Inside

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a remarkably scalable performance profile in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016-07-06. The data shows this combination is heavily CPU-limited at lower resolutions, with the GPU only becoming the primary constraint at 4K Ultra settings. This results in a combo that ranks at 2764 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this specific title, despite the CPU's high absolute performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 271 FPS at 1080p to 195 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 123 FPS at 4K. This represents a 54.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at the lowest graphical preset, the system is still delivering very high frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate capabilities.

At Medium settings, the scaling is slightly more pronounced: 217 FPS at 1080p, 156 FPS at 1440p, and 98 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 54.8%, nearly identical to Low settings. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset does not introduce a significantly different bottleneck profile compared to Low, and the limiting factor remains largely consistent across these two settings.

High settings show a more substantial scaling curve: 136 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition represents a 37.8% drop, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is 27.9%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is beginning to exert more influence on performance, though the frame rates remain playable throughout.

Ultra settings present the most dramatic scaling: 129 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction is 55.0%, similar to other presets, but the absolute 4K figure of 58 FPS suggests this is where the Arc B580's limits are most evident. Interestingly, the Ultra preset at 1080p (129 FPS) is only marginally faster than High at 1080p (136 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns from the Ultra preset's additional graphical features.

The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is largely CPU-bound, as the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz are capable of feeding frames far faster than even the higher presets demand. The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth become the limiting factor primarily at 4K Ultra, where the 58 FPS average represents the combination's performance floor in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2764 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places the system in the 74.4th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly a quarter of tested combos perform better in this specific title. This ranking is notably lower than what the CPU's individual performance might suggest, highlighting the GPU's role as the performance ceiling in this pairing.

The CPU itself sits in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 (a delta of -0.3%), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 79574 (-0.6%). The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041 (-1.2%), while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740 (1.7% higher). This data confirms the i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, but its performance in Inside is constrained by the accompanying GPU.

The GPU's individual standing provides context: the Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP at 23061 (-0.2% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 at 22895 (0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at 23172 (-0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23249 (-1%). The GPU's percentile ranking of 68 is significantly lower than the CPU's 95, which directly explains why the combined system rank falls to 2764/3716 rather than sitting near the top.

The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's lower percentile creates an imbalance. In a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively modest graphical demands, the CPU's power is largely underutilized. The 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS represents the GPU-bound ceiling, while the 1080p Low result of 271 FPS shows the CPU's capability to push frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. This disparity means the combo rank is effectively determined by the GPU's performance tier, not the CPU's.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Inside?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 98 FPS average, which balances visual quality with smooth performance. At 3840x2160, only Low settings (123 FPS) and Medium settings (98 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High (61 FPS) and Ultra (58 FPS) hover near the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Why does the 4K Ultra setting only achieve 58 FPS when the CPU is so powerful?

A: The Intel Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth become the limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The CPU's 24 cores and 6.00 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for this puzzle platformer, but the GPU's rendering capabilities cap the frame rate at this demanding preset.

Q: How does the i9-14900K compare to its closest rival, the i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score of 79371, which is -0.3% different from the i9-14900K's 79097. This is a negligible performance difference, indicating the two CPUs perform virtually identically in benchmark tests.

Q: Is the Arc B580 better or worse than the RTX 3080?

A: The data shows the RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, which is -0.7% delta from the Arc B580's 23021. This indicates the two GPUs perform nearly identically in aggregate benchmarks, despite their different architectures and specifications.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 271 FPS while Ultra settings achieve 129 FPS. This represents a 142 FPS difference, or the Ultra preset delivering 47.6% of the Low preset's frame rate.

Q: Does this combo provide a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: Yes, at 4K Medium settings the average FPS is 98 with a minimum of 83 FPS, and at 4K Low settings it averages 123 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra the average drops to 58 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience across all resolutions, Medium settings provide the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 217 FPS average with a minimum of 185 FPS and maximum of 250 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any display refresh rate, and the minimum frame rate ensures no noticeable stuttering.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings achieve 156 FPS average with a minimum of 133 FPS and maximum of 180 FPS. This remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum frame rate of 133 FPS is still exceptionally high for a puzzle platformer. High settings at this resolution (98 FPS) also provide a smooth experience, making either preset viable depending on preference for visual quality.

For 3840x2160, Medium settings are the recommended choice, delivering 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS. This is the only settings level that provides both high visual quality and comfortable performance margins above 60 FPS. Low settings at 4K (123 FPS) offer even higher performance but with reduced visual fidelity, while High (61 FPS) and Ultra (58 FPS) sit too close to the 60 FPS threshold to be considered safe for consistent gameplay.

The Ultra preset offers minimal performance benefit over High in terms of visual quality per frame cost: at 1080p, Ultra (129 FPS) is only 5.1% slower than High (136 FPS), but at 4K, Ultra (58 FPS) is 4.9% slower than High (61 FPS). Given these marginal differences, users seeking maximum visual quality should consider High settings over Ultra to maintain a safer frame rate buffer, particularly at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings achieve 271 FPS average, Medium settings reach 217 FPS with a minimum of 185 FPS and maximum of 250 FPS, High settings deliver 136 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 129 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is a mere 7 FPS, suggesting the Ultra preset's additional effects have minimal impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales proportionally. Low settings deliver 195 FPS average, Medium settings achieve 156 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and maximum of 180 FPS, High settings reach 98 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 93 FPS. The High to Ultra gap narrows further to just 5 FPS at this resolution, indicating that the Ultra preset becomes even less distinguishable from High as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the results show the most significant drops. Low settings average 123 FPS, Medium settings achieve 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS, High settings deliver 61 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 58 FPS. The High to Ultra difference at 4K is only 3 FPS, making the Ultra preset's performance cost nearly negligible but its visual benefit equally marginal.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only set of complete data with minimum and maximum frame rates: 185-250 FPS at 1080p, 133-180 FPS at 1440p, and 83-113 FPS at 4K. This consistency in data collection suggests the Medium preset was tested as the primary reference point, and its frame time consistency is reflected in the tight ranges between minimum and maximum values.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU features a substantial cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097.

In Inside, a puzzle platformer with simple 2D graphics, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high frame rates by processing game logic and physics without becoming a bottleneck. The data suggests the CPU is more than capable of this task: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 271 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's frame generation limit for this game engine. The fact that 1080p Ultra (129 FPS) is significantly lower than 1080p Low (271 FPS) indicates the GPU is still the limiting factor even at lower resolutions when graphical settings increase.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39399.5 and single-core score of 2262.5, Geekbench multicore of 21697 and single-core of 2655, and Passmark multithread of 58674 with single-thread of 4697. These scores confirm the CPU's capability to handle both lightly-threaded game workloads (via its high single-core performance) and heavily-threaded tasks (via its 24 cores). However, in Inside, the game's modest CPU requirements mean the i9-14900K's power is largely unused, and the Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 2560 shading units become the determining factor for performance at higher settings.

The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 2 MB help reduce memory latency during gameplay, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times. The dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provides flexibility, though the exact memory configuration used in testing is not specified in the data. The CPU's integrated UHD Graphics 770 remains inactive when the discrete Arc B580 is installed, but its presence does not affect measured performance in this configuration.