Inside

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The measured frame rates are extraordinarily high across all settings, indicating that this hardware vastly exceeds the game's requirements. The data shows a system capable of running the title at refresh rates far beyond standard display capabilities, even at 4K resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a pronounced GPU bottleneck at lower resolutions, with the CPU becoming more relevant as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 430 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 385 FPS, a reduction of 45 FPS (approximately 10.5%). At 4K Low, the average falls to 321 FPS, which is 109 FPS below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern—where 4K performance is roughly 74.7% of 1080p performance—indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, but the CPU still has ample headroom.

The High settings preset shows a similar trend. At 1080p High, the system achieves 331 FPS. This drops to 255 FPS at 1440p High and further to 160 FPS at 4K High. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings incurs a 95 FPS loss, which is a 37.3% reduction. This steeper drop compared to the Low preset suggests that the higher graphical workload increasingly saturates the GPU's capabilities, while the CPU remains underutilized.

The Medium preset provides the only complete data set with minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 397 FPS with a minimum of 337 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 355 FPS (minimum 302 FPS), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 256 FPS (minimum 218 FPS). The gap between 1080p and 4K Medium is 141 FPS, representing a 35.5% decrease. This consistent pattern across presets confirms that resolution scaling is primarily GPU-limited, with the RTX 5090 D's raw throughput being the deciding factor.

The Ultra preset mirrors the High preset's behavior. Performance at 1080p Ultra is 325 FPS, at 1440p Ultra it is 243 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 153 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K Ultra costs 90 FPS (37% reduction), nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This uniformity across all four presets strongly indicates that Inside's rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count, and the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus are more than sufficient to handle the bandwidth demands at any resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, as evidenced by the frame rate data. With 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs, the GPU's architecture is built for extreme throughput. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with the 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, provides the computational muscle needed to push Inside to its limits. The GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K resolution.

The measured results show the GPU's headroom is considerable. At 4K Ultra, the game still runs at 153 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The fact that 4K Low produces 321 FPS—over double the Ultra result—indicates that the GPU is not being fully stressed even at maximum settings. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s suggest the GPU can handle far more complex scenes than Inside presents.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its dominance. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 5090 D scores 14,326 points, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its Passmark G3D score of 44,065 further demonstrates its position among the fastest graphics cards available. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database are notably different: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 (1.1% higher), while the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (2.4% higher). These comparisons show that the RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77,712 is competitive, though not universally top-tier in synthetic tests.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Inside. While the game itself does not require 32 GB of VRAM, the sheer bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s eliminates any possibility of memory-related bottlenecks. The 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) on a 512-bit bus ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations proceed without constraint. This is evident in the minimal frame time variance observed at 4K Medium, where the minimum FPS of 218 is only 38 FPS below the average of 256.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K serves as a capable partner to the RTX 5090 D, though its role in Inside is secondary. With 24 cores and 32 threads, the CPU provides ample parallel processing capability. The base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz ensure high single-threaded performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics in a puzzle platformer. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache reduce memory latency, allowing the CPU to feed the GPU efficiently.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39,399.5 and single-core score of 2,262.5 demonstrate strong performance across both threaded and single-threaded workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 21,697 and single-core score of 2,655 further confirm this. In Passmark tests, the CPU achieves 58,674 in multi-threaded performance and 4,697 in single-thread performance. These numbers indicate the i9-14900K is more than capable of handling Inside's modest CPU demands.

The nearest rival comparisons for the CPU show tight competition. The Intel Core i9-14900KF has an average score of 79,371, which is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K's 79,097 average. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574 (0.6% higher), while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041 (1.2% higher). The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77,740, which is 1.7% lower. This clustering suggests that the i9-14900K is well-positioned among top-tier CPUs, though not the absolute fastest in every metric.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is largely to maintain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 430 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game. The fact that 1080p High yields 331 FPS and 1080p Ultra yields 325 FPS—a difference of only 6 FPS—indicates that the CPU can handle the additional draw calls and physics calculations required by higher settings. The 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for any background processes or future game updates.

