Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates are extraordinarily high across all settings, with the combination ranking in the 86th percentile of all tested combos for this game. This pairing effectively eliminates any CPU bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p, with the RTX 4080 becoming the primary performance limiter only at 4K Ultra settings, where the game's visual fidelity demands more from the graphics card. The data indicates a system that can max out nearly any high-refresh-rate display, though the scaling behavior reveals specific strengths and limitations worth examining in detail.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates the GPU's workload scaling. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 244 at 1920x1080 to 211 at 2560x1440, and then to 133 at 3840x2160. This represents a 45% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a significant decrease that points to the RTX 4080 being the limiting component at higher resolutions. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with a 37% drop in average FPS, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading power are being heavily taxed by the 4K pixel count.

The scaling pattern changes with lower settings. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 317 at 1080p to 284 at 1440p and 243 at 4K, a 23% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This smaller percentage drop at Low settings suggests that the CPU is beginning to play a more significant role in limiting performance at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do. The i5-12400's six cores and twelve threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, appear sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at 1080p Low, but the 317 FPS ceiling hints at a CPU-imposed limit that prevents even higher frame rates.

Medium settings show the most balanced scaling, with FPS dropping from 293 at 1080p to 262 at 1440p and 212 at 4K. The 4K Medium result of 212 FPS is particularly notable, as it demonstrates that the RTX 4080 can maintain high frame rates at 4K when the preset is not maxed out. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings is 28%, which is between the Low and High setting drops, reinforcing that the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck as visual complexity increases. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings — 249 at 1080p, 223 at 1440p, and 181 at 4K — show that even the worst-case frame times remain well above the 144 Hz threshold for most gaming monitors.

Ultra settings produce the most significant scaling penalty, with FPS dropping from 240 at 1080p to 201 at 1440p and 126 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 126 FPS is the only measured average below 200 FPS across all configurations, indicating that this is the first point where the RTX 4080's capabilities are truly stretched. The 47% performance drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is the largest scaling penalty in the dataset, confirming that the GPU is the dominant performance limiter at this setting and resolution combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 497 out of 3716 tested combinations in Inside, placing it in the top 13.4% of all systems. This is an impressive result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, indicating that the i5-12400 does not meaningfully hold back the RTX 4080 in this specific game. The rank reflects the game's relatively low CPU demands, as the six-core processor with 12 threads and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz is more than adequate for the puzzle platformer's physics and logic calculations.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72 among all processors aligns with its performance class, but its average benchmark score of 18683 places it just 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 7643 and 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U. This proximity to much more expensive server and mobile processors underscores that the i5-12400's performance is competitive for gaming workloads. The nearest rival in the GPU comparison, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 0.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% lower, showing that the RTX 4080 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

The combination's strong rank is particularly noteworthy given that the RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (1.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (2.6% higher). These small percentage differences suggest that the RTX 4080 delivers performance that is nearly indistinguishable from its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks, and the Inside results confirm that this translates to excellent real-world frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 212 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS. This combination provides a significant performance headroom over the High preset's 133 FPS and the Ultra preset's 126 FPS, and the visual difference between Medium and High in Inside is likely minimal given the game's art style. The 181 FPS minimum at 4K Medium ensures smooth gameplay even during the most demanding scenes, making this the best balance of visual quality and performance for 4K displays.

At 1440p, the High preset at 2560x1440 is recommended, achieving 211 FPS average. This is only 9 FPS lower than the Medium preset's 262 FPS but offers substantially better visual fidelity, and the 201 FPS Ultra result is close enough that High is the sensible middle ground. The 1440p High configuration provides enough performance to drive a 240 Hz monitor without any visible frame rate drops, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 is the clear winner, delivering 240 FPS average. This is only 4 FPS lower than the High preset's 244 FPS and 53 FPS lower than the Low preset's 317 FPS, but the visual quality improvement from Ultra is substantial. The 240 FPS average at 1080p Ultra exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors, so there is no practical reason to lower settings for performance gains. The Medium preset at 293 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but the Ultra preset's 240 FPS is more than sufficient for any display.

