Inside

The Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B370 pairing in Inside presents a study in contrast: a modern, high-thread-count desktop CPU working alongside a low-power integrated graphics solution. The data indicates a system where the graphics processor is the overwhelming constraint, yet the CPU’s robust architecture ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the renderer is saturated. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features a hybrid configuration, though the fact pack does not specify the exact core mix, it does list cache details: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This is a desktop part on the Intel Socket 1700 platform, supporting DDR4 and DDR5 memory via a dual-channel bus.

In the context of Inside, a puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry and physics, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The benchmark results suggest that the i5-13400F is more than adequate for this task. The processor’s multi-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604, but its single-thread capability is also notable, scoring 3191 in the same test. This is crucial because many game engines, including those for 2.5D titles like Inside, rely heavily on a few primary threads for simulation and rendering setup.

The data shows that across all tested resolutions and settings, the CPU is not the bottleneck. When comparing the i5-13400F to its nearest rivals, it posts an average benchmark score of 25292. This places it essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, 0.4% delta), while marginally ahead of the Intel Core 5 120 (25362, -0.3% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.3% delta). The percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs confirms that it sits comfortably in the upper tier of desktop processors.

For Inside, this means the CPU is likely idling during most frame rendering. The evidence lies in the FPS scaling: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 141 FPS, but when the resolution increases to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 30 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a more consistent frame rate regardless of resolution, as the CPU's workload is largely resolution-independent. Instead, the dramatic drop with increasing resolution and settings points squarely at the GPU. The i5-13400F provides a stable foundation, ensuring that the Arc B370 is never waiting on the processor to deliver data.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It is part of the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. Crucially, it has no dedicated VRAM; its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means it relies on the host system's DDR4 or DDR5 memory, which has a significant impact on performance, especially at higher resolutions.

The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 20 raster output units (ROPs). It also features 10 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical peak performance is 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. The power envelope is extremely low at 25 W TDP, and it is an IGP with no power connectors, meaning it shares power and thermal budget with the CPU.

In the context of Inside, the Arc B370 is the clear performance limiter. Its benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low standing, indicating that it is only suitable for light gaming or older titles. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7% delta). The data shows that even the AMD FirePro M2000, with a score of 1168, is only 1.4% slower.

This weak GPU performance explains the measured FPS figures. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 141 FPS, which is playable. However, the GPU struggles as the load increases. The lack of dedicated VRAM is a particular concern; at 4K, the shared memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck, causing the frame rate to plummet. The data shows a clear correlation between increased resolution and decreased performance, which is a signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The boost clock of 2400 MHz helps, but the sheer number of pixels at 1440p and 2160p overwhelms the 20 ROPs and the shared memory interface.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a stark resolution scaling curve that definitively identifies the Intel Arc B370 as the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the system produces 141 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 101 FPS, a reduction of 28.4%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 64 FPS, which is a 54.6% drop from the 1080p figure. This is a massive performance hit that can only be attributed to the GPU's inability to process the increasing pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings. For High settings, the frame rate goes from 70 FPS at 1080p, to 51 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 32 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K for High is 54.3%. For Medium, the numbers are 113, 81, and 51 FPS respectively, representing a 54.9% drop from 1080p to 4K. Even at Ultra, the pattern holds: 67 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, a 55.2% drop.

This consistent ~55% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is working at its pixel throughput limit. A CPU-bound system would show a much smaller performance delta, as the CPU's workload does not scale linearly with resolution. The fact that the FPS nearly halves at each significant resolution step-up demonstrates that the renderer is saturated. The data suggests that the Arc B370's 20 ROPs and shared memory bandwidth cannot keep up with the demands of 4K rendering, even in a visually simple game like Inside. The system is GPU-bound at all resolutions above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the GPU is the primary constraint for higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-13400F + Intel Arc B370 combination in Inside. The minimum and maximum FPS are only provided for Medium settings, which offers a frame time variance analysis opportunity.

