Inside

Inside is a 2D puzzle-platformer that, on paper, looks trivial to run, yet the measured results reveal that this particular combination of an Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB has to navigate a narrow performance band dictated largely by the GPU's 4 GB VRAM. The data shows a clear hierarchy across settings and resolutions, with Medium standing out as the sweet spot for consistency, while Low unlocks high-refresh-rate potential at 1080p. The following sections detail the exact measured behavior of this combo, how it stacks up against other tested configurations, and where the hardware limits actually lie.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy of presets, and the choice of settings needs to balance smoothness against image quality. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Medium is substantial but not catastrophic: Low averages 199 FPS, Medium 159 FPS, High 99 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. For pure responsiveness on a high-refresh display, the Low preset is the obvious choice, but its 199 FPS is nearly double the 114 FPS seen at 1440p, indicating the game is heavily resolution-bound at this tier. The Medium preset, however, is the most analytically defensible recommendation: it delivers a 159 FPS average with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS, which is the only preset at 1080p with a defined min/max range, suggesting more stable frame pacing than the other presets. At 2560x1440, Medium still holds a 114 FPS average with a 97 FPS minimum, which is comfortable for 60 Hz and 100 Hz displays. In contrast, High drops to 71 FPS and Ultra to 68 FPS, both still playable but with the 4 GB VRAM likely causing hitches in scene transitions. At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained: Medium averages 72 FPS, High 45 FPS, and Ultra 43 FPS, while Low jumps to 90 FPS. Given the measured data, Medium at 1080p or 1440p is the recommended baseline: it offers a robust combination of frame consistency and visual quality, with Ultra providing only a marginal 4 FPS improvement over High at 1080p while consuming more memory and rendering overhead. For players seeking maximum smoothness on a 144 Hz display, Low at 1080p is the only profile that consistently clears that refresh ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the core component in this configuration, and its role is defined by its memory and clock behavior. The GPU has a 4 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s, which is a significant constraint for higher resolutions. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 45 FPS on High and 43 FPS on Ultra, while Low reaches 90 FPS — this 47 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K indicates that the GPU’s rendering pipeline, not the CPU, is the primary limiter at high settings, likely because the 4 GB VRAM is being exhausted. The card’s boost clock is 1740 MHz, its base clock is 1545 MHz, and memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The architecture is Ampere on an 8 nm Samsung process, with 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The pixel rate is 55.68 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 111.4 GTexel/s, which explains why the card can handle the 2D rendering of Inside at 1080p without issue but begins to falter as resolution scales. The GPU’s 90 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are not performance limiters in this title, but the 4 GB memory is the clear bottleneck: at 1440p, the difference between Low (143 FPS) and Medium (114 FPS) is 29 FPS, while at 4K, the difference between Low (90 FPS) and Medium (72 FPS) is only 18 FPS, showing that beyond a certain point, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth dominate. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a launch MSRP of 199 USD, but the data shows its real-world role in Inside is that of a mid-range card that can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease but struggles to maintain high detail at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is the clearest signal of where the bottleneck lies. At Medium settings, which is the most complete data set with min and max values, the progression is very linear: 159 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. This is a 45 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 42 FPS drop to 4K, with the 4K average being only 45% of the 1080p average. This scaling pattern strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU-side rendering of Inside is relatively light. When examining the High preset, the decline is even steeper: 99 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The Low preset shows the most dramatic relative drop, from 199 FPS at 1080p to 143 FPS at 1440p (a 28% decrease) and then to 90 FPS at 4K (a 55% decrease from 1080p), which points to the CPU being more relevant at low settings but the GPU quickly becoming the limit as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the core i5-9400 can push the frame rate to nearly 200 FPS, but the 4 GB VRAM and the 192.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain that performance at 1440p or 4K. The data shows that resolution scaling is not proportional: the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs about 35-40% of the FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K eats another 35-40%, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The min FPS data at Medium settings reinforces this: 135 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K, showing that the 1% lows scale with the averages. The conclusion is that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the Ultra preset at 95 FPS indicates that the settings have a larger impact than the resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full preset range is available. Low produces an average of 199 FPS. Medium averages 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 and a maximum of 183. High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 95 FPS. The 20 FPS difference between Low and Medium indicates that Medium is still far from the CPU limit, but the 64 FPS gap between Medium and High shows a steep performance cost for the High preset’s additional effects. At 2560x1440, the numbers are: Low at 143 FPS, Medium at 114 FPS (min 97, max 131), High at 71 FPS, and Ultra at 68 FPS. The High preset at 1440p is 71 FPS, which is exactly 28 FPS lower than the 1440p Medium, and the Ultra at 68 FPS is only 3 FPS behind that. At 3840x2160, Low is 90 FPS, Medium is 72 FPS (min 61, max 83), High is 45 FPS, and Ultra is 43 FPS. The 4K Medium’s minimum of 61 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold, but the High and Ultra are below it, which makes Medium the only 4K preset that can be considered smooth on a standard 60 Hz display. The data also shows that the difference between High and Ultra is negligible at every resolution: at 1080p, 99 vs 95 FPS; at 1440p, 71 vs 68 FPS; at 4K, 45 vs 43 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset is merely a visual tweak that costs a few FPS and does not substantially improve the experience. The most impressive result is the 1080p Low at 199 FPS, which is 40% higher than the 1440p Low, indicating that the CPU can deliver high refresh rates but only at the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 3242 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 13th percentile of all systems. This is a low rank, but it must be interpreted in the context of the game’s low system requirements and the fact that the RTX 3050 4 GB is at the entry-level tier of the GeForce 30 series. The rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s 4 GB memory and its modest compute, not by the CPU. The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost of 4.10 GHz, and it scores 2254 on average benchmark, putting it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 and is 0.2% better, the Intel Core i7-10710U, which scores 2248 and is 0.3% worse, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246 and is 0.4% worse, and the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2264 and is 0.4% better. These are all within 0.4% of the i5-9400’s score, showing that the CPU is a middle-of-the-pack performer that is not the limiting factor in Inside. The GPU’s percentile is 50, which means it is exactly in the middle of all GPUs, but the combo rank of 3242 out of 3716 indicates that the RTX 3050 4 GB’s 4 GB memory and limited bandwidth place it in the bottom 13% of all combos when paired with this CPU. This suggests that a better GPU would move the rank significantly, but with the current configuration, the game’s performance at 4K is the primary reason for the low rank.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 bottlenecking the RTX 3050 4 GB in Inside?

