Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with an AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers a playable experience in Inside, though it is not a top-tier combination. The data shows that this pairing ranks 3386 out of 3716 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. The CPU is a modern 10-core Arrow Lake part, while the GPU is an older Polaris 20 architecture with 8 GB of VRAM. Measured results show that the combo can push high frame rates at lower settings, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at maximum quality presets, particularly at 4K resolution. The benchmark results indicate a system that is heavily balanced toward the CPU, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in Inside?*

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3386 out of 3716 tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower tier of systems tested, indicating that while it can run the game, many other hardware pairings deliver superior performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. This is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018. It is also within half a percent of the Intel Core i9-12900T, which scores 37112.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 falls into the 53rd percentile of all tested GPUs. This indicates it is a mid-range performer, sitting slightly above the median but well behind modern high-end cards.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 150 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This shows the combo can handle the game very smoothly when visual demands are reduced.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo manages an average of 34 FPS. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that High settings at 4K are not a viable option for this pairing.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics that could affect performance?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units. However, the system is configured with the discrete AMD Radeon RX 580, so the integrated graphics are not the primary rendering device in this setup.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3386 out of 3716 places this system firmly in the lower quartile of all tested configurations for Inside. This is a significant data point, as it suggests that the majority of systems tested will outperform this pairing. The rank is not a measure of failure; rather, it reflects the age and tier of the GPU relative to the CPU. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a new, high-end desktop processor, but the AMD Radeon RX 580 is an end-of-life product from 2017. This mismatch is the primary reason for the low ranking.

Benchmark results indicate that the system's overall average benchmark score is 12928. This is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the CPU's average score of 36938 is quite strong. The GPU's percentile of 53 confirms that it is a middling performer when compared to all other GPUs. The data shows a clear bottleneck: the CPU has the potential to deliver high frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep up at higher resolutions and settings. For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, the visual load is relatively light, but the RX 580 still limits the system to mid-range performance.

The nearest rivals for the GPU provide context for its performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has an average score of 12940, which is -0.1% relative to the RX 580. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986, a -0.4% difference. This shows the RX 580 is very closely matched to these cards in synthetic benchmarks, but its age means it lacks newer features that could affect real-world performance in more demanding titles. For Inside, the data suggests the combo is adequate, but the low rank indicates that users with more modern mid-range GPUs will have a significantly better experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. These specifications are more than sufficient for Inside, a game that is not known for being CPU-intensive. The processor's single-thread performance is particularly strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655. This is important because many games, including puzzle platformers, rely heavily on single-thread performance for core game logic and physics.

The CPU's multi-core performance is also robust, as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891. In the context of Inside, this headroom means the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The data supports this, as the frame rates at lower settings are exceptionally high. For example, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 150 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, it still manages 108 FPS. These numbers suggest the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to hit very high frame rates, but the GPU begins to cap performance as the resolution and settings increase.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This is a modern design that provides low latency access to data. The processor also supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. For this game, the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation. The benchmark results show that the Core Ultra 5 225 is more than capable of handling the game's demands, and its performance is essentially a non-factor in the final frame rates. The bottleneck is clearly elsewhere.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo is highly capable. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 150 FPS, which is excellent for any display. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 and a maximum of 138. This is still very smooth. High settings yield an average of 75 FPS, which is playable, while Ultra settings drop to 71 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is not being pushed to its absolute limit at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance begins to decline more noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 108 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings reduce this to 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 and a maximum of 99. This remains a solid experience. High settings see the average drop to 54 FPS, which is on the lower edge of playability for some users. Ultra settings bring the average down to 51 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the RX 580's 256-bit memory bus and 8 GB of GDDR5 VRAM are being challenged by the higher pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system's weaknesses are fully exposed. Low settings manage an average of 68 FPS, which is acceptable. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62, which can result in noticeable stutters. High settings fall to 34 FPS, making the game feel sluggish. Ultra settings are the worst, with an average of just 32 FPS. This data indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings for this combo. The frame rates at 4K High and Ultra are below the 60 FPS target that most players prefer, and even below the 30 FPS console standard, which is a poor experience for a PC.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is an end-of-life GPU based on the Polaris 20 chip, using the GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. These specs were competitive in 2017, but they are dated now. The GPU's compute power is rated at 6.175 TFLOPS for FP32, which is modest by modern standards.

The GPU's role in Inside is the primary determinant of performance at higher settings. The benchmark results show that the RX 580's performance scales poorly with resolution. At 1080p, it can hit 150 FPS on Low, but at 4K on Ultra, it drops to 32 FPS. This is a classic sign of a GPU that is limited by its fillrate and memory bandwidth. The 256-bit bus provides good bandwidth, but the 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs are insufficient for pushing a large number of pixels at high settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, which scores 12986. These scores are nearly identical to the RX 580's 12928, indicating that the RX 580 still performs at a similar level to those cards in synthetic benchmarks. However, the RX 580 lacks modern features like hardware ray tracing and more efficient encoding, which are not relevant for Inside but are for other games. For this title, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient, as the game does not require massive texture memory. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU is clearly capable of higher frame rates, but the GPU cannot render them.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and preference for frame rate. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience. The High preset at 75 FPS is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High does not provide a significant visual improvement to justify the 45 FPS drop.

For 1440p users, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, offering an average of 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 108 FPS is smoother, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable. The High preset at 54 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 51 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips can be distracting.

For 4K users, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable, with an average of 68 FPS. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is playable but has a minimum of 46 FPS, which can cause hitches. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as their averages of 34 FPS and 32 FPS, respectively, are too low for a responsive game. In summary, the best experience for this combo is achieved by prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best combination of smoothness and graphical quality, while 4K users should stick to Low settings.