Inside

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Inside with the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 220.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 159.3 FPS, a reduction of 27.8%. The jump to 3840x2160 further lowers performance to 97.8 FPS, which is 55.7% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3080's rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count, while the i5-14400F has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The Low preset illustrates the same trend with even higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 338.7 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 307.2 FPS, a 9.3% decrease. At 4K Low, the figure falls to 197.3 FPS, which is 41.7% below the 1080p result. The relatively modest drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, compared to the larger drop at High settings, suggests that Low settings reduce per-pixel work enough to shift some of the bottleneck toward the CPU at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K Low, the GPU workload dominates again.

Medium settings show a similar scaling curve. The 1080p Medium result is 316.1 FPS, dropping to 256.1 FPS at 1440p (a 19.0% reduction) and then to 158.4 FPS at 4K (a 49.9% reduction from 1080p). Ultra settings, which represent the heaviest configuration, produce 208.8 FPS at 1080p, 152.5 FPS at 1440p (a 27.0% drop), and 96.8 FPS at 4K (a 53.6% drop). The consistency of the 4K penalty across High, Medium, and Ultra — all around 50-56% below their respective 1080p scores — confirms that the RTX 3080 is the limiting component at 4K regardless of preset.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution rises. At 1080p, Low (338.7 FPS) is 62.2% faster than Ultra (208.8 FPS). At 4K, Low (197.3 FPS) is 103.8% faster than Ultra (96.8 FPS). This widening relative gap indicates that Ultra settings impose a heavier per-pixel cost, which becomes more punishing as pixel count increases. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which has relatively simple geometry and lighting, the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient to handle the frame buffer at 4K, but the shader workload still scales predictably with resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average is 97.8 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is the second-lowest result among the 4K presets, with Ultra at 96.8 FPS being the lowest.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low produces 338.7 FPS while Ultra produces 208.8 FPS. This means Low is 62.2% faster than Ultra at the same resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM cause any issues in this game?

A: The data shows no indication of VRAM-related stutters or limitations. The RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory is paired with a 320-bit bus for 760.3 GB/s bandwidth, which is sufficient to maintain the measured frame rates even at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high refresh rate display?

A: At 1440p, all presets exceed 152 FPS, with Low at 307.2 FPS and Medium at 256.1 FPS. This makes 2560x1440 the highest resolution that comfortably supports 144 Hz and above across all settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 418th out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 25% of all system configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The 1080p Low result of 338.7 FPS likely approaches the CPU's frame delivery limit, given that the i5-14400F has a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The relatively small drop to 307.2 FPS at 1440p Low (9.3%) suggests the CPU maintains near-saturation until the GPU workload increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 plays a decisive role in Inside's performance profile, particularly at higher resolutions and presets. The GPU's GA102 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, contains 28,300 million transistors across a 628 mm² die. With 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines, the RTX 3080 has substantial raw throughput for a game that renders simple but atmospheric environments. The boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, explains why the card can sustain triple-digit frame rates even at 4K.

Memory configuration is another key factor. The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gbps effective across a 320-bit bus, yielding 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Inside's art style — characterized by monochromatic silhouettes and limited color palettes — likely places modest demands on memory capacity, meaning the 10 GB allocation is unlikely to be a constraint. The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s suggest the card can fill frames quickly, which aligns with the measured results.

The RTX 3080's position in the broader GPU landscape is strong. Its average benchmark score of 35787 places it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Among its nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE scores 36101, which is 0.9% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile scores 35435, which is 1.0% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Duo and AMD Radeon 880M are within 0.2% and 0.4% respectively, showing the RTX 3080 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

In the context of Inside specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as settings increase. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 100.5 FPS (197.3 vs. 96.8), demonstrating that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are heavily taxed by Ultra's additional visual effects. The fact that Medium at 4K (158.4 FPS) is 63.5% faster than Ultra suggests that the incremental quality gain from Ultra comes at a steep performance cost. This points to specific Ultra-level features — likely shadow quality, volumetric effects, or post-processing — that disproportionately impact the RTX 3080's workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience in Inside. For players prioritizing frame rate above visual fidelity, Low settings deliver exceptional performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 338.7 FPS, which is more than double the 165 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. At 1440p Low, the 307.2 FPS result still leaves enormous headroom for high refresh rate displays. Even at 4K Low, the 197.3 FPS average exceeds 144 Hz, making this the only preset that crosses that threshold at 4K.

