Inside

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers extreme performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more forgiving on hardware than modern AAA titles. The combination of a 10-core, 16-thread Raptor Lake processor and a flagship Blackwell GPU results in frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most displays at every tested setting, with the lowest average being 153 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data shows a system where the GPU is massively overqualified for the task, yet the CPU still holds its own in specific low-resolution scenarios, creating an interesting dynamic where the limiting factor shifts depending on the settings and resolution.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 32,279 places it within 0.2% of the Intel Core i9-11900 and 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, indicating that despite being a mid-range part, its computational throughput is competitive with older flagship and current high-end mobile offerings.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and logic, the CPU demands are modest. The game does not leverage massive multi-threading, so the i5-14400F's single-core performance becomes the most relevant metric. The 3,055 Cinebench R23 single-core score is robust, and the 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures that the game's primary thread is handled with ease. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU load is minimized and the CPU is most likely to be the bottleneck, the system achieves 339 FPS. This high frame rate is a direct result of the processor's ability to feed frames quickly without being a limiting factor.

However, the CPU's role becomes more apparent when looking at the frame rate ceilings across different settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 339 at Low to 257 at Ultra. This 82 FPS gap is not due to CPU limitations, but rather the increased graphical workload on the GPU. The CPU is consistently fast enough to maintain these high frame rates, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is pushed hardest, the system still averages 153 FPS. The processor's 16 threads and high boost clock provide ample headroom for any background tasks or game logic, ensuring that the GPU is never starved for data. The 65 W TDP also suggests efficient operation, allowing the processor to sustain its boost clock without thermal throttling, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame times in a game that relies on precise timing.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a colossal GPU, built on the Blackwell architecture with 21,760 shading units, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. It operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which it trails by 1.6%. In raw compute terms, the card is capable of 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a figure that is entirely superfluous for a game like Inside.

The game's visual style is minimalist, with flat colors and simple geometry, meaning that the RTX 5090 D's massive compute and memory resources are barely utilized. The 32 GB of VRAM is a non-factor, as Inside likely uses less than 2 GB even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's role in this context is to render frames as quickly as possible, and the data shows it does so effectively. At 4K High, the system averages 160 FPS, which drops to 153 FPS at 4K Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra is a mere 7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces only a slight increase in shading or post-processing load that the GPU absorbs without issue.

The performance headroom is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 339 FPS, but the frame rate increase from 4K Ultra to 1080p Low is only 186 FPS, which is a significant jump but still indicates that the GPU is not the primary constraint. In fact, the GPU is so powerful that the frame rate at 1080p High (261 FPS) is nearly identical to the frame rate at 4K Medium (240 FPS), showing that the card can handle a quadrupling of resolution with only a modest FPS loss. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz is likely sustained throughout, as the thermal and power headroom of a 575 W TDP card is more than sufficient for a game with such low graphics demands. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 D is operating well within its comfort zone, delivering frame rates that are limited more by the game's engine or the CPU's frame submission rate than by its own rendering capabilities.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 261 at 1080p to 234 at 1440p, and then to 160 at 4K. This represents a 39% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 339 at 1080p to 304 at 1440p, and then to 260 at 4K, a 23% reduction. At Medium settings, the numbers are 313 at 1080p, 281 at 1440p, and 240 at 4K, a 23% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 257 at 1080p to 230 at 1440p, and then to 153 at 4K, a 40% reduction.

The scaling pattern reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics. At Medium and Low settings, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is relatively linear and moderate, suggesting that the GPU is still able to handle the increased pixel count with only a 23% performance penalty. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, but it has so much headroom that the scaling is not steep. In contrast, at High and Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is more pronounced, with a 39-40% reduction. This suggests that the higher settings introduce more complex shading or effects that scale super-linearly with resolution, putting more strain on the GPU.

The fact that the FPS at 1080p Ultra (257) is lower than at 1080p Low (339) by 82 FPS indicates that the Ultra preset adds a significant graphical workload that affects the GPU. However, the FPS at 4K Ultra (153) is still above 144 Hz, meaning the system never falls below the threshold for high-refresh-rate gaming. The scaling data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or setting, as the FPS drops are consistently attributable to the GPU's rendering load. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a flattening of FPS at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the FPS continues to rise as resolution decreases, confirming that the GPU is the primary component driving frame rate, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid constraining performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 281 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 239 FPS and a maximum of 323 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,279, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS by 0.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: No, Inside is a puzzle platformer with simple visuals, and the game's VRAM usage is far below the 32 GB available. The GPU's memory capacity has no impact on the measured performance in this title.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra?