The data shows that the Low preset is only useful for extreme frame rate targets, such as 300+ FPS at 1080p, but the visual degradation is unlikely to be worth the performance increase in a game like Inside where atmosphere and visual storytelling are central to the experience. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values across all resolutions — 249 at 1080p, 223 at 1440p, and 181 at 4K — demonstrate that this setting provides a consistent experience without frame rate dips, making it a reliable fallback for users uncertain about their display capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves the highest average FPS at 317, followed by Medium at 293, High at 244, and Ultra at 240. The Medium preset records a minimum FPS of 249 and a maximum of 337, showing a spread of 88 FPS between the lowest and highest frame times. This wide range indicates that even at 1080p, there are scenes that temporarily push the GPU harder, though the minimum remains well above any standard refresh rate.

The 2560x1440 resolution shows a similar pattern, with Low at 284 FPS, Medium at 262 FPS, High at 211 FPS, and Ultra at 201 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 223 FPS and maximum of 302 FPS represent a 79 FPS spread, slightly narrower than at 1080p. The performance gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is just 10 FPS, suggesting that Ultra's additional visual features have a minimal performance cost at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 243 FPS, Medium delivers 212 FPS, High delivers 133 FPS, and Ultra delivers 126 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 181 FPS and maximum of 244 FPS show a 63 FPS spread, which is the tightest range across all resolutions. This indicates that 4K Medium provides the most consistent frame pacing, likely because the GPU is more uniformly utilized at this resolution. The dramatic drop from Medium to High at 4K — a 79 FPS difference — is the largest single-setting performance gap in the entire dataset, highlighting that High settings introduce rendering features that are particularly expensive at 4K.

The data reveals that the RTX 4080's performance in Inside is generally so high that the game's frame rate is rarely a concern. Only the 4K Ultra configuration, at 126 FPS average, approaches the threshold where frame rate could become a limiting factor for the smoothest 144 Hz displays. All other configurations exceed 200 FPS average, providing ample headroom for even the most demanding refresh rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: The 4K Medium configuration at 3840x2160 delivers 212 FPS average with a minimum of 181 FPS, which exceeds 144 Hz. For 1440p displays, the High preset at 211 FPS is also suitable, and the 1080p Ultra preset at 240 FPS provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above 144 Hz.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The data indicates that the i5-12400 is not a significant bottleneck. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows GPU expectations, with the largest performance drops occurring at higher resolutions. The 1080p Low setting at 317 FPS suggests a CPU-imposed ceiling, but this is far above any practical display refresh rate.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209, 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828, and 2.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698. These differences are minimal in real-world gaming performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium averages 293 FPS with a minimum of 249 FPS, while Ultra averages 240 FPS. The 53 FPS difference between the two presets is notable, but the Ultra setting's 240 FPS average still provides excellent performance for virtually any display.

Q: Can this combination drive a 240 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: Yes, the 1440p High preset delivers 211 FPS average, and the Medium preset at 262 FPS exceeds 240 Hz. Even the Ultra preset at 201 FPS is close to the 240 Hz threshold, though it may occasionally dip slightly below in demanding scenes.

Q: How does the i5-12400's performance compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-12400's average benchmark score is 18683, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 7643 at 18697, 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i7-1355U at 18730, and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i3-14100F at 18519. This places it in a competitive performance band for its class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide sufficient bandwidth for gaming workloads, and the CPU's 10 nm process node from Intel contributes to a 65 W TDP that keeps thermal requirements modest.

In Inside, the CPU's role is primarily to handle game logic, physics calculations, and entity management, which are not particularly demanding for a puzzle platformer. The benchmark results confirm this, as the i5-12400's performance in synthetic tests — such as 15989 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2257 in singlecore — demonstrates strong processing power that is largely underutilized by this game. The 3DMark results, including 5873 for 16 threads and 910 for single thread, show a balanced performance profile that can handle both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads efficiently.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most configurations, as the frame rate scaling follows GPU expectations. However, the 1080p Low setting's 317 FPS ceiling compared to the 1440p Low's 284 FPS and 4K Low's 243 FPS indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU becomes the performance limit. This is typical for high-end GPU pairings, where the CPU must process frames quickly enough to keep the GPU saturated. The i5-12400's boost clock of 4.40 GHz and six physical cores provide sufficient single-thread performance for this task, though a more powerful CPU could potentially push 1080p Low beyond 317 FPS.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all processors and its average benchmark score of 18683, which is within 3% of its nearest rivals, confirm that it is a capable mid-range processor. For Inside, the i5-12400's performance is more than adequate, and the combination with the RTX 4080 produces frame rates that are limited almost entirely by the GPU at 4K and by a combination of both components at lower resolutions. The 497th rank out of 3716 combos reflects this balanced performance, placing the system in the top 13.4% of all tested configurations for this game.