Inside

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 delivers a playable experience in Inside, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Across the measured resolutions, frame rates scale dramatically with both resolution and graphics settings, with the CPU having ample headroom to push far higher frame rates than the GTX 1650 can physically output. This combination ranks near the bottom of the database, indicating that while the game runs, it does so with significant performance limitations relative to other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 67.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49.1 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 32.3 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 52% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings: at Medium, the drop is from 104.3 FPS at 1080p to 79.4 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 48.6 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the same trend, falling from 66.9 FPS at 1080p to 48.6 FPS at 1440p and 29.9 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are fully saturated as resolution increases. The GTX 1650's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus width (128.1 GB/s bandwidth) are simply insufficient for high-resolution rendering. The fact that Low settings at 4K still achieve 63.7 FPS, while High settings at 4K drop to 32.3 FPS, suggests that the game's higher-quality effects place an outsized burden on the GPU's shading units and texture units. The CPU, with 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here; the frame rate scales almost entirely with GPU load.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The best result comes from Low settings at 1920x1080, delivering an average of 136.4 FPS. This is the only configuration tested that exceeds 120 FPS.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Inside?*

A: At 4K, only Low settings produce a consistently playable frame rate (63.7 FPS). Medium settings drop to 48.6 FPS, High to 32.3 FPS, and Ultra to 29.9 FPS, which is below the typical 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. Ultra averages 66.9 FPS while High averages 67.6 FPS at 1920x1080, a gap of just 0.7 FPS. This suggests the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit for the performance cost at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in any scenario?

A: No. The i5-12600KF's benchmark scores (including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444) far exceed what Inside demands. The frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU, as evidenced by the large performance gaps between Low and High settings at the same resolution.

Q: What is the combo's overall standing in the database?

A: This configuration ranks 1572 out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 6% of all results. This low rank reflects the GTX 1650's age and limited performance rather than any deficiency in the CPU.

Q: Which settings offer the best balance at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 yield 79.4 FPS, which is the best result above 60 FPS at that resolution. High settings drop to 49.1 FPS, making Medium the optimal choice for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a high-end desktop processor featuring 10 cores (with a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark results are substantial: a Geekbench single-core score of 2529 and a multicore score of 12373, alongside a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444. These numbers place the CPU in the 84th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27827.

In Inside, the CPU's role is minimal because the game is a puzzle platformer with modest computational demands. The measured frame rates show no signs of CPU limitation: even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system reaches 136.4 FPS. The GPU's performance ceiling is reached long before the CPU's capabilities are taxed. The i5-12600KF's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct -0.1), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (deltaPct -0.2), all of which perform within 0.4% of this chip. This indicates that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo's low ranking; any of these processors would yield nearly identical frame rates in Inside.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-12600KF and GTX 1650 ranks 1572 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the bottom 6% of all configurations, which is a poor result for a system with such a capable CPU. The ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the GTX 1650 sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 8713. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4), the AMD Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), and the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (deltaPct 0.5), all of which are similarly positioned in the lower-middle tier of graphics hardware.

The large gap between the CPU's high percentile (84th) and the GPU's modest percentile (43rd) highlights the imbalance in this pairing. While the CPU would not bottleneck even a much faster graphics card, the GTX 1650 restricts the system to frame rates that are often below the 60 FPS target at higher resolutions. This combo is fundamentally GPU-bound in Inside, and its ranking reflects that reality.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process, featuring 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 2.984 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7880 in Passmark G3D and 39112 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs.

In Inside, the GTX 1650's limitations are immediately apparent. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, but the GPU's raw compute power is insufficient for high settings at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales poorly with resolution: at High settings, the frame rate drops from 67.6 FPS at 1080p to 32.3 FPS at 4K, a 52% decrease. The Ultra preset at 4K produces only 29.9 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and modest bandwidth are likely contributors to this poor scaling, as higher resolutions require more memory transactions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured results provide a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 136.4 FPS on Low, 104.3 FPS on Medium, 67.6 FPS on High, and 66.9 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that the game is easily playable at 1080p, with even the highest preset maintaining a solid frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably: Low settings yield 95.7 FPS, Medium produces 79.4 FPS, High falls to 49.1 FPS, and Ultra dips to 48.6 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p is 30.3 FPS, indicating that the High preset introduces significant graphical effects that heavily burden the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal: Low settings deliver 63.7 FPS, Medium drops to 48.6 FPS, High produces 32.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29.9 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS, and even that is close to the threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 53% performance penalty, underscoring the GPU's inability to handle high-quality rendering at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the measured data suggests prioritizing resolution over graphical fidelity. At 1920x1080, the High preset (67.6 FPS) offers a good balance, but the Ultra preset (66.9 FPS) provides virtually identical performance with a negligible 0.7 FPS penalty. Given this negligible difference, players at 1080p can safely select Ultra settings without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings (79.4 FPS) are the clear recommendation, as they maintain a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering better visual quality than Low (95.7 FPS). The High preset (49.1 FPS) drops below 60 FPS, making it less desirable for those who prioritize frame rate consistency.

At 3840x2160, Low settings (63.7 FPS) are the only option that provides smooth gameplay. Medium (48.6 FPS) is borderline, and both High (32.3 FPS) and Ultra (29.9 FPS) fall below acceptable thresholds. For 4K gaming, the trade-off is unavoidable: players must accept Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate. Overall, the data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates across all settings, with 1440p viable only at Medium or lower presets.