Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle platformer from Playdead, presents a unique performance profile for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB combination. The measured data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but reveals a surprising CPU ceiling at 1080p. This pairing delivers exceptional frame rates across the board, making it a formidable setup for this title, though the scaling patterns indicate that the choice of settings and resolution has a more pronounced effect on performance than typical modern releases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies within this system. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 169.4 FPS, but dropping the resolution to 2560x1440 only reduces this to 131.6 FPS, a modest 22.3% decrease. Moving further to 3840x2160 sees a more significant drop to 85.8 FPS, which is a 34.8% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is partially limited by the CPU, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads boosting to 4.10 GHz, becomes a limiting factor when the resolution is low enough for the RTX 4060 Ti to push extremely high frame rates.

The transition from 1440p to 4K tells a different story. Here, the scaling is far more aggressive, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4060 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is being tasked heavily to fill the 8.3 million pixels on a 4K display. The data shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power, dictate performance at these higher resolutions. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is stark, with Low yielding 172.5 FPS and Ultra just 85.8 FPS, a 50.3% performance swing that is almost entirely due to the GPU's workload. This confirms that for this specific game and hardware pairing, 4K gaming is firmly in the GPU's domain, while 1080p performance is a more balanced affair.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is the central figure in this performance analysis. Based on the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm process, it operates with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2535 MHz. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical component, as the measured data shows that the memory requirements of Inside are not excessive, yet the bandwidth constraints become apparent at higher resolutions. The GPU's 4352 shading units and 136 texture mapping units deliver a texture rate of 344.8 GTexel/s, which is more than sufficient for the game's stylized, low-poly aesthetic.

The GPU's role becomes more defined when examining the frame rate differences between settings. At 4K, the jump from Low to Medium is significant, moving from 172.5 FPS to 138.8 FPS, a 19.5% drop. This suggests a substantial increase in pixel shading and texture work. The further drop from Medium to High (89.6 FPS) is even more pronounced, representing a 35.4% decline. This non-linear scaling points to specific rendering features within the High preset that heavily tax the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem. The RTX 4060 Ti's 48 ROPs and pixel rate of 121.7 GPixel/s are sufficient for the task, but the 128-bit memory interface ultimately limits performance at 4K Ultra, where the card produces 85.8 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary performance driver for this game, and its 8 GB frame buffer is not a hindrance at any tested settings, but its overall throughput is what defines the upper limits of performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting, yet crucial, role in this configuration. With 6 cores and 6 threads running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, this Coffee Lake processor is not a modern powerhouse, but it is adequate for the demands of Inside. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is an average performer in synthetic workloads. Its performance is closely matched by rivals such as the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Xeon E-2134, which is 0.4% faster.

The CPU's influence is most visible when analyzing the 1080p results. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 224 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. However, the scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is compressed: 224 FPS to 169.4 FPS, a 24.4% drop. Compare this to the 4K resolution, where the same settings change results in a 50.3% drop. This compression suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is becoming a limiting factor, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs and producing even higher frame rates. The CPU is likely the bottleneck in this scenario, as its 6 threads are fully engaged in feeding the GPU with draw calls. The data shows that the i5-9400 is more than capable of maintaining high frame rates, but it is the component that prevents the system from reaching its theoretical maximum at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well across all presets. The Low preset yields 224 FPS, Medium produces 205.6 FPS, High delivers 170.9 FPS, and Ultra achieves 169.4 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is negligible at just 0.9%, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little visual fidelity for the performance cost at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable. Low produces 201.3 FPS, Medium drops to 181.9 FPS, High settles at 142 FPS, and Ultra maintains 131.6 FPS. The scaling here is more linear, with each preset step costing roughly 10-20% performance.

At 3840x2160, the system faces its toughest test. The Low preset still manages a very respectable 172.5 FPS, showcasing the raw power of the RTX 4060 Ti. Medium drops to 138.8 FPS, which is still smooth. However, the High preset falls to 89.6 FPS, and Ultra dips to 85.8 FPS. These latter two figures, while below the 100 FPS mark, are still well within the range of playable for a puzzle platformer. The data reveals a consistent pattern: the Ultra preset offers only marginal improvements over High across all resolutions (0.9% at 1080p, 7.3% at 1440p, and 4.2% at 4K), making it a poor choice for performance-conscious users. The Low preset, conversely, provides a massive boost but likely sacrifices significant visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1671 tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB holds the 934th position. This rank places it in the 55.9th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other systems tested for this game. The ranking is likely influenced by the CPU's average performance, as the GPU is a high-end part. The RTX 4060 Ti's benchmark score of 2913 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it in the 17th percentile of all GPUs, which is a low score that seems to conflict with its in-game performance.

This discrepancy is explained by the nature of the game. Inside is not a graphically demanding title by modern standards, so the GPU's raw compute power is less relevant than its ability to push high frame rates at moderate resolutions. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M and the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, have nearly identical benchmark scores with deltas of 0% and 0.2% respectively, but the 8 GB model's performance in this game is what matters. The combo rank of 934 indicates that while the system is capable, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful CPUs. The data suggests that the i5-9400 is the weak link in this pairing, holding back the overall ranking despite the GPU's strong performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 89.6 FPS is the most balanced choice. It provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (138.8 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that is above the standard 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 85.8 FPS offers no meaningful benefit over High and is not worth the 4.2% performance hit. The Low preset at 172.5 FPS is excessively fast for this game's genre and would require sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 142 FPS, which is an excellent target for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 181.9 FPS is also a viable option for those seeking maximum smoothness, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable. The Ultra preset at 131.6 FPS is still very playable, but the performance gain from dropping to High is a 7.9% improvement, making High the more sensible choice. For 1920x1080, the situation is different. The High preset at 170.9 FPS is the sweet spot, as it offers a significant jump in visual quality over Medium (205.6 FPS) while still delivering frame rates that will saturate most 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 169.4 FPS is essentially identical in performance to High, so there is no reason not to enable it if the visual improvements are desired. The Low preset at 224 FPS is only useful for competitive play, which is irrelevant for a single-player puzzle platformer.