Inside

The benchmark data for Inside on the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 reveals a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, yet shows surprising headroom even at 4K. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high across the board, indicating that this classic puzzle platformer is far from a stress test for this modern hardware pairing. The analysis below breaks down how the components interact, where the bottlenecks lie, and what the optimal settings are for the smoothest experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a clear and predictable drop in frame rates, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the gameplay experience is never compromised. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate falls from 171 FPS at 1920x1080 to 153 FPS at 2560x1440, a decrease of 18 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160 sees a further drop to 104 FPS, which is a significant 49 FPS reduction from the 1440p figure and 67 FPS from 1080p. This scaling pattern, where the largest percentage drop occurs between 1440p and 4K, strongly suggests that the GPU's rendering load is the primary limiting factor at the highest resolution.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is likely held back by the CPU or other system limits, as the GPU has spare capacity. This is evident from the relatively small performance gap between the "Low" and "High" presets at 1080p, where the difference is only 51 FPS (222 vs. 171). In contrast, the gap between "Low" and "High" at 4K is 66 FPS (170 vs. 104), indicating that the GPU is working much harder and is more sensitive to the increased graphical workload. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K at the "Ultra" preset follows a similar trend, dropping from 168 FPS to 150 FPS at 1440p and finally to 99 FPS at 4K.

This pattern suggests that for a game like Inside, which is visually simple, the RTX 4070 is powerful enough to maintain high frame rates even at 4K, but the scaling curve flattens as the resolution increases. The drop from 1440p to 4K is the most pronounced, which is typical for a GPU that is beginning to approach its limits with the increased pixel count. The fact that the "Medium" preset at 4K still achieves an average of 157 FPS indicates that the GPU is not heavily taxed until the "High" and "Ultra" settings are applied, where the additional effects and draw distances start to have a more substantial impact.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth are more than sufficient for a title from 2016, ensuring that texture streaming and memory allocation are never a bottleneck. The GPU's high clock speeds, with a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, allow it to process the game's simple geometric shapes and lighting effects with incredible speed. The benchmark results confirm this, as even at the "Ultra" preset, the card never falls below an average of 99 FPS at 4K.

The RTX 4070's performance percentile of 81 places it well above most other GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628). This data suggests that while the RTX 4070 is a high-end card, its performance in Inside is so far beyond the game's requirements that the differences between it and its nearest rivals would be imperceptible in this specific title. The GPU's role here is to provide an unassailable frame rate ceiling, which it does with ease. The fact that the card can deliver 170 FPS at 4K "Low" and 222 FPS at 1080p "Low" indicates that the game is not utilizing the full potential of the GPU, leaving headroom for higher refresh rate monitors or more demanding tasks.

The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, and its 5 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but the raw performance is what matters in this analysis. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4070 is the component that scales with resolution and settings, while the CPU remains a constant. The drop from 157 FPS at 4K "Medium" to 104 FPS at 4K "High" highlights the GPU's sensitivity to the increased workload of the higher preset, which likely includes more advanced post-processing and shadow effects.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, plays a supporting role in this configuration. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz are adequate for the game's logic, but the data suggests it is not the primary performance limiter. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1389, place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This is a mid-range result, but for Inside, it is more than enough.

The evidence for the CPU's sufficient performance lies in the frame rate scaling. If the i5-9400 were a bottleneck, we would expect to see minimal FPS differences between resolution and settings, as the CPU would be the limiting factor. However, the data shows a clear and significant drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The fact that the "Ultra" preset at 1080p yields 168 FPS, while the "Low" preset at 4K yields 170 FPS, suggests that the CPU can handle the game's physics and AI at high frame rates, but the GPU is what ultimately determines the output.

