Inside

# Inside — Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an extraordinary experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016 that is far from demanding by modern standards. With measured frame rates ranging from 126 FPS at 4K Ultra to 339 FPS at 1080p Low, this combination never dips below triple-digit averages, making it one of the most overqualified setups for this title. The data shows a system that is entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads begin to show their influence on the upper frame rate ceiling. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the ranking within the benchmark database, and examines how each component contributes to the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU saturation, though the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high throughout. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 261 at 1920x1080 to 210 at 2560x1440, a 19.5% reduction, and then to 132 at 3840x2160, a further 37.1% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 736.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth are being increasingly taxed as pixel count quadruples from 1440p to 4K.

The Low preset tells a similar story with even higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 339 FPS average, dropping to 304 at 1440p (a 10.3% decrease) and then to 260 at 4K (a 14.5% decrease from 1440p). The smaller percentage drops at Low settings suggest that the bottleneck shifts more toward the CPU at lower graphical loads, particularly at 1080p where the 339 FPS figure approaches what the i5-14400F's single-thread performance can sustain. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 and Geekbench single-core score of 2058 indicate strong per-thread capability, but even this processor has limits.

Medium settings show the most linear scaling of any preset. The average FPS goes from 313 at 1080p to 281 at 1440p (a 10.2% drop) and then to 211 at 4K (a 24.9% drop). Interestingly, the Medium preset at 4K (211 FPS) outperforms the High preset at 1440p (210 FPS), suggesting that the graphical complexity differences between Medium and High have a more significant impact on GPU load than the resolution jump from 1440p to 4K. This is atypical behavior and speaks to the specific rendering demands of Inside's monochromatic, lighting-heavy art style.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates but still maintain excellent playability. The 4K Ultra average of 126 FPS is 4.5% lower than the 4K High average of 132 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra the 200 FPS figure is 4.8% below the 210 FPS High result. At 1080p, Ultra averages 257 FPS versus 261 FPS on High, a mere 1.5% difference. This diminishing gap at lower resolutions indicates that Ultra settings add GPU workload that becomes less impactful when the CPU can feed frames faster at 1080p.

The overall pattern shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting component at 4K, where even the most demanding preset still delivers 126 FPS average. At 1080p, the i5-14400F's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and 20 MB of L3 cache become more relevant, as the 339 FPS Low result likely approaches the CPU's frame generation ceiling for this game engine.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions, particularly when considering the minimum frame rate data. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 313 FPS with minimums of 266 FPS and maximums of 360 FPS. This 94 FPS spread between minimum and maximum is the largest of any recorded configuration, indicating some frame time variance, but the 266 FPS floor is still vastly above any display's refresh rate.

At 1440p Medium, the average of 281 FPS with a 239 FPS minimum and 323 FPS maximum provides a similarly smooth experience. The 4K Medium result of 211 FPS average with an 180 FPS minimum and 243 FPS maximum remains exceptional. The Medium preset's minimum frame rates are the only ones recorded in the dataset, and they suggest that this setting level provides consistent frame pacing without the extreme spikes that can occur at Low settings when the CPU becomes the bottleneck.

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 1440p delivers 200 FPS average, which is indistinguishable from High at 210 FPS in practical terms but may offer subtle improvements in shadow quality or post-processing effects. The 4K Ultra average of 126 FPS remains above the 120 Hz threshold commonly found on high-end displays, making it a viable choice for those with capable monitors.

The Low preset, while achieving the highest frame rates (339 FPS at 1080p), is difficult to recommend given that Medium provides 92% of the performance (313 FPS) with presumably better visual quality. The 26 FPS difference between Low and Medium at 1080p narrows to 49 FPS at 1440p and 49 FPS at 4K, suggesting that Low's performance advantage grows at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes more dominant.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, the 1080p Medium configuration with its 313 FPS average and 266 FPS minimum is the sweet spot. The data shows no scenario where the system drops below 126 FPS, so even the most demanding settings are playable. The recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p or 4K for the best combination of visual quality and performance headroom, reserving Ultra for players who prioritize image quality over maximum frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The measured 4K Ultra average is 126 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and even clears the 120 Hz threshold. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus width provide ample bandwidth for this resolution.

*Q: What is the highest frame rate this combination achieves in Inside?*

A: The highest recorded average is 339 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum instantaneous frame rate measured is 360 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the 339 FPS average suggests the Intel Core i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, become the primary constraint. The GPU's 10240 shading units are underutilized at this resolution and preset combination.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: Medium outperforms High at every resolution. At 1080p, Medium averages 313 FPS versus 261 FPS on High (a 19.9% advantage). At 1440p, the gap is 281 FPS versus 210 FPS (33.8% advantage), and at 4K it is 211 FPS versus 132 FPS (59.8% advantage).

