Inside

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

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings six physical cores and twelve threads to this benchmark run, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a 12th-generation Alder Lake-S part built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, the CPU's role is often minimal — but the data suggests the i5-12400 is far from a bottleneck here.

The i5-12400's synthetic benchmarks place it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,850. Its nearest rivals in average score are the Intel Core i7-9700 (19,831, a delta of +0.1%), the Intel Core i7-8700 (19,894, a delta of -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19,928, a delta of -0.4%). The i5-12400 also edges out the Intel Core i5-11600K (19,771, a delta of +0.4%). These deltas are tiny — all within a fraction of a percent — meaning the i5-12400 sits in a crowded performance band where no single CPU dominates.

In multi-threaded workloads, the i5-12400 scores 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,692 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Single-thread performance is equally strong: 2,249 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 944 in Cinebench R20 single-core. For Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle game with modest physics and lighting demands, the CPU's single-thread strength matters more than raw multi-core muscle. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU, the i5-12400 supports an average of 109.5 FPS. That is more than enough headroom for a game of this genre.

Given the GPU in this combo is a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti — a card that sits in the 30th percentile of all GPUs — the CPU is almost certainly never the limiting factor. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads are overkill for Inside's computational needs, and its high single-thread score (3,456 in Passmark single-thread) ensures that even the most demanding frame-time spikes are unlikely to be CPU-bound. The data implies the i5-12400 is a silent partner in this pairing, providing ample compute headroom while the GPU determines the final frame rates.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 109.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is more than double the 53.1 FPS seen at the same resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19,850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700's 19,831. This is a negligible difference, indicating near-identical overall compute performance between the two.

Q: What is the GTX 1050 Ti's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti sits in the 30th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5,316. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A, scores 5,317, a delta of 0%.

Q: Does the combo achieve 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combo averages 76.6 FPS. At Medium settings, it drops to 61.5 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra settings fall below: 40.9 FPS and 39.9 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce an average of 52.1 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 24.6 FPS. This represents a 27.5 FPS drop, or roughly a 53% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: How does the i5-12400 perform in single-threaded Cinebench R23?

A: The i5-12400 scores 2,249 in Cinebench R23 single-core. This is a strong result that supports smooth frame pacing in CPU-light games like Inside.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1,633 out of 1,671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the bottom 2.3% of all combinations tested for this game. The ranking is sobering — the data indicates that this combo is near the very bottom of the performance ladder, even for a game as undemanding as Inside.

But what does this rank actually mean? It is not a reflection of the CPU — the i5-12400 is a capable mid-range processor that sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. The rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GTX 1050 Ti, which sits in the 30th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5,317 avg score, 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5,297, +0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5,280, +0.7%). These are all low-end or laptop-oriented parts, underscoring the GTX 1050 Ti's position as an entry-level GPU in 2025.

The combo rank of 1,633 out of 1,671 means that the vast majority of tested combinations — likely those with more powerful GPUs or more balanced pairings — outperform this setup. However, the measured FPS data tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p Low, the combo still delivers 109.5 FPS, which is perfectly playable. The rank reflects absolute performance potential across all settings and resolutions, not playability at a specific configuration. For a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the absolute rank matters less than whether the combo can hit smooth frame rates at the user's preferred settings — and the data shows it can, at least at lower presets.

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

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings tiers (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). Here is the full breakdown:

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 109.5 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in this dataset. Medium settings drop to 84.9 FPS, High to 56.0 FPS, and Ultra to 53.1 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 24.6 FPS reduction, while the jump from High to Ultra is only 2.9 FPS — suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts downward. Low settings average 76.6 FPS, Medium 61.5 FPS, High 40.9 FPS, and Ultra 39.9 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1.0 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at this resolution. Notably, the drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 32.9 FPS (from 109.5 to 76.6), which is a significant hit.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets. Low settings average 52.1 FPS, Medium 40.0 FPS, High 26.9 FPS, and Ultra 24.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 24.6 FPS is the lowest in the entire dataset, and even Low settings barely clear the 50 FPS mark. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a realistic target for this combo at anything above Low settings.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings offer the highest frame rates, while Ultra offers the lowest, with Medium and High falling in between. The delta between Low and Ultra grows with resolution: 56.4 FPS at 1080p, 36.7 FPS at 1440p, and 27.5 FPS at 4K. This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU's limitations compress the performance spread across settings.

