Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that places a premium on atmosphere and precise timing rather than raw graphical spectacle. The measured data for this specific configuration, pairing an AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with an Intel Arc B390, reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor, yet capable of delivering a smooth experience at lower resolutions and settings. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy of performance that shifts dramatically based on resolution, making the choice of settings and display output critical for a playable experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture and codenamed Granite Ridge. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU is manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC and supports DDR5 memory via a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. With a TDP of 65 watts, it is a power-efficient part, and its percentile ranking against all CPUs is 94, placing it in the top tier of processors for general compute tasks.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is largely to feed the renderer with game state and physics calculations. The game is not known for heavy multithreaded workloads, so the 8-core, 16-thread configuration is far more than sufficient. The data supports this interpretation. Looking at the CPU's synthetic benchmarks, the single-thread score is 4691, which is a strong result and indicates excellent per-core performance. This is what matters most for a title like this, where the primary thread often determines the frame pacing.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700F is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, showing a deltaPct of 0.2 and an average score of 69996 versus 69875. It is also nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF, with a deltaPct of -0.2. These are all high-end parts, and the performance deltas are within a fraction of a percent, suggesting that any of these CPUs would perform nearly identically as a pairing for the Arc B390. The bottleneck is not the processor.

Considering the measured FPS, the CPU is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate hits 156 FPS, the CPU is still capable of pushing further. The PassMark multithread score of 36470 and the floating-point math score of 77955 reinforce that the 9700F has ample headroom for this game's physics and logic. The data shows that the CPU is an overqualified partner for this GPU in this specific title. The performance ceiling is defined by the graphics card, not the processor, as the FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and graphical settings rather than core count or clock speed.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is a graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a chip codenamed Panther Lake. Its integrated nature is a critical detail, as it uses "System Shared" memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The boost clock is 2500 MHz, and it has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The most telling statistic is the GPU's percentile ranking versus all GPUs, which is just 9. This places the Arc B390 in the bottom tier of graphics processors. Its average benchmark score from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is 1482, which is remarkably low. The nearest rivals for this GPU are ancient or entry-level parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the GeForce 800M, with deltaPct values of 1.3 and 1.5 respectively. This context is crucial; the Arc B390 is not a gaming powerhouse, and its performance in Inside will be limited.

The lack of dedicated VRAM means the GPU relies on system memory, which can introduce latency and bandwidth constraints. While the system memory bandwidth is dependent on the CPU's memory configuration, the "System Shared" memory bus width indicates that the GPU is competing with the CPU for the same memory resources. This is a significant handicap.

Given the GPU's low percentile and the fact that its rivals are from over a decade ago, the measured FPS in Inside makes sense. At 1080p Low, the GPU manages 156 FPS, which is playable. However, the performance cliff is steep. The data shows that the Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck in this system. The GPU's core clocks and shading units are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher settings or resolutions, making it the decisive component in determining the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-limited performance. Starting at 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 156. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 112 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls to 70 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This scaling is directly attributable to the increasing pixel count, which demands more from the GPU's pixel and texture fill rates.

The same trend appears across all settings. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 78 at 1080p, to 56 at 1440p, and finally to 35 at 4K. This is a steep decline. The difference between 1080p High and 4K High is a 43 FPS drop. This indicates that the GPU is being saturated at 4K, and the game's visual complexity, while not extreme, is enough to overwhelm the Arc B390's capabilities.

The data also shows how the limiting component shifts. At 1080p Low, the CPU is still able to push out 156 FPS, and the GPU is likely hitting its maximum render capability for that load. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload increases quadratically with pixel count, and the FPS drops. The CPU's role remains static, as its workload is less dependent on resolution. Therefore, the data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, and the gap between resolutions widens as settings increase.

The 4K Medium result shows an average of 56 FPS with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65. This is interesting because it shows that the GPU is capable of a playable frame rate at 4K, but only on medium settings. The 1080p Medium result shows an average of 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144. This suggests that the game is very playable at 1080p, but the performance penalty for moving to 4K is severe, halving the frame rate in most cases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the best balance. The average FPS is 125, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144. This provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p drops to 78 FPS average, which is still playable, but the Medium preset offers a significant frame rate advantage with minimal visual difference for this style of game.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is still the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. The Low preset at 1440p yields 112 FPS, but the visual quality is likely too compromised for a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and shadows. Medium provides a solid frame rate while retaining a reasonable level of visual fidelity.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently playable frame rate, with an average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience, but the minimum of 48 FPS could cause noticeable stutter in slower-paced scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, with averages of 35 and 34 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a pleasant experience. They fall below the 60 FPS target and are likely to feel sluggish.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset is never the best choice for this combo. At all resolutions, it offers only a marginal visual improvement over High while costing a significant number of frames. For example, at 1080p, Ultra averages 74 FPS compared to High's 78 FPS. The difference is minimal, and the frame rate drop is not worth the extra visual effects. The best experience per the measured rows is to stick to Medium settings for 1080p and 1440p, and Low settings for 4K. This ensures a frame rate that is responsive and consistent.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing within the game is 2547 out of 2887 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This is a very low ranking, and it is a direct reflection of the GPU's performance. The CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU's low percentile ranking and its position relative to decade-old rivals drags the entire combo down.

The rank of 2547 out of 2887 indicates that the vast majority of other CPU and GPU pairings tested in this game will perform better. This is not a system that is well-suited for Inside at high resolutions or settings. The data shows that this combo is only capable of delivering a good experience at 1080p or 1440p with medium to low settings.

The combo rank is a summary of its overall capability. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is a bottom-tier part. The combination results in a system that is heavily imbalanced, with the GPU failing to leverage the CPU's potential. The data indicates that if the goal is to play Inside smoothly, this is not a combo that will provide a high-quality experience beyond lower settings. The rank reflects the reality that the GPU is the primary bottleneck and that the system's performance is severely constrained by it.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Inside?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 156, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F the reason for the low performance in this game?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 94th percentile, and its nearest rivals are within 1% of its average score. The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as FPS scales primarily with resolution and settings.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with a smooth frame rate?

A: At 4K, the only preset that achieves an average FPS above 60 is Low, with an average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, which may not be consistently smooth.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, indicating it performs at a similar level to these older entry-level GPUs.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice, providing an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. The Low preset is faster but offers lower visual quality, while High and Ultra drop to 56 and 53 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2547 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this game.