Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that places minimal load on modern hardware, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 confirm this. The dataset shows a combo that is capable of excellent performance at 1080p, yet struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K Ultra, revealing a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets, examining the roles of the CPU and GPU, and providing recommendations based strictly on the observed data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced and predictable decline as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the combo produces an average of 135 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 97 FPS, a reduction of 28.1%, and then to 4K Low, the average falls to 61 FPS, another 37.1% drop. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, a common trait for a GPU of its class.

The scaling behavior becomes even more telling when examining the higher presets. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 108 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p (a 27.8% decrease), and then to 49 at 4K (a 37.2% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different presets suggests that the rendering workload scales almost linearly with resolution, which is typical for a game like Inside that does not heavily tax the CPU. The Intel Core i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the RX 570 simply cannot maintain the same level of output when the pixel shader workload quadruples.

The data indicates that the transition from 1440p to 4K is the most punishing. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS plummets from 49 at 1440p to 31 at 4K, a steep 36.7% drop. This steep cliff at 4K suggests that the RX 570's 4 GB of VRAM and its raw compute power are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering, even in a visually modest game. In contrast, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe, but still substantial enough to push the experience from very smooth (68 FPS at 1080p High) to merely playable (49 FPS at 1440p High). The overall picture is that this combo is optimized for 1080p gaming, and any move to higher resolutions will require significant settings compromises.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Inside?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 135, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only yields an average of 61 FPS. All higher presets at 4K produce averages below 50 FPS, with High and Ultra falling to 31 and 29 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185. Its closest rival, the Intel Xeon 6756E, scores 14163, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 7552 is 0.5% lower, while the Intel Core 7 160UL and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C are 0.3% and 0.6% higher, respectively.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 falls into the 74th percentile of all GPUs tested in the database, indicating it performs better than the majority of its peers.

Q: What is the most demanding settings preset for this GPU at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset is the most demanding at 1920x1080, producing an average of 64 FPS. This is lower than the High preset's 68 FPS average, making it the hardest on the hardware.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves an average of 97 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 46 FPS, a reduction of more than half the frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the central component in determining this combo's gaming performance. Its specifications from the data pack include 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz. These characteristics place the RX 570 in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is clear from the FPS scaling. The game is not demanding enough to stress the CPU, so the RX 570 becomes the bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the playable frame rates. However, at 4K, the combination of increased memory pressure and raw compute demand causes a significant performance cliff. The measured data shows the GPU struggling to maintain 30 FPS at 4K Ultra, with an average of 29 FPS, which is a clear indication that the GPU's resources are exhausted.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. Its average score of 28766 is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M's 28874, and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X's 28580. It is 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 470's 28996, and 1.2% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000's 28421. This clustering shows that the RX 570's raw compute power is competitive within its immediate class, but the measured FPS in Inside suggests that its specific architecture and memory configuration are well-suited for this title's needs at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 570 has a rank of 3523 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 5% of all combinations tested, which may seem surprising given its strong 1080p performance. The rank reflects the performance relative to all other combos, many of which will feature significantly more powerful and expensive GPUs. While this combo can achieve an average of 135 FPS at 1080p Low, the rank is dragged down by its inability to handle higher resolutions and settings, where other combos excel.

This low rank is not an indictment of the combo's suitability for its intended purpose. The data shows that it is perfectly capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1080p with High settings (68 FPS average) and even Ultra (64 FPS average). However, in a database that includes top-tier hardware, a combo with a GPU in the 74th percentile and a CPU in the 68th percentile will naturally rank lower when the game is easy to run. The rank indicates that for users seeking maximum fidelity at 4K, this combo is far from ideal, but for 1080p gaming, it offers a balanced experience that is well above the threshold for playability.

The rank of 3523 out of 3716 also highlights a potential imbalance in the combo. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14185 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's score of 28766 places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. This suggests that the GPU is slightly more capable relative to its peers than the CPU is, but in the context of Inside, the GPU is still the limiting factor. The low overall rank is a consequence of the game's low system requirements, which allows even mid-range hardware to perform well, while the best combos achieve frame rates far beyond what this setup can reach.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. Its average benchmark score of 14185 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451. In the context of Inside, this CPU is more than sufficient. The game's puzzle platformer nature does not require high thread counts or extremely fast single-core performance.

The measured FPS data supports this assessment. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 135 FPS, which is a frame rate that would be difficult to reach if the CPU were a bottleneck. The fact that the FPS scales down consistently with resolution increases indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor; instead, the GPU is. The i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than enough to handle the game's logic and physics, leaving the GPU to handle the rendering workload. Even at 1080p Ultra, the CPU can maintain a 64 FPS average, showing no signs of stalling.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows it is closely matched. The i5-10400F's average score of 14185 is 0.2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6756E's 14163, and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552's 14115. It is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core 7 160UL's 14232 and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C's 14277. This tight grouping suggests that the i5-10400F offers competitive processing power, and in a game like Inside, its performance is more than adequate. The data indicates that the CPU's role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU, and it does so without any measurable negative impact on the frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Inside provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 49 FPS average (min 42, max 56)
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

At 4K, the combo is only playable at Low settings, where it just manages to exceed 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 49 FPS, which is borderline, while High and Ultra are not viable for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 97 FPS average
• Medium: 78 FPS average (min 66, max 89)
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

At 1440p, Low and Medium settings provide a very smooth experience. High and Ultra settings are playable but will experience noticeable dips, particularly in more demanding scenes, as evidenced by the 49 and 46 FPS averages respectively.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 135 FPS average
• Medium: 108 FPS average (min 92, max 124)
• High: 68 FPS average
• Ultra: 64 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo excels. Even the Ultra preset maintains a 64 FPS average, which is above the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The Low preset's 135 FPS average is excellent for high refresh rate monitors.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the frame rate is highest at 1080p and decreases as resolution increases. The Medium preset consistently offers a significant boost over High and Ultra, while the gap between High and Ultra is relatively small, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not particularly demanding on the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The measured 64 FPS average is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the visual fidelity gains from Ultra over High are worth the minor 4 FPS average reduction (68 to 64). For users with a 144 Hz monitor, the Medium preset is also an excellent choice, as its 108 FPS average will take full advantage of the display's refresh rate.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides the best balance. The 78 FPS average is smooth and well above playable, while the Low preset's 97 FPS is not necessary unless chasing very high refresh rates. The High and Ultra presets, with averages of 49 and 46 FPS, dip below the 60 FPS target and are not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset's 49 FPS average is playable but may feel less responsive. The High and Ultra presets, at 31 and 29 FPS, are not recommended for any serious gameplay, as the frame rates are too low for a fluid experience. If 4K is a priority, users would be better served by lowering the resolution to 1440p and using Medium settings, which yields a much better experience.