The i5-9400's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, show very similar average benchmark scores (2248 and 2246, respectively), with a deltaPct of less than 1%. This indicates that the CPU is in a performance class that is perfectly suited for a game like Inside, where the computational demands are low. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory are also adequate, ensuring that the game's data is readily accessible. In this scenario, the CPU is not a bottleneck, but rather a stable platform that allows the GPU to perform at its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 1937 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the 48th percentile of all possible combinations, which is a surprisingly low rank given the high frame rates measured. This discrepancy occurs because the ranking likely considers the balance between CPU and GPU performance, not just the absolute FPS. A combo with a more powerful CPU and a less powerful GPU might score higher in the ranking if it is considered more balanced, even if it produces lower frame rates in this specific game.

The low rank suggests that the i5-9400 is holding the RTX 4070 back from its full potential in other, more CPU-intensive titles, but in Inside, the pairing is more than adequate. The GPU's performance percentile of 81 is much higher than the CPU's 47, indicating a mismatch in their relative strengths. This combo rank serves as a reminder that while the frame rates are excellent for this game, the system is not perfectly balanced for a wide range of applications. The data shows that the GPU is the star of this show, and the CPU is simply providing a stable foundation. The rank of 1937 is a reflection of this imbalance, not a criticism of the in-game performance.

The fact that the combo is ranked in the middle of the pack, despite being one of the fastest in terms of raw FPS, reflects how well-optimized Inside is. The game does not require a high-end CPU, so the i5-9400 is sufficient. If the ranking were based solely on FPS, this combo would likely be in the top 10%, but the inclusion of other factors, such as CPU and GPU balance, brings it down. This analysis highlights the importance of considering the entire system when evaluating performance, rather than just the graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows that the "Ultra" preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 99 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the largest performance drop between resolutions?

A: The largest drop is between 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 at the "High" preset, where the average frame rate falls from 153 FPS to 104 FPS, a decrease of 49 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates a GPU bottleneck is not present at 1080p. The small difference between "Low" and "High" presets (222 vs. 171 FPS) and the high overall frame rates suggest the CPU or other system limits may be the primary constraint, but the GPU still has significant headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is only 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4's score of 37628, making them effectively performance equivalents in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: All presets at 2560x1440 exceed 144 FPS, with the "Ultra" preset averaging 150 FPS. This means even the highest settings will fully utilize a 144Hz display.

Q: Does the game support high refresh rates at 4K?

A: Yes, the "Medium" preset at 4K achieves an average of 157 FPS, and the "Low" preset reaches 170 FPS, making high refresh rate 4K gaming possible, though the "High" and "Ultra" presets will be limited to around 100 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the "High" preset is the recommended choice for most users. At 1920x1080, it delivers an average of 171 FPS, and at 2560x1440, it maintains a smooth 153 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, the "High" preset achieves a playable 104 FPS, making it a versatile option across all resolutions. The "Ultra" preset offers only a marginal visual improvement over "High" but incurs a significant performance cost, with a 5 FPS drop at 1080p (168 vs. 171 FPS) and a 5 FPS drop at 4K (99 vs. 104 FPS).

The "Medium" preset is the best choice for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, especially at 4K. It provides an average of 157 FPS at 3840x2160, which is 53 FPS higher than the "Ultra" preset at the same resolution. This makes it ideal for use with high refresh rate 4K monitors. The "Low" preset offers the highest frame rates, but the visual downgrade is likely too severe for a game with such a distinct art style. The data shows that the "High" preset strikes the optimal compromise, providing a substantial improvement over "Medium" in visual quality while maintaining frame rates well above 100 FPS at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. The "Low" preset leads with an average of 222 FPS, followed by "Medium" at 205 FPS, "High" at 171 FPS, and "Ultra" at 168 FPS. The "Medium" preset shows a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS, indicating a stable performance range.

Moving to 2560x1440, the "Low" preset still achieves an average of 199 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 183 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS. The "High" preset drops to 153 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 150 FPS. The scaling is consistent, with a roughly 20-30 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p for each preset.

At 3840x2160, the "Low" preset remains high at 170 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 157 FPS, with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 181 FPS. The "High" preset falls to 104 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 99 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, especially for the "High" and "Ultra" presets, which lose 49 and 51 FPS, respectively. This data confirms that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, with the "Medium" preset providing the best performance-to-quality ratio at 4K.