Inside

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a stark contrast in hardware generations and performance tiers. The CPU is a 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake part from 2018, while the GPU is an Ada Lovelace flagship that launched in 2022 with a 24 GB GDDR6X frame buffer. For a game like Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer, the data suggests that this combination is capable of very high frame rates, yet the measured results reveal interesting bottlenecks and scaling behaviors that are worth examining.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 operates with 6 cores and 6 threads, a configuration that lacks hyper-threading. Its base clock is 2.90 GHz, and it can boost up to 4.10 GHz. These specifications place the CPU in the 47th percentile among all tested processors, indicating it is a mid-range part by today's standards. Its benchmark scores corroborate this: it achieves 6629 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 935 in single-core, with a Geekbench multicore score of 5141 and single-core of 1389. The average benchmark score across all tests is 2254.

In the context of Inside, which is not a demanding title for modern hardware, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU in most scenarios. However, the lack of threads means that any potential CPU-bound situations could arise at very high frame rates)Skip that explanation, as the measured FPS data shows the game running between 129 and 222 FPS. At these frame rates, the CPU must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The i5-9400's boost clock of 4.10 GHz on 6 cores is sufficient for this task, but the data suggests that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU may become a limiting factor. The FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at the same settings is significant, which typically points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions. The nearest rivals to the i5-9400 include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), showing that the CPU sits in a tightly packed performance band.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, and the memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU is built on a 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. Its raw compute capabilities include 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 and a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s. The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347.

For Inside, the RTX 4090 is massively overqualified. The game's visual style is minimalist and side-scrolling, so the GPU's immense power is hardly stressed. This explains why the measured FPS values are so high even at 4K Ultra, where the average is 129 FPS. The 24 GB VRAM is far beyond what Inside requires, but the GPU's clock speeds and memory bandwidth ensure that even the highest settings are rendered without any VRAM-related stutters. The nearest rivals to the RTX 4090 in average benchmark score are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% difference), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% slower). The GPU's performance is so high that the game's frame rate is likely limited by the CPU in many scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 1784 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the upper half of all configurations, but not near the top. The 48th percentile ranking suggests that while the RTX 4090 provides excellent raw graphical power, the i5-9400 holds the combo back from achieving the highest possible frame rates. In a game like Inside, where the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, the CPU's mid-range standing becomes more pronouncedikuha. The ranking implies that many other combos with stronger CPUs and mid-range GPUs could achieve similar or better results in this specific title, because the game's rendering demands are low enough that a high-end GPU is not necessary to reach high FPS. The data shows that this combo is not the worst, but it is also not optimized for this game's needs, as the CPU's 47th percentile and the GPU's 88th percentile create an imbalance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the average frame rates are 171 FPS on High, 222 FPS on Low, 205 FPS on Medium, and 168 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. At 1440p, the averages drop to 153 FPS on High, 199 FPS on Low, 183 FPS on Medium (with min 156 and max 211), and 150 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the averages are 131 FPS on High, 170 FPS on Low, 157 FPS on Medium (with min 133 and max 181), and 129 FPS on Ultra.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (222 FPS) and Ultra (168 FPS) is 54 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 49 FPS (199 vs 150). At 4K, the gap is 41 FPS (170 vs 129). This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor, compressing the FPS range across settings. The 4K Ultra result of 129 FPS is still exceptionally smooth for any display, but the 1080p Low result of 222 FPS is clearly CPU-limited, as the GPU could theoretically render far more frames per second in this simple game.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant FPS drop across all settings, which is expected, but the magnitude reveals which component is the bottleneck. At High settings, the FPS drops from 171 at 1080p to 153 at 1440p (a 10.5% reduction) and then to 131 at 4K (a 23.4% reduction from 1080p). At Low settings, the drop is from 222 to 199 to 170, which is a 23.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Medium, the drop is from 205 to 183 to 157, a 23.4% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 168 to 150 to 129, a 23.2% reduction.

The consistency of the percentage drop across settings indicates that the scaling is primarily due to the GPU's workload increasing with resolution. However, the fact that the 1080p Low setting (222 FPS) is not much higher than the 1080p Medium (205 FPS) or High (171 FPS) suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to cap the frame rate. If the GPU were the only limiting factor, the 1080p Low result would be much higher than 222 FPS, given that the RTX 4090 can handle Inside with ease. The 4K results, which are still above 129 FPS on Ultra, show that the GPU is not fully stressed even at the highest resolution, reinforcing the notion that the CPU is the primary constraint in this pairing. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is less severe than from 1080p to 1440p, which further points to the CPU limiting at lower resolutions and the GPU taking over at higher ones.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target refresh rate. For a 144 Hz display, the 4K Medium preset (157 FPS average) is the highest quality setting that stays above 144 FPS. The 4K High preset (131 FPS) falls below 144 FPS, so Medium is the sweet spot for 4K. At 1440p, the Ultra preset (150 FPS) stays above 144 FPS, making it the best choice for high refresh rates. The 1440p Medium (183 FPS) offers a comfortable margin and could be used for 165 Hz displays. At 1080p, all presets exceed 168 FPS, so Ultra is the logical choice, providing the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. For players with a 240 Hz display, the 1080p Low preset (222 FPS) is the only one that comes close to that refresh rate, but the 1080p Medium (205 FPS) is also viable. The data suggests that for most users, the 1440p Ultra preset (150 FPS) offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it remains above 144 FPS while delivering the highest settings. The 4K Medium preset is recommended for those prioritizing resolution over settings, as it provides a smooth experience above 144 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings is 129 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to the Intel Core i7-10710U in benchmark scores?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, while the Intel Core i7-10710U has an average score of 2248, making the i5-9400 0.3% faster.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's performance better than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has a score of 61896, meaning the Radeon is 2.5% faster in average benchmarks.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for 1440p Medium settings is 156 FPS, with a maximum of 211 FPS.

Q: Which resolution and setting combination yields the highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 222 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What percentile does the i5-9400 CPU sit in compared to all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 is in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, based on its benchmark scores.