Inside

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a study in extremes for Inside. This 2D puzzle platformer is not a typical GPU stress test, but the data shows how the combination behaves across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 338 FPS, which drops to 307.1 FPS at 1440p and then falls to 260.3 FPS at 4K with the same Low preset. That is a 23% reduction from 1080p to 4K, but the raw numbers remain exceptionally high. The High preset shows a similar pattern: 260.3 FPS at 1080p, 232.1 FPS at 1440p, and 152 FPS at 4K. The most significant drop occurs between 1440p and 4K on High settings, a 34.5% decrease that suggests the GPU is finally being tasked meaningfully.

The scaling pattern reveals that at lower resolutions, the CPU is likely the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 338 FPS is likely hitting a ceiling imposed by the processor's single-thread performance. The data for the i5-14400F shows a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093, which is strong but not limitless. The gap between 1080p Low (338 FPS) and 1440p Low (307.1 FPS) is only 9.1%, indicating the GPU still has headroom and the CPU is doing more of the work. As resolution increases, the burden shifts to the RTX 5090. The 4K Ultra result of 142.6 FPS is 57.8% lower than the 1080p Low result, demonstrating that the GPU's rendering load is now the primary bottleneck. This is a game where even a mid-range GPU would likely deliver high frame rates, so the data here is about pushing the absolute maximum.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data for Inside is less about playability and more about identifying the system's ceiling. At 1080p, the combo is essentially untouchable across all presets. The Low preset yields 338 FPS, Medium 311.9 FPS, High 260.3 FPS, and Ultra 255.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but begin to differentiate: Low produces 307.1 FPS, Medium 282.7 FPS, High 232.1 FPS, and Ultra 227.4 FPS. The most revealing shift happens at 4K. Here, the Low preset still delivers 260.3 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 152 FPS and 142.6 FPS, respectively. The difference between 4K Low and 4K High is 41.6%, a much larger spread than at 1080p, where the difference between Low and High is 23%. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are being fully utilized, and the preset level has a direct impact on performance.

The frame rate behavior indicates that Inside is not a demanding title in absolute terms, but the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for any resolution. The data shows that the biggest performance penalty is between Medium and High at 4K, where the average FPS drops from 243.7 to 152, a 37.6% decrease. This is likely due to the High preset enabling more complex lighting or particle effects that require more compute resources. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 6.2%, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest preset. For a player targeting 4K, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot in the data, as it retains a high frame rate while presumably offering better visual fidelity than Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the high frame rates. The GPU features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. Its boost clock is 2407 MHz, which helps drive the high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. The memory configuration is a key asset: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus yields 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. For a game like Inside, with its dark, atmospheric visuals and limited geometry, this bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck. The data confirms this, as even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 142.6, which is far above the refresh rate of most monitors.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its position relative to other hardware. The Passmark G3D score is 39,650, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 14,411. These are high numbers, placing the RTX 5090 in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the data are the RTX 5090 D and the RTX 5050 Mobile, with delta percentages of 0.1% and 0.2%, meaning the desktop 5090 is effectively on par with those in synthetic tests. The fact that the GPU's score is so close to those rivals suggests that the benchmark database groups similar-performing cards, but for Inside, the raw FPS numbers are what matter. The RTX 5090 is clearly never the limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p; it only becomes the primary driver at 4K with higher presets. The GPU's 575 W TDP and suggested 950 W PSU are noteworthy for system planning, but the performance data shows it handles this game with ease.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is ranked 94th out of 1,671 tested combos for Inside. This top 5.6% placement is expected given the high-end components. The CPU alone has a percentile of 88 among all CPUs, and the GPU sits in the 94th percentile, so their pairing should place near the top of the list. The benchmark results for the CPU show an average score of 32,508, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, all within 0.2% of each other. This indicates the i5-14400F's performance is on par with those mobile and desktop chips. The GPU's average benchmark score is 84,306, with the nearest rival being the RTX 5090 D at a 0.1% delta.

The combo rank of 94 out of 1,671 suggests that while this is a very fast pairing, there are 93 other combinations that produce higher average FPS in Inside. Those combos likely feature even higher-end CPUs, such as the Core i9 series or Ryzen 9, which could push frame rates above the 338 FPS ceiling seen here at 1080p Low. The data shows that the i5-14400F has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which is sufficient for most games. However, at very high frame rates, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes a factor. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 is respectable, but a faster CPU could shave milliseconds off frame times. For Inside, the difference is likely marginal, but the rank reflects that other combos are faster overall.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 338, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Ultra average FPS is 142.6, which is 57.8% lower than the 338 FPS seen at 1080p Low, showing the GPU load increase at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is likely the limiter at 1080p, as the frame rate difference between 1080p Low (338 FPS) and 1440p Low (307.1 FPS) is only 9.1%, indicating the GPU has headroom.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset produces 232.1 FPS and Ultra produces 227.4 FPS, a difference of only 2%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: This combo ranks 94th out of 1,671 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.6% of all configurations.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is sufficient for the game's texture loads even at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this pairing, but its capabilities are still important. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it is a modern mid-range processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,914 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11,209. These numbers place the CPU in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. In Inside, which is not a heavily threaded game, the CPU's single-thread performance is more critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3723 indicate that the i5-14400F is capable of handling high frame rates without issue.

The data shows that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low, as the frame rate of 338 FPS appears to hit a ceiling. The CPU's L3 cache is 20 MB shared, which helps with game data access, but the architecture's 10 nm process and 65 W TDP are modest compared to the GPU. The nearest rivals in the CPU database include the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, all with average scores within 0.2% of the i5-14400F's 32,508. This means the CPU is not uniquely fast, but it is sufficient for this game. If a player were to pair this CPU with a slower GPU, the frame rates would drop, but with the RTX 5090, the CPU only becomes a bottleneck at the lowest resolutions and settings. For most gaming scenarios, the i5-14400F provides more than enough processing power.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the best experience for a player with this combo depends on their display's resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, any preset delivers high performance, but the Ultra preset at 255.3 FPS is recommended for the best visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The difference between Ultra and High at 1080p is only 1.9%, so picking Ultra is a no-brainer for maximum quality. At 1440p, the Ultra preset yields 227.4 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data shows that the Medium preset at 282.7 FPS is also viable if a player prioritizes frame rate over minor visual details, but Ultra is still well above 144 Hz.

For 4K, the recommendation becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset produces 142.6 FPS, which is still very playable and above 120 FPS. However, the High preset at 152 FPS is only 6.2% faster, so the visual difference between High and Ultra is likely minimal, and either is a good choice. The Medium preset at 243.7 FPS is the clear outlier, offering a massive 60% performance increase over Ultra, but this will require a visual downgrade. Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer with a specific art style, the High preset appears to be the balanced choice at 4K, as it maintains a high frame rate while preserving most of the graphical effects. The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution above 1080p, as it produces 260.3 FPS at 4K but likely sacrifices too much visual quality in a game that relies on atmosphere. The data suggests that High settings at 4K provide the best balance of performance and fidelity, with the frame rate remaining well above the 120 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.