Inside

Inside is a 2D puzzle-platformer from 2016, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti show a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom to push very high frame rates at 1080p. The data indicates a clear hierarchy: the GTX 1050 Ti is the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase, but the i5-11400F proves more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower loads. This combination ranks 1642nd out of 1671 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom 2% of all pairings, which is consistent with a GPU that sits at the 30th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits much higher at the 75th percentile.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic drop in performance as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 109.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of about 26%, and then plummets to 47.8 FPS at 3840x2160, which is over 56% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline is directly tied to the GTX 1050 Ti's limited 112.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, which struggle to keep up with the increasing pixel count.

The pattern repeats across all settings presets, but the relative drop becomes even more pronounced at higher quality levels. On High settings, the system delivers 51.7 FPS at 1080p, drops to 41.7 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 24.7 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K High result is less than half of the 1080p High result confirms that the GPU is saturated, not the CPU. If the processor were the bottleneck, the frame rate would scale more linearly with resolution, since the CPU workload would remain roughly constant while the GPU takes on more pixel shading work.

The scaling from Medium to Ultra settings further illustrates this point. At 1080p, the difference between Low (109.2 FPS) and Ultra (53.2 FPS) is a 56 FPS gap, showing that the GPU is already the primary constraint even at the lowest resolution. At 4K, the gap narrows to just 24 FPS between Low (47.8 FPS) and Ultra (23.8 FPS), because the GPU is so overwhelmed that additional settings changes have diminishing returns. The data strongly suggests that for this game, the GTX 1050 Ti is the bottleneck in every scenario, and the i5-11400F is never the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: Technically yes, but the experience will be poor. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 47.8, which is playable but not smooth. At High settings, it drops to 24.7 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 23.8 FPS, both of which are below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered acceptable for a cinematic game.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is clearly the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the system achieves 84.7 FPS, and even at High settings it maintains 51.7 FPS. These are the only resolution/settings combinations that deliver consistently smooth gameplay above 60 FPS, aside from the Low preset at 1440p which hits 80.9 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is decisively more important. The GTX 1050 Ti sits at the 30th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-11400F sits at the 75th percentile among all CPUs. The frame rate scaling with resolution and settings changes points entirely to GPU limitation, as the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for a 2D puzzle-platformer.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 5316, which is virtually identical to the NVIDIA GeForce 930A at 5317 (0% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M at 5297 (0.4% faster). It is also closely matched with the AMD Radeon R7 240 at 5280 (0.7% faster) and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 at 5361 (0.8% slower). This shows the 1050 Ti is at the very bottom of the desktop GPU performance ladder.

Q: What is the CPU's relative standing in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, placing it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a score of 17189 (0% difference), and it trades blows with the Intel Core i7-1260P at 17212 (-0.2%) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at 17215 (-0.2%). Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14372, and its single-core score is 2029.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM on the GTX 1050 Ti sufficient for Inside?

A: The data suggests yes at lower settings, but it becomes a limiting factor at higher presets. At 1080p Low, the system produces 109.2 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 53.2 FPS. While this could be due to shading complexity, the 4 GB capacity and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributors to the steep drop-off at 4K, where the framerate falls below 25 FPS on High and Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which are modest figures by modern standards but entirely adequate for a game like Inside. The CPU's performance is evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7579 and single-core score of 1979.

In this game, the CPU's role is minimal due to the 2D nature of the gameplay. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 109.2 FPS, which is well within the capability of the i5-11400F's single-thread performance. The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s provide ample bandwidth for the game's data needs, which are likely modest given the genre.

The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181, places it far above the GPU's 30th percentile. This disparity confirms that the i5-11400F is overqualified for pairing with a GTX 1050 Ti in this title. The processor's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and Intel Core i7-1260P (17212), all perform within 0.2% of each other, meaning the i5-11400F is right in the middle of a tightly packed group of mid-range mobile and desktop chips. For Inside, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient, and the data shows that users could expect identical frame rates with a much weaker processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1050 Ti delivers its best results. On Low settings, the average FPS is 109.2, which is exceptionally smooth for a puzzle-platformer. Medium settings drop the average to 84.7 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings produce 51.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced sections. Ultra settings yield 53.2 FPS, which is curious because it is slightly higher than High, suggesting that the Ultra preset may not uniformly increase GPU load across all effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly across all presets. Low settings average 80.9 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings fall to 61.3 FPS, right at the edge of smoothness. High settings average 41.7 FPS, which is borderline for a game that benefits from responsive controls. Ultra settings drop to 35.2 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for comfortable gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 47.8 FPS, which is technically playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to 41.6 FPS, and High settings fall to 24.7 FPS. Ultra settings are the worst at 23.8 FPS. The 4K results are clearly GPU-bound, as the 4 GB VRAM and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel throughput required at this resolution. The data shows that 4K is only viable on Low settings, and even then, the experience is marginal.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU built on a 14 nm process with 3,300 million transistors on a 132 mm² die. It has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with a base clock of 1291 MHz and a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The 4 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is 2.138 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 44.54 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s.

In Inside, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The measured FPS scales closely with the GPU's workload, and the card's 30th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5316, reflects its low-end position. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317, 0% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297, 0.4% faster), both of which are mobile or entry-level parts. This places the 1050 Ti at the bottom of desktop discrete GPUs.

The GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM is a significant limitation at 4K, where the frame rates drop below 25 FPS on High and Ultra presets. The card's DirectX 12 benchmark score of 26 and DirectX 11 score of 45 further indicate its modest compute capabilities. For a game like Inside, which is visually simple but still requires consistent pixel shading, the GPU's 768 shading units are the primary constraint. The card's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors suggest it is designed for low-power systems, which aligns with its performance class.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combination, the data points to 1920x1080 with Medium settings as the optimal choice. This configuration delivers 84.7 FPS on average, which is smooth and responsive, while still providing a visual quality upgrade over Low settings. The 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance between frame rate and image quality, as it stays well above the 60 FPS target without the visual compromises of Low.

If the player prioritizes maximum visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra is viable at 53.2 FPS, which is acceptable for a slow-paced puzzle game, though it is slightly lower than the High preset's 51.7 FPS. The similarity between High and Ultra results suggests that the Ultra preset may not add meaningful visual improvements for the performance cost. For players with a 1440p monitor, Low settings at 80.9 FPS is the only option that maintains smooth gameplay, while Medium at 61.3 FPS is borderline.

At 4K, the system is not recommendable for anything above Low settings, which averages 47.8 FPS. Even at Low, the frame rate is inconsistent enough to be noticeable in a game that relies on precise timing and environmental interaction. The data clearly shows that this GPU is not suited for 4K gaming in Inside, and users should stick to 1080p for the best experience. The GTX 1050 Ti's 112.1 GB/s bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM are simply insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels at 4K, and the performance penalty is severe.