Inside

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB shows a pronounced dependency on resolution, with the most dramatic scaling occurring between 1080p and 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 199 FPS average, which drops to 143 FPS at 2560x1440, and then falls to 90 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 37% reduction from 1440p to 4K, meaning the 4K result is only 45% of the 1080p figure.

The scaling pattern across all settings follows a similar trajectory. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 99 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, then to 45 at 4K. The Medium preset shows 159 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. In every case, the step from 1440p to 4K represents a larger percentage loss than the step from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical of a system where the graphics card becomes increasingly the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the combination is capable of very high frame rates—199 FPS on Low—suggesting that the CPU and GPU together are not severely constrained at this resolution. However, at 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 90 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 43 FPS. This steep decline points to the GPU's 4 GB memory capacity and its overall compute throughput as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s and a 128-bit bus, which is modest for 4K workloads. The 55.68 GPixel/s pixel rate and 7.127 TFLOPS FP32 performance are sufficient for 1080p but struggle to maintain high frame rates when the pixel count quadruples.

The resolution scaling behavior also reveals that the game is not heavily CPU-bound at any tested resolution. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, provides ample processing headroom for this puzzle platformer, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale almost linearly with the number of pixels rather than plateauing due to CPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the 199 FPS result is close to what many would consider a refresh-rate ceiling, yet the CPU still does not appear to be the limiting component. Instead, the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory subsystem govern the frame rate as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the GA107 chip using Samsung's 8 nm process, with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. Its base clock is 1545 MHz with a boost clock of 1740 MHz, and the memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical specification for understanding the game's performance at higher resolutions. In the measured results, the 4K Ultra preset yields 43 FPS average, while the 4K Low preset achieves 90 FPS—a 47 FPS spread that underscores how much the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth influence the outcome.

The GPU's 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs deliver a texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s. These figures are modest for 4K gaming, and the benchmark results confirm this: at 3840x2160, the average FPS across all four settings ranges from 43 to 90, with the Ultra preset at 43 FPS being barely playable for a smooth experience. The 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores are present but are not heavily leveraged in this puzzle platformer, which is primarily a 2D side-scrolling title with limited real-time ray tracing demands.

The RTX 3050 4 GB has a TDP of 90 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. This low power envelope is consistent with its performance class, but it also means the card lacks the brute force needed for 4K Ultra settings. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the combo reaches 159 FPS, and at 1080p High, it reaches 99 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is well-suited for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings, but pushing to 4K requires dropping to Low or Medium settings to maintain acceptable frame rates. The 4 GB VRAM is a particular concern at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes can exceed this capacity, leading to potential stuttering or texture swapping—though the measured average FPS does not show min FPS values for most resolutions, the Medium preset at 4K shows min FPS of 61, which is still playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 2511 out of 2887 tested combos for the game Inside. This places the combo in the lower percentile of all tested configurations, which is expected given the GPU's entry-level status and the CPU's mid-range positioning. The percentileVsAllCpus for the Core Ultra 5 225 is 85, indicating that the CPU itself is in the top 15% of all processors, but the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 50, meaning it sits at the median of all graphics cards. The combination of a strong CPU with a mediocre GPU results in a system that is GPU-limited in most scenarios, which is reflected in the low combo rank.

