Inside

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a potent combination for Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The measured data shows this system is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. While the game is not graphically demanding by modern standards, the data reveals a clear hierarchy between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and preset chosen, with the system landing in the 1615th spot out of 2887 tested combos.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this system presents a clear optimal path for players depending on their display's refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1920x1080, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, as even the most demanding preset, Ultra, delivers an average of 147 FPS. This makes Ultra the clear recommendation for standard 1080p monitors up to 144Hz, as it provides the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

For players with 1440p displays, the High preset offers an average of 111 FPS, which is a substantial jump from the 106 FPS average seen at Ultra. This 5 FPS difference is a small price to pay for the additional stability, and High also provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS baseline. The data shows that the Medium preset at 1440p produces an average of 178 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, but the visual downgrade from High is substantial. The Low preset at 1440p, averaging 222 FPS, is only necessary for the most extreme refresh rate displays (240Hz and above).

At 4K, the system's performance dictates a more conservative choice. The Medium preset is the standout recommendation here, averaging 112 FPS with a measured minimum of 95 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold, with the High preset averaging 70 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping to 66 FPS. The Low preset at 4K, while averaging 140 FPS, sacrifices too much visual quality for a puzzle platformer where atmosphere is key. Therefore, the data suggests that 4K Medium is the sweet spot for this combination, offering a high frame rate with a stable minimum.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's specifications, including its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are more than sufficient for a game like Inside. The Navi 44 chip, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. This clock speed headroom is evident in the scaling of performance as resolution increases.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 16014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129, a delta of -0.7%, placing the RX 9060 essentially at parity with that card. The data shows that the RX 9060 is a capable mid-range performer. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the High setting illustrates the GPU's workload: at 1080p High, it averages 155 FPS, but this drops to 111 FPS at 1440p and further to 70 FPS at 4K. This performance curve is typical of a GPU that is fully engaged at higher resolutions, moving from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K.

The memory configuration is also worth noting. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for the game's art style and resolution, as the measured FPS does not show any signs of stuttering or frame drops that would indicate memory swapping. The 18 Gbps effective memory speed and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput for the texture and geometry data required at 4K, allowing the GPU to maintain its high core clocks without becoming bottlenecked by memory access.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. At the Low settings preset, performance scales nearly linearly with pixel count. The system achieves 309 FPS at 1080p, 222 FPS at 1440p, and 140 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is handling the workload easily, and the frame rate is largely dictated by the rendering resolution. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at these rates, as evidenced by the high 1080p result.

However, at the Ultra settings preset, the scaling is less dramatic. The system produces 147 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 55%, which is less than the 55% drop seen at Low settings. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor even at 1080p, as the increased shader and pixel work reduces its headroom. The difference between the 1080p and 1440p Ultra results (147 vs 106 FPS) is a 28% reduction, while the jump from 1440p to 4K (106 vs 66 FPS) is a 38% reduction, highlighting the exponential cost of 4K rendering.

The Medium settings preset provides the most consistent frame pacing data, with measured minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 284. At 1440p Medium, the average is 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204. Finally, at 4K Medium, the average is 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128. This data shows that the system maintains a stable frame rate, with the minimum frame rate never dipping more than 15% below the average, indicating a smooth gameplay experience without significant hitches.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is ranked 1615th out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places the system in the upper-middle tier of all configurations tested. While this rank might seem low given the high frame rates, it is important to consider that many of the tested combos likely include more powerful, higher-end components. The rank reflects that this is a solid mid-range pairing that can play the game well, but it is not at the top of the performance stack.

The data suggests that the CPU is a strong partner for the GPU in this game. The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, putting it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with a score of 32233 (0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i9-11900 with a score of 32226 (0.2% delta). This indicates that the i5-14400F is a very capable processor. The fact that the combo rank is not higher is likely due to the GPU's placement, as the RX 9060 sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, suggesting that other combos with faster GPUs will achieve higher ranks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a crucial role in ensuring the GPU can achieve its maximum frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. This processor features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The architecture is Raptor Lake, built on Intel's 10 nm process. This configuration is well-suited for gaming, as the high boost clock provides excellent single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark results support this. In Cinebench R23, it scores 21645 in multi-core and 3055 in single-core. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3701, and its multi-thread score is 25470. These scores indicate a robust processor that can handle the demands of modern games. In Inside, the CPU's performance is reflected in the 1080p Low result of 309 FPS. This high frame rate confirms the CPU's ability to process the game's state and issue draw calls faster than the GPU can render them, avoiding a CPU bottleneck.

At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The shift in bottleneck is apparent when comparing the 1080p Ultra (147 FPS) and 4K Low (140 FPS) results. These are very similar, indicating that at 1080p Ultra, the GPU is already working hard enough to bring the frame rate down to a level similar to the CPU-limited 4K Low scenario. The i5-14400F, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, provides a stable foundation that prevents stutters, ensuring the GPU can deliver its best performance without waiting on the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 309 FPS, which is the highest measured score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 247 FPS, with a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 284 FPS. The High preset averages 155 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 147 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the system is more than capable of driving a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 222 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 178 FPS, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 111 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, as the High preset provides a great balance of visuals and speed, while the Medium preset is ideal for 144Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limits but remains playable. The Low preset averages 140 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1440p but still smooth. The Medium preset is the most balanced, averaging 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128 FPS. The High preset averages 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS, both of which are above the 60 FPS threshold for console-like smoothness but leave little headroom for demanding scenes. The data confirms that 4K gaming is possible with this combo, but it requires a compromise on settings to maintain high frame rates.