Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. Even at 4K Ultra settings, this combo maintains an average of 126 FPS, meaning the game is never a bottleneck for high-refresh-rate displays. The data indicates that this pairing is severely overqualified for the game's modest graphical demands, with performance scaling patterns that reveal a system limited primarily by the CPU at lower resolutions and by the GPU only at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 320 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 286 FPS, a reduction of 34 FPS (10.6%). At 4K Low, the average falls further to 245 FPS. This scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 75 FPS drop (23.4%), indicating that while the GPU is becoming more involved, the CPU is still capable of feeding it frames efficiently.

The High settings row shows a similar trend with a steeper curve. At 1080p High, the average is 246 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 211 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 133 FPS. The 113 FPS difference between 1080p High and 4K High (a 45.9% reduction) demonstrates that the RTX 4080's workload scales significantly with resolution, even for a game with this visual style.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, including minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average is 295 FPS with a minimum of 251 FPS and a maximum of 339 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 264 FPS (min 225, max 304). At 4K Medium, the average is 212 FPS (min 181, max 244). The minimum frame rates at each resolution stay well above 180 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing with no severe hitches.

The Ultra preset shows the smallest resolution delta. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 242 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it is 201 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is 126 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K Ultra is 116 FPS (47.9%), which is the largest percentage decrease across all presets. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, while at lower resolutions, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes relatively more important.

The data indicates a system that is heavily CPU-bound at 1080p and progressively becomes GPU-bound as resolution increases. The fact that 1080p Low (320 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (242 FPS) differ by only 78 FPS suggests the CPU is reaching its ceiling around 320 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (245 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) is 119 FPS, showing that the GPU's rendering load is the dominant variable.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 4K, the High preset at 133 FPS is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 126 FPS offers only a marginal average FPS increase over High (7 FPS) despite the higher visual load, while the Medium preset at 212 FPS sacrifices significant visual quality for a frame rate that exceeds most 144Hz monitors' capabilities. The data shows that High is the sweet spot, delivering a 5.6% higher average than Ultra while providing a more stable experience.

At 1440p, the High preset at 211 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides nearly the same frame rate as Ultra (201 FPS) but with less GPU load, leaving headroom for any background tasks or future driver overhead. The Medium preset at 264 FPS is excessive unless a player owns a 240Hz monitor, but the minimum of 225 FPS at Medium suggests this preset can sustain very high refresh rates without dipping below 200 FPS.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 242 FPS is the recommended setting. The difference between Ultra (242 FPS) and Low (320 FPS) is 78 FPS, but the visual upgrade from Low to Ultra is substantial for a puzzle platformer with atmospheric lighting and shadow effects. The Medium preset at 295 FPS and High at 246 FPS sit between these extremes, but Ultra provides the best visual experience while still maintaining an average above 240 FPS.

The Ultra preset at all three resolutions maintains a minimum frame rate that is not listed, but the average frame rates suggest no risk of dropping below 120 FPS. Given that Inside is a cinematic puzzle platformer, players should prioritize visual quality over raw frame rates. The High preset at 4K (133 FPS) and Ultra at 1440p (201 FPS) or 1080p (242 FPS) are the most sensible choices. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or if the user has a 360Hz display, as it reaches 320 FPS at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680. This single-thread capability is crucial for Inside, which is a game that relies heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and physics.

The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1699 and 4-thread score of 3067 indicate that the processor scales well with additional threads, but the game's engine likely does not leverage all 12 threads. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 4779 and max-thread score of 5912 show that the CPU has substantial multi-threaded headroom, but this is largely unused in Inside due to the game's age and simple simulation requirements.

The CPU's percentile rank of 73 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039, places it in the upper mid-range. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047, a delta of 0%. This indicates that the i5-12400F is well-matched against modern mobile processors in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core 3 201E is 0.1% behind, and the Intel Core i5-1335U is 0.3% ahead, showing that the i5-12400F competes closely with newer low-power and mobile parts.