A: The system averages 339 FPS at 1080p Low, which drops to 153 FPS at 4K Ultra. This represents a 186 FPS reduction, or a 55% performance decrease when moving from the lowest resolution/settings to the highest.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT's score of 78,940.

Q: Does the frame rate at 4K High exceed the refresh rate of a standard 144 Hz monitor?

A: Yes, the system averages 160 FPS at 4K High, which is above 144 Hz, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 182nd out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 6.3% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result, but notably not the top position. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the CPU, while capable, is not a top-tier part. The RTX 5090 D's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs ensures that the combo is near the top of the performance stack, but the i5-14400F's 83rd percentile CPU ranking pulls the overall combo rank down slightly.

The fact that the combo is not ranked higher suggests that other configurations with more powerful CPUs, such as flagship Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts, may achieve higher frame rates in Inside at lower resolutions where CPU speed matters more. However, the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo still delivers 153 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The rank of 182 indicates that while there are 181 faster combos, the vast majority of the 2,887 tested combinations (over 93%) produce lower average frame rates in this game. This reflects the GPU's dominance, as the RTX 5090 D is able to push frame rates so high that even a mid-range CPU like the i5-14400F can achieve top-tier results. The combo's performance is consistent with the GPU's massive compute resources, and the CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system averages 339 FPS on Low, 313 FPS on Medium, 261 FPS on High, and 257 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 266 FPS and a maximum of 360 FPS, indicating some frame time variance, but the averages are all well above 240 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 304 FPS on Low, 281 FPS on Medium, 234 FPS on High, and 230 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 239 FPS and a maximum of 323 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 260 FPS on Low, 240 FPS on Medium, 160 FPS on High, and 153 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 204 FPS and a maximum of 277 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the difference between Low and Medium is relatively small, with a drop of 26 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The jump from Medium to High is more significant, with drops of 52 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. The transition from High to Ultra is minimal, with drops of only 4 FPS at 1080p, 4 FPS at 1440p, and 7 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the Ultra preset offers little visual benefit over High in terms of performance cost, while the Medium to High transition is where the most significant performance hit occurs.

The minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset, showing 266 FPS at 1080p, 239 FPS at 1440p, and 204 FPS at 4K. These minimums are still extremely high, indicating that the system maintains smooth frame delivery without major stutters. The maximum FPS values for Medium are 360 at 1080p, 323 at 1440p, and 277 at 4K, showing that the system can burst to very high frame rates when the scene is less demanding. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown shows that the system is capable of delivering playable frame rates at any resolution and setting, with the lowest average being 153 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For users with a 4K 120 Hz or 144 Hz display, the High preset at 3840x2160, which averages 160 FPS, is the best choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (which averages 240 FPS) while still maintaining frame rates well above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 4K, averaging 153 FPS, offers no meaningful performance advantage over High, and the 7 FPS difference is negligible, so High is recommended to reduce GPU load and potential fan noise.

For users with a 1440p 240 Hz display, the High preset at 2560x1440, averaging 234 FPS, is the sweet spot. It nearly saturates a 240 Hz display, and the drop to Ultra (230 FPS) is imperceptible. The Medium preset at 281 FPS would be required to fully saturate a 240 Hz display, but the visual difference between Medium and High is more noticeable, and the 47 FPS gain may not be worth the reduction in graphical quality. For 1080p users with high refresh rate displays (240 Hz or higher), the Low preset at 339 FPS is the only way to fully utilize such a display, but the Medium preset at 313 FPS is a better balance, offering improved visuals while still maintaining frame rates above 300 FPS.

In general, the High preset is the recommended starting point across all resolutions, as it offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset provides a negligible FPS reduction compared to High, suggesting that its additional effects are either minor or well-optimized. The Medium preset is the fallback for users who prioritize maximum frame rates, but the data shows that the system has enough headroom to run High settings at frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most monitors. The Low preset is only necessary for extreme frame rate chasing, but it is unnecessary for a smooth experience in Inside given the game's simple graphics.