Inside

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a game whose modest visual demands are easily overwhelmed by this hardware combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is never constrained by its components, even at the highest settings and resolution. While the GPU is the primary scaling factor from 1080p to 4K, the consistent frame rates far exceed the requirements for smooth gameplay, making this combo a definitive overachiever for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, though the absolute performance remains remarkably high throughout. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 173 FPS at 1080p to 125.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 47.5 FPS, and then further to 80.8 FPS at 4K, representing a 53% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This substantial drop indicates that the resolution increase is demanding significantly more from the Radeon RX 9060 XT, particularly its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth.

The scaling pattern is more pronounced at lower settings, which further isolates the GPU's role. At Low settings, the frame rate collapses from 338.5 FPS at 1080p to 244.7 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 156.7 FPS at 4K. This 181.8 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K is the largest of any preset, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor when the CPU has less work to do. The 4K Low result still eclipses the 1080p Ultra result of 162.5 FPS, showing the GPU has ample headroom to spare.

The data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 338.5 FPS, a frame rate that would tax most processors, yet the Core i5-14400F with its 10 cores and 16 threads handles it without issue. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p—a drop of 176 FPS—is entirely attributable to the GPU's workload, while the CPU's 2.50 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost clocks remain sufficient to feed the graphics card at all times. This indicates a perfectly balanced pairing for this game, where the GPU is the clear performance arbiter across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F's specifications are more than adequate for Inside, a puzzle platformer that does not demand extreme multi-threaded performance. The processor's 10 cores and 16 threads, combined with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, provide a robust foundation for maintaining high frame rates. This is reflected in the benchmark scores, where the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of this game, the CPU's single-thread performance is the most relevant metric, as the game's logic and physics are typically handled by a few threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3723 suggests excellent per-core efficiency, which directly translates to the high frame rates observed. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core further aid in reducing latency, ensuring that the game's data is readily available to the cores.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database confirm the i5-14400F's standing. It sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H. This tight grouping indicates that the i5-14400F is a mid-to-high-range performer, but for Inside, its capabilities are so far beyond the game's requirements that any of these CPUs would yield identical results. At 1080p Low, the 338.5 FPS result reflects the CPU's ability to process frames without becoming a limiting factor, a feat it maintains even at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is the workhorse in this configuration, and its performance in Inside is nothing short of dominant. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 322.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game's textures and assets. The 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 3130 MHz, provide the raw compute power needed to push frame rates to extreme levels.

The GPU's architecture, RDNA 4.0 on a 4 nm process, is designed for high efficiency, and this is evident in the frame rates. At 1440p Ultra, the combo achieves an average of 119.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The 4K High result of 80.8 FPS demonstrates that even at the most demanding resolution and a high preset, the GPU maintains fluid gameplay. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K, a drop from 80.8 FPS to 72 FPS, shows the GPU's performance curve is still strong at the top end.

The data shows that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is not a limitation in this title. The difference between the 4K Medium and 4K High results—122.2 FPS vs 80.8 FPS—is likely due to increased shader complexity and texture filtering rather than memory capacity. The GPU's memory clock of 2518 MHz, effective 20.1 Gbps, ensures that data transfer is not a bottleneck. With the GPU holding the 50th percentile among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of zero (indicating a lack of synthetic test data), the measured FPS results in Inside provide the most reliable indication of its real-world performance, which is exceptional.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. For users with a 1080p 60Hz or 144Hz monitor, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, delivering 162.5 FPS at 1080p. This frame rate is more than double the 60 FPS standard and provides a comfortable margin above 144Hz, ensuring no frame drops below the monitor's refresh rate.

At 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The 125.5 FPS average is exceptionally smooth, and the step up from Medium (199.1 FPS) to High (125.5 FPS) is a significant visual improvement that is well worth the 73.6 FPS cost. The Ultra preset at 1440p still delivers a playable 119.8 FPS, but the marginal visual gains over High do not justify the slight performance dip for most users.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It provides 122.2 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate 4K displays, and represents a massive jump from Low (156.7 FPS) to Medium without a proportional visual sacrifice. The High preset at 4K (80.8 FPS) is also viable for 60Hz displays, but Medium is the sweet spot for ensuring a consistently high frame rate. The Low preset, while delivering 156.7 FPS at 4K, is not recommended as the visual downgrade in a game with a strong artistic style like Inside is too severe.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB ranks 793rd out of 1671 tested combos in this game. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations, which is a notable achievement given that the ranking includes far more powerful and expensive hardware. The rank confirms the efficiency of the pairing, as the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's robust 4K capabilities work in tandem to produce frame rates that rival systems with higher-end components.

The 793rd rank out of 1671 combos means that roughly 52% of tested configurations outperform this one. However, the data shows that this ranking is not indicative of any weakness in this combo for Inside specifically. The absolute frame rates are so high that the ranking is more a reflection of the sheer number of high-end systems in the database than a criticism of this pairing's performance. For a mid-range CPU and GPU combination, achieving a rank in the 47th percentile of all combos is a strong result that underscores how well-suited these components are for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 173 FPS on High, 338.5 FPS on Low, 273 FPS on Medium, and 162.5 FPS on Ultra. These figures show a clear progression, with the Low preset more than doubling the Ultra preset's frame rate, indicating that the game's settings have a substantial impact on GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the results are 125.5 FPS on High, 244.7 FPS on Low, 199.1 FPS on Medium, and 119.8 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results follow the same pattern as 1080p, but with a consistent reduction of approximately 28% across all settings due to the increased pixel count. The 4K resolution at 3840x2160 yields 80.8 FPS on High, 156.7 FPS on Low, 122.2 FPS on Medium, and 72 FPS on Ultra.

The most striking observation is the consistency of the performance scaling. At every resolution, the Low preset is roughly double the frame rate of the Ultra preset, and the Medium preset sits approximately 25% above the High preset. This linear scaling suggests that the GPU is being utilized efficiently at all times, with no sudden bottlenecks or memory limitations emerging. The lowest frame rate recorded across all tests is 72 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still above the standard 60 FPS target, confirming that this combo never drops below a playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 338.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with the Medium preset, the combo delivers 122.2 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the benchmark data shows no performance anomalies that would indicate VRAM limitations, as the GPU maintains high frame rates even at 4K Ultra (72 FPS).

Q: What is the recommended setting for a 1440p 144Hz monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 125.5 FPS, which is below 144Hz, but the Medium preset at 199.1 FPS is the best choice to fully utilize a 144Hz display.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in the database?

A: This combo ranks 793rd out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations.