Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should be trivial for modern hardware. However, the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 reveals a surprisingly steep performance curve that is heavily dependent on both resolution and quality settings. The measured results show a system that can deliver exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p but quickly buckles under the weight of 4K Ultra, painting a clear picture of a GPU-limited configuration with a CPU that has ample headroom to spare.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a dramatic and consistent drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, indicating that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 141 FPS at 1080p to 101 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 40 FPS, and then further down to 64 FPS at 4K. This pattern is consistent across all quality presets; the average FPS drops by roughly 30% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and then by another 37% when moving from 1440p to 4K.

This scaling behavior is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly punishing, as the number of pixels nearly doubles, and the Arc B370's performance falls off a cliff. For instance, at High settings, the card manages 70 FPS at 1080p, drops to 51 FPS at 1440p, and then hits just 32 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a poor experience for a game that benefits from smooth motion.

The data also suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. If the i5-11400F were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain constant. Instead, the FPS scales almost perfectly with the number of pixels rendered, confirming that the integrated graphics solution is the sole determinant of performance here. The jump from 141 FPS at 1080p Low to 64 FPS at 4K Low is a 77 FPS drop, a clear indicator that the GPU is being saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this game with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that consistently provides an average frame rate above 60 FPS across all settings, including Ultra at 67 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution is playable but requires dropping to Medium settings to achieve an average of 81 FPS, while 3840x2160 is only viable at Low settings with an average of 64 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184, which places it just ahead of the ATI FirePro M2000 by 1.4%, but slightly behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 by 0.2% and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 by 0.5%. Its performance percentile is in the bottom 5% of all GPUs, indicating it is a very low-tier part.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F powerful enough for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024, are more than sufficient for a game like Inside. The FPS data shows no CPU-related bottlenecks, as performance scales directly with resolution, which is a GPU-bound characteristic.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 141 FPS on Low to 67 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 74 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU, more than halving the performance compared to the Low preset.

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

A: Only at the lowest quality settings. At 4K Low, the average frame rate is 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. However, moving to 4K Medium drops the average to 51 FPS, and 4K High and Ultra fall to 32 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are not smooth experiences.

Q: What does the 3DMark Steel Nomad score indicate about the GPU's capabilities?

A: The Intel Arc B370 scored 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. This score, combined with its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs, confirms that it is a low-performance part that is best suited for esports titles or older games at lower resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration provides a solid foundation for gaming, and its benchmark results confirm that it is not a limiting factor in this specific title. The CPU's multi-threaded performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 7737, which allows it to handle background tasks without impacting frame times.

In the context of Inside, a game that is not known for heavy CPU usage, the i5-11400F's single-thread performance is more relevant. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 850 suggest that it can easily feed the GPU with draw calls. The data shows that the average FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, which is the opposite of a CPU bottleneck. If the CPU were struggling, we would see frame rates plateau or even drop at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s also contribute to a responsive gaming experience. The benchmark results show that the i5-11400F sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. It performs on par with the Intel Core i5-12450H, which is only 0.4% faster, and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 by 0.3%. This level of performance is more than adequate to maintain high frame rates in a puzzle platformer, and the measured data for Inside supports this conclusion, showing that the CPU has significant headroom at all tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this configuration are as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 141 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. High settings yield an average of 70 FPS, while Ultra settings result in an average of 67 FPS. All presets at this resolution are playable, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 101 FPS. Medium settings average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 51 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. At this resolution, players would need to stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain a smooth experience above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset is the only one that remains playable, with an average of 64 FPS. Medium settings drop to an average of 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. High settings are nearly unplayable at 32 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 30 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable on the lowest quality settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its performance profile is decidedly low-end, ranking in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of just 1184 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This score places it in direct competition with legacy parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are separated by less than 1% in performance.

The GPU's specifications confirm its entry-level nature. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. These figures translate to a fill rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest numbers that explain its struggles at higher resolutions. The GPU also has 10 ray tracing cores, but its FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS indicates a limited compute capacity.

Critically, the Arc B370 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and instead relies on the system's DDR4 memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," and with the i5-11400F's dual-channel configuration offering 51.2 GB/s, this shared bandwidth becomes a significant bottleneck, especially at 4K where the demand for memory bandwidth increases substantially. This is the primary reason for the dramatic FPS drops at higher resolutions; the GPU is not only processing more pixels but also competing with the CPU for the same memory resources. The measured data shows this clearly, as the 4K High preset (32 FPS) is nearly half the speed of the 1440p High preset (51 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware depends heavily on the user's display resolution.

For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The average frame rate of 67 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS target, and it provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. If a player prioritizes maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 141 FPS is an option, but the visual upgrade of Ultra is substantial for a game with a distinct art style.

For 2560x1440 displays, the Medium preset is the best choice. It provides an average of 81 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and its minimum of 69 FPS ensures a consistent experience without major stutters. The High preset at 51 FPS is too close to the 60 FPS line and will result in noticeable dips, while the Ultra preset at 48 FPS is not smooth enough for a game that relies on precise platforming.

For 3840x2160 displays, the only viable option is the Low preset, which achieves an average of 64 FPS. This setting sacrifices the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow quality but is the only way to maintain a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 51 FPS and the High and Ultra presets at 32 FPS and 30 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for gameplay, as they fall well below the 60 FPS standard. In summary, users should prioritize the Ultra preset at 1080p, the Medium preset at 1440p, and the Low preset at 4K to get the best balance of visual fidelity and performance from this specific CPU-GPU combination.