Inside

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at high settings. The data shows this combination ranks 703rd out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all systems. The RTX 5090's massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are complete overkill for this title, but the measured frame rates confirm that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to push frame rates past 230 FPS at 1080p low.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience in Inside, the Ultra preset is the clear choice at every resolution, as it delivers frame rates that are only slightly lower than High while providing maximum visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, Ultra achieves 175.8 FPS, compared to 176.8 FPS on High, a negligible 1 FPS difference. The gap widens slightly at 2560x1440, where Ultra hits 159 FPS versus 158.4 FPS on High, but both are well above any display's refresh rate. At 3840x2160, Ultra produces 137.1 FPS, which is within 2 FPS of High's 135.5 FPS.

The data indicates that Medium settings offer no meaningful advantage over Ultra, as the frame rate difference at 1080p is only 39.4 FPS (215.2 vs 175.8), but the visual quality reduction is substantial. Low settings do provide the highest raw frame rates—235.3 FPS at 1080p—but this is unnecessary for a game that rarely requires reaction times below 16 milliseconds. Benchmark results suggest that players with 144 Hz monitors should select Ultra for the best combination of visual quality and smoothness, while those with 60 Hz displays can safely max out every setting at 4K without dropping below 137 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, with a 575 W TDP and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is vastly more than Inside requires given its 2016 release date and simple puzzle platformer geometry. The GPU's 21760 shading units and 176 ROPs are processing this game's visuals with immense headroom, as evidenced by the 135.5 FPS average at 4K High settings.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 94 versus all GPUs underscores its position near the top of the performance hierarchy. Its average benchmark score of 84306 places it just 0.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% ahead of the RTX 5050 Mobile, according to nearest rival data. In Inside, the GPU's role is to render the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow effects, and the measured frame rates show it does so effortlessly; at 1080p Ultra, it produces 175.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it still maintains 137.1 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is not the limiting factor even at the highest resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 703 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 58th percentile of all systems. This ranking is interesting because the CPU alone sits at the 73rd percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 94th percentile. The combo's slightly lower relative position suggests that the CPU's performance ceiling is holding back the GPU in some scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU must feed frames faster.

Benchmark results indicate that the combo's ranking is more influenced by the GPU than the CPU, as the frame rates scale strongly with resolution. The delta between the combo's rank and what the GPU alone would suggest is modest, but the data clearly shows that at 1080p, the CPU becomes a more significant factor. The nearest rival CPU, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, is 0.8% faster in average benchmark score, yet the combo still delivers 235.3 FPS at 1080p Low, demonstrating that even a slightly faster CPU would not meaningfully improve the experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates range from 235.3 FPS on Low to 175.8 FPS on Ultra. Medium settings produce 215.2 FPS, and High yields 176.8 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: Low settings provide a 59.5 FPS advantage over Ultra, but the jump from Medium to High is only 38.4 FPS, while High to Ultra is a mere 1 FPS difference.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop predictably. Low settings average 207.6 FPS, Medium 194.5 FPS, High 158.4 FPS, and Ultra 159 FPS. The interesting anomaly is that Ultra slightly outperforms High by 0.6 FPS, which is within measurement noise. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 11.8% reduction on Low (235.3 to 207.6) but a 10.1% reduction on Ultra (175.8 to 159).

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are still high but show the GPU working harder. Low settings average 179.9 FPS, Medium 163.3 FPS, High 135.5 FPS, and Ultra 137.1 FPS. Again, Ultra marginally beats High by 1.6 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset may be better optimized or that the settings differences are minimal. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: Low falls by 13.3%, Medium by 16%, High by 14.5%, and Ultra by 13.8%.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: Ultra settings at 1920x1080 deliver 175.8 FPS, which exceeds 144 Hz with headroom. At 2560x1440, Ultra still produces 159 FPS, and even at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 137.1 FPS, which is just below 144 Hz but still smooth.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: No. Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with simple textures, and the GPU's 32 GB GDDR7 memory is vastly overprovisioned. The measured frame rates are limited by the CPU at low settings and the GPU's shader throughput at high settings, not memory capacity.

Q: Why does Ultra sometimes outperform High settings?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 159 FPS versus 158.4 FPS on High, and at 3840x2160, Ultra hits 137.1 FPS versus 135.5 FPS on High. This is likely due to the Ultra preset enabling different rendering paths or optimizations that were not present in the High preset.

Q: How does this combo compare to other system rankings?

A: The combo ranks 703rd out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all systems. This is lower than the GPU's individual 94th percentile ranking, indicating that the CPU is a limiting factor in some scenarios.

Q: Is the CPU bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 Low, the frame rate is 235.3 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum output. The RTX 5090 is capable of far higher frame rates, but the i5-10400F's single-thread performance (688 in 3dmark_single_thread) caps the output.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with maximum settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the measured average is 137.1 FPS. This is well above 60 FPS and suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors, though it falls slightly short of 144 Hz.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for Inside. The CPU's benchmark scores show a single-thread performance of 688 in 3dmark_single_thread and a multicore score of 4735 in 3dmark_max_threads, which places it at the 73rd percentile versus all CPUs.

In this game, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate is 235.3 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum achievable output. The nearest rival CPUs, such as the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% slower) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% faster), would produce nearly identical results. The CPU's 6 cores are more than enough for this title's single-threaded physics and game logic, and the 12 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component at each resolution. At Low settings, the drop from 1920x1080 (235.3 FPS) to 2560x1440 (207.6 FPS) is 11.8%, and further to 3840x2160 (179.9 FPS) is another 13.3%. This relatively gentle scaling indicates that the CPU is a significant bottleneck at 1080p, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. The RTX 5090 could easily render this game at over 400 FPS at 1080p, but the i5-10400F's single-thread performance limits output.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 1080p (175.8 FPS) to 1440p (159 FPS) is a 9.6% drop, and 1440p to 4K (137.1 FPS) is a 13.8% drop. This steeper curve suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the pixel workload increases. The data confirms that this combo is GPU-limited at 4K Ultra, where the 137.1 FPS is still far above the 60 FPS target but represents the GPU's actual rendering capacity for this title's geometry and effects. Overall, the resolution scaling demonstrates a balanced system that shifts from CPU-bound at 1080p Low to GPU-bound at 4K Ultra, with the sweet spot being 1440p Ultra for maximum visual quality without CPU-induced frame rate caps.