Inside

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a formidable performance tier for Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. The data places this combination at rank 888 out of 1671 tested combos, positioning it in the upper-middle segment of the database. This ranking reflects a system capable of high refresh rates across all tested resolutions, though the CPU’s age creates a noticeable bottleneck in certain scenarios. The benchmark results show a consistent pattern: the GPU provides immense raw power, but frame rates at lower resolutions are held back by the processor’s six-thread limit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 888 out of 1671 places it comfortably in the top half of all tested configurations. This is a strong showing, but not a top-tier one; the data indicates that the pairing is limited by its CPU component. The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT alone sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, a figure that suggests elite-level graphics capability. However, the Intel Core i5-9400 only reaches the 50th percentile among all CPUs, which drags the overall combo ranking down. The delta between these two components is stark: the GPU is near the top of its class, while the CPU is squarely mid-pack. This disparity means the combo’s rank is more a reflection of the graphics card’s dominance than a balanced partnership. In practical terms, the system outperforms many others in the database, but it leaves performance on the table because the processor cannot fully feed the GPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions. The rank suggests that for a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding, the CPU becomes the limiting factor more often than the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake processor from the Core i5 generation, featuring 6 cores and 6 threads. It runs at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosts up to 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, which are modest figures. Its average benchmark score of 2305 puts it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4, but 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G. For a game like Inside, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for physics and logic, these clocks are adequate but not exceptional. The six threads handle the game’s workload without issue, but the lack of hyper-threading means there is no headroom for background tasks. The CPU’s 50th percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms it is an average performer. In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s influence is most visible at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is only 54 FPS (from 221.7 to 167.7), suggesting the CPU is capping the maximum frame rate before the GPU can fully stretch its legs.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1387 MHz and boosts to 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. Its 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs provide massive compute throughput, evidenced by its Passmark G3D score of 29009. The GPU sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 38358. This places it nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (0% delta) and 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 70HX, though 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX570. In Inside, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadow effects, which it does with ease. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the card maintains an average of 105.5 FPS, indicating it is never the bottleneck. The GPU’s 800 GB/s bandwidth is overkill for a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, but it ensures that frame rates remain consistently high regardless of scene complexity. The card’s 20 GB VRAM is far beyond what this game requires, but it future-proofs the system for more demanding titles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo achieves 221.7 FPS on Low settings, 206.4 FPS on Medium, 168.8 FPS on High, and 167.7 FPS on Ultra. This shows a performance drop of 54 FPS from Low to Ultra, a 24.4% reduction. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal at 1.1 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit over High for this game. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but start to show more separation: 201.1 FPS on Low, 182.4 FPS on Medium, 153.3 FPS on High, and 147.6 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 53.5 FPS, a 26.6% reduction. At 3840x2160, the resolution where the GPU begins to work harder, the numbers are 167.3 FPS on Low, 159.2 FPS on Medium, 112.2 FPS on High, and 105.5 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 61.8 FPS, a 36.9% reduction. This trend shows that the GPU is still capable at 4K, but the settings have a more pronounced effect on performance at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 221.7 FPS, which drops to 201.1 FPS at 1440p and 167.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.5% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is relatively modest. However, the same comparison at Ultra settings shows a different story: 167.7 FPS at 1080p, 147.6 FPS at 1440p, and 105.5 FPS at 4K, a 37.1% drop. The larger percentage drop at Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is being taxed more heavily as resolution increases, but the absolute numbers remain playable. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor—the GPU has headroom to push higher, but the processor caps the frame rate. This is evident because the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is only 54 FPS, whereas at 4K, the difference grows to 61.8 FPS. When the resolution increases, the GPU becomes more engaged, and the CPU bottleneck lessens. The result is that the system delivers a smooth experience at all tested settings, but the highest refresh rates are only achievable at 1080p with lower settings. For a game like Inside, which is not a fast-paced competitive shooter, the 4K Ultra performance of 105.5 FPS is more than sufficient for an immersive experience. The scaling behavior shows that this combo is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming, but it is not optimized for extreme frame rates at 1080p due to the CPU’s limitations.