Inside

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers a highly playable experience in Inside, with the data showing that the GTX 1070 is the primary performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The measured FPS indicates that while the CPU is more than capable of pushing very high frame rates at 1080p, the GPU’s workload scales dramatically with resolution, leading to significant performance drops at 4K. This pairing is fundamentally balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K with maximum settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, clearly identifying the GPU as the limiting component in this configuration. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 107.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82.1 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 23% decrease, and then further drops to 48.3 FPS at 3840x2160, a 55% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the GTX 1070’s 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus are being saturated by the increasing pixel count.

The trend is even more pronounced at Low settings. Here, the frame rate at 1080p reaches 231.4 FPS, but this drops to 165.8 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 103.6 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K performance is less than half of the 1080p performance confirms that the rendering resolution is the dominant factor. The i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution; the data suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput and texture rate are the primary constraints.

Interestingly, the difference between High and Ultra settings is minimal at 4K, with only a 2.7 FPS gap (51 FPS vs 48.3 FPS). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds extra effects that are computationally expensive but yield diminishing returns at this resolution, further pointing to the GPU being the limiting factor. At 1080p, the gap between High and Ultra is similarly small (5.8 FPS), indicating that the CPU has ample headroom to handle both presets without becoming a constraint.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal choice for this combination. The data shows 81.2 FPS average at this setting, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Moving up to Ultra at the same resolution only yields 0.9 FPS more (82.1 FPS), which is within the margin of error and not worth the potential visual cost. The High preset at 1440p provides a 29.1 FPS advantage over the 4K High setting (81.2 vs 51 FPS) while still offering a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering 183.7 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor and is a 62.6% improvement over the Ultra setting (183.7 vs 107.1 FPS). For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 231.4 FPS, but the visual degradation is likely unnecessary given that Medium still offers such high performance. The 4K resolution should only be considered with the Low preset, which achieves 103.6 FPS; the High and Ultra presets at 4K (51 and 48.3 FPS) are borderline playable but not ideal for a smooth experience.

The data strongly suggests avoiding the Ultra preset at 4K for this hardware. The 48.3 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target and represents a poor performance-to-visual trade-off. Similarly, the Medium preset at 4K (86 FPS) is acceptable, but the High preset (51 FPS) shows that the GTX 1070’s capabilities are stretched thin at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores demonstrate strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 7579. This processing power is more than adequate for Inside, a game that does not heavily tax modern CPUs.

The CPU’s role is evident in the high frame rates achieved at 1080p Low settings, where the 231.4 FPS result indicates that the processor is not a bottleneck. Even at the highest settings, the 107.1 FPS at 1080p shows that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data. The CPU’s PassMark multi-thread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 further confirm its capability, placing it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, has an average benchmark score of 17189, which is only 0% different, indicating that the i5-11400F is competitively positioned.

The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game’s data requirements. The data shows that the CPU’s performance is not a limiting factor at any of the tested resolutions or settings, as the FPS drops are consistently attributable to the GPU’s rendering workload. The CPU’s 3DMark scores, including a single-thread score of 868 and a 16-thread score of 5619, show a balanced architecture that can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded tasks without issue.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1407 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This ranking places it in the lower 16th percentile of all possible pairings, indicating that while it is a functional setup, many other combinations deliver higher average frame rates. The GTX 1070’s average benchmark score of 12331, combined with the CPU’s average of 17181, results in a mid-tier overall performance profile.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 51st among all GPUs is telling; it sits exactly in the middle of the performance distribution. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, has an average score of 12504, which is 1.4% higher, placing the GTX 1070 in a competitive but not dominant position. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking is much stronger, but the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s more modest standing. The 1671 total combos include many with newer, more powerful GPUs that would naturally outperform this pairing in a game like Inside.

This ranking suggests that the combo is suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a high-end configuration. The data shows that the combo’s performance is adequate for the game’s requirements, but there is significant headroom for improvement with a more powerful GPU. The 1407th rank out of 1671 combos is a clear indicator that this pairing is on the lower end of the performance spectrum for this specific title, despite being a capable setup for general gaming.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Inside?*

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with the High preset is the best balance, achieving 81.2 FPS. This provides a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining smooth performance. At 4K, even the Low preset only reaches 103.6 FPS, and the High preset drops to 51 FPS.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU-bound rendering, and the CPU’s strong benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 14372) show it has ample headroom. At 1080p Low, the 231.4 FPS result confirms the CPU is not limiting.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, scores 12504, which is 1.4% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 scores 12241, which is 0.7% lower, placing the GTX 1070 in the middle of its performance tier.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is minimal across all resolutions. At 1080p, High achieves 112.9 FPS and Ultra achieves 107.1 FPS, a 5.8 FPS gap. At 4K, High achieves 51 FPS and Ultra achieves 48.3 FPS, a 2.7 FPS gap. The Ultra preset offers little measurable benefit.

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

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. The Low preset at 4K achieves 103.6 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset achieves 86 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 51 and 48.3 FPS respectively, which are below the ideal 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance?

A: The i5-11400F scores 14372 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6036 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 16908, and its 3DMark 16-thread score is 5619, indicating strong parallel processing capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low settings achieve 231.4 FPS, Medium settings achieve 183.7 FPS, High settings achieve 112.9 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 107.1 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 124.3 FPS drop, with the most significant decrease occurring between Medium and High (70.8 FPS difference).

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected: Low settings achieve 165.8 FPS, Medium settings achieve 132.9 FPS, High settings achieve 81.2 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 82.1 FPS. Interestingly, the Ultra preset here is slightly faster than High, though the 0.9 FPS difference is negligible. The drop from Medium to High is 51.7 FPS, which is the largest gap at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are substantially lower: Low settings achieve 103.6 FPS, Medium settings achieve 86 FPS, High settings achieve 51 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 48.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 55.3 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is 35 FPS, showing the GPU’s struggle with the 4K pixel count. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical, suggesting a rendering bottleneck that is not alleviated by the extra settings.

The data shows a clear pattern: the GTX 1070’s performance drops by roughly half when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. For example, Low settings drop from 231.4 to 103.6 FPS, and High settings drop from 112.9 to 51 FPS. This consistent scaling factor underscores the GPU’s role as the primary determinant of performance in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture GPU with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. It features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the rendering performance observed in the measured FPS data.

The GPU’s role is most evident in the 4K results, where the pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s become limiting factors. At 3840x2160, the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p, and the data shows this leads to a 55% reduction in frame rate at Ultra settings (107.1 to 48.3 FPS). The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the memory bandwidth and capacity are not the primary constraints; the compute throughput is.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 13498 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1082 place it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the GTX 1650 SUPER, scores 1.4% higher on average, showing that the GTX 1070 is slightly behind the newer mid-range card. However, the GTX 1070’s 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 performance is sufficient for Inside, as the game’s art style and puzzle-platformer gameplay do not require extreme graphical horsepower.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1683 MHz is well-utilized in this title, as the FPS numbers show it can deliver high frame rates at lower resolutions. The data indicates that the GPU is the deciding factor between a smooth 1440p experience and a compromised 4K experience. For this combo, the GTX 1070’s capabilities are best leveraged at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS across all settings, but at 4K, the performance is only acceptable on the Low and Medium presets.