Inside

Inside is a 2D puzzle platformer from 2016, and the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 shows a setup that is decisively bound by the graphics processor. The data reveals a consistent pattern where the GPU’s capabilities dictate the frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads providing ample headroom. The Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 40 texture mapping units, appears to be the limiting component in this configuration, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in rendering resolution. This analysis will walk through the measured FPS data to explain how the system scales, where it performs best, and what the benchmark results indicate about this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for Inside shows a clear and expected pattern: performance degrades as resolution increases, which strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 141 FPS. When the resolution is bumped to 1440p, that average drops to 101 FPS, and at 4K it falls further to 64 FPS. This is a steep decline, showing that the GPU is working progressively harder to fill the additional pixels, a classic sign of a pixel-bound workload.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 28% reduction in frame rate at Low settings (from 141 to 101 FPS), and the jump to 4K costs another 36% (from 101 to 64 FPS). This is not a linear scaling, but the trend is unmistakable. Moving to Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 113 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. On High settings, the numbers are 70, 51, and 32 FPS respectively. At Ultra settings, the system manages 67 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and just 30 FPS at 4K.

The fact that even the lowest preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K (64 FPS at Low) underscores the GPU's limitations. At 1080p, the Arc B370 is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the headroom evaporates quickly. The 4K results, regardless of settings, are all below the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset dipping to an average of 30 FPS. This indicates that the Arc B370 is simply not designed for 4K gaming, even for a relatively light title like Inside. The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the graphics card, as the CPU’s performance metrics—such as a Passmark single-thread score of 2541 and a multi-thread score of 12115—are more than sufficient for a game of this genre and age.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combination is at 1080p with Medium settings. This preset provides a strong balance, yielding an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. The minimum frame rate is particularly important; it stays well above the 60 FPS mark, ensuring smooth gameplay without stutters. While the Low preset at 1080p pushes the average to 141 FPS, the Medium preset's visual improvements come at a relatively modest cost of 28 FPS, making it the better choice for a stable and visually pleasing experience.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is again the sweet spot, delivering an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS. This is still comfortably playable, and the visual upgrade over Low is noticeable. The High preset at 1440p drops the average to 51 FPS, which is playable but begins to sacrifice the fluidity that the Medium preset provides. At 4K, there is no preset that offers a consistently smooth experience; the Low preset’s 64 FPS average is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, but the Ultra preset’s 30 FPS average is a significant compromise. Therefore, the data suggests that 4K gaming should be avoided with this hardware, and 1080p Medium is the recommended target for the best balance of performance and fidelity.

The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual quality, only shows a marginal improvement over High in terms of frame rate at 1080p (67 FPS vs. 70 FPS), suggesting that the extra graphical features come with a performance hit that is not justified by the measured numbers. The Medium preset appears to be the most efficient in terms of the performance per visual quality, as it is the only setting that provides a minimum frame rate above 90 FPS at 1080p, indicating a large buffer for complex scenes.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the defining component in this system's performance profile. Its specifications reveal a chip designed for efficiency, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The architecture, Xe3-LPG, is built on a 3 nm process, which is state-of-the-art and contributes to the low 25 W TDP. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, which are modest numbers that explain its performance ceiling. The pixel rate is listed at 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, which are relatively low figures for modern gaming.

The most critical aspect of this GPU is its memory configuration. The Arc B370 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the host system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means it is contingent on the system's memory configuration. This is a significant factor in the performance scaling observed. As the resolution increases, the demand for memory bandwidth grows, and the shared memory interface becomes a bottleneck. This is why the frame rate drops so sharply at 4K; the GPU is competing with the CPU for the same memory resources, and the increased pixel load exacerbates the bandwidth limitation.

The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, putting it in the same performance class as older cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which has a score of 1186 (a delta of -0.2%). This comparison underscores the Arc B370's position as an entry-level or integrated-class solution, despite being a discrete GPU. The data shows that while it can handle 1080p and some 1440p gaming, it is not a high-performance part. The core clocks, while high in boost, cannot compensate for the limited number of execution units and the shared memory bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 141 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this configuration. The Medium preset follows at 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset is only slightly lower at 67 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming on the lower presets, but the jump from Medium to High costs 43 FPS, which is a substantial hit.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 101 FPS, which is still excellent for 1440p. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. The data shows a clear step-down from Medium to High, indicating that the High and Ultra presets are taxing the GPU significantly more. The minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 1440p is 69 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS target, but the High and Ultra presets likely fall below that threshold in demanding scenes, though their min FPS was not measured.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 64 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. The data indicates that the Arc B370 is not suitable for 4K gaming in this title, as even the lowest settings cannot provide a consistent 60 FPS experience, and the minimum FPS on Medium (43 FPS) suggests noticeable stuttering. The scaling from 1080p Medium (113 FPS) to 4K Medium (51 FPS) represents a 55% reduction in performance, highlighting the resolution's heavy impact on the shared memory system.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K resolution smoothly?

A: No. The measured data shows that even at Low settings, the average FPS at 3840x2160 is 64, but it drops to 51 on Medium and 30 on Ultra. The minimum FPS recorded for 4K Medium is 43, indicating that the system cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting preset for a 1080p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice. It provides an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual improvement over the Low preset.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The Intel Core i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, is more than capable for this game, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of GPU performance?

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, has a score of 1186, which is a delta of -0.2%. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is also close with a score of 1190 (delta -0.5%). This indicates that the Arc B370 is performing at a level similar to these much older cards.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this system?

A: The highest average FPS is 141, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a significant performance boost over High at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 70 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. The difference is only 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset offers minimal performance benefit over High and is not worth the potential visual trade-offs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in this system, and the data suggests it is not the limiting factor. This CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It is based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process, and has a 12 MB shared L3 cache. In terms of memory, it supports DDR4 in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. These are solid specifications for a desktop processor from its generation.

The CPU's benchmark scores are respectable. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10283 in multi-core and 1451 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 6257 for multi-core and 1420 for single-core. The Passmark single-thread score is 2541, and the multi-thread score is 12115. These numbers place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (avg score 14163, delta 0.2%) and the AMD EPYC 7552 (avg score 14115, delta 0.5%), showing it is in a competitive performance bracket.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, the CPU demands are relatively low. The frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU, as seen in the resolution scaling. The CPU has more than enough processing power to feed the Arc B370 frames. The high FPS at 1080p Low (141 FPS) reflects the CPU's ability to handle the game logic and physics without being a constraint. The data indicates that the i5-10400F is an excellent match for this GPU, providing a balanced platform where the GPU is the only performance bottleneck. The CPU's 12 threads ensure that any background tasks or game engine threads are handled efficiently, preventing any potential stutters.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the Intel Arc B370 ranks at 2654 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's low performance ceiling. The combo rank is heavily influenced by the Arc B370, which is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This pairing of a mid-range CPU with a very low-end GPU results in a system that is suitable for 1080p gaming at lower settings but struggles at higher resolutions.

The ranking indicates that most other tested hardware combinations will outperform this one in Inside. The GPU's shared memory architecture and low pixel and texture rates are the primary reasons for this low rank. While the CPU is capable, it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. The data shows that this combo is not designed for high-fidelity gaming, but rather for basic playability. For a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding, the system can still provide a playable experience at 1080p, but it will not be competitive with systems featuring more powerful discrete GPUs. The rank of 2654 out of 2887 is a clear signal that users should expect entry-level performance from this combination.