Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT pairing delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at higher settings. The data shows this combo is capable of hitting the 60 FPS threshold at 4K High, but the real story is how the CPU's 6-core, 12-thread configuration (base 2.50 GHz, boost 4.40 GHz) becomes a bottleneck only at the absolute lowest settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate reaches 279.2 FPS, a figure that suggests the i5-12400's single-thread performance is the limiting factor, as the GPU is left with relatively little work. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and Alder Lake architecture provide ample headroom for this title's physics and logic, but the benchmark results indicate that the GPU dictates performance scaling once visual fidelity increases.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In Inside, a game that relies heavily on consistent frame pacing for its atmospheric puzzle mechanics, this CPU configuration proves more than sufficient. The benchmark scores place the i5-12400 in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 (avg score 19831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (avg score 19894, deltaPct -0.2), showing that the i5-12400 is statistically tied with these older higher-tier parts in general compute tasks.

Specifically, the CPU's multi-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873. However, the single-thread performance is what matters most for a game like Inside, which does not scale well across many cores. The 3DMark single-thread score is 910, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2249. This strong single-core throughput is evident in the 1080p Low result of 279.2 FPS. When the GPU is not stressed, the CPU is able to feed frames at a rate that far exceeds typical display refresh rates. The data implies that at lower resolutions, the i5-12400 is the component that caps performance, but this cap is so high that it has no practical negative impact on gameplay. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform are standard, but the architectural efficiency of Alder Lake is what allows this CPU to keep pace with the GPU across all tested settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, based on the Navi 10 chip and RDNA 1.0 architecture, is the primary driver of frame rates in Inside at higher settings. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has ample resources for this game's art style, which uses a high-contrast silhouette aesthetic that does not require massive texture memory. The GPU's boost clock is 1905 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz, and it delivers 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This places the GPU in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24731. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (avg score 24763, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Arc A350M (avg score 24647, deltaPct 0.3), indicating that the RX 5700 XT is a mid-range performer in the broader database.

The GPU's role becomes clear when examining the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 4K, the RX 5700 XT manages an average of 123 FPS on Low, but this drops to 100.2 FPS on Medium, 60.4 FPS on High, and 59.2 FPS on Ultra. This steep decline demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where pixel throughput demands exceed the CPU's ability to matter. The 8 GB VRAM is not a constraint here, as the game's visual complexity is low, but the raw shading power of the 2560 shading units is what determines the High and Ultra results. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 304.8 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for the game's 2.5D perspective, but the data shows that achieving a locked 60 FPS at 4K Ultra is borderline, with an average of 59.2 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a classic shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p, the combo is CPU-bound at Low settings (279.2 FPS) and still heavily CPU-influenced at Medium (219.7 FPS), but the GPU begins to take over at High (138.8 FPS) and Ultra (131.9 FPS). Moving to 1440p, the average FPS drops to 198.7 on Low, 157.9 on Medium, 98.0 on High, and 92.6 on Ultra. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 29% on Low, 28% on Medium, 29% on High, and 30% on Ultra, showing a consistent scaling pattern that indicates the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as pixel count increases.

At 4K, the scaling becomes more aggressive. The 1080p Low result of 279.2 FPS falls to 123 FPS at 4K Low, a drop of 56%. The 1080p High result of 138.8 FPS falls to 60.4 FPS at 4K High, a 56% drop as well. This uniform percentage decrease across settings at 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is the sole bottleneck at this resolution, as the CPU has no trouble keeping up. The 4K Ultra result of 59.2 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, and the difference between 4K High (60.4 FPS) and 4K Ultra (59.2 FPS) is minimal, indicating that the GPU is saturated. The data indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, High settings are the ceiling, while 1440p offers a comfortable margin with High settings delivering 98 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 1258 out of 1671 total combos for Inside. This places the combo in the 25th percentile of all tested systems, which is surprisingly low given the high frame rates achieved. The rank is likely influenced by the database containing many higher-end GPU configurations, as the RX 5700 XT is an older, end-of-life product. The combo's performance is strong in absolute terms, but relative to the entire field, it sits in the lower half.

The rank of 1258 suggests that while this combo can play Inside very well, there are many other combinations that achieve higher average FPS, particularly at 4K. The CPU's percentile of 77 is respectable, but the GPU's percentile of 68 drags the overall combo ranking down. The nearest rivals for the CPU (i7-9700, i7-8700) and GPU (RTX A5000 Mobile, Arc A350M) all have similar average benchmark scores, but the combo rank reflects the real-world gaming performance, which is heavily weighted toward the GPU in this title. The data shows that the combo is not a top-tier performer, but it is far from the bottom, and its performance is consistent with its component parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance. At 1080p, the average frame rates are 279.2 FPS on Low, 219.7 FPS on Medium, 138.8 FPS on High, and 131.9 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that the game is playable at any setting at 1080p, with even the Ultra preset delivering well above 120 FPS. At 1440p, the results are 198.7 FPS on Low, 157.9 FPS on Medium, 98.0 FPS on High, and 92.6 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result is still above 90 FPS, making it a viable resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the data shows a significant drop. The Low preset averages 123 FPS, Medium averages 100.2 FPS, High averages 60.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 59.2 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results are nearly identical, differing by only 1.2 FPS, which indicates that the extra visual features in Ultra are not worth the performance cost. The 4K Low result of 123 FPS is impressive, showing that the GPU can handle the game's simple geometry at high frame rates even at the highest resolution, but the High and Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only on High settings, where the average FPS is 60.4. The Ultra preset dips slightly below 60 FPS with an average of 59.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to avoid CPU bottlenecks?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU limits performance to 279.2 FPS. To shift the load to the GPU, 1440p High (98 FPS) or 4K Medium (100.2 FPS) are better choices where the GPU is the primary driver.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest CPU rival in this game?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894). In Inside, this translates to no meaningful difference in frame rates.

*Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 5700 XT sufficient for Inside?*

A: Yes, the data shows no VRAM-related performance issues. The game's art style is not texture-heavy, and the 8 GB GDDR6 memory is more than enough, as evidenced by the stable frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, High averages 98.0 FPS, while Ultra averages 92.6 FPS. The 5.4 FPS difference is relatively small, suggesting that Ultra is playable if the visual enhancements are desired.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1258 out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database despite achieving playable frame rates at all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. For 4K, the High preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 60.4 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold, while the Ultra preset offers no significant visual advantage for a 1.2 FPS loss. The 4K Medium preset is also excellent, providing 100.2 FPS for a smoother experience if the player prefers higher frame rates over maximum visual fidelity. For 1440p, the High preset (98 FPS) strikes the best balance between visual quality and performance, though the Ultra preset (92.6 FPS) is also highly playable. At 1080p, any preset is viable, but the High preset (138.8 FPS) is recommended for a mix of quality and speed, as the Ultra preset (131.9 FPS) offers diminishing returns. The data clearly shows that the Low preset is unnecessary for this combo, as even the Medium preset at 4K (100.2 FPS) far exceeds the requirements for smooth gameplay. The best overall experience is 1440p High, which provides a 98 FPS average, ensuring excellent responsiveness while maintaining the game's atmospheric visuals.