Inside

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a highly variable experience in Inside, where the choice of graphics preset is more impactful than resolution. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy: the Low preset is the only setting that consistently delivers high frame rates across all resolutions, while the Ultra preset struggles to maintain playable performance even at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific combination, the Low preset is the only reliable choice for smooth gameplay. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 141 FPS, which is more than double the 67 FPS seen on Ultra. The gap narrows at higher resolutions, but the pattern remains consistent: Low is the only preset that keeps the average above 60 FPS at 2560x1440 (101 FPS) and 3840x2160 (64 FPS). The Medium preset offers a compromise, with 113 FPS at 1080p and 81 FPS at 1440p, but drops to 51 FPS at 4K, which may fall below the threshold for smooth motion on some displays.

The High preset is problematic across the board. It produces 70 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and only 32 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is largely unplayable, with averages of 67, 48, and 30 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. Given that the Low preset nearly doubles the frame rate of High at 1080p (141 vs 70), the visual fidelity trade-off is substantial but necessary for this hardware. Benchmark results indicate that the Low preset provides the best experience per the measured rows, as it is the only setting that maintains a minimum average above 60 FPS at every resolution tested.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared", meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory arrangement has a direct impact on the measured results, as the bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent". The GPU's 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units suggest a design aimed at efficiency rather than raw throughput, which aligns with its 25 W TDP.

The data shows that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher settings. The transition from Low to Ultra at 1080p cuts the average frame rate from 141 to 67 FPS, a reduction of over 50%. At 4K, the same settings change drops the average from 64 to 30 FPS. This indicates that the Arc B370's computational resources are quickly saturated by the increased shading and texture work required by higher presets. The GPU's pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings, but the measured results suggest that the shared memory bandwidth is a limiting factor, particularly at 4K where the Low preset only manages 64 FPS.

Interestingly, the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta). This positioning indicates that the Arc B370 is a low-end part, which explains why it requires the Low preset to achieve smooth frame rates in Inside.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3. This is a Coffee Lake architecture part on a 14 nm process, and its benchmark scores show a mid-range position: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935.

The CPU's role in this game appears secondary to the GPU, as the frame rate differences between resolutions are more pronounced than any CPU-related limitation. However, the 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is capable enough for this puzzle platformer. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 141 FPS, which is well within the CPU's ability to feed frames to the GPU. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259 avg score, -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248 avg score, 0.3% delta), indicating that the i5-9400 is competitive with other mid-range desktop and mobile parts from its era.

The CPU's 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth, paired with the GPU's "System Dependent" bandwidth, creates a shared resource scenario. In Inside, which is not a heavily threaded title, the six cores are likely sufficient. The benchmark data does not indicate any CPU bottleneck, as the frame rates scale primarily with the GPU preset rather than with CPU-intensive settings. The CPU's Geekbench multicore score of 5141 and single-core score of 1389 further support the notion that it is not the limiting component in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3422 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The data suggests that this combo is significantly outclassed by the majority of systems tested, and the measured frame rates reflect this position.

This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's limitations. The Arc B370's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs means that most other graphics cards, even older ones, outperform it. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking is comparatively stronger, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's weakness in a graphics-intensive title like Inside. The combo rank of 3422 indicates that users with this setup will need to make substantial compromises in settings to achieve acceptable performance, as evidenced by the need to use the Low preset for playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p and then to 64 at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At the Medium preset, the drop is from 113 to 81 to 51, a 55% reduction as well. The High preset shows a similar pattern: 70 to 51 to 32, which is a 54% reduction.

This consistent scaling across presets indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain similar across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with pixel count. The data shows that every resolution increase results in a proportional decrease in frame rate, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The only exception is the Ultra preset, where the drop from 67 to 48 to 30 FPS represents a 55% reduction, again confirming the GPU's dominance as the limiting component.

The fact that the Low preset at 4K (64 FPS) outperforms the Ultra preset at 1080p (67 FPS) is notable. This suggests that the GPU's shading units are the constraint, not the memory bandwidth. Reducing the preset lowers the per-pixel workload, allowing the GPU to handle higher resolutions more effectively than it can handle increased visual complexity at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a wide spread across presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 141 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 and maximum of 130. The High preset drops to 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 67 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 74 FPS, indicating that the GPU's performance is highly sensitive to preset quality.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 101 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS with a range of 69 to 93. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 53 FPS at this resolution, but the overall trend remains the same.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 64. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and maximum of 59. The High preset drops to 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset is at 30 FPS. The minimum FPS data for Medium at 4K (43) is particularly concerning, as it suggests occasional dips below 30 FPS during intense scenes.

The data also shows that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame pacing, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum values at all three resolutions. The Low, High, and Ultra presets do not have min/max data, which may indicate either that the frame times are stable enough not to warrant recording or that the data collection was limited. The Medium preset's ranges (96-130 at 1080p, 69-93 at 1440p, 43-59 at 4K) show a standard deviation pattern that suggests the GPU can maintain reasonable frame pacing when the load is moderate.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best preset for this CPU/GPU combo in Inside?*

A: The Low preset is the best choice, as it is the only setting that maintains an average FPS above 60 at all tested resolutions. At 1080p it achieves 141 FPS, at 1440p it hits 101 FPS, and at 4K it manages 64 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset, which averages 64 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset drops to 51 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 32 and 30 FPS respectively, which may not be smooth enough for most players.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Frame rates scale proportionally with resolution, dropping by approximately 55% from 1080p to 4K across all presets. This indicates the GPU's rendering capabilities are saturated, not the CPU's processing power.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 3422 out of 3716 total combinations for Inside, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This low ranking is driven by the GPU's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs.

Q: How much difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 141 FPS while Ultra averages 67 FPS, a difference of 74 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 53 FPS (101 vs 48), and at 4K it is 34 FPS (64 vs 30). The Ultra preset's additional visual effects cost roughly half the frame rate.