1920x1080:

• Low: 141 FPS average.
• Medium: 113 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130 FPS. This shows a 34 FPS spread, indicating some frame pacing variance but generally smooth gameplay.
• High: 70 FPS average.
• Ultra: 67 FPS average.

2560x1440:

• Low: 101 FPS average.
• Medium: 81 FPS average, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93 FPS. The spread here is 24 FPS, which is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is more consistently loaded.
• High: 51 FPS average.
• Ultra: 48 FPS average.

3840x2160:

• Low: 64 FPS average.
• Medium: 51 FPS average, with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 59 FPS. The 16 FPS spread is the smallest of the three resolutions, indicating that the GPU is pegged near its maximum load, reducing the variance.
• High: 32 FPS average.
• Ultra: 30 FPS average.

The data shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, Low settings are very fluid, and Medium is still playable. High and Ultra are both above 60 FPS, which is surprising given the GPU's low benchmark score. However, the performance degrades quickly. At 1440p, only Low settings achieve a high refresh rate experience, while Medium is borderline, and High/Ultra dip below 60 FPS. At 4K, the system is only playable at Low settings, with Medium being marginal, and High/Ultra being effectively unplayable due to the low frame rates.

The fact that the maximum FPS at 1080p Medium (130) is higher than the average at 1080p Low (141) is incorrect in the data, but the provided numbers are as measured. The minimum FPS data points are crucial; they show that even at 4K Medium, the frame rate does not dip below 43 FPS, which means the experience is consistent, albeit slow.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this system to maintain a 60+ FPS experience in Inside?*

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, all settings from Low to Ultra achieve an average FPS of 67 or higher. At 2560x1440, only Low settings (101 FPS) and Medium (81 FPS) are above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, only Low settings (64 FPS) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so drastically between 1080p and 4K?

A: The benchmark results indicate a 54-55% reduction in average FPS across all settings when moving from 1080p to 2160p. This is due to the Intel Arc B370's limited pixel throughput capabilities, specifically its 20 ROPs and system-shared memory, which cannot handle the increased pixel count efficiently.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B370 in this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling pattern shows that the system is GPU-limited. The CPU’s high single-thread score (3191 in Cinebench R23) and multi-thread score (22604) are sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution-dependent FPS drops.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU compute?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile. It is nearly identical in performance to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta). It is slightly faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% delta).

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 81, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. This 24 FPS spread indicates a reasonably stable frame rate, though not perfectly flat.

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

A: The measured data shows an average of 30 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. This is below the standard 60 FPS target and indicates a playable, but not smooth, experience. The frame rate is at the minimum threshold for acceptable gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware depends heavily on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference.

For a 1080p display, the system is capable of running Ultra settings at an average of 67 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS. The gap between High (70 FPS) and Ultra (67 FPS) is negligible, so choosing Ultra is recommended to maximize visual fidelity without a significant performance penalty. Medium is also viable, but the visual upgrade to Ultra is worth the small FPS cost.

For 1440p, the data suggests that Medium settings are the sweet spot. At Medium, the system averages 81 FPS, which is smooth, and the minimum of 69 FPS ensures that drops are not jarring. High settings drop to 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra is not recommended. Low settings at 1440p achieve 101 FPS, but the visual downgrade is significant. Medium offers a good balance of visual quality and performance, with the 81 FPS average providing headroom for demanding scenes.

For 4K, the options are limited. Low settings are the only playable option, with an average of 64 FPS. Medium settings fall to 51 FPS, which is borderline, but the minimum of 43 FPS suggests that stuttering may occur in complex scenes. High and Ultra are not recommended, as they produce unplayable average frame rates of 32 and 30 FPS, respectively. Users with 4K displays should accept Low settings for a playable experience or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for better visual quality.

In summary, the Intel Arc B370 is a low-power IGP that is suitable for older or less demanding games. For Inside, a puzzle platformer, it can deliver a smooth experience at 1080p with high settings, but its limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The data clearly indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and the user should adjust settings and resolution according to the measured figures above to achieve the desired balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.