The combo rank of 2511 out of 2887 suggests that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this pairing in Inside. This is not surprising, as the RTX 3050 4 GB is an end-of-life product with limited VRAM and modest compute power. The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck—the Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938 and sits at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the GPU has no benchmark scores listed and no nearest rivals, which further emphasizes its lower standing in the performance hierarchy. The combo's rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's limitations, particularly at higher resolutions where the 4 GB memory capacity becomes a severe constraint.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, deltaPct -0.4), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, deltaPct -0.5). These rivals are all within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225's score, indicating that the CPU is competitive with its peers. However, this does little to improve the combo's rank when paired with the RTX 3050 4 GB, as the GPU remains the dominant factor in determining overall game performance. The benchmark results for the game show that the combo is capable of high frame rates at 1080p, but the rank of 2511 out of 2887 reflects that many other GPU options would deliver better results, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves 199 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. The Medium preset reaches 159 FPS with a min of 135 FPS and a max of 183 FPS. The High preset drops to 99 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 95 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 104 FPS, indicating that the game is highly scalable with settings at this resolution. All 1080p results exceed 90 FPS, making the experience smooth on a standard 60 Hz display and even viable on a 144 Hz monitor when using Low or Medium settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. The Low preset achieves 143 FPS, which is a 28% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 114 FPS with a min of 97 FPS and a max of 131 FPS. The High preset reaches 71 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 68 FPS. The 1440p results show that the combo can still handle the game at playable frame rates, but the Ultra preset at 68 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, and the High preset at 71 FPS is only slightly better. The Medium preset at 114 FPS is the sweet spot for 1440p, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. The Low preset averages 90 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS with a min of 61 FPS and a max of 83 FPS, meaning the frame rate occasionally dips to around 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 43 FPS. These 4K results highlight the GPU's limitations: the 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-quality 4K rendering. The data shows that the game is playable at 4K only on Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame rate is not high enough for a 120 Hz display. The min FPS of 61 FPS at 4K Medium is particularly noteworthy, as it indicates that the system can maintain a playable frame rate in most scenes, but the average of 72 FPS is not far above that minimum.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 199 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 159 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, followed by 143 FPS at 1440p with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 90, and with Medium settings, it is 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. High and Ultra settings at 4K produce 45 FPS and 43 FPS, respectively, which are below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0). It is slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, deltaPct -0.5).

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS on all settings?

A: At 1920x1080, all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieve average FPS above 95, so 1080p is the only resolution where the combo maintains 60+ FPS across the board. At 1440p, the High and Ultra settings drop to 71 FPS and 68 FPS, which are still above 60 FPS, but at 4K, only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Which setting preset offers the most balanced performance at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 114 FPS average with a minimum of 97 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. The High preset at 71 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset provides a much larger margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 85, indicating it is a strong processor, while the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 50. The resolution scaling data shows that frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU limitation rather than CPU limitation.

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 by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The processor's integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units, but for this game, the discrete RTX 3050 handles all rendering.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is relatively minor due to the game's simplistic 2D puzzle-platformer nature. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 199 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limits rather than a CPU bottleneck. The CPU's single-core performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and Passmark single-thread score of 4412. Multi-core performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30459. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle any game logic or physics calculations that Inside requires without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (within 0.5%), meaning that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would likely produce similar game performance. The data confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo—the GPU is. This is evident from the fact that the combo ranks 2511 out of 2887, despite the CPU being in the 85th percentile of all processors. The CPU's high performance does not boost the combo's rank because the RTX 3050 4 GB cannot fully utilize the CPU's capabilities at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU provides enough headroom to reach high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's limitations cap the performance regardless of the CPU's strength.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides 159 FPS average with a minimum of 135 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 99 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers a 60 FPS advantage over High with only a modest visual quality reduction. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is only slightly lower than High, so players seeking maximum visual fidelity at 1080p can use Ultra with near-identical performance to High.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers 114 FPS average with a minimum of 97 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience without any drops below 60 FPS. The High preset at 71 FPS is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes, and the Ultra preset at 68 FPS is similarly borderline. The Low preset at 143 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the visual quality reduction is substantial. For most players, Medium offers the best balance of frame rate and visual fidelity at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only reasonable choice for a playable experience, with 72 FPS average and a minimum of 61 FPS. The Low preset at 90 FPS is smoother but sacrifices significant visual quality. The High and Ultra presets at 45 FPS and 43 FPS, respectively, are not recommended as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in a less fluid experience. For 4K gaming, the data suggests using Medium settings to maintain a consistent frame rate, or dropping to Low if a higher frame rate is preferred. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst option, combining low FPS with the highest graphical demands, making it unsuitable for this combo.