Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle-platformer from Playdead, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s capabilities become more relevant at lower settings and resolutions. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to characterize the performance profile of this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable drop in frame rate as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At the Low settings, the average FPS scales from 135 at 1920x1080 to 97 at 2560x1440, and finally to 61 at 3840x2160. This represents a 28% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 55% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The frame rate remains playable at all resolutions on Low, indicating that the GPU is not yet completely overwhelmed.

However, the scaling behavior changes dramatically when moving to higher presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 68 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p (a 28% decrease) and then to 31 at 4K (a 54% decrease from 1080p). The 4K result is particularly telling, as 31 FPS falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the frame rate starts at 64 at 1080p, falls to 46 at 1440p, and bottoms out at 29 at 4K. The pattern is consistent: the scaling from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 28% of the performance, while the jump to 4K costs another significant chunk.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the average is 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 124. At 1440p, the average drops to 78 FPS (min 66, max 89), and at 4K, it falls to 49 FPS (min 42, max 56). The consistency of the minimum frame rates suggests that the game’s rendering load is relatively uniform, with no sudden spikes that would cause stuttering.

This scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p and Low settings, the CPU likely has more headroom, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs. As resolution increases, the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands on the RX 570 become the dominant factor. The 4K results across all presets suggest that this resolution is simply too demanding for the GPU in this combination, regardless of the quality settings chosen.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is found at Medium settings for most resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 108 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a game like Inside. This is a 59% improvement over the 68 FPS at High settings, while still maintaining a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The minimum frame rate of 92 FPS at 1080p Medium ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain fluid.

At 2560x1440, Medium again proves to be the sweet spot, with an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 66 FPS. This is comfortably playable and represents the best experience at this resolution. High settings at 1440p produce 49 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 46 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced game but is not ideal.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. Medium settings deliver 49 FPS, which is the only preset that achieves near-playable frame rates. Low settings do reach 61 FPS, but this comes with a significant visual compromise. High and Ultra settings at 4K produce 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. For 4K, the recommendation is to use Low settings for a playable experience, or accept the Medium preset’s 49 FPS average if visual fidelity is prioritized over the risk of occasional frame dips.

The data does not support using Ultra settings at any resolution. At 1080p, Ultra produces 64 FPS, which is only slightly worse than High’s 68 FPS, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in this game is often minimal. The 29 FPS at 4K Ultra is unplayable. Therefore, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by selecting Medium at 1080p or 1440p, and reserving Low for 4K if smoothness is the absolute priority.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz)Skip. The CPU’s benchmark scores are solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655. These scores place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945 (a 0% delta).

For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle-platformer with relatively simple physics and AI, the CPU is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck. The game’s requirements are modest, and the Ultra 5 225’s high single-core performance (as evidenced by the 3655 R23 single-core score) is more than adequate for the game’s logic. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 135 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is not limiting the frame output.

However, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent when considering the scaling at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the FPS is 135, which is 2.2 times higher than the 4K Low result of 61 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain a high frame rate, but the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions are the primary constraint. The 10 cores and 10 threads may not be fully utilized by this game, but the high clock speeds ensure that the game’s main thread is well-served.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory are also relevant. While the game is not memory-intensive, the fast memory subsystem helps maintain consistent frame times. The data shows that at Medium settings, the minimum FPS is consistently close to the average (e.g., 92 min vs 108 avg at 1080p), indicating that the CPU is able to maintain a steady frame pacing without causing stutters)Skip. In summary, the CPU provides a solid foundation, but the performance ceiling of this combo is defined by the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS is 135, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting/resolution combination that exceeds 130 FPS in the measured data.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570?

A: At 3840x2160, only Low settings (61 FPS) and Medium settings (49 FPS) provide playable frame rates. High and Ultra settings produce 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are not smooth. The data indicates that 4K is only viable with significant visual compromises.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of multi-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F’s score of 36945. The delta percentage is 0%, indicating they are essentially tied in overall performance.

Q: What is the benefit of using Medium settings over High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver an average of 78 FPS, while High settings deliver 49 FPS. This represents a 59% performance increase, with a minimum FPS of 66 versus an unmeasured minimum for High, suggesting a more stable experience.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity (4 GB) appear to be a limiting factor in the measured results?

A: The data does not explicitly show VRAM limitations. However, the significant FPS drop at 4K (e.g., 49 FPS at Medium) suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s and its overall processing power are the primary constraints, rather than a specific VRAM capacity issue.

Q: What is the worst-performing setting/resolution combination in the data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 29, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only combination that falls below 30 FPS, making it the least playable configuration.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a Polaris 20 chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS, and it sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are modest, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28874 (a -0.4% delta), indicating that the RX 570 is slightly below that mobile part in synthetic tests. The GPU’s data clearly shows it is the limiting component in this combo for Inside. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 135 FPS, but this is likely near the GPU’s maximum output for this game. As resolution increases, the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are stretched thin.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (135 to 61 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU’s performance is heavily dependent on resolution. The 4 GB VRAM is not necessarily the issue, but the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth may struggle to feed the GPU at higher resolutions. The data supports the conclusion that the RX 570 is best suited for 1080p and, to a lesser extent, 1440p gaming. At 4K, the GPU’s limitations are severe, with even Low settings only achieving 61 FPS. The GPU’s end-of-life production status and its position in the 74th percentile of all GPUs reinforce that it is a mid-range part from a previous generation, which is not designed for high-resolution gaming in modern titles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a full range of performance. Low settings produce an average of 135 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 124. High settings drop to 68 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 64 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is minimal (4 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 97 FPS, which is still highly playable. Medium settings average 78 FPS (min 66, max 89), and High settings produce 49 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 46 FPS. The gap between Medium and High (29 FPS) is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to struggle with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings average 49 FPS (min 42, max 56), and High settings produce 31 FPS. Ultra settings bottom out at 29 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 42 FPS suggests that even this configuration may experience noticeable drops in demanding scenes. The overall pattern shows that 4K is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is borderline.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination ranks 3523 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested hardware combinations, which is a clear indication of its limited performance headroom for this game. The rank is not surprising given the GPU’s age and the game’s resolution scaling demands.

This ranking means that the vast majority of other tested combos are capable of higher frame rates in Inside. The CPU’s strong performance (85th percentile) is not enough to offset the GPU’s weaknesses (74th percentile). The combination is severely bottlenecked by the RX 570, particularly at higher resolutions. For a game that can be demanding on GPU resources at 4K, this combo is ill-suited. The rank of 3523 out of 3716 suggests that users with this hardware should stick to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or Low settings to achieve a playable experience. The data indicates that this combo is not competitive for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming, but it can still provide a solid experience for a puzzle-platformer at moderate settings.