Inside

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside, a game that is far more forgiving on hardware than its atmospheric presentation suggests. The data shows this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU begins to emerge as a limiting factor, though never to a degree that hampers playability. With average frame rates ranging from a low of 71.6 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 222.8 FPS at 1080p Low, this setup provides a wide performance envelope that easily exceeds the demands of the game's puzzle-platforming gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, revealing a clear shift in the bottleneck. At 1080p High, the combo produces 167.9 FPS, but at 1440p High, that figure falls to 121.8 FPS, a reduction of 46.1 FPS. Pushing further to 4K High, the average drops to 77 FPS, which is a 90.9 FPS decline from the 1080p result. This steep scaling curve indicates that the RTX 4060's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For instance, moving from 1080p Low (222.8 FPS) to 1440p Low (197.7 FPS) shows a 25.1 FPS drop, but the leap to 4K Low (148.7 FPS) represents a much larger 74.1 FPS hit from the 1080p baseline. This non-linear scaling is typical for a GPU that has to process four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p. The data suggests that while the RTX 4060 is more than capable at 1080p and 1440p, the 4K resolution profile demands significantly more from the graphics processor, bringing average frame rates down to a range where the experience is still smooth but not as overwhelmingly fast.

Notably, the gap between resolutions narrows when using the Ultra preset. The difference between 1080p Ultra (159.7 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (113.8 FPS) is 45.9 FPS, but the gap from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (71.6 FPS) is 42.2 FPS. This indicates that at the highest settings, the game's visual fidelity is demanding enough that the GPU is consistently the limiting component across all tested resolutions, whereas at lower settings, the CPU's influence can be observed at 1080p where frame rates are extremely high.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1440p emerges as the optimal balance of visual quality and raw performance. The data shows this configuration yields 183.8 FPS, which is 61.8 FPS higher than the 1440p High preset (121.8 FPS) and 70 FPS higher than 1440p Ultra (113.8 FPS). The jump from Low (197.7 FPS) to Medium (183.8 FPS) at 1440p costs only 13.9 FPS, making Medium a highly efficient choice that preserves a significant frame rate advantage while likely offering better visual fidelity than the Low preset.

At 1080p, the choice is more flexible due to the abundance of performance headroom. The High preset delivers 167.9 FPS, which is already well beyond what is necessary for smooth gameplay. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p (159.7 FPS) is only 8.2 FPS slower than High, suggesting that players with 1080p displays can comfortably enable the highest settings without a meaningful performance penalty. The 4K Ultra preset, at 71.6 FPS, is the only configuration that dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it still remains playable for a puzzle platformer where reaction times are less critical.

The data indicates that for 4K displays, the High preset (77 FPS) is preferable to Ultra (71.6 FPS), as it provides a 5.4 FPS boost while presumably sacrificing minimal visual detail. For those prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1440p (197.7 FPS) offers the best combination of high resolution and exceptional fluidity, but the Medium preset provides a more balanced experience that leverages the RTX 4060's capabilities without pushing into diminishing returns.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware combination?

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

Q: Is this system capable of maintaining a smooth experience at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 4K across all presets. The lowest average is 71.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, while the High preset at 4K yields 77 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 148.7 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to the High preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 113.8 FPS, while the High preset provides 121.8 FPS. This represents an 8 FPS difference in favor of the High preset.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination offers the most efficient performance gain?

A: The data shows that moving from 1080p Medium (203.9 FPS) to 1440p Medium (183.8 FPS) only costs 20.1 FPS, making it a relatively efficient upgrade path for higher resolution displays.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 222.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 159.7 FPS. The difference is 63.1 FPS, indicating a significant cost for the highest visual settings.

Q: Does the frame rate scale linearly with resolution changes?

A: No, the scaling is not linear. For example, at High settings, the drop from 1080p (167.9 FPS) to 1440p (121.8 FPS) is 46.1 FPS, but the drop from 1440p to 4K (77 FPS) is 44.8 FPS, showing a larger relative impact when moving to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1021 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places the setup in the 61st percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it performs better than the majority of systems but is not near the top tier. The ranking suggests that while this hardware is well-suited for this game, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates, particularly those with more powerful GPUs or newer CPUs.

Given the game's 2016 release date and its modest graphical demands, this mid-range ranking is expected. The RTX 4060, which sits in the 66th percentile for all GPUs based on its average benchmark score, provides ample power for Inside. The i5-9400, which is in the 50th percentile for CPUs, is adequate but not exceptional. The combination of a 66th percentile GPU with a 50th percentile CPU results in a system that lands in the 61st percentile for this specific game, demonstrating that the GPU is the more dominant factor in determining overall performance.

The ranking of 1021 out of 1671 also indicates that there is significant headroom for improvement if a user were to upgrade either component. However, for the purposes of playing Inside, this rank confirms that the system is comfortably above average and capable of delivering a high-quality experience, as evidenced by the measured frame rates which never drop below 71.6 FPS in any tested configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the primary driver of performance in Inside, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This bandwidth proves sufficient for the game's data requirements, as even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate remains at 71.6 FPS. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and its 3072 shading units are key contributors to its ability to render the game's distinctive monochromatic environments with ease.

The RTX 4060's performance relative to its rivals is notable. Its average benchmark score of 23181 places it just 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, while it is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580. In the context of Inside, this level of performance translates to frame rates that are consistently high across all settings. The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs ensure efficient pixel and texture processing, which is critical for a game that relies heavily on lighting and shadow effects to create its atmosphere.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the maximum measured frame rate at 4K Ultra (71.6 FPS) suggests the GPU is not running out of memory. The GPU's directx 12 Ultimate support and 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provide more than enough computational power for a title from 2016. The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is well-equipped to handle Inside with significant performance to spare, making it the clear performance leader in this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves the highest average at 222.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 203.9 FPS, High at 167.9 FPS, and Ultra at 159.7 FPS. The frame rate differences between presets are substantial, with a 63.1 FPS gap between Low and Ultra, indicating that the visual settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear reduction. The Low preset leads with 197.7 FPS, while Medium follows at 183.8 FPS. The High preset drops to 121.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 113.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 83.9 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p, highlighting the increased load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the performance profile changes more dramatically. The Low preset still delivers a robust 148.7 FPS, and Medium manages 119.6 FPS. However, High drops to 77 FPS, and Ultra falls to 71.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 77.1 FPS, showing that while the GPU can handle lower settings at 4K, the higher presets significantly tax the RTX 4060. Across all resolutions, the data consistently shows that the Low preset provides the highest frame rates, while the Ultra preset demands the most from the hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting role in this combination, with its influence most apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates are exceptionally high. This processor features 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game's logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate it is a mid-range performer. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 7969, and its single-core score is 1125. These results place it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. This puts it in close competition with the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, 0.2% faster) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, 0.2% faster), while it trails the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319) by 0.6%.

In Inside, the CPU's limitations become visible when comparing 1080p Low (222.8 FPS) to 1440p Low (197.7 FPS). The 25.1 FPS drop when increasing resolution suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is helping to push frame rates higher than the GPU would otherwise achieve alone. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra (159.7 FPS) is lower than 1440p Low (197.7 FPS) confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings. The i5-9400's 6 threads are sufficient for this game, as there is no evidence of CPU-related stuttering or frame drops in the measured data. The processor's role is to feed the RTX 4060 with enough data to maintain high frame rates, and the results show it does so effectively across all tested configurations.