In Inside, the CPU's role is to maintain a high enough frame rate ceiling so that the GPU is not starved. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 320 FPS, which likely approaches the CPU's maximum frame generation capability. The fact that 1080p Ultra (242 FPS) does not drop significantly from 1080p Low (320 FPS) confirms that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, regardless of GPU load. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures that the single-threaded game logic runs at maximum speed, and the 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce latency for frequently accessed game data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 482nd out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places the combo in the top 13% of all tested configurations. The high ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional raw performance, but the CPU's solid single-thread scores prevent it from becoming a bottleneck in this particular game.

The rank of 482 out of 3716 is notable because it suggests that there are 481 combos that perform better, likely featuring top-tier CPUs like the Core i9 series or Ryzen 9 series paired with the same or faster GPUs. However, for a puzzle platformer like Inside, the practical difference between rank 482 and rank 1 is negligible, as both would deliver frame rates far exceeding the game's visual refresh requirements.

The combo's ranking benefits from the CPU's 73rd percentile score and the GPU's 86th percentile score. The GPU's percentile is higher than the CPU's, indicating that the RTX 4080 is the stronger component in this pairing. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a 0.1% delta, meaning the two GPUs are virtually identical in synthetic benchmarks. This performance headroom ensures that the GPU is never the sole limiting factor in most scenarios.

Looking at the combo's position, the 482nd rank out of 3716 indicates that this is a high-end configuration, but not the absolute best available. For Inside, the ranking is more than sufficient, as the game's maximum measurable frame rate at 1080p Low (320 FPS) is already at the CPU's practical limit. The data suggests that spending more on a faster CPU would yield minimal gains in this specific title, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its base clock is 2205 MHz, boosting to 2505 MHz. The card's memory clock is listed as 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective, which translates to ample bandwidth for high-resolution textures.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and Passmark G3D score of 34457 demonstrate its raw compute capability. Its percentile rank of 86 against all GPUs places it in the top 14% of graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54247. The nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209 (0.1% delta), showing that the 4080 is just marginally slower than its SUPER variant.

In Inside, the GPU's role is more prominent at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU renders 126 FPS on average, which is the lowest recorded frame rate in the data. This is still a very playable frame rate, but it indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its limits by the combination of 4K resolution and Ultra settings. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as Inside does not have demanding texture requirements.

The GPU's 9728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units provide substantial pixel-pushing power. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s explain why the card can maintain high frame rates even at 4K. The 112 ROPs are responsible for final pixel output, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is still able to produce 126 FPS, which confirms its efficiency.

The RTX 4080's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are largely unused in Inside, as the game does not support ray tracing or DLSS. This means the GPU's full feature set is not leveraged, but its raw rasterization performance is still the primary driver of the high frame rates observed. The card's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design are irrelevant to game performance but indicate that it is a high-power component designed for demanding workloads.

The GPU's performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a card that is not bandwidth-limited. The drop from 320 FPS at 1080p Low to 245 FPS at 4K Low shows a 23.4% reduction, while the drop from 242 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 126 FPS at 4K Ultra is 47.9%. This larger percentage drop at Ultra settings confirms that the GPU's compute units are the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, whereas at Low settings, the CPU becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 320, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest recorded average is 126 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K 120 FPS gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, the data shows that at 4K High settings, the combo achieves an average of 133 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it reaches 212 FPS. Only the 4K Ultra preset falls below 120 FPS, with an average of 126 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. This indicates the two cards are essentially tied in synthetic benchmarks.

*Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance, and why does it matter for Inside?*

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F scores 909 in 3DMark single-thread and 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core. This matters because Inside relies heavily on a single thread for game logic, and this CPU's strong single-thread performance helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations?

A: Yes, it ranks 482nd out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 13% of all configurations tested.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate at 4K?

A: The High preset at 4K delivers 133 FPS, which is 5.6% higher than the Ultra preset's 126 FPS. The High preset is recommended for 4K as it provides nearly the same visual experience as Ultra with a slightly higher frame rate.