Inside

# Inside — Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers remarkably high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer that scales from 60 FPS at 4K Ultra to 281 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data reveals a system that rarely struggles, with the combo ranking in the 68th percentile of all tested configurations — 2556th out of 3716. This pairing of a 10-core Alder Lake CPU with a Turing-based GPU proves exceptionally capable for this title, though the performance curve across settings and resolutions tells a nuanced story about where the bottleneck shifts.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate measured for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 281 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is more than double the 134 FPS average achieved at the same resolution with Ultra settings, indicating massive headroom in the game's low-fidelity mode.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2556th out of 3716 tested configurations, placing it in the 69th percentile. This suggests that roughly a third of all tested combos outperform it, though the actual frame rates remain high across most settings.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded?

A: The lowest average is 60 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only measured configuration that dips to the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K Ultra the most demanding scenario for this hardware.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its DirectX 12 benchmark score of 61 in PassMark is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 130, suggesting potential API-specific performance characteristics.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The i5-12600KF scores 1016 in 3DMark single-thread and 7956 in 16-thread tests. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 3302 single-core and 23391 multi-core, showing strong scaling from 1 to 16 threads.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% below the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159) and 0.5% below the Radeon Pro 5700 (18189). It sits 1.5% above the RX 460 and 1.6% above the Arc A770M.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the table, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost up to 4.90 GHz. This hybrid design — performance cores paired with efficiency cores — provides substantial computational headroom for Inside, which is primarily a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer. The game's physics and logic systems benefit from the CPU's strong single-thread throughput, evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302.

The CPU's multi-threaded capability is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 27575. These numbers place the i5-12600KF in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with its average benchmark score of 27799 sitting just 0.3% below the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. For a game like Inside, which does not demand heavy multi-threaded workloads, the CPU's 10 cores provide ample processing power without becoming a limiting factor.

The measured FPS data suggests the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 281 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed frames far beyond typical display refresh rates. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is under maximum load, the average of 60 FPS suggests the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared across cores helps with data locality, while the dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provides adequate bandwidth for this workload. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate this is a desktop enthusiast part, though for Inside specifically, the CPU's capabilities are far beyond what the game requires.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on optimal settings for this combo. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, but the differences are dramatic: Low averages 281 FPS, Medium 225 FPS, High 141 FPS, and Ultra 134 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs only 7 FPS (134 vs 141), while the jump from Medium to High costs 84 FPS (225 vs 141). This suggests the High preset offers the best balance for 1080p — it maintains well over 140 FPS while providing significantly better visual fidelity than Medium.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low averages 202 FPS, Medium 162 FPS, High 101 FPS, and Ultra 96 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 5 FPS (96 vs 101), making Ultra a viable choice for users with high-refresh 1440p displays. However, the 61 FPS drop from Medium to High (162 vs 101) indicates a steep visual quality cost, so Medium may be the sweet spot for competitive play at this resolution.

At 4K, the choices become more constrained. Low averages 127 FPS, Medium 102 FPS, High 63 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is particularly compelling — it maintains triple-digit frame rates while offering improved visuals over Low. High and Ultra both hover near 60 FPS, making them suitable only for users with standard 60 Hz displays who prioritize visual quality over frame rate headroom. For most 4K users, Medium provides the best experience, as it keeps frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold while delivering a substantial visual upgrade over Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2556th out of 3716 tested configurations in Inside, placing it in the 68.8th percentile. This means roughly 31% of tested combos perform better, while 69% perform worse. Given the game's age and relatively modest hardware demands, this ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of both components rather than any fundamental limitation.

The CPU's percentile rank of 79th versus the GPU's 62nd percentile reveals an interesting disparity. The i5-12600KF is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the RTX 2060 SUPER, which suggests the GPU is the more likely bottleneck in demanding scenarios. This aligns with the measured FPS data: at 1080p Low, where CPU load is relatively higher, the system achieves 281 FPS; at 4K Ultra, where GPU load dominates, it drops to 60 FPS.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 18093 places it just 0.4% below the RTX 3060 Mobile and 0.5% below the Radeon Pro 5700, while sitting 1.5% above the RX 460 and 1.6% above the Intel Arc A770M. These narrow margins suggest the RTX 2060 SUPER performs consistently with its direct competitors, and the combo ranking reflects this mid-pack positioning. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, this ranking is more than sufficient — the game's 2D nature and relatively simple rendering pipeline mean that even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, featuring 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a game like Inside that does not require large texture datasets. The GPU's base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz, combined with 34 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores, deliver a DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set that far exceeds the game's requirements.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 16462 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 76957. These numbers place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. The nearest rivals — RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159, Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189, RX 460 at 18373, and Arc A770M at 18383 — are all within 1.6% of the RTX 2060 SUPER's score, indicating tight competition in this performance tier.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes increasingly significant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames at 281 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 134 FPS on Ultra — a 52% reduction. At 4K, the Low setting yields 127 FPS while Ultra falls to 60 FPS, a 53% reduction. This consistent scaling suggests the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher settings and resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures smooth texture streaming even at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings average 281 FPS, Medium 225 FPS with a minimum of 191 and maximum of 259, High 141 FPS, and Ultra 134 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 191 FPS ensures a consistently smooth experience even during demanding scenes, while the 134 FPS average at Ultra remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows a clear hierarchy. Low settings average 202 FPS, Medium 162 FPS with a minimum of 137 and maximum of 186, High 101 FPS, and Ultra 96 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 137 FPS still provides a comfortable buffer above 60 FPS, while the High and Ultra settings maintain frame rates in the 96-101 FPS range, suitable for high-refresh displays.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress significantly. Low settings average 127 FPS, Medium 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 117, High 63 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 86 FPS is notable — it ensures that even the most demanding scenes stay well above 60 FPS. High and Ultra both average in the 60-63 FPS range, which is playable but leaves little headroom for frame time spikes.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide the best minimum FPS stability relative to their average, while High and Ultra offer diminishing returns in visual quality for significant frame rate costs. The 4K Medium result of 102 FPS average with an 86 FPS minimum is particularly impressive for a mid-range GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 281 at 1080p to 202 at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 127 at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 134 at 1080p to 96 at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 60 at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1080p).

This consistent 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K is 4x, but the frame rate only drops to roughly half, indicating that the GPU's scaling is not linear — other factors such as memory bandwidth and fill rate partially compensate for the increased pixel load.

The CPU's role in this scaling is evident at 1080p, where the 281 FPS Low result demonstrates that the i5-12600KF can drive frame rates far beyond what most displays can show. However, at 4K Ultra, the 60 FPS result suggests the GPU is operating at its limit, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The narrowing gap between High and Ultra settings at higher resolutions — 7 FPS at 1080p, 5 FPS at 1440p, and 3 FPS at 4K — indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes saturated at 4K, with diminishing returns from higher visual fidelity settings.

The data implies that for users with 1440p or 4K displays, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, maintaining frame rates that are 70-80% higher than High settings at the same resolution. For 1080p users, High settings provide an excellent experience with frame rates above 140 FPS, while Ultra adds minimal visual benefit for a 7 FPS cost.