Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands, and the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT confirm that this combination is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at lower resolutions and settings, while the CPU's six Coffee Lake cores provide sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RDNA 2 graphics card until the most demanding presets are applied.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 222.8 FPS, which drops to 200.9 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 150.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 32.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is still the primary constraint even at the lowest preset, though the CPU's 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the Radeon RX 6700 XT at these high frame rates.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern changes noticeably. The 1080p result is 169.9 FPS, the 1440p result is 120.5 FPS, and the 4K result is 75.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 37.7%, which is substantially larger than the 29.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's rendering load is scaling more aggressively with pixel count when more complex shading is active, and the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RX 6700 XT is not a limiting factor given the game's age and visual complexity.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic resolution sensitivity. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 162.9 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 117.3 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 70.6 FPS. The 56.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is the largest of any preset, suggesting that the additional effects and draw calls at Ultra are pushing the GPU's 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units to their limits. The CPU's 9 MB shared L3 cache and six threads appear adequate, as the frame rate degradation follows a smooth curve rather than showing signs of CPU stalls.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Inside?

A: The maximum measured average is 222.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with the highest quality preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 70.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay but notably lower than the 162.9 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the Radeon RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests no significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 222.8 FPS, and the frame rate scales consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor across all tested configurations.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 185.3 FPS while High settings produce 120.5 FPS, representing a 34.9% reduction in performance when moving from Medium to High.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 4K Low compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Low result is 150.1 FPS, which is slightly lower than the 162.9 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This indicates that the resolution increase has a marginally larger impact on frame rate than the settings increase from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the Radeon RX 6700 XT's 12 GB VRAM capacity affect performance in Inside?

A: No, the game's 2016 release date and relatively simple visual style mean that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s and 12 GB capacity are more than sufficient, and no VRAM-related performance dips are evident in the measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1018 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the lower 39.1% of all configurations, which is surprising given the high frame rates measured. The explanation lies in the fact that Inside is a lightweight title, and many other tested combinations likely include higher-end CPUs or GPUs that push frame rates even further into the 200-300 FPS range at 1080p.

The CPU's percentile rank of 50 places it exactly at the median of all processors tested, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a delta of 0.2%, while the Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319, putting the i5-9400 0.6% behind. These tiny margins indicate that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game's performance. The GPU, however, ranks in the 77th percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 33721. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores 33493, a 0.7% delta, while the NVIDIA RTX A5000 is 1.3% behind at 33294.

The combination's rank of 1018 out of 1671 suggests that while the GPU is strong, the overall pairing is held back by the CPU's moderate single-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125 and multi-core score of 7969 indicate a capable but not exceptional processor. For a game like Inside, which relies on consistent frame pacing and low-latency input, the combination's rank reflects that many other pairings can achieve even higher frame rates, though the measured 222.8 FPS at 1080p Low is already far beyond what any display can show.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all settings. Low settings produce 222.8 FPS, Medium settings yield 204.2 FPS, High settings reach 169.9 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 162.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 26.9%, showing that Inside's settings have a moderate impact on performance at 1080p. The gap between High and Ultra is notably small at 4.1%, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds minimal additional rendering work over High at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show greater differentiation between settings. Low settings produce 200.9 FPS, Medium yields 185.3 FPS, High drops to 120.5 FPS, and Ultra reaches 117.3 FPS. The most significant drop occurs between Medium and High, a 35.0% reduction, which indicates that High settings enable additional post-processing or shadow effects that significantly increase the GPU's workload. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 2.7%, mirroring the pattern seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates reflect the GPU's limits under 4K rendering pressure. Low settings produce 150.1 FPS, Medium drops to 122.1 FPS, High falls to 75.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 70.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is 18.7%, from Medium to High is 38.5%, and from High to Ultra is 6.0%. This indicates that the High preset at 4K represents a significant workload increase, while Ultra adds only a marginal additional burden over High. The 4K Low result of 150.1 FPS is still well above the 1440p High result of 120.5 FPS, demonstrating that resolution has a larger impact on performance than settings quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 2000 MHz with an effective data rate of 16 Gbps, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus. For a 2016 puzzle platformer, this memory subsystem is vastly overprovisioned, and the measured frame rates confirm that memory bandwidth is never a limiting factor.

The GPU's clock speeds are notably high, with a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. These frequencies allow the 2560 shading units to process Inside's relatively simple geometry and effects with extreme efficiency. The 40 ray accelerators and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate are irrelevant for this title, as Inside does not implement ray tracing or other modern rendering features. The GPU's 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than sufficient to maintain the high frame rates observed, and the pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s ensures that even 4K resolution output is handled without difficulty.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. The Passmark G3D score of 19786 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 108032 indicate strong raw performance. The percentile rank of 77 places it well above the median GPU, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, is only 0.7% faster in average benchmark score. This suggests that the RX 6700 XT is near the top of its performance class, and in a game like Inside, the GPU's high clock speeds and ample memory bandwidth translate directly into the high frame rates seen across all resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

For players with a 1080p display, any setting from Low to Ultra provides a smooth experience, as the lowest frame rate at this resolution is 162.9 FPS on Ultra. The data suggests that Medium settings at 204.2 FPS offer the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom, while High at 169.9 FPS and Ultra at 162.9 FPS provide diminishing returns for the additional GPU load. Given that the difference between High and Ultra is only 4.1% at 1080p, choosing Ultra is a reasonable option for maximum visual fidelity without significant frame rate loss.

At 1440p, the recommended setting depends on the target frame rate. Medium settings produce 185.3 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High settings drop to 120.5 FPS and Ultra to 117.3 FPS. For players with a 144 Hz display, Medium is the clear choice, as it easily exceeds the refresh rate. For those with a 60 Hz display, Ultra at 117.3 FPS is still far above the threshold, so the highest quality preset can be selected without concern.

At 4K, the settings choice becomes more critical. Low settings produce 150.1 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display, while Medium delivers 122.1 FPS. High settings drop to 75.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 70.6 FPS. For a 60 Hz display, Ultra at 70.6 FPS is playable, but the 6.0% difference between High and Ultra suggests that High at 75.1 FPS is the more efficient choice. For a 120 Hz display, Medium at 122.1 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds the refresh rate, making it the recommended option for high-refresh 4K gaming.