Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that places far more emphasis on atmosphere and mechanical ingenuity than on raw graphical fidelity, yet the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination reveals a system that utterly overwhelms the game’s rendering demands. The measured results show a setup that is effectively GPU-bound at higher resolutions but transitions to a CPU-bound state at 1080p, making the interaction between the two components the defining story of this performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions is distinctly non-linear, indicating a clear shift in the bottleneck as pixel count increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 333 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 298 FPS, a reduction of 35 frames or roughly 10.5%. However, the jump to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 255 FPS, which is a further drop of 43 frames from 1440p, representing a 14.4% decrease. This pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is nearing its limit, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor cannot feed it data fast enough to push higher.

The scaling becomes more pronounced when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the average is 256 FPS. Dropping to 1440p High reduces that to 211 FPS, a 45-frame or 17.6% decline. At 4K High, the average falls to 133 FPS, which is 78 frames below the 1440p result, a 37% reduction. This steepening curve at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as the pixel workload grows. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle 4K textures without issue, but the rendering load still cuts performance nearly in half from 1080p to 4K on the High preset.

The Medium settings row provides the most granular data, as it includes minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average is 307 FPS with a minimum of 261 and a maximum of 353. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 275 FPS (min 234, max 317), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 212 FPS (min 181, max 244). The spread between minimum and maximum remains relatively consistent at around 60-90 FPS across resolutions, which indicates that the frame pacing is stable and that the performance drop is primarily due to increased rendering resolution rather than stutter or CPU hiccups. The fact that the minimum FPS at 4K Medium is still 181 shows that even in the most demanding scenes, the system never dips below what would be considered a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why the game runs at such high frame rates. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at 22.4 Gbps effective, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth over a 256-bit bus. These figures are far beyond what a 2016 puzzle platformer requires, and the benchmark results reflect that surplus capability.

The GPU’s role becomes more apparent when comparing the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution. At 4K, the difference between Low (255 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) is 129 frames, a 51% reduction in performance. This is a massive gap that demonstrates the rendering cost of the Ultra preset’s effects, likely including advanced lighting and shadow detail. The RTX 4080’s raw compute power, rated at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32, is sufficient to handle these effects, but the sheer number of pixel shaders and post-processing passes still takes a toll. The GPU’s 304 tensor cores and 76 RT cores are present but not heavily utilized in a game like Inside, which does not feature ray tracing or DLSS.

The RTX 4080’s performance relative to its peers is noteworthy. Its average benchmark score is 54247, which places it at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a negligible 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (2.6% higher) and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (2.7% higher). These deltas are small, suggesting that the RTX 4080 is closely matched with its immediate competitors in synthetic tests, but the measured FPS in Inside shows it has no trouble maintaining high frame rates regardless of the preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F provides the processing backbone for this system, and its 10 cores (6 performance and 4 efficiency) with 16 threads are more than adequate for a game that is not heavily multithreaded. The CPU has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache. Its 65 W TDP is modest, but the Raptor Lake architecture delivers strong single-thread performance, which is what matters most for game logic and draw call submission. The processor’s 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 indicate that it can handle the sequential tasks required by the game engine without becoming a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

However, the CPU’s influence is clearly visible at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the average is 333 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it is 252 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 81 frames, which is smaller than the 129-frame gap seen at 4K. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to limit the maximum achievable frame rate, as the GPU could likely render more frames if the processor could feed it faster. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1880 and 4-thread score of 3459 show that the CPU’s performance scales well with thread count, but the game likely uses only a few threads, so the single-thread score of 960 is more indicative of its gaming performance.

The CPU’s benchmark results place it at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 25292. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta), the Intel Core 5 120 (25362, -0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, 0.4% delta). These are all mobile or lower-tier desktop chips, which indicates that the i5-13400F is competitive with them in synthetic tests, but its desktop-oriented design with a higher boost clock gives it an edge in sustained gaming workloads. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604 is strong, but for gaming, the single-core score of 3191 is the more relevant metric, and it helps the CPU keep up with the RTX 4080’s demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 407 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 11% of all systems. This is an impressive position, but it is not at the very top, which suggests that other combinations with more powerful CPUs or GPUs can achieve higher frame rates. The rank reflects the fact that while the RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU, the i5-13400F is a mid-range processor, and in a game like Inside that is not heavily multithreaded, the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The combo’s rank is likely held back by the 1080p results, where the CPU’s performance ceiling prevents the system from reaching the 400+ FPS numbers that might be seen with a more powerful processor like a Core i9 or Ryzen 9. At 4K, however, the combo’s rank would be much higher, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck and the RTX 4080’s performance is closer to the top of the charts. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming, but it leaves some performance on the table for esports-style play at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 333 FPS, Medium 307 FPS (min 261, max 353), High 256 FPS, and Ultra 252 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs 26 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 51 FPS, and High to Ultra only 4 FPS. This suggests that the High and Ultra presets are very similar in rendering cost, likely differing only in a few subtle effects.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 298 FPS, Medium to 275 FPS (min 234, max 317), High to 211 FPS, and Ultra to 201 FPS. The pattern is similar, with a 23 FPS drop from Low to Medium, a 64 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 10 FPS drop from High to Ultra. The larger gap between Medium and High at 1440p indicates that the High preset introduces more demanding effects that scale with resolution. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 255 FPS, Medium 212 FPS (min 181, max 244), High 133 FPS, and Ultra 126 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 79 FPS, which is the largest single jump across any resolution or settings pair, highlighting the steep cost of High and Ultra at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Inside?

A: The highest average FPS is 333, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209) and 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 181, with an average of 212 and a maximum of 244.

Q: Which component is more likely to limit performance at 1080p?

A: The CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rates are high enough that the processor’s single-thread performance becomes the constraint, evidenced by the smaller performance gap between Low and Ultra presets compared to 4K.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F is at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292.

Q: How many total combos does this system rank against in Inside?

A: The combo ranks 407 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 11% of all systems.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for most users. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 275 FPS with a minimum of 234 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The minimum FPS is also high enough to prevent any noticeable stutter, making it the most consistent experience across all resolutions. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 212 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS, which is still excellent for a 4K display, especially since the game is a slow-paced puzzle platformer where frame drops are less noticeable.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the High preset at 1080p (256 FPS average) is a better choice than Ultra (252 FPS), as the 4 FPS difference is imperceptible, and High may reduce some unnecessary visual effects that could distract from the game’s minimalist art style. At 4K, the Ultra preset’s 126 FPS average is still playable, but the 133 FPS average of High is a more comfortable margin above 120 Hz displays. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or if the user wants to maximize frame rates on a 360 Hz monitor, but even then, the visual downgrade is significant compared to Medium.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo, as it provides a minimum FPS above 180 at 4K and above 230 at 1440p, ensuring a smooth experience regardless of scene complexity. The Ultra preset offers marginal visual improvements over High but costs 7 FPS at 4K and 4 FPS at 1080p, making it a poor trade-off. For most users, running at 1440p Medium or High will deliver the best experience, as the frame rates are high enough to eliminate any perception of lag while maintaining the game’s intended atmosphere.