Inside

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Inside, a side-scrolling puzzle platformer that places minimal stress on modern hardware. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally high, consistently exceeding 90 FPS even at the most demanding configuration tested. This data indicates a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the CPU demonstrates it can comfortably feed the GPU, resulting in triple-digit frame rates that far exceed the display refresh rates of most monitors. The combination of a six-core Rocket Lake processor with a high-end RDNA 2 graphics card proves to be a potent match for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU limitation. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 210 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 154 FPS, a 26.7% reduction. The most significant step occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, where the average frame rate falls to 97 FPS, a further 37% decrease. This steep decline at 4K indicates that the RX 6800 XT is the primary limiting factor at this resolution, as the rendering load on the GPU increases exponentially with pixel count.

The scaling pattern is consistent across other settings. With Low settings, the transition from 1080p (273 FPS) to 1440p (244 FPS) is a modest 10.6% drop, but scaling to 4K (193 FPS) results in a 20.9% reduction from 1440p. For Medium settings, the frame rates are 252 FPS at 1080p, 226 FPS at 1440p, and 154 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with 203 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p, and 92 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern of a larger relative drop at 4K across all presets confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, while the relatively small differences between 1080p and 1440p suggest the CPU is still able to keep up.

This data suggests that for a 60 Hz or even a 144 Hz display, the best experience would be found at 4K, as the minimum frame rates are not recorded for most settings, but the average of 92 FPS at Ultra is still well above 60. For high-refresh-rate gaming at 144 Hz or above, 1440p is the optimal choice, as it maintains an average of 146 FPS even at the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-limited in some scenarios, as the difference between High (210 FPS) and Ultra (203 FPS) is minimal, indicating the GPU has headroom to spare.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Ultra preset is the recommended starting point for most users. At 1080p, it delivers 203 FPS, which is only 3.3% lower than the High preset’s 210 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset’s 146 FPS is a 5.2% reduction from High’s 154 FPS. The visual quality improvement from High to Ultra is typically worthwhile given the minimal performance cost. The only scenario where a lower preset might be preferred is when targeting a locked 120 FPS experience at 4K; the Ultra preset’s 92 FPS average falls short of this target, while the High preset’s 97 FPS also does not reach it. However, the Medium preset at 4K delivers 154 FPS, providing a substantial margin above 120 FPS.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, the Low preset provides the highest average frame rate at 273 FPS. This is 29.7% faster than the High preset and could be beneficial for users with 240 Hz displays. However, the difference between Medium (252 FPS) and High (210 FPS) is more pronounced, suggesting that the Low preset may sacrifice significant visual fidelity for a relatively small gain in frame rate. The Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 226 FPS, appears to be a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, as it offers a substantial performance buffer over the High preset while likely maintaining better visual quality than Low.

The data indicates that the game is not particularly demanding, and the system can easily handle the highest settings at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the Medium preset offers the best balance, providing a 58.7% performance increase over the Ultra preset (154 FPS vs 92 FPS) while still delivering a smooth experience. The High preset at 4K offers a more moderate 5.4% improvement over Ultra, making it a less compelling choice for those seeking higher frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a formidable graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. This substantial memory capacity is far beyond what Inside requires, ensuring there is no risk of VRAM limitation at any resolution or settings level. The card’s 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units provide ample compute power for this game’s relatively simple 2D and 3D visuals.

The GPU’s clock speeds are listed as a base of 1825 MHz, a game clock of 2015 MHz, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. These high clocks contribute to the card’s raw performance, which is reflected in its benchmark scores. The RX 6800 XT achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 and a Passmark G3D score of 24980. Its performance is such that it ranks in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a high-end part.

In the context of Inside, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s dark, atmospheric environments and the subtle lighting effects that define its visual style. The measured frame rates show that the card handles this task with ease, even at 4K. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, which is expected for a game that is not heavily threaded. The card’s performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile which it outperforms by 1.5%, and the Intel Arc A550M which it leads by 2.5%, confirms its position as a capable high-end solution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 273 FPS, while Medium yields 252 FPS with a minimum of 214 FPS and a maximum of 290 FPS. The High preset produces 210 FPS, and the Ultra preset reaches 203 FPS. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the system is not heavily taxed, and the differences between presets are relatively small, suggesting a CPU or engine-level frame rate cap is not a factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 244 FPS, while Medium delivers 226 FPS with a minimum of 192 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS. The High preset achieves 154 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 146 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 7.4%, but the gap between Medium and High is a significant 31.9%, indicating that the High preset introduces a substantial increase in rendering complexity, likely through more advanced lighting or shadow effects.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload is significantly increased. The Low preset still manages an average of 193 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset delivers 154 FPS with a minimum of 131 FPS and a maximum of 178 FPS. The High preset averages 97 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 92 FPS. The performance difference between Medium and High at 4K is 37.7%, which is even more pronounced than at 1440p, reinforcing that the High preset is a major graphical step up. The jump from High to Ultra is a smaller 5.4% reduction, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest setting. The minimum frame rate recorded at 4K Medium (131 FPS) is still well above 60, indicating a consistently smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT holds a rank of 1377 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 37% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the CPU may be holding back the system from achieving even higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the graphics card is not the limiting factor.

The combo’s rank is a holistic measure that considers performance across all tested settings and resolutions. Given that the individual GPU ranks in the 85th percentile and the CPU in the 71st percentile, the combined rank of 1377 is consistent with expectations. It is not at the very top of the list, which would likely be occupied by systems with top-tier CPUs and GPUs, but it is well above average. This position indicates that the system is a well-balanced performer for this game, with the GPU providing most of the muscle and the CPU offering sufficient support to avoid major bottlenecks. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as being 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 and 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, show that the 11400F’s performance is in line with other processors in its class.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 273 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the system averages 97 FPS on High settings and 92 FPS on Ultra settings, both of which are well above 60 FPS for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 154 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 146 FPS. This represents a 5.2% reduction in average frame rate for the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the GPU perform relative to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile and 2.5% faster than the Intel Arc A550M in average benchmark scores.

Q: Is there a significant performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: Yes, the scaling is significant. For example, on High settings, the average frame rate drops from 210 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 4K, a 53.8% reduction, indicating a strong GPU dependency at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 92 FPS, which was measured at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration provides solid multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and Passmark multithread score of 16908. Its single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and a Passmark single-thread score of 2981.

In Inside, the CPU’s role is to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. The game is not known for being CPU-intensive, and the measured results confirm this. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, and the difference between the Low (273 FPS) and High (210 FPS) presets is 23.1%. This difference is likely due to the increased GPU load from higher graphical settings, but the fact that the CPU can maintain such high frame rates suggests it is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are sufficient for this game’s needs.

However, the CPU’s limitations become apparent when comparing its performance to the GPU’s. The CPU ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 85th percentile. This imbalance suggests that in some scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions, the CPU may be preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The data supports this, as the frame rates at 1080p are high but not as high as the GPU’s raw compute power would suggest. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G which it trails by 0.6%, show that its performance is competitive but not top-tier. For a game like Inside, this CPU provides more than enough power to deliver a flawless experience, but it is the component that would likely need an upgrade to push frame rates even higher at 1080p.