Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB delivers a decisive performance profile in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The measured data shows that this combination is heavily front-loaded toward high frame rates, with results varying dramatically based on resolution and preset. Across the board, the system never dips below an average of 83.3 FPS, even under the heaviest load, indicating a substantial performance headroom for this title. The analysis below breaks down how the CPU and GPU contribute to these results, how the resolution scales, and which settings yield the optimal experience based strictly on the measured rows.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, but the pattern reveals a system that is not uniformly bound by a single component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 319.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 278.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 13%. Stepping up to 4K Low further reduces the average to 172.7 FPS, which is a 46% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is playing a more substantial role in limiting the frame rate, as the GPU has spare capacity to render frames quickly.

The picture changes when examining higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 186.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 132.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it reaches 83.3 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is roughly 55%, which is steeper than the drop seen at Low settings. This indicates that as the graphical load increases, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is working harder to process the additional pixel data, and the frame rate scales more directly with resolution.

A key observation is the difference between High and Ultra settings. At 4K, the gap between High (89 FPS) and Ultra (83.3 FPS) is only about 6%, while the gap between Medium (142.5 FPS) and High (89 FPS) is a much larger 38%. This suggests that the jump from Medium to High incurs a heavy performance cost, whereas the jump from High to Ultra is comparatively minor in terms of FPS impact. The data shows a non-linear scaling curve, where the most significant performance hit occurs when moving from Medium to High, regardless of resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate a strong single-threaded presence, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249. This is relevant for Inside, which is a puzzle platformer that typically relies on a few primary threads for game logic and physics. The high single-thread performance helps ensure that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 319.7 FPS result at 1080p Low.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a 3dmark_max_threads score of 5890. While Inside may not utilize all 12 threads heavily, the headroom provided by the 12 threads and the 18 MB of shared L3 cache ensures consistent frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p, the performance difference between Low and Medium settings is minimal (319.7 vs. 293.4 FPS), but the difference between Medium and High is more pronounced (293.4 vs. 195.1 FPS). This suggests that the CPU can easily handle the base game logic, and the FPS drop at High settings is more attributable to the increased GPU workload.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850. It sits within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771) and within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831). This places the CPU in a competitive position, suggesting that the processor’s core and clock configuration is well-matched to the demands of modern games. For a title like Inside, the CPU’s role is to maintain a high frame ceiling, and the data confirms it does so effectively, with the limiting factor shifting to the GPU as resolution and settings increase.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 4352 shading units and a boost clock of 2535 MHz. Its memory configuration includes 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU’s benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad is 2913, which places it in the 17th percentile of all GPUs. This score is identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M and only 0.2% ahead of the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, indicating that this specific model’s performance is well-defined by its hardware specs.

The GPU’s role in Inside becomes the dominant factor at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as the data shows no signs of memory-related stuttering or excessive frame drops. The bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s appears adequate for the texture and geometry loads at 4K, as the GPU is able to maintain an 89 FPS average at 4K High. However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 36% drop (139.2 to 89 FPS), which aligns with the increased pixel count that the GPU must process.

The GPU’s clock speeds and shader count are the primary drivers of the performance at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU produces 186.5 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 83.3 FPS. This shows that the GPU is heavily utilized at higher resolutions, and the frame rate is directly proportional to the rendering workload. The fact that the GPU is at end-of-life status does not detract from its measured performance here, as the data indicates it is fully capable of running Inside at very high frame rates. The system’s overall capability is underscored by the fact that even the lowest FPS measured (83.3 at 4K Ultra) is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across twelve distinct configurations, covering four resolutions and three settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1920x1080, the lowest average FPS is 186.5 on Ultra, and the highest is 319.7 on Low. The Medium preset yields 293.4 FPS, while High yields 195.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 26.3 FPS, but the gap between Medium and High is 98.3 FPS, making High a much more demanding preset relative to the others.

At 2560x1440, the results follow a similar pattern. The Low preset delivers 278.4 FPS, Medium drops to 221.8 FPS, High falls to 139.2 FPS, and Ultra reaches 132.8 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 6.4 FPS, which is negligible. The most significant drop here is from Medium to High, which represents a 37% reduction in average FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance metrics are more compressed. Low yields 172.7 FPS, Medium yields 142.5 FPS, High yields 89 FPS, and Ultra yields 83.3 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High is a 37.5% drop, while the drop from High to Ultra is only 6.4%. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is nearing its limits with the High preset, and the Ultra preset only adds a marginal burden. Across all resolutions, the data shows that the High preset is the most distinct performance cliff, while Ultra is a minor step beyond it.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Inside, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB ranks 644th out of 1671 combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, indicating that it offers above-average performance but is not among the elite configurations. The rank is a composite measure, reflecting the system’s ability to handle the game across various settings and resolutions. Given that the game is over seven years old, the rank suggests that this hardware is more than sufficient for a smooth experience, but it does not push the boundaries like higher-end CPUs and GPUs would.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s 17th percentile standing and the CPU’s 77th percentile standing. The CPU’s higher percentile relative to all CPUs indicates that the processor is a strong performer, while the GPU’s lower percentile suggests it is a mid-range part. The combined rank of 644 out of 1671 shows that the system is capable of achieving high frame rates, but it is not a top-tier contender for this title. The data indicates that the system’s performance is well-balanced, with neither component severely bottlenecking the other in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate and visual fidelity. For 1080p displays, the Medium preset offers the best compromise, delivering 293.4 FPS. This is close to the Low preset’s 319.7 FPS but provides better visual quality. The High preset at 1080p drops to 195.1 FPS, which is still high, but the 98 FPS gap between Medium and High makes Medium the more efficient choice. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 186.5 FPS, which is only slightly lower than High, but the visual difference may not justify the performance cost.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is again the standout option, providing 221.8 FPS. Moving to High reduces the average to 139.2 FPS, which is a significant drop of 82.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 132.8 FPS is only 6.4 FPS lower than High, so if a user insists on Ultra, the performance hit compared to High is minimal. However, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot, as it offers double the frame rate of High while still maintaining a playable experience.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. The Medium preset yields 142.5 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and speed. The High preset at 89 FPS is still smooth, but the 53.5 FPS drop from Medium is substantial. The Ultra preset at 83.3 FPS is only 5.7 FPS lower than High, making it a viable choice for users who prioritize maximum graphical fidelity over raw frame rate. Given the high frame rates across all settings, the data indicates that even the most demanding 4K Ultra setting is playable, but for the best experience, the Medium preset offers the highest FPS without sacrificing too much visual detail.