Q: What minimum frame rate can players expect at 4K?

A: The only recorded minimum frame rate at 4K is 180 FPS, which occurs at Medium settings. This is 85% of the 211 FPS average, indicating consistent performance without major dips.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The performance difference is modest. At 1080p, High averages 261 FPS versus 257 FPS on Ultra (1.5% difference). At 1440p, the gap widens to 4.8% (210 FPS vs 200 FPS), and at 4K it is 4.5% (132 FPS vs 126 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 372nd out of 3,716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations in the database. This percentile ranking is notable given the game's age and the fact that many lower-tier components can run it well, but the sheer performance headroom of this pairing pushes it well above the median.

The CPU's individual percentile of 83 against all processors indicates it outperforms 83% of CPUs in general benchmark workloads. Its average benchmark score of 32,279 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233) and 0.2% of the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226), while slightly trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32,354) by 0.2%. This tight clustering suggests the i5-14400F delivers performance comparable to both mobile and older desktop processors in synthetic tests.

The GPU's percentile of 86 against all graphics cards similarly places it in the upper echelon. Its average benchmark score of 54,209 is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (54,247), demonstrating that the SUPER variant offers nearly identical average performance despite its higher launch MSRP. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, 1.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, 2.7% higher), though these differences are within normal benchmarking variance.

In Inside specifically, the combination's rank of 372 out of 3,716 means that 3,344 other tested configurations produced lower frame rates. This places the system in the top 10% of all combos, which is expected given the RTX 4080 SUPER's position in the 86th percentile of all GPUs and the i5-14400F's 83rd percentile ranking. The game's low system requirements mean that even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates, but this pairing's ability to maintain 126 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates why it ranks so highly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts up to 4.70 GHz, and it features 20 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. These specifications are more than sufficient for Inside, a game that does not demand high core counts or complex multi-threaded workloads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and a single-core score of 3,055, indicating strong performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded scenarios. The Geekbench multi-core score of 11,268 and single-core score of 2,058 corroborate this assessment. The PassMark multi-thread score of 25,470 and single-thread score of 3,701 further validate the processor's balanced capabilities.

For Inside, the CPU's role is primarily to feed frames to the GPU at high rates. The measured 339 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the i5-14400F's single-thread performance, driven by its 4.70 GHz boost clock, is the limiting factor at this resolution. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide flexibility for system builders, though these features have minimal impact on this specific game's performance.

The PassMark physics score of 1,523 and data compression score of 315,521 indicate that the CPU handles game logic and physics calculations efficiently. The extended instructions score of 19,937 shows good SIMD throughput, which can benefit certain rendering tasks. However, for a puzzle platformer with simple physics and limited AI, the CPU's capabilities are vastly underutilized.

The nearest CPU rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% higher) and Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% higher), both of which would likely perform identically in Inside given the game's low CPU demands. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks while gaming, and its 20 MB L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame delivery in less demanding titles like this one.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination in Inside is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 339 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. Medium settings average 313 FPS, with a minimum of 266 FPS and maximum of 360 FPS — the only 1080p configuration with min/max data. High settings average 261 FPS, and Ultra settings average 257 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 82 FPS, or 24.2% of the Low figure.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings average 304 FPS, which is 10.3% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 281 FPS with a minimum of 239 FPS and maximum of 323 FPS. High settings average 210 FPS, and Ultra settings average 200 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 1440p is 104 FPS, or 34.2% of the Low figure, indicating wider variance as GPU load increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings average 260 FPS, Medium settings average 211 FPS with a minimum of 180 FPS and maximum of 243 FPS, High settings average 132 FPS, and Ultra settings average 126 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 4K is 134 FPS, or 51.5% of the Low figure, demonstrating that graphical settings have an outsized impact at this resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data at all three resolutions, allowing for frame pacing analysis. The 1080p Medium configuration shows a 94 FPS range (266-360), the 1440p Medium shows an 84 FPS range (239-323), and the 4K Medium shows a 63 FPS range (180-243). This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that GPU-bound scenarios produce more consistent frame delivery, while CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions introduce greater variance.

The performance gap between High and Ultra settings remains consistent across resolutions: 4 FPS at 1080p, 10 FPS at 1440p, and 6 FPS at 4K. This indicates that Ultra settings add a relatively small GPU workload in Inside, making it a low-cost visual upgrade for players with high-refresh-rate displays. Conversely, the gap between Low and Medium is substantial at all resolutions: 26 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, suggesting that the Medium preset introduces meaningful graphical improvements that require additional GPU resources.