Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination delivers a playable but tightly constrained experience in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016-07-06. The data shows that the system’s performance is highly dependent on both resolution and quality presets, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck at higher settings while the CPU provides adequate headroom for the game’s physics and logic. This pairing ranks near the bottom of the database, occupying position 1630 out of 1671 tested combos, which places it in the 2.5th percentile of all configurations. The benchmark results indicate a wide gulf between the 1080p and 4K experiences, with the GTX 1650’s 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus proving insufficient for ultra settings at high pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GTX 1650 as the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 65.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 48.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 26.4%, and then to 31.6 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 34.4% decline. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU with limited rasterization throughput and memory bandwidth — the 128.1 GB/s available to the card is simply not enough to feed the pixel shaders at 4K. The pattern intensifies at Ultra settings, where 1080p yields 65.2 FPS, 1440p drops to 44 FPS, and 4K falls to 27.1 FPS. Notably, the 1080p Ultra and 1080p High results are nearly identical (65.2 vs 65.5 FPS), suggesting that the CPU or some other bottleneck caps performance around this level, preventing the GPU from fully utilizing its resources even at lower resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low produces 132.2 FPS versus 65.2 FPS at Ultra — a 67 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 52.7 FPS (96.7 vs 44). At 4K, the spread shrinks further to 34.8 FPS (61.9 vs 27.1). This convergence indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated regardless of settings; even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers 34.8 FPS, whereas the same settings change at 1080p recovers 67 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings (61.9 FPS), with Medium (47.7 FPS) and High (31.6 FPS) falling below the 60 FPS threshold. For smooth gameplay at higher quality presets, users must stick to 1080p or accept lower fidelity at 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides the computational foundation for this combo, featuring 4 cores and 8 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz deliver strong single-thread performance, which is critical for a Puzzle Platformer where game logic and collision detection often run on a single thread. The CPU’s benchmark scores reflect this: a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 1681 place it well above entry-level processors. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the rapid state changes typical of puzzle mechanics.

In multi-threaded workloads, the CPU shows its limitations. The 4-core/8-thread configuration produces a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 11912 and a passmark_multithread score of 14015, which are respectable for a budget chip but far from top-tier. However, Inside is not a heavily threaded title, and the data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The fact that 1080p Ultra (65.2 FPS) and 1080p High (65.5 FPS) produce nearly identical results suggests that a performance ceiling exists around 65 FPS, likely imposed by the GPU’s shading units or the game’s engine. The CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13516, places it close to rivals like the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280, 1.8% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, 0.1% behind). This indicates that the i3-12100F offers competitive compute capability for its class, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s weaknesses at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive factor in this combo’s performance. Built on the Turing architecture with a TU117 chip at 12 nm, the card features 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock of 1485 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz allow it to reach 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, but the 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus (128.1 GB/s bandwidth) is the critical constraint. At 1080p, the card performs admirably, delivering 105.8 FPS at Medium and 132.2 FPS at Low, indicating that the 4 GB frame buffer is sufficient for these settings. However, at 1440p and 4K, the memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors, especially at High and Ultra presets where texture detail and post-processing effects demand more VRAM.

The GPU’s benchmark results confirm its mid-range positioning. A passmark_g3d score of 7880 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 305 place it at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746, 0.4% ahead) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8761, 0.5% ahead), showing that the GTX 1650 sits near the boundary of modern playability. The 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors mean the card draws minimal power, but this also limits its overclocking headroom. For Inside, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings (61.9 FPS) barely reach 60 FPS, and Ultra settings (27.1 FPS) are essentially unplayable. The card’s 12 nm process and 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die represent an older design that struggles with high-resolution rendering.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1630 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance is relatively stronger. The combo’s measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (65.2 FPS) is actually respectable, but the database ranking likely weights performance across all resolutions and settings, where the 4K results (27.1-61.9 FPS) drag down the overall position. Compared to other combos, this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can maintain playable frame rates at Medium (105.8 FPS) and High (65.5 FPS) presets. At 1440p, only Low settings (96.7 FPS) provide a smooth experience, while High (48.2 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results are marginal at best, with only Low settings (61.9 FPS) reaching playability.

The ranking also reflects the age of the components. The GTX 1650, released on 2019-04-22, is now end-of-life, and its 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for modern titles at high settings. The i3-12100F, while newer, is a budget part that lacks the multi-threaded muscle of higher-end CPUs. The combo’s performance in Inside is further constrained by the game’s engine, which appears to favor single-threaded CPU performance (the i3-12100F excels here) but relies heavily on GPU fill rate for its atmospheric rendering. The data shows that the combo performs best in low-resolution, low-settings scenarios, where it can exceed 100 FPS, but it struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher quality presets. This makes it a legacy configuration for esports or older titles, not a future-proof choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 132.2 FPS, providing a buttery-smooth experience. Medium settings drop to 105.8 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target. High settings yield 65.5 FPS, which is adequate for most players, while Ultra settings produce 65.2 FPS, nearly identical to High. This suggests that the GPU is not fully taxed at 1080p, and the CPU or game engine may impose a soft cap around 65 FPS for higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings maintain 96.7 FPS, which is acceptable, but Medium falls to 77.3 FPS, still playable. High settings drop to 48.2 FPS, below the 60 FPS ideal, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in a game that relies on precise timing. The 1440p results indicate that the GTX 1650’s 4 GB VRAM is starting to become a bottleneck, as texture and shadow quality at High and Ultra presets exceed the available memory.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low settings produce 61.9 FPS, barely reaching playability. Medium drops to 47.7 FPS, which is suboptimal, and High falls to 31.6 FPS, which is choppy. Ultra settings yield 27.1 FPS, which is essentially unplayable for a game requiring responsive controls. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p at lower settings for an enjoyable experience. The measured FPS values show a clear hierarchy: 1080p > 1440p > 4K, with the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions.