Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that places modest demands on hardware, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 confirms this. The combination ranks 1614th out of 1671 tested configurations for this title, placing it in the lower performance tier, yet the frame rates achieved across most settings and resolutions remain playable. The data shows a system that is consistently capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p, with performance degrading predictably as resolution and graphical fidelity increase, ultimately revealing the GPU as the primary constraint at higher loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this configuration can achieve in Inside?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 131.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates that the system has significant headroom for high refresh rate displays when visual demands are minimized.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Inside?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the configuration produces an average of 59.4 FPS on Low settings, which is playable. However, at High and Ultra settings, the average drops to 31.9 FPS and 31.1 FPS respectively, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. This places it virtually on par with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, which scores 8761 (0.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, which scores 8746 (0.4% faster). It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, which scores 8671 (0.5% slower).

Q: What is the CPU's standing relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its closest competitor is the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319 (0.6% faster), while the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 (0.2% slower).

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 131.8 FPS on Low settings to 61.9 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a reduction of approximately 53% in average FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: How much memory does the GPU have, and what is its bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. This configuration is sufficient for the visual complexity of Inside at the tested resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for Inside shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate, with the optimal preset depending heavily on the target resolution and display refresh rate. For a 60 FPS target, the Low preset is the only reliable choice at 3840x2160, producing an average of 59.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 94.3 FPS, while Medium achieves 79.1 FPS, both comfortably exceeding 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p yields 50.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable for a puzzle platformer.

At 1920x1080, the system offers the most flexibility. The Medium preset delivers 106.4 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors, while High provides 67.8 FPS, still clearing the 60 FPS bar. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 61.9 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, making it a viable option for those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate stability. The data suggests that for the best balance of visual quality and smooth performance, the Medium preset at 1080p is the standout choice, offering over 100 FPS while retaining a moderate level of graphical detail.

For users with 1440p displays, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, as it provides a robust 79.1 FPS average. The substantial gap between Low and Medium settings at all resolutions—59.4 to 47.7 FPS at 4K, 94.3 to 79.1 FPS at 1440p, and 131.8 to 106.4 FPS at 1080p—indicates that the Medium preset offers a significant visual upgrade with a relatively modest performance penalty. Given that the game is a puzzle platformer where precise timing is less critical than in fast-paced action titles, the Medium preset at 1440p or the High preset at 1080p may offer the most visually pleasing experience without sacrificing playability.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound in this title. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average frame rate drops from 67.8 FPS to 50.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 26%. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 on the same preset brings the average down to 31.9 FPS, a further 37% decrease. This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Low preset showing the largest absolute drop from 131.8 FPS at 1080p to 59.4 FPS at 4K, a 55% reduction in performance.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GTX 1650 as the limiting component. The CPU, an Intel Core i5-9400 with 6 cores and 6 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 131.8 FPS result at 1080p Low. However, as pixel count increases, the GPU's 4 GB of memory and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become strained, causing the frame rate to plummet. The fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p (61.9 FPS) performs nearly identically to the Low preset at 4K (59.4 FPS) underscores that the GPU is operating at its limit under heavy load, regardless of the specific resolution.

The data indicates that resolution scaling is not linear. The performance penalty from 1440p to 4K is more severe than from 1080p to 1440p, particularly on higher settings. For example, on Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27.3 FPS (106.4 to 79.1), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 31.4 FPS (79.1 to 47.7). This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck as the pixel count exceeds what the 128-bit bus can efficiently handle, making 4K a challenging target for anything beyond the Low preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its strongest performance, with all presets producing playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 131.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 106.4 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 67.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 61.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 69.9 FPS, showing a wide range of performance headroom depending on the quality settings chosen.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease across the board. Low settings produce 94.3 FPS, which remains excellent for a 1440p experience. Medium follows at 79.1 FPS, while High drops to 50.4 FPS. The Ultra preset yields 46.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still acceptable for a slower-paced puzzle game. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution narrows to 47.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming increasingly constrained.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 59.4 FPS. Medium settings fall to 47.7 FPS, while High and Ultra produce near-identical results of 31.9 FPS and 31.1 FPS, respectively. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is just 28.3 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is saturated and that higher settings provide diminishing returns in visual quality relative to the performance cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary determinant of performance in Inside, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth proving to be the key limiting factors at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and its 896 shading units deliver a peak FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS. These specifications place the GTX 1650 at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, with an average score of 8713.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant to Inside's performance scaling. The 128-bit bus width and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but they become a bottleneck at 4K, where the pixel fill rate demands exceed what the memory subsystem can provide. This is evident in the negligible performance difference between High (31.9 FPS) and Ultra (31.1 FPS) at 3840x2160, which suggests that the GPU is unable to leverage the additional graphical features of the Ultra preset due to memory constraints.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1650's closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, which scores 8671 (0.5% slower), while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 is 0.5% faster with a score of 8761. These marginal differences in synthetic scores translate to real-world performance that is effectively indistinguishable in Inside. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate a power-efficient design, but this does not compensate for the memory bandwidth limitations that become apparent at higher resolutions. For this game, the GTX 1650 is best utilized at 1080p with Medium or High settings, where it can deliver a smooth experience without hitting the memory bandwidth ceiling.