Inside

Inside is a deliberately minimal puzzle platformer, but its measured performance on the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a surprisingly scalable engine that favors high refresh rates at every tested setting. The data shows a combination that is far more capable than the game’s modest visuals might suggest, with frame rates that remain fluid even at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down how the resolution and settings scale, what the GPU contributes, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but consistent, indicating that the RTX 4060 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 333 FPS at 1920x1080 to 239 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28%, and then to 150 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 37% drop from the 1440p result. This pattern shows a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 begin to feel the pressure of pushing four times the pixels of 1080p.

The scaling at Medium settings follows a similar trajectory but with a slightly different curve. At 1080p Medium, the average is 266 FPS, which drops to 192 FPS at 1440p and then to 120 FPS at 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 1440p is 27.8%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 37.5%. This near-linear scaling suggests that the game’s rendering load increases proportionally with resolution, with no sudden bottleneck from the CPU or memory bandwidth until the very high end.

At High and Ultra settings, the resolution scaling becomes more pronounced, particularly when moving from 1440p to 4K. For High, the average FPS goes from 167 at 1080p, to 120 at 1440p, and finally to 75 at 4K. That final step represents a 37.5% drop, which is significant but still playable. Ultra settings show a similar pattern: 159 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra is relatively narrow at each resolution, with Ultra typically being about 5% slower than High in average frame rate, indicating that the extra visual fidelity from Ultra comes at a modest cost.

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is never the limiting factor in this game. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would typically be taxed to feed a high frame rate, the system delivers 333 FPS on average. This indicates that the CPU has ample headroom, and the RTX 4060 is the component that dictates the final frame rate as resolution increases. The 4K results, ranging from 72 FPS on Ultra to 150 FPS on Low, show that the GPU is the bottleneck, but it is a bottleneck that still provides a smooth experience in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 plays a central role in these results, with its performance characteristics directly shaping the frame rates across all settings. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for Inside’s art style but explains the more substantial performance drops at 4K. The card’s boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz allow it to sustain high throughput, but the data shows that pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become constraints at higher resolutions.

The RTX 4060’s benchmark scores put it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17666 with a deltaPct of -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon 780M, which scores 17588 with a deltaPct of 0.3%. These rivals are not directly comparable in real-world gaming, but the close synthetic scores highlight that the RTX 4060 is positioned in a specific performance tier. In Inside, however, the GPU demonstrates it can handle even 4K Ultra at 72 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold for a puzzle platformer.

The GPU’s 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are the key architectural specs that drive its performance in this game. At 1080p Low, the card delivers 333 FPS, which is likely close to the engine’s maximum frame rate cap or the point where CPU overhead becomes relevant. The fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low (333 FPS) is more than double the 4K Low result (150 FPS) suggests that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is efficiently utilized at lower resolutions but becomes saturated at 4K. The RTX 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than enough for this title, and the data confirms that the limiting factor is memory bandwidth and ROP throughput rather than raw compute power.

The 12-pin power connector and 115 W TDP indicate that this is a power-efficient card, which is typical for the GeForce 40-series based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. While power consumption is not directly measured in the FPS data, the card’s efficiency allows it to maintain high clocks without thermal throttling, which would otherwise impact frame rates in longer sessions. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures that it is fully compatible with the game’s rendering requirements, though Inside is not a demanding title in terms of API features.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p on High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 on High settings is 167 FPS. This is a very smooth experience, well above the 60 FPS threshold, and indicates that the CPU-GPU combination is well balanced for this resolution.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 72 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it is 159 FPS. This represents a 54.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, showing that the RTX 4060 is heavily taxed at the highest resolution.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 225 a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 333 FPS on average, which is a very high frame rate that would typically expose CPU limitations. The 10-core, 10-thread processor has sufficient headroom for this game.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded across all tested settings?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 72 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 on Ultra settings. This is still a playable frame rate for a puzzle platformer, but it is the most demanding configuration in the test set.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4060 has an average score of 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the Radeon is 0.2% faster in these tests. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, which is 0.3% slower than the RTX 4060.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 192 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 114 FPS. This is a difference of 78 FPS, or a 40.6% reduction in performance when switching from Medium to Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1411 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is a notable position given the game’s age and low system requirements. The rank of 1411 indicates that while this setup is not at the top of the leaderboard, it is also far from the bottom, and it outperforms a significant portion of the tested configurations.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 85 versus all CPUs suggests that the Core Ultra 5 225 is a strong processor in general terms, but its specific pairing with the RTX 4060 does not push it into the top tier for this game. The GPU’s percentile rank of 61 versus all GPUs is more modest, and this likely drags down the overall combo ranking. In a game like Inside, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, the RTX 4060’s mid-range positioning is the deciding factor.

The combo’s rank of 1411 out of 2887 means it sits at roughly the 51st percentile of tested combos, meaning it performs better than about half of the configurations in the database. This is a reasonable result for a mid-range CPU and GPU pairing, and it suggests that users with this setup can expect a solid experience in Inside without any major compromises. The data does not show any specific rival combos for this game, but the individual component rankings provide context for where this pairing falls in the broader hierarchy.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the system performs across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptionally high across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 333 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows with 266 FPS, including a minimum of 226 FPS and a maximum of 306 FPS. The High preset drops to 167 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 159 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is never challenged, and even the most demanding settings provide a frame rate that is more than three times the standard 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 239 FPS, which is still excellent for a 1440p display. The Medium preset averages 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 220 FPS. The High preset delivers 120 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 114 FPS. These results show that 1440p is still a very comfortable resolution for this combo, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a frame rate that is nearly double the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more moderate but remains playable. The Low preset averages 150 FPS, which is impressive for 4K and demonstrates the GPU’s capability in less demanding scenarios. The Medium preset averages 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 75 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 72 FPS. These 4K results show that the RTX 4060 can handle the resolution, but the higher settings bring the frame rate down to a level that is comparable to a console experience rather than a high-refresh-rate PC.

The consistency of the frame rates, as indicated by the minimum and maximum values for the Medium preset, is noteworthy. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 226 FPS and maximum of 306 FPS show a spread of 80 FPS, which is relatively wide but still maintains a high floor. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 57 FPS (163 to 220), and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 36 FPS (102 to 138). This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is working more consistently, even as the average frame rate drops.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s display resolution and refresh rate priorities. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers an average of 159 FPS. This is more than sufficient for a 144Hz monitor and provides the best visual quality without any meaningful performance compromise. The High preset at 167 FPS is only 8 FPS faster, so the visual gains from Ultra are worth the minor frame rate reduction.

For users with a 1440p display, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with an average of 120 FPS. This is ideal for a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor and provides a smooth, responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is also viable, but the 6 FPS difference may not justify the potential visual upgrade, depending on the user’s sensitivity to frame rate. The Medium preset at 192 FPS is an option for those who prioritize maximum frame rates, but the visual downgrade from High is likely not worth it for a game like Inside.

For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, with an average of 120 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on a 120Hz display and maintains a consistent frame rate, as evidenced by the 102 FPS minimum. The Low preset at 150 FPS is an alternative for those who want even higher frame rates, but the visual quality at Low is significantly reduced. The High and Ultra presets at 75 FPS and 72 FPS respectively are playable but may not be ideal for users who are accustomed to higher refresh rates.

In summary, the data suggests that the Ultra preset is best for 1080p, the High preset is best for 1440p, and the Medium preset is best for 4K. These settings provide the highest visual quality while maintaining an average frame rate that is at least double the standard 60 FPS target, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience in Inside. The system’s ability to deliver over 100 FPS at 4K Medium reflects the efficiency of both the CPU and GPU in this specific title.