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

The resolution scaling data tells a clear story about which component is bottlenecking this combo. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 109.5 to 76.6 — a 32.9 FPS reduction, or roughly 30%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the FPS drops to 52.1, a further 24.5 FPS reduction from 1440p.

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, because the CPU's workload does not change significantly with pixel count. Instead, the data shows that FPS falls sharply as resolution increases — a classic sign that the GTX 1050 Ti's pixel throughput is the bottleneck. The GTX 1050 Ti has a pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for a GPU with 768 shading units and 32 ROPs.

At High settings, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced. The combo averages 56.0 FPS at 1080p, 40.9 FPS at 1440p, and 26.9 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 52%, which is substantial. This indicates that at higher settings, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth (112.1 GB/s) are further taxed, exacerbating the resolution penalty.

The data implies that the i5-12400 is never the limiting factor in this combo. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is highest relative to GPU, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (2,249 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is more than sufficient to keep up. The resolution scaling curve is smooth and monotonic, with no signs of a CPU-induced plateau. This is a GPU-limited configuration through and through.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the user's frame rate preferences. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1920x1080, Medium settings (84.9 FPS) offer a comfortable margin above the threshold, while High (56.0 FPS) falls just short. Low settings (109.5 FPS) provide the highest frame rates but may compromise visual fidelity unnecessarily for a game like Inside, which relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow detail.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings (61.5 FPS) are the only preset that clears 60 FPS. Low (76.6 FPS) offers even more headroom, while High (40.9 FPS) and Ultra (39.9 FPS) both fall well below. For users with 1440p displays, Medium is the sweet spot — it delivers playable frame rates while preserving some visual quality. Low is the safer choice for those who prioritize frame rate stability over graphics.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low settings (52.1 FPS) are the only option that approaches playability, while Medium (40.0 FPS), High (26.9 FPS), and Ultra (24.6 FPS) all drop below 40 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combo, and users with 4K displays should either lower the resolution or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium. It delivers 84.9 FPS — well above the 60 FPS threshold — while maintaining a moderate level of visual quality. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 28.9 FPS, which is a steep price for marginal visual gains. For users who want maximum frame rates, 1080p Low at 109.5 FPS is the clear winner. The data does not support Ultra settings at any resolution, as the frame rate cost is disproportionate to the visual benefit.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the decisive component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured frame rates. The card features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. Its base clock is 1291 MHz, with a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The GPU is built on the Pascal architecture (GP107 chip) using a 14 nm process from Samsung, with 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

For Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry and lighting, the GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM is more than sufficient — the game's textures and effects are unlikely to exceed even 2 GB. The memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s is also adequate for this game's data demands. The bottleneck is not memory capacity or bandwidth, but raw compute and fill rate. The GPU's FP32 performance is 2.138 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 44.54 GPixel/s — figures that are modest by modern standards but sufficient for a game of this scope.

The GPU's benchmark results contextualize its performance. It scores 6,340 in Passmark G3D, 2,652 in Passmark GPU Compute, and 20,638 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its Passmark DirectX 11 score is 45, while DirectX 12 is 26. These scores place it in the 30th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5,316. Its nearest rivals — the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5,317), NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5,297), and AMD Radeon R7 240 (5,280) — are all within 1% of its score, confirming that the GTX 1050 Ti sits at the very bottom of the desktop GPU performance hierarchy.

The measured FPS data reflects this. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 53.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 24.6 FPS. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate a low-power design, which limits its sustained clock speeds under load. The boost clock of 1392 MHz is modest, and the 14 nm process node from Samsung is old by 2025 standards. The data implies that the GTX 1050 Ti is the primary constraint on this combo's performance, and any upgrade path would need to start with this component.