Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B390 lands at rank 2547 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 12th percentile of all configurations. This is a decisive result: the processor is a high-end 12-core Zen 5 part, but the integrated graphics solution from Intel is the overwhelming bottleneck. The combo's position reflects a massive mismatch between CPU potential and GPU capability, making it a configuration that excels at compute tasks but struggles in this puzzle platformer.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2547 out of 2887 puts it firmly in the lower tier of tested systems for Inside. Benchmark results indicate this is not a competitive gaming configuration, as roughly 88% of all tested combos deliver higher frame rates. The CPU itself is a strong performer, sitting at the 92nd percentile against all CPUs, but the integrated GPU’s 9th percentile standing drags the entire system down. The data shows a clear stratification: the Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-tier desktop processor, while the Arc B390 is positioned near the bottom of the GPU hierarchy.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9900X posts an average benchmark score of 57,498, which is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 9015 (57,555, delta -0.1%) and the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399, delta 0.2%). It trails the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115, delta -1.1%) and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323, delta -1.4%) by just over one percent. This indicates the processor is performing exactly as expected for its class, yet that strength is entirely neutralized in this game. The GPU’s rivals tell a different story: the Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, edging out the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463, delta 1.3%) and GeForce 800M (1,460, delta 1.5%), but this is a race at the very bottom of the performance ladder.

The measured frame rates confirm this ranking. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 156 FPS, which is respectable, but Ultra settings drop it to 74 FPS. The gap between the CPU’s compute potential and the GPU’s rendering limits means the system is never CPU-bound in Inside. Instead, the GPU consistently throttles performance, resulting in the low overall rank.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, delivering a peak pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance at 15.36 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio.

Memory is entirely system-shared, with no dedicated VRAM. The bus width, memory type, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," meaning performance scales with the host system's DDR5 RAM and dual-channel memory configuration. This is a critical limitation for Inside, as the game’s visual effects and texture streaming rely on memory bandwidth. The GPU’s 80 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for portable or compact devices, not high-end desktop gaming.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GT 520MX (1,463, delta 1.3%), GeForce 800M (1,460, delta 1.5%), GT 625 OEM (1,446, delta 2.5%), and GT 710 (1,443, delta 2.7%). These are all entry-level or older discrete GPUs, yet the Arc B390 only marginally outperforms them. In Inside, this translates to playable but not smooth performance at lower settings, with significant drops as graphical fidelity increases.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which are modern APIs, but the raw hardware throughput is insufficient for demanding scenes. The 12 RT cores are present, but Inside does not utilize ray tracing, so they remain idle. The system-shared memory architecture means the GPU competes with the CPU for bandwidth, further limiting performance in a game that benefits from consistent frame pacing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the Arc B390 scales across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 156 FPS, which drops to 112 FPS at 1440p Low (a 28% reduction) and then to 70 FPS at 4K Low (a 55% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the fill rate and memory bandwidth requirements.

At Medium settings, the trend continues: 125 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is 28% lower than 1080p, while 4K is 55% lower. High settings show 78 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, with the 1440p drop being 28% and the 4K drop being 55%. Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 74 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K.

The consistent 28% and 55% reductions across all settings prove that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would be more gradual, as the processor’s workload does not increase linearly with resolution. Instead, the data shows that each pixel doubling (from 1080p to 1440p is 1.78x the pixels, and 1440p to 4K is 2.25x) results in a proportional FPS loss. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU, but the Arc B390 simply cannot render frames fast enough.

This resolution scaling has practical implications. At 1080p, the combo can deliver smooth gameplay on Low and Medium settings, but High and Ultra dip below 80 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings remain above 100 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS. At 4K, every setting except Low fails to reach 60 FPS, and Low itself only manages 70 FPS. The GPU’s system-shared memory exacerbates this, as higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth, which is shared with the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo averages 35 FPS on High, 70 FPS on Low, 56 FPS on Medium, and 34 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating some frame variability, but the other presets lack min/max data. The 4K results are the weakest: Ultra averages just 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for consistent playability, and High is only marginally better at 35 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance improves significantly. High averages 56 FPS, Low averages 112 FPS, Medium averages 90 FPS with a min of 76 and max of 103, and Ultra averages 53 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is notable, as it maintains a minimum of 76 FPS, suggesting that the game is playable without major stutters. Low settings at 1440p are the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, with 112 FPS providing ample headroom.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo performs best. High averages 78 FPS, Low averages 156 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS with a min of 106 and max of 144, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The 1080p Medium setting delivers a strong experience, with the minimum FPS staying above 100. Low settings at 1080p are exceptionally smooth at 156 FPS, making this the optimal configuration for competitive or fast-paced play.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low > 1080p Medium > 1440p Low > 1080p High > 1080p Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 82 FPS (156 vs 74), which is a 53% performance loss for the highest visual quality. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 36 FPS (70 vs 34), a 51% loss. This consistency suggests that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is uniformly stressed by the Ultra preset, regardless of resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + Intel Arc B390 combo suitable for playing Inside at 4K?*

A: The data shows that at 4K, the combo averages 56 FPS on Medium and 35 FPS on High, with Ultra dropping to 34 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K achieve 70 FPS, which is playable, but the higher presets will struggle to maintain smooth frame rates.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463) and 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1,460). It is 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM (1,446) and 2.7% faster than the GT 710 (1,443), putting it at the bottom of the GPU performance chart.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for smooth gameplay?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p Medium is the best choice, averaging 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS. For even higher frame rates, 1080p Low averages 156 FPS, while 1440p Low averages 112 FPS, both providing smooth experiences.

*Q: Why does the combo rank so low at 2547 out of 2887 in Inside?*

A: The rank is driven by the GPU’s low performance ceiling. The CPU is at the 92nd percentile, but the GPU is at the 9th percentile. The system-shared memory and 80 W TDP of the Arc B390 limit its ability to render the game’s scenes, resulting in average FPS that are well below many other combos.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent percentage drops (28% to 1440p, 55% to 4K) across all settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s 12 cores and 24 threads provide more than enough processing power for Inside.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the Arc B390, and does it affect performance?

A: The GPU uses system-shared memory with a "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning it relies on the host’s DDR5 memory. This shared architecture can cause contention with the CPU, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase, contributing to the lower frame rates at 1440p and 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for optimal settings. At 1080p, Low settings deliver 156 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth, but Medium settings at 125 FPS offer a better balance of visual quality and performance, with the minimum frame rate staying above 106 FPS. High and Ultra at 1080p drop to 78 FPS and 74 FPS, respectively, which are still playable but show diminishing returns for the extra graphical load.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity, 1440p Medium is a viable option, averaging 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This provides a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining smooth gameplay. However, 1440p High (56 FPS) and Ultra (53 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less desirable for a game that benefits from consistent motion.

At 4K, the choices are limited. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 56 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 35 FPS and 34 FPS, respectively. These lower frame rates could impact the game’s precise platforming mechanics, so 4K is only recommended with Low settings.

The best overall experience, per the measured rows, is 1080p Medium. It delivers a high average FPS (125) with a solid minimum (106), preserving visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. For users who prefer higher resolutions, 1440p Low (112 FPS) is the next best option, offering a balance of resolution and frame rate. The data suggests avoiding Ultra settings at any resolution, as the performance penalty (51-53% reduction from Low) is substantial and not justified for this title’s art style.