70, which is a 55.1% drop from 1080p. This scaling is typical for a GPU that is limited by memory bandwidth and fill rate; as resolution increases, the number of pixels to fill grows, and the shared memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor.

The settings scaling at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the FPS goes from 156 (Low) to 125 (Medium) to 78 (High) to 74 (Ultra). The jump from Low to Medium is a 19.9% drop, but the jump from Medium to High is a 37.6% drop. This indicates that the High preset introduces effects that are extremely expensive on the Arc B390, likely involving higher-resolution shadows and post-processing that stress the TMUs and ROPs. The Ultra preset adds only a marginal 5.1% drop over High, suggesting it is not much more demanding than High for this game.

At 1440p, the pattern is similar but with a steeper curve. Low yields 112 FPS, Medium drops to 90 (a 19.6% drop), High falls to 56 (a 37.8% drop from Medium), and Ultra bottoms out at 53. The 4K results are more dramatic. Low gives 70 FPS, Medium drops to 56 (a 20% drop), High falls to 35 (a 37.5% drop), and Ultra is at 34. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High shows a 55.1% reduction in FPS, which is a massive penalty.

This data implies that the limiting component is unambiguously the GPU. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drops are perfectly correlated with resolution and settings changes that affect pixel count and shading complexity. The 5800X’s performance is constant across all tests; it is not the variable. The Arc B390’s shared memory and low fill rate are the sole reasons for the performance degradation.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. As resolution increases, the framebuffer size grows, requiring more memory bandwidth. Since the memory bandwidth is "System Dependent" and shared with the CPU, the GPU becomes bottlenecked by the memory subsystem. The data shows a 55.1% drop in FPS from 1080p High (78 FPS) to 4K High (35 FPS).

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The 5800X has 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15476, and its single-core score is 1574.5. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, this is far more than enough. The FPS scaling is entirely dependent on the GPU settings and resolution, indicating the CPU has headroom to spare.

Q: What is the best setting for a playable experience at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1080p gives an average of 156 FPS, which is excellent. Medium gives 125 FPS, which is also smooth. High drops to 78 FPS, and Ultra to 74 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, Medium is the highest setting that delivers a comfortable margin, while still being more visually detailed than Low.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 70 FPS. At Medium, the FPS drops to 56, and at High and Ultra it falls to 35 and 34 FPS respectively. The 4K High and Ultra results are not smooth for gameplay, indicating the system is not suited for high-fidelity 4K in this title.

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

A: The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1482. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, which is 1.3% slower. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% slower, and the GT 625 OEM is 2.5% slower. This shows the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy.

Q: Are the High and Ultra presets worth the performance cost?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, High gives 78 FPS and Ultra gives 74 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 5.1%, but the difference between Medium and High is 37.6%. This suggests that Ultra offers minimal visual improvement over High for a significant performance hit, while High is a major step down from Medium. For a good balance, Medium is recommended.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the Medium preset is the clear winner across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 125 FPS, which is well above the threshold. At 1440p, it provides 90 FPS, still excellent. Even at 4K, Medium yields 56 FPS, which is playable if a lower frame rate is acceptable.

The High preset is a significant step down in performance. At 1080p, it drops to 78 FPS, which is still playable but less smooth than Medium. At 1440p, it falls to 56 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 35 FPS. The Ultra preset offers no substantial benefit over High; the data shows only a 4-5% difference in FPS between them. Therefore, High and Ultra are not recommended for this GPU, as they require a major performance sacrifice for marginal visual gains.

The Low preset is the only option for very high refresh rates. At 1080p, it reaches 156 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz monitor. At 1440p, it still manages 112 FPS. However, the visual quality is noticeably reduced. For most users, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, ensuring that the game remains fluid even in scenes with complex lighting and shadows. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. The data shows a consistent pattern: higher settings and resolutions lead to lower frame rates, with the GPU being the sole limiting factor.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 156 FPS
• Medium: 125 FPS (min 106, max 144)
• High: 78 FPS
• Ultra: 74 FPS

At 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates on Low, but the drop to Medium is 19.9%. The High preset sees a further 37.6% reduction from Medium, while Ultra is only 5.1% slower than High.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 112 FPS
• Medium: 90 FPS (min 76, max 103)
• High: 56 FPS
• Ultra: 53 FPS

The 1440p results show a similar pattern. Low is very playable, Medium is smooth, but High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 28.2% on Low, 28% on Medium, 28.2% on High, and 28.4% on Ultra.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 70 FPS
• Medium: 56 FPS (min 48, max 65)
• High: 35 FPS
• Ultra: 34 FPS

At 4K, only the Low preset is smooth. Medium is borderline, while High and Ultra are not suitable for gameplay. The reduction from 1080p to 4K is 55.1% on Low, 55.2% on Medium, 55.1% on High, and 54.1% on Ultra. This consistent percentage drop across all settings highlights the GPU’s memory bandwidth constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2547 out of 2887 tested combinations in this game. This places it in the bottom 11.8% of all systems tested for Inside. This is a poor ranking, directly attributable to the GPU’s weak performance.

The CPU itself is not the problem. The 5800X ranks in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its average score. The bottleneck is entirely the Arc B390, which ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the GT 520MX, 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, all of which are obsolete parts from a decade ago.

The ranking of 2547 out of 2887 means that the vast majority of other tested systems will outperform this one in Inside. The data suggests that this is a system designed for productivity or basic computing, not for gaming. The 5800X provides a strong foundation, but the integrated graphics of the Arc B390 severely limit the gaming experience. For a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding by modern standards, this combo still struggles at higher settings and resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the critical weakness in this pairing. The high rank of the CPU cannot compensate for the low rank of the GPU.