Inside

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a legacy combination that still delivers playable performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The measured data shows this combo is capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, but the settings you choose dramatically alter the experience, especially at 4K. For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth motion, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. At 1080p, Medium delivers 181.8 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 144Hz refresh rate many gamers target. At 1440p, Medium still holds at 132.6 FPS, ensuring a fluid experience on high-refresh monitors. While High and Ultra offer more graphical detail, their performance drops are significant enough that the visual gains may not justify the frame rate cost. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the optimal choice for this hardware in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is stark: 230.9 FPS on Low, 181.8 FPS on Medium, 116.2 FPS on High, and 110.2 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 49 FPS, but the visual upgrade in a game like Inside — which relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow work — is substantial. The gap between Medium and High is even larger, a 65.6 FPS drop, making High a poor trade-off for the marginal detail increase. Ultra is only 6 FPS slower than High at 1080p, so if you are already on High, the upgrade to Ultra is nearly free in performance terms.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds. Medium produces 132.6 FPS, which is still excellent for a 1440p panel. High drops to 83.4 FPS, which is playable but no longer ideal for high-refresh gaming. Ultra sits at 79.3 FPS, a small step down from High. At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. Medium is the only preset that remains fluid, hitting 80.5 FPS. High falls to 50.5 FPS and Ultra to 48.3 FPS, both of which are playable for a slow-paced puzzle platformer but not smooth. Low at 4K hits 106.4 FPS, but the visual compromise is severe for a game that thrives on its moody aesthetic.

The data suggests that Medium is the "best experience" preset. It maintains over 80 FPS at every resolution tested, from 4K to 1080p. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while avoiding the steep performance cliff found on High and Ultra. For users with 60Hz displays at 4K, Medium is the clear winner. For 144Hz 1080p or 1440p monitors, Medium also provides enough headroom to avoid drops.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1405 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. That places it in the bottom 16% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which is an older Pascal architecture card. The CPU, however, is a modern part. The Intel Core i5-13400F scores 25,236 on average across all benchmark suites, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs. This indicates the processor is not the bottleneck; the GTX 1070 is the limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is a solid mid-range part. It is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H and 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D. It also edges out the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 by 0.5%. This level of CPU performance is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer like Inside, which is not demanding on processor threads. The combo's low rank is therefore a direct consequence of the GPU's age, not the CPU's capability. In the context of this game, this combo is a case of a modern CPU held back by a legacy GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary driver of the measured frame rates. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2002 MHz, with an effective data rate of 8 Gbps. The core clocks are 1506 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost. These specifications, while outdated, are still relevant for a game from 2016.

The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in Inside. The game was released in 2016, and its texture budgets are modest by modern standards. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales almost linearly with resolution, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the card produces 230.9 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 166.1 FPS, and at 4K Low it is 106.4 FPS. This scaling suggests the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, but it never runs out of memory. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for this title's maximum settings, as shown by the fact that Ultra presets run at all tested resolutions.

The GPU's performance percentile is 51st among all GPUs, putting it squarely in the middle of the pack. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (0.7% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (1.3% faster), the GTX 1650 SUPER (1.4% faster), and the Tesla K20Xm (1.7% faster). This context tells us the GTX 1070 is comparable to a modern entry-level card. For Inside, its raw throughput is adequate, but the age of the architecture is evident in the 4K Ultra results, which dip below 50 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides exact averages for every resolution and settings combination. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 230.9 FPS, Medium averages 181.8 FPS, High averages 116.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 110.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 120.7 FPS, showing the massive performance cost of maxing out settings. At 2560x1440, the numbers are 166.1 FPS (Low), 132.6 FPS (Medium), 83.4 FPS (High), and 79.3 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings is roughly 28% for Low, 27% for Medium, 28% for High, and 28% for Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low averages 106.4 FPS, Medium averages 80.5 FPS, High averages 50.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 48.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 2.2 FPS, making the Ultra preset essentially free if you are already on High. However, the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 30 FPS, which is a significant loss. The data shows that this combo can handle 4K, but only if you stay on Medium or lower. For a 60Hz 4K display, Medium at 80.5 FPS is the only sensible choice; High and Ultra will result in noticeable judder in fast-moving scenes.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is revealing about which component is the bottleneck. At Low settings, the 1080p result is 230.9 FPS, and the 4K result is 106.4 FPS. That is a 54% reduction in frame rate. At Medium settings, 1080p yields 181.8 FPS and 4K yields 80.5 FPS, a 56% drop. At High, 1080p is 116.2 FPS and 4K is 50.5 FPS, a 57% drop. At Ultra, 1080p is 110.2 FPS and 4K is 48.3 FPS, a 56% drop.

The consistency of this ~55% reduction across all settings is a classic sign of a GPU-limited workload. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not scale so linearly with resolution, because the CPU workload is largely independent of pixel count. Here, the GTX 1070 is clearly the limiting component. The quad-core CPU is fast enough to feed the GPU at all resolutions, but the GPU's fill rate and shading power are exhausted as pixel count increases. This is not a criticism of the CPU; rather, it confirms that upgrading the GPU would yield the largest FPS gains in this game. The CPU is capable of pushing much higher frame rates, as evidenced by its 82nd percentile ranking, but it is capped by the GPU's output.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset is optimal. It delivers 132.6 FPS at 2560x1440, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and close to the 144 FPS threshold for high-refresh monitors. High drops to 83.4 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and speed.

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K smoothly?*

A: Yes, but only on Medium or Low settings. At 4K, Medium averages 80.5 FPS and Low averages 106.4 FPS. High and Ultra fall to 50.5 FPS and 48.3 FPS respectively, which are playable for a slow-paced puzzle game but not ideal for smooth motion.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F holding back the GTX 1070 in this game?

A: No. The CPU is not the bottleneck. The measured FPS scales consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-13400F ranks in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GTX 1070 is in the 51st percentile, confirming the GPU is the weaker component.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in this benchmark context?

A: The GTX 1070 is remarkably close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, which is 1.4% faster in average benchmark score. It is also within 1.7% of the Tesla K20Xm. This means the GTX 1070 is still competitive with newer entry-level cards, but it is clearly outclassed by any modern mid-range GPU.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 110.2. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 48.3. This is a 56% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with the scaling seen on other presets and confirms the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Should I use the Low preset for maximum frame rate?

A: If your priority is raw FPS, Low is the best choice. It delivers 230.9 FPS at 1080p and 106.4 FPS at 4K. However, this preset sacrifices the atmospheric lighting and detailed shadows that define Inside's art style. The Medium preset offers a substantial visual upgrade for a 49 FPS cost at 1080p, which is a better trade-off for most players.