Inside

# Inside: Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a remarkably strong experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016 that proves far less demanding than its genre peers. Measured results show this pairing achieving triple-digit frame rates at every resolution tested, with even the most demanding preset at 4K remaining comfortably above 60 FPS. The combo ranks 2087th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems benchmarked for this title. This analysis breaks down exactly how the CPU and GPU contribute to these results, which settings offer the best experience, and how the system scales across resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Alder Lake architecture using Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz can boost up to 4.40 GHz, providing substantial single-thread headroom that matters for Inside's physics and logic simulation. The CPU's 3DMark scores reveal its threading characteristics: single-thread performance registers 909, while 2-thread scaling reaches 1699, 4-thread hits 3067, and 8-thread climbs to 4779. The jump from 8-thread to max-thread performance is modest, going from 4779 to 5912, indicating that the 12 threads are utilized but with diminishing returns beyond 8 threads.

In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 1680 in single-core and 12380 in multi-core tests, reflecting a healthy balance between single-thread responsiveness and multi-threaded capacity. Geekbench results corroborate this with a single-core score of 1964 and multi-core score of 9472. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, the game's systems rarely stress all available threads, but the 12400F's strong single-core performance ensures that game logic, collision detection, and physics calculations never become a bottleneck in the measured frame rates.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 19039 places it at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047, 0% delta), Intel Core 3 201E (19056, -0.1%), Intel Core i5-1335U (18982, 0.3%), and AMD EPYC 7773X (18979, 0.3%). These rivals span laptop and server parts, highlighting that the 12400F's desktop-oriented performance is competitive across form factors. PassMark multi-thread testing shows a score of 19433, while single-thread performance registers 3481, confirming that this processor delivers strong per-core efficiency that benefits Inside's relatively lightweight CPU demands.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture using TSMC's 12 nm process, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's base clock of 1605 MHz boosts to 1770 MHz, with pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s. Compute performance reaches 9.062 TFLOPS for FP32 and 18.12 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1 ratio).

In the context of Inside, a game with stylized visuals and moderate geometric complexity, the RTX 2070 SUPER's raw rasterization power is more than sufficient. The 8 GB VRAM capacity poses no constraints at any tested resolution, as the game's texture and shader requirements are modest by 2016 standards. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, -1%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, -1.2%), Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.3%), and Intel Arc A750 (20582, -1.5%). These deltas are minimal, indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER sits comfortably in a competitive performance band.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 20282 reflects its position relative to newer hardware, but for Inside, the measured FPS data shows this card has ample headroom. DirectX 12 performance in PassMark scores 67, while DirectX 11 registers 151, suggesting the GPU handles older APIs particularly well — relevant for a game released in 2016 that primarily relies on DirectX 11-class rendering. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 further contextualizes its modern API capabilities, though Inside does not stress these features heavily.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals that Inside is remarkably forgiving across all settings presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 310 FPS average, Medium hits 248 FPS (with minimums of 210 and maximums of 285), High reaches 155 FPS, and Ultra still manages 147 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 163 FPS, meaning the Ultra preset sacrifices roughly half the frame rate of Low while providing the full visual experience.

At 1440p, the pattern holds: Low achieves 223 FPS, Medium 178 FPS (151-205 range), High 111 FPS, and Ultra 106 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 5 FPS at this resolution, making Ultra the more sensible choice if visual fidelity is prioritized. At 4K, Low still delivers 140 FPS, Medium 112 FPS (95-129 range), High 70 FPS, and Ultra 67 FPS. Even the most demanding combination of 4K Ultra remains above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth playback on standard 60 Hz displays.

For the best experience per the measured rows, the High preset at 1440p offers an excellent balance: 111 FPS average delivers smooth motion on high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining visual quality above Medium. Alternatively, Ultra at 1080p at 147 FPS provides the full visual experience with frame rates that exceed 144 Hz displays' capabilities. At 4K, High at 70 FPS is the recommended choice over Ultra, since the 3 FPS difference between them (70 vs 67) is imperceptible, but High may offer better frame-time consistency — though the data only shows averages for these presets.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2087th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 56th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking reflects that while the hardware is competent, many newer and higher-end combinations achieve better raw performance in this title. However, the absolute FPS numbers tell a more favorable story: even at the weakest measured configuration (4K Ultra at 67 FPS), the system remains playable.

