Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 160th out of 1671 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top ~10% of all configurations. This is an exceptional result, driven almost entirely by the GPU’s massive compute advantage. The data shows that this combo delivers triple-digit frame rates at every resolution and settings preset tested, with the lowest average being 146.9 FPS at 4K Ultra. While the CPU is a mid-range part (77th percentile among all CPUs), it does not bottleneck the flagship GPU in this title, allowing the system to perform at a level that rivals far more expensive processor pairings.

How This Combo Ranks

The ranking of 160 out of 1671 combos is a strong indicator of overall capability, but the distribution of results matters. The combo’s rank is likely constrained by the CPU’s synthetic benchmark scores rather than actual in-game performance, as the measured FPS data shows no scenario where the i5-12400F holds the RTX 5090 back. In CPU-bound comparisons, the i5-12400F’s average benchmark score of 19221 places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K (deltaPct of 0.1%), meaning the 12th-gen chip trades blows with a previous flagship. Against the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS, the i5-12400F is 0.7% slower, but it beats the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3% in average score—an odd result given the EPYC’s server-class positioning, but the data is clear. For Inside, a game with modest CPU demands, the i5-12400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090, making the combo’s rank a reflection of GPU dominance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process. It carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s—a figure that becomes relevant at 4K where texture streaming and frame buffer demands spike. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz (base 2017 MHz) helps drive its FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, which is the primary engine behind the high frame rates in Inside. The 92,200 million transistors and 750 mm² die size indicate a fully enabled chip, and the 21,760 shading units process the game’s side-scrolling visuals without effort. In this title, the GPU’s 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs ensure that pixel fill and texture filtering are never limiting factors; the data supports this, as the FPS deltas between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution are relatively small (e.g., 319.7 to 238.3 FPS at 1080p). The RTX 5090’s 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84306, confirms it is near the top of the stack—its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, is only 0.1% ahead, while the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% ahead (a statistical tie). This GPU is overkill for Inside, but the measured data shows it translates into raw headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S desktop family, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It lacks integrated graphics, but that is irrelevant here given the discrete GPU. The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide adequate data locality for the game’s physics and logic, which are light compared to modern AAA titles. The i5-12400F’s single-thread performance is solid—Geekbench single-core score of 2221 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 2332—but its multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 16518) are modest. However, the measured FPS data reveals that Inside does not stress the CPU: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 319.7 FPS, which is only 72.5 FPS higher than 4K Low (247.2 FPS). If the CPU were the limiting factor, the gap between 1080p and 4K would be larger, as the GPU would struggle at higher resolutions. Instead, the FPS drop is mild, indicating the i5-12400F is sufficient to keep up with the RTX 5090 even at 1080p. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 versus all CPUs, and its near-identical average score to the i7-8700K (deltaPct 0.1%), suggests it is a competent pairing for this game, though not a perfect match for the GPU’s theoretical maximum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data spans three resolutions and four settings presets, with 12 data points total. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers:

• Low: 319.7 FPS average
• Medium: 293.1 FPS average
• High: 244.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 238.3 FPS average

The spread from Low to Ultra is 81.4 FPS, showing that the RTX 5090 can brute-force even the highest preset at 1080p. At 2560x1440, the averages are:

• Low: 285.4 FPS
• Medium: 264.5 FPS
• High: 222.5 FPS
• Ultra: 214.8 FPS

The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each settings tier is roughly 34-40 FPS, which is a modest reduction given the 78% increase in pixel count (2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels). At 3840x2160, the data shows:

• Low: 247.2 FPS
• Medium: 229.2 FPS
• High: 150.0 FPS
• Ultra: 146.9 FPS

Notably, the jump from Medium to High at 4K is a steep 79.2 FPS drop, while the High-to-Ultra drop is only 3.1 FPS. This suggests that High settings introduce a specific rendering feature (likely shadow or lighting quality) that disproportionately impacts the GPU, but Ultra adds little extra cost. The lowest measured average is 146.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still far above the 60 FPS standard, meaning the combo never dips below playable thresholds.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Inside?*

A: No, the data shows no significant CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 319.7 FPS, and the drop to 4K Low is only 72.5 FPS, indicating the GPU scales with resolution as expected, not the CPU.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score is 84306, which is 0.1% behind the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% behind the RTX 5050 Mobile, but 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600. The differences are negligible.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming on this combo?

A: Medium settings at 4K yield 229.2 FPS, while High drops to 150.0 FPS. Given the large performance gap, Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as Ultra only provides a marginal improvement over High.

Q: Does the CPU’s lack of integrated graphics affect performance?

A: No, the RTX 5090 handles all rendering. The i5-12400F’s performance is measured via discrete GPU benchmarks, and the measured FPS data confirms the pairing works without issue.

Q: How does the i5-12400F’s multi-thread performance compare to its single-thread?

A: The CPU scores 16518 in Cinebench R23 multi-core versus 2332 in single-core, showing a 7.1x scaling across 6 cores. In Inside, the game likely uses fewer threads, so single-core performance is more relevant, and the data supports this with high FPS at 1080p.

Q: Is 32 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: No, Inside is a puzzle platformer that does not require 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5090’s 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is overkill, but the high frame rates suggest the GPU is never memory-limited.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 4K is the optimal choice for this combo. It delivers 229.2 FPS, which is only 18.0 FPS lower than Low (247.2 FPS) but provides noticeably better visual fidelity. The High preset at 4K drops to 150.0 FPS—a 79.2 FPS penalty over Medium—which is a significant sacrifice for marginal graphical gains. At 1440p, Medium (264.5 FPS) is also recommended over High (222.5 FPS) for the same reason: the FPS cost is disproportionate to the visual upgrade. For 1080p, the data shows High (244.6 FPS) and Ultra (238.3 FPS) are within 6.3 FPS of each other, so Ultra is viable if the user prefers maximum settings, but Medium (293.1 FPS) offers a 54.8 FPS advantage over High without a major visual difference. Across all resolutions, the pattern is clear: Medium is the sweet spot, as it avoids the steep performance cliff seen when transitioning to High, while still providing a rich visual experience. Ultra adds little over High, so it is only recommended for users who prioritize absolute image quality over frame rate, and even then, the FPS remains above 146.9 at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a consistent but non-linear FPS decline as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 12% (e.g., 319.7 to 285.4 at Low, 238.3 to 214.8 at Ultra). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced at higher settings: Low falls from 285.4 to 247.2 (13.4% decrease), Medium from 264.5 to 229.2 (13.3%), High from 222.5 to 150.0 (32.6%), and Ultra from 214.8 to 146.9 (31.6%). This pattern indicates that the RTX 5090 is the limiting component at 4K, particularly with High and Ultra settings, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are taxed. The 2.25x increase in pixels from 1440p to 4K (3.69 million to 8.29 million) does not result in a 2.25x FPS drop, meaning the GPU has enough headroom to partially absorb the load. Conversely, the relatively small FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s dominance is fully expressed at 1080p, where it reaches 319.7 FPS. The limiting component at 1080p is the CPU’s single-thread throughput (Geekbench single-core of 2221), which caps the frame rate below the GPU’s theoretical maximum. At 4K, the GPU’s raw compute (104.8 TFLOPS) and memory bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) become the primary constraints, as evidenced by the steep drop at High/Ultra settings. Ultimately, the combo is balanced for 1440p gaming, where the FPS remains above 214.8 even at Ultra, and 4K is viable with Medium settings.