A: No. The CPU has a 47th percentile benchmark score and 6 cores at 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost, which is more than sufficient for a 2D puzzle game. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 199 FPS, which is not a CPU-limited scenario. The bottleneck is the GPU, especially its 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, which becomes clear at 1440p and 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K on this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that stays above 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets drop to 45 FPS and 43 FPS respectively, so Medium is the only viable option for a 60 Hz 4K display.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High?

A: The data shows that Ultra averages 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, while High averages 99 FPS, 71 FPS, and 45 FPS respectively. The difference is always 4 FPS or less, so Ultra offers no measurable benefit over High in this game.

Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with a 60 FPS target?

A: Only on Low or Medium. At 4K, the Low preset averages 90 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 72 with a 61 FPS minimum, both above 60 FPS. High (45 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) are not sufficient for a 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals, and does it matter for Inside?

A: The i5-9400 scores 2254 in the average benchmark, with rivals like the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and Intel Core i3-10305 being within 0.4% of that score. This shows the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, but in Inside, even the 0.4% difference would not affect the frame rate because the GPU is the limiter.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM a problem for this game at 1440p?

A: No, not for the Medium preset. The 1440p Medium averages 114 FPS with a 97 FPS minimum, which is well above 60 FPS. However, the 1440p High and Ultra presets drop to 71 FPS and 68 FPS, which is likely due to the 4 GB VRAM being filled, but the game remains playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake Refresh desktop processor with 6 cores and 6 threads. Its base clock is 2.90 GHz and the boost is 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. In the benchmark database, it scores 2254 on average, placing it in the 47th percentile, and its nearest rivals are within 0.4% of that score, indicating it is a solid mid-range CPU. For Inside, the CPU is not the limiting component at any resolution. The evidence is in the FPS data: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 199 FPS, which would require a capable CPU, and the i5-9400 is more than sufficient. The L3 cache is 9 MB shared, which is plenty for a game with simple physics and AI. The CPU has 6 cores, but the game is not multi-threaded heavily; the single-core performance is the key, and the boost clock of 4.10 GHz ensures that the main thread runs fast enough. The CPU’s memory support is DDR4, dual-channel, with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, which is not a factor because the GPU has its own 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The integrated graphics of the i5-9400 are UHD 630, but they are never used in this configuration. The CPU’s role in this combo is to feed the GPU at 1080p, which it does with 199 FPS, and to keep up at 1440p and 4K, which it does with the GPU being the limit. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck: at 4K, the FPS drops to 72 on Medium, and the CPU is still not maxed out, as the GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-9400 also has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is high enough to prevent any CPU-bound frame drops in a low-demand game like Inside. In summary, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 3050 4 GB, but it is not the reason this combo ranks 3242 out of 3716; the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and low bandwidth are the primary factors.