The ranking position is somewhat conservative relative to the hardware's capabilities because Inside is not a demanding title, meaning even mid-range modern systems can achieve high frame rates. The 12400F's 73rd percentile CPU ranking and the RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile GPU ranking suggest the combo should perform better than its 56th percentile game ranking indicates — this discrepancy likely stems from other tested combinations featuring either higher-end CPUs or GPUs that push frame rates even higher in this undemanding title.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals (Ryzen 5 7535HS, Core 3 201E, Core i5-1335U, EPYC 7773X) all score within 0.3% of each other in average benchmarks, meaning the 12400F's processing power is not the differentiator in this system's ranking. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals (Quadro M4000M, RTX 3070 Mobile, Arc B570, Arc A750) are all within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER's average score, indicating that the graphics card's absolute performance is well within expected ranges for its class.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics. At High settings, FPS drops from 155 at 1080p to 111 at 1440p (a 28.4% reduction) and then to 70 at 4K (a 54.8% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where increasing pixel count directly impacts rendering load. The RTX 2070 SUPER's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB VRAM are sufficient to handle the increased resolution without hitting capacity limits.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 310 FPS at 1080p drops to 223 at 1440p (28.1% reduction) and 140 at 4K (54.8% reduction). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU remains the primary limiter even at lower quality presets, as the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at all tested resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low hits 310 FPS — likely approaching the CPU's frame delivery ceiling — indicates that the 12400F can sustain very high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily taxed.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 248 FPS at 1080p, 178 at 1440p, and 112 at 4K. The minimum FPS values (210 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, 95 at 4K) demonstrate that frame pacing remains stable even under load, with the 4K minimum still above 90 FPS. Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 147 at 1080p, 106 at 1440p, and 67 at 4K. Across all presets, the 1080p-to-1440p drop averages around 28%, while the 1080p-to-4K drop averages around 55%, confirming that resolution scaling is consistent and predictable — a hallmark of a well-balanced system where neither component creates an unexpected bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 67 FPS, and at 4K High it averages 70 FPS. Even the most demanding preset remains above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay on standard displays.

Q: Which setting preset provides the highest frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1080p achieves 310 FPS average, which is the highest measured result. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 223 FPS, and at 4K Low it still reaches 140 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 20282 places it within 1.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), Intel Arc B570 (20556), and Intel Arc A750 (20582).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680) and the fact that 1080p Low reaches 310 FPS indicate the GPU is the primary limiter, not the processor.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra presets?

A: At 1080p, High averages 155 FPS while Ultra averages 147 FPS, an 8 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 5 FPS (111 vs 106), and at 4K it is just 3 FPS (70 vs 67).

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?*

A: It ranks 2087th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination in Inside are as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 310 FPS average
• Medium: 248 FPS average, 210 FPS minimum, 285 FPS maximum
• High: 155 FPS average
• Ultra: 147 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 223 FPS average
• Medium: 178 FPS average, 151 FPS minimum, 205 FPS maximum
• High: 111 FPS average
• Ultra: 106 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 140 FPS average
• Medium: 112 FPS average, 95 FPS minimum, 129 FPS maximum
• High: 70 FPS average
• Ultra: 67 FPS average

These results demonstrate that the system delivers playable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination tested. The Medium preset provides the only measured minimum and maximum values, showing frame time consistency with a 75 FPS spread at 1080p (210-285), a 54 FPS spread at 1440p (151-205), and a 34 FPS spread at 4K (95-129). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that GPU load becomes more consistent as the rendering pipeline saturates. At no point does the system drop below 60 FPS, making this combination suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and for smooth 60 Hz gameplay at 4K.