Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. However, the measured data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 tells a more complex story, revealing a combination that ranks near the bottom of the database. The combo sits at rank 2547 out of 2887 tested configurations, placing it in the 12th percentile of all recorded systems. This rank is not a reflection of the CPU, which is a high-end desktop part, but rather a direct consequence of the GPU being classified as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a performance profile that lags behind most discrete solutions. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of each component, and what settings users should realistically expect from this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of the Intel Core i7-12700KF + Intel Arc B390 combo in Inside?

A: The combo is ranked 2547 out of 2887 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems in the database, indicating that while the game is playable, the performance ceiling is very low due to the graphics processor.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scored 1482. This puts it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (score 1460), 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710 (score 1443). The data shows it is only marginally faster than a group of very old, low-end GPUs.

Q: What is the best measured FPS result for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 156, achieved with Low settings. The Medium preset yields an average of 125 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 78 and 74 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The CPU is one of the strongest parts of this combo. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071, place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU’s low performance relative to the CPU is the primary limiting factor.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the Intel Arc B390?

A: The Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it does not have its own dedicated VRAM. Its memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," and its clock speed for memory is also "System Shared." This is a characteristic of an integrated GPU, which relies on the system's main RAM.

Q: How does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 78. At 2560x1440 High, it drops to 56. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 35. This represents a 55% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 at rank 2547 out of 2887 tested combos. This is a low position, and it is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The Arc B390, based on its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710. The delta percentages between them are tiny, ranging from 1.3% to 2.7%. This indicates that the Arc B390 is not just a low-performing GPU; it is performing at a level comparable to entry-level chips from over a decade ago.

The contrast with the CPU is stark. The Core i7-12700KF is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T (delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-13600T (delta 0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (delta 0.2%). This shows the CPU is a top-tier performer. In this pairing, the CPU’s potential is entirely untapped because the GPU cannot keep up. The combo’s rank is a direct reflection of the weakest link, which is the graphics solution. The data confirms that for this game, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, dragging the entire system down to the bottom quartile of performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the choice of settings depends heavily on the user's target resolution and tolerance for frame drops. The data provides averages for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra at three resolutions. For a smooth experience, the Medium preset appears to be the optimal balance, as it is the only preset with both average and minimum FPS data recorded. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 125, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144. This shows a stable frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most of the test, with dips that remain playable.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. This is still a very playable experience, though the lower minimum frame rate suggests occasional stutters. At 4K, the Medium preset drops to an average of 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65. The minimum FPS here dips below 60, which might be noticeable in a puzzle platformer that relies on smooth motion. For a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Low preset is the only option, producing an average of 70 FPS. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for this GPU, as they produce sub-60 FPS averages at 1080p (78 and 74 FPS respectively) and become less fluid at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 156 on Low to 74 on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 29 FPS drop (from 156 to 125), and then a further 47 FPS drop from Medium to High (from 125 to 78). The difference between High and Ultra is minimal, only 4 FPS (from 78 to 74). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds significant graphical load with very little performance benefit on this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all presets. Low settings yield 112 FPS, Medium 90 FPS, High 56 FPS, and Ultra 53 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a 28% reduction in FPS for Low settings (from 156 to 112), and a similar proportional reduction for other presets. The Medium preset at this resolution still maintains an average above 60 FPS, but the minimum FPS of 76 indicates that the system is being pushed harder.

At 3840x2160, the performance degrades significantly. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, which is the only playable option for a 60 FPS target. Medium averages 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS. High and Ultra average 35 FPS and 34 FPS respectively, which are not suitable for a smooth gameplay experience. The data shows that this combo is only capable of high refresh rates at 1080p with lower settings, and it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K even on the lowest settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this system’s performance. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a TDP of 80 W, part of the Arc Graphics-M series based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and a 3 nm process node. Its clock speeds are a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz. Critically, it has no dedicated video memory; its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This means its performance is tied to the speed of the system's main memory, which is a significant disadvantage for a game like Inside that requires steady memory throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark results confirm its low standing. It scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, all of which are extremely low-end parts. The deltaPct values of 1.3%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 2.7% show that the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than these older chips. With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, the GPU’s raw compute is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS FP32, but this power is not effectively utilized in this game, likely due to driver overhead and the shared memory architecture. The data shows that the GPU is the reason this combo ranks so low, as its performance is simply not competitive with even entry-level discrete GPUs.

CPU Role

In stark contrast to the GPU, the Intel Core i7-12700KF is a high-performance desktop processor. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a substantial L3 cache of 25 MB shared, and its benchmark scores reflect its strength. It scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4071 in single-core, and 34092 in Passmark multithread. These results place the CPU in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-13700T, Intel Core i5-13600T, and Intel Core i7-12700K, all of which are within a 0.2% performance delta.

For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer, the CPU’s role is less demanding than in other genres. However, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor here. At 1080p Low, the FPS reaches 156, but this is still capped by the GPU’s ability to render frames. The CPU’s high single-core performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2255, ensures that game logic and physics are processed without bottlenecking the frame rate. The CPU’s 20 threads and high boost clock provide ample headroom, but the measured FPS does not benefit from this headroom because the GPU cannot output frames fast enough. The i7-12700KF is a top-tier part, and its role in this combo is to be a silent, powerful foundation that is unfortunately paired with a very weak graphics solution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, confirming the Arc B390 as the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1920x1080 to 56 at 2560x1440, and then to 35 at 3840x2160. This is a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 55%. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels.

For the Low settings preset, the scaling is similar. The average FPS drops from 156 at 1080p to 112 at 1440p (a 28% drop), and then to 70 at 4K (a 38% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across different settings presets point to a rendering pipeline that is saturated by the GPU’s limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively stable as resolution increases, because the CPU's workload would not change. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is a clear indicator of a GPU-limited system. The data shows that to get a playable frame rate at 4K, the user must drop to Low settings, and even then, the 70 FPS average is only marginally above 60. This resolution scaling analysis firmly establishes that the Intel Arc B390's performance is the single most important factor in determining the playability of Inside on this system.