Inside

Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016, is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the benchmark data for this specific combination of components reveals distinct performance ceilings and scaling behaviors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers playable to exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings, with the data showing that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no frame pacing issues at lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and it carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. For a game like Inside, which relies heavily on consistent frame delivery rather than massive multi-threaded workloads, this processor's single-core strength is the dominant factor. In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 3655 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 25891 in multi-core, placing it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 36938 places it nearly level with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2), indicating that for this game's physics and logic, the CPU has ample headroom.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 281 FPS, a figure that is far beyond what the RTX 2060 SUPER would need to saturate a typical high-refresh display. This high ceiling is a direct result of the CPU's rapid boost clock and efficient single-thread performance. Even at 2560x1440 Low, the average is 202 FPS, which still leaves significant CPU headroom. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and its PassMark physics score of 2342 suggest that the game's environmental interactions and puzzle elements, which often involve physics-based object manipulation, are handled without causing frame drops. The data shows that in this title, the Core Ultra 5 225 does not become a limiting factor at any tested resolution or setting; the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra is far more dependent on the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, featuring 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. With a PassMark G3D score of 16462, it sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 18093 is notably close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (deltaPct -0.4) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct -0.5). This indicates that in raw computational power, the RTX 2060 SUPER is competitive with those parts, though its 12 nm process node and 175 W TDP suggest an older design.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the resolution scaling. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 127 FPS at Low to 63 FPS at High and 60 FPS at Ultra. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits by pixel count, despite the game's simple visual style. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game would not approach that limit, but the raw fill rate and shading power of the TU106 chip are the limiting factors. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is ample for a game with this level of texture detail, but the pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are what determine the upper bounds at high resolutions. The data confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER delivers 134 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is excellent, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 60 FPS, exactly at the threshold for standard refresh monitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Inside?

A: The highest measured average is 281 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER perform at 4K Ultra compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 60, while at 1080p Ultra, it is 134 FPS. The performance drops by more than half when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 2560x1440 Medium?

A: The data shows an average of 162 FPS at this resolution and setting, with a minimum of 137 FPS. Given the CPU's high single-thread score and the GPU's 62nd percentile ranking, the GPU is the limiting factor; the CPU has sufficient headroom to maintain these frame rates without causing dips.

Q: What are the minimum FPS numbers for this combo?

A: Minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings. The minimums are 86 FPS at 4K, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 191 FPS at 1080p. No minimums are listed for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested combos for Inside?

A: It ranks 2556 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER support modern graphics APIs that Inside might use?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Inside was released before Vulkan became common, but the DirectX support ensures compatibility with all rendering paths.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers exceptional performance. Low settings yield an average of 281 FPS, which drops to 225 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 191 and maximum of 259), 141 FPS at High, and 134 FPS at Ultra. The scaling from High to Ultra at 1080p is modest, a difference of only 7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit for the performance cost at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows clear scaling. Low settings average 202 FPS, Medium averages 162 FPS (minimum 137, maximum 186), High averages 101 FPS, and Ultra averages 96 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 5 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset at 1440p is not significantly more demanding than High. The minimum FPS at Medium is 137, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning there are no noticeable stutters.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 127 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 202 FPS at 1440p Low. Medium averages 102 FPS (minimum 86, maximum 117), High averages 63 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 25 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 39 FPS, showing that the higher presets impose a heavy load on the RTX 2060 SUPER. The Ultra preset at 4K produces an average of 60 FPS, which is exactly the refresh rate of many monitors, but the lack of a minimum FPS value for Ultra means there is no data on frame pacing consistency at this setting.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested hardware combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2556 out of 3716. This places it in the 31st percentile of all combinations, meaning that roughly two-thirds of tested systems deliver higher frame rates. The ranking is a reflection of the GPU's age and mid-range positioning; while the CPU is a modern part that scores in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, the RTX 2060 SUPER was released in 2019 and is now end-of-life, scoring in the 62nd percentile of GPUs.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's lower percentile suggests that this combo is unbalanced for a game like Inside. The CPU is capable of far more than the GPU can deliver, especially at higher resolutions. However, the actual measured performance is still high in absolute terms. At 1080p, the combo outperforms many systems with more modern GPUs due to the CPU's excellent single-thread performance. The ranking is likely dragged down by the 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS, which is a common benchmark point for many systems. In contrast, the 1080p Low result of 281 FPS is among the highest for any combination, but the aggregate ranking weighs all resolutions and settings equally. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it delivers well above the 60 FPS threshold, rather than 4K, where it only achieves playable frame rates at Medium settings or below.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 141 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the Ultra preset only adds 7 FPS of cost while providing marginal visual improvements. If a player prioritizes maximum frame rates for a high-refresh display, the Low preset at 281 FPS is the clear choice, but the Medium preset at 225 FPS is a more reasonable middle ground that still far exceeds any display's refresh rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 162 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides smooth gameplay with a minimum FPS of 137. The High preset at 101 FPS is also viable for those who want better visuals, but the Ultra preset at 96 FPS offers almost no benefit over High and should be avoided. For 4K, the data suggests that the Low preset at 127 FPS is the only setting that provides a significant frame rate cushion. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is playable, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 63 and 60 FPS respectively, which are exactly at the 60 FPS threshold and may exhibit frame pacing issues given the lack of minimum FPS data for those settings. Therefore, for a 4K display, the Medium preset is the highest quality option that maintains a comfortable average frame rate, while the Low preset is recommended for those who want to ensure no dips below 100 FPS.