Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, does not demand modern hardware, but the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination reveal a title that scales dramatically with both settings and resolution. The data shows a system capable of extreme refresh rates at 1080p, yet one that requires careful preset selection to maintain high performance at 4K. This analysis walks through the measured rows to determine the optimal configuration, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience, particularly when considering both average frame rates and the consistency of the frame delivery. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset delivers an average of 122 FPS, which is a substantial 46 FPS higher than the High preset's 76 FPS. The Medium preset is also the only one at 4K with reported minimum and maximum frame data (103 FPS min, 140 FPS max), suggesting a more stable performance envelope compared to the High and Ultra presets, which only list average scores. While the Low preset at 4K achieves a higher average of 152 FPS, the visual compromise is typically significant; the Medium preset provides a better balance between visual fidelity and the high frame rates that this hardware can produce.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out with an average of 194 FPS and a reported minimum of 165 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at this resolution averages 121 FPS, which is still excellent, but the Medium setting's performance headroom means it will rarely, if ever, dip below the refresh rate of a 144Hz display. The Low preset's 242 FPS average is excessive for most displays and would sacrifice too much visual quality.

At 1920x1080, the story is similar, with the Medium preset yielding a 269 FPS average and a minimum of 229 FPS. This level of performance is far beyond the needs of standard 60Hz or 144Hz displays, making the choice less critical for playability. However, for consistency across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the most reliable. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual quality, shows a significant performance cost, dropping to 72 FPS at 4K and 115 FPS at 1440p, which is a 50 FPS and 79 FPS drop from Medium, respectively. Given that the Medium preset provides a 122 FPS average at 4K, it is the recommended starting point, with the option to explore High settings if a lower resolution is used.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 features 10 cores and 10 threads, a configuration that is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer like Inside. The game's physics and logic are not typically bound by high thread counts, and the benchmark data supports this, showing that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The processor's base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz are the more relevant specifications for this title, as Inside's gameplay likely relies on single-threaded performance for its core simulation.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its strength in single-threaded tasks that are common in game logic. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 is a strong indicator of per-core performance. The multi-core score of 25891 shows that it is a capable processor overall, but for this specific game, the high boost clock is the key factor. The data suggests that the CPU can easily feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates, as evidenced by the fact that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, rather than the CPU limiting the frame rate across the board.

The CPU's position relative to its nearest rivals also contextualizes its performance. Its average benchmark score of 36938 is essentially on par with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta). It is also very close to the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5% delta). This indicates that, in general processing tasks, the Ultra 5 225 is a mid-pack performer. However, in the context of Inside, the ability to maintain high single-thread performance is what matters most, and the data shows that the CPU is not the component preventing the system from reaching very high frame rates, as the system still hits 337 FPS at 1080p on Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in Inside?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 337 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: At 4K resolution, what is the difference in average FPS between the High and Medium presets?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 122 FPS, which is 46 FPS higher than the High preset's 76 FPS average.

Q: Does the system maintain a stable frame rate at 1440p on Medium settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 194 FPS with a minimum reported FPS of 165, indicating that the frame rate remains consistently high and above the refresh rate of most 144Hz monitors.

Q: How does this combo's performance rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo is ranked 1367 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU the primary limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the average FPS drops to 72, which is a significant decrease from the 122 FPS seen on Medium settings, while the CPU's high single-thread performance is sufficient to avoid being a bottleneck.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p on the Ultra preset?

A: The measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 with the Ultra settings preset is 160 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination holds a rank of 1367 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places the system in the upper half of all tested configurations, indicating that it delivers above-average performance for this title. The percentile field for the CPU is 85, meaning it scores better than 85% of all CPUs in its own benchmark suite, and the GPU's percentile is 72, indicating it outperforms 72% of all GPUs. The combination of these two components results in a system that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming in this specific game.

The ranking is a direct result of the GPU's ability to push high frame rates when paired with a CPU that does not hold it back. The data shows that the system is not bottlenecked at lower resolutions, achieving 337 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a clear sign that the CPU can keep up. The rank in the 53rd percentile is a strong result for a game that is not particularly demanding, as it shows the system can leverage its hardware to produce frame rates far beyond the 60 FPS standard. The system's performance is more consistent with a high-end setup from a previous generation, and its rank reflects that it is a capable pairing for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent trend as resolution scales from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160. At the Medium preset, the average frame rate drops from 269 FPS at 1080p to 194 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 75 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, with the average falling from 194 FPS to 122 FPS, a reduction of 72 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed as the pixel count grows, which is the expected behavior for a graphics-intensive workload.

The scaling factor, however, is not purely linear, showing that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases. For instance, on the High preset, the frame rate drops from 168 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, and then to 76 FPS at 4K. The performance loss from 1440p to 4K is a 45 FPS drop, which is a more significant percentage loss than the 47 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that as the resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become more critical factors, and the RX 6700 XT, with its 192-bit memory bus and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth, begins to show its limits.

The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is evident in the Low preset results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 337 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it still hits 242 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the system manages 152 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on Low settings is a 185 FPS drop, which is a much larger absolute drop than on Medium or High settings, but the system still maintains a very high frame rate. This indicates that the CPU can handle the game's logic at these extreme frame rates, and the frame rate is only limited by the GPU's ability to render the scene at the higher resolutions. The data strongly points to the GPU being the limiting component when resolution is increased, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom for the game's simulation to run at extreme speeds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across a matrix of settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well across all presets. The Low preset yields the highest average at 337 FPS, followed by the Medium preset at 269 FPS (with a minimum of 229 FPS and a maximum of 310 FPS). The High preset averages 168 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 160 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with the Ultra preset costing 177 FPS on average compared to Low, a significant performance hit for the highest visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains high but begins to show the GPU's workload. The Low preset averages 242 FPS, a 95 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 194 FPS (min 165, max 223), which is a 75 FPS drop. The High preset averages 121 FPS, a 47 FPS drop, and the Ultra preset averages 115 FPS, a 45 FPS drop. The relative performance difference between presets is similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower, confirming the impact of the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more demanding. The Low preset averages 152 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 122 FPS (min 103, max 140), providing a smooth experience. However, the High preset drops to 76 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 72 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is substantial (46 FPS), highlighting that the High and Ultra presets are not ideal for 4K gaming on this hardware if a high refresh rate is the goal. The data shows that the system can handle 4K, but only with the appropriate settings preset to maintain a frame rate above 100 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside, as the benchmark results clearly show that the GPU is the primary factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game's assets at all tested resolutions, as there is no indication of a memory capacity bottleneck that would cause stuttering or frame drops.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor in its performance. It has a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. These high clock speeds contribute to its strong fill rate and computing power, which are essential for rendering the game's 2.5D environments. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as its Passmark G3D score of 19786, place it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-to-high-range performer.

The comparison to its nearest rivals puts its general performance into context. Its average benchmark score of 27425 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (27435, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27565, -0.5% delta). This suggests that, in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 6700 XT is on par with these cards, which is a strong indicator of its capability. In the context of Inside, the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 72, and at 4K High, where it is 76. This is a clear sign that the GPU is working at its limit to render the higher pixel counts, while the CPU has ample headroom. The GPU's role is to provide the graphical horsepower, and the data confirms that it is the component that determines the ceiling for frame rates at higher settings and resolutions.