Medium settings offer a balanced alternative. At 1080p, the 316.1 FPS result is only 6.7% lower than Low, while providing better visual quality. At 1440p, Medium delivers 256.1 FPS, which is 16.6% below Low but still well above 240 Hz. The 4K Medium result of 158.4 FPS remains above 144 Hz, making it the second-best choice for 4K users who want some visual improvements without sacrificing high refresh rates.

High settings represent the sweet spot for most users. The 1080p High result of 220.6 FPS supports 144 Hz and 165 Hz displays comfortably. At 1440p, High produces 159.3 FPS, which just barely clears 144 Hz. The 4K High result of 97.8 FPS is the first configuration that drops below 100 FPS, meaning users with 4K 120 Hz displays will see some frame drops below the maximum refresh rate. This makes High the recommended preset for 1080p and 1440p, but not for 4K.

Ultra settings are only advisable for users with standard 60 Hz displays or those who prioritize maximum image quality. The 1080p Ultra result of 208.8 FPS still provides a smooth experience, but the 1440p Ultra figure of 152.5 FPS and the 4K Ultra figure of 96.8 FPS show diminishing returns. The performance gap between High and Ultra is modest at each resolution — roughly 5-6% — suggesting that Ultra adds relatively little visual benefit for its cost. For most users, High at 1440p (159.3 FPS) or Medium at 4K (158.4 FPS) offers the best balance of image quality and fluidity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 418th out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places the configuration in the 75th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested system combinations. The rank is notable because it reflects the game's relatively low system requirements — Inside is a puzzle platformer released in 2016, and its simple visual style means that even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates.

The CPU's contribution to this ranking is supported by its benchmark scores. The i5-14400F achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 11209. Its average benchmark score of 32508 places it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Among its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32513 (0.0% difference), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 scores 32446 (0.2% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 scores 32584 (-0.2% difference). This tight clustering indicates the i5-14400F is firmly within the upper tier of desktop processors.

The GPU's ranking is similarly strong. The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 35787 places it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Duo, scores 35860, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 880M trails by 0.4%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE leads by 0.9%. The RTX 3080's position is compelling for a card that is marked as end-of-life, indicating it remains competitive against newer hardware.

The combo's 418th rank out of 1671 suggests that many faster configurations exist, likely featuring newer GPUs like the RTX 40-series or higher-end 30-series cards. However, given Inside's age and genre, the practical difference between 418th and, say, 200th may be negligible at typical refresh rates. The combination of the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and the RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS of compute, proves sufficient to keep frame rates well above playable thresholds in virtually all scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 338.7 FPS, Medium produces 316.1 FPS, High produces 220.6 FPS, and Ultra produces 208.8 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 129.9 FPS, with Low being 62.2% faster. The step from Low to Medium is a 6.7% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 30.2% reduction. The step from High to Ultra is a 5.3% reduction. This pattern shows that Medium to High is the largest performance cliff at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Low delivers 307.2 FPS, Medium delivers 256.1 FPS, High delivers 159.3 FPS, and Ultra delivers 152.5 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 154.7 FPS, with Low being 101.4% faster. The step from Low to Medium is a 16.6% reduction, from Medium to High is a 37.8% reduction, and from High to Ultra is a 4.3% reduction. The Medium to High cliff becomes more pronounced at 1440p, suggesting that the High preset engages features that are significantly more GPU-intensive.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates show the RTX 3080's limits. Low delivers 197.3 FPS, Medium delivers 158.4 FPS, High delivers 97.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 96.8 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 100.5 FPS, with Low being 103.8% faster. The step from Low to Medium is a 19.7% reduction, from Medium to High is a 38.2% reduction, and from High to Ultra is a 1.0% reduction. Notably, High and Ultra are nearly identical at 4K, differing by only 1.0 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional features are largely negligible at this resolution, possibly due to pixel density masking subtle effects.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest frame rates, with 1080p Low (338.7 FPS) being the overall maximum. The 4K Ultra result of 96.8 FPS is the overall minimum. The data shows that Medium settings at 1440p (256.1 FPS) outperform High settings at 1080p (220.6 FPS) by 16.1%, illustrating how resolution and preset interact. Similarly, Low at 4K (197.3 FPS) nearly matches High at 1080p (220.6 FPS), showing that the RTX 3080 can compensate for higher resolution when visual complexity is reduced.