The CPU's 125W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility are standard for this class of processor. Its support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provides flexibility, though the dual-channel memory bus is a potential constraint. However, for Inside, the memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistently high frame rates across all tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS is 430, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 (1.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.6% lower).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 218, with an average of 256 and a maximum of 295.

Q: How does the i9-14900K's performance compare to the Intel Core i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79,097. The i9-14900KF scores 79,371, which is 0.3% higher.

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

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 430 FPS. The GPU is likely the primary limiter, as the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to handle the game's logic at these frame rates.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low settings produce 321 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 153 FPS. This is a difference of 168 FPS, or approximately 52.3% lower performance on Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 9th out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside. This top-tier ranking places the system in the 99.7th percentile of all configurations tested for this game. The rank reflects the exceptional performance of both components, though the GPU's dominance is clear from the frame rate data.

The ranking is particularly impressive given the game's age. Inside was released in 2016, and the hardware from 2023 and 2025 respectively far exceeds the requirements of a puzzle platformer from that era. The 9th place ranking suggests that only a handful of other configurations—likely those with even more specialized hardware—can outperform this combo. The 2,887 total combos tested provide a broad comparison base, and ranking in the top 10 is a strong indicator of overall capability.

The combo's rank is supported by the individual component rankings. The CPU's 95th percentile placement among all CPUs and the GPU's 92nd percentile placement among all GPUs indicate that both parts are at the upper echelon of their respective categories. The slight discrepancy between the GPU's percentile and the combo's rank suggests that the CPU's strength compensates for any GPU limitations, or that Inside is more CPU-sensitive than typical games at these extreme frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves:

• Low: 430 FPS average
• Medium: 397 FPS average (minimum 337, maximum 456)
• High: 331 FPS average
• Ultra: 325 FPS average

The 1080p results show a narrow range from 325 to 430 FPS across all settings. The difference between Low and Ultra is 105 FPS, which is relatively small compared to the absolute numbers. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is not heavily taxed by any preset, and the CPU can maintain high frame rates regardless of graphical complexity.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales as follows:

• Low: 385 FPS average
• Medium: 355 FPS average (minimum 302, maximum 409)
• High: 255 FPS average
• Ultra: 243 FPS average

The 1440p results show a wider spread, with Low achieving 385 FPS and Ultra dropping to 243 FPS. The difference of 142 FPS between Low and Ultra is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the effects of increased pixel count. The Medium preset's minimum of 302 FPS remains well above typical refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the performance is:

• Low: 321 FPS average
• Medium: 256 FPS average (minimum 218, maximum 295)
• High: 160 FPS average
• Ultra: 153 FPS average

The 4K results demonstrate a significant drop from 1080p, particularly at High and Ultra settings. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 168 FPS, with Ultra running at less than half the frame rate of Low. Even at Ultra, the 153 FPS average is still far above the 60 FPS threshold, making the game exceptionally smooth.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal preset for this combo depends on the user's display refresh rate and preference for visual fidelity. For users with 60 Hz displays, all settings at all resolutions are more than sufficient, as even the most demanding configuration (4K Ultra) produces 153 FPS. For users with 144 Hz displays, the system can maintain this refresh rate at any resolution with Low or Medium settings, and at 1080p with High or Ultra.

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1440p is recommended. This configuration produces 355 FPS average with a minimum of 302 FPS, ensuring no frame drops below 300 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K also performs well, with 256 FPS average and a minimum of 218 FPS. This provides excellent visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates far above any standard display's refresh rate.

The High preset at 1440p is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate. At 255 FPS average, this configuration still exceeds the requirements of 240 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 1080p, while producing 325 FPS, offers marginal visual improvements over High at 331 FPS for a 6 FPS difference, making High the more efficient choice at 1080p.

For users with high-end 360 Hz or higher refresh rate displays, the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that can approach these frame rates, achieving 430 FPS. However, the visual sacrifices may not be worth the frame rate increase, as even the Medium preset at 1080p provides 397 FPS. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate headroom, with a minimum of 337 FPS ensuring consistent performance above 300 FPS.