Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a game that is anything but demanding by modern standards. The benchmark results show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of triple-digit frame rates even at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down the measured data, focusing on how the resolution scales, which settings provide the optimal experience, and how this specific combination ranks against the broader database of tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of GPU limitation transitioning into a CPU-limited scenario at lower resolutions. At 4K with High settings, the RTX 5090 produces 150 FPS. Dropping to 1440p High increases performance to 239 FPS, a substantial 59.3% jump. Moving further down to 1080p High yields 311 FPS, another 30.1% improvement over the 1440p result. This scaling curve is steep, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at these higher resolutions. The RTX 5090's immense compute resources are being fully utilized, and reducing the pixel count directly translates into higher frame rates.

However, the scaling behavior changes dramatically when looking at lower settings. At 4K Low, the system achieves 300 FPS. At 1440p Low, it reaches 362 FPS, an increase of only 20.7%. At 1080p Low, the frame rate peaks at 404 FPS, a further 11.6% improvement. This diminishing return on resolution scaling is a clear indicator that the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, is starting to become the limiting factor. The gap between 1440p and 1080p at Low settings is much smaller than the gap between 4K and 1440p at High settings, suggesting that the CPU's processing capabilities are being saturated as the GPU workload decreases.

The most telling data point comes from comparing the Low and High settings at the same resolution. At 4K, Low (300 FPS) is exactly double the performance of High (150 FPS). This 2x multiplier strongly suggests that the High preset is introducing a significant GPU-side effect, such as more complex shading or post-processing, that doubles the render time. At 1080p, the difference between Low (404 FPS) and High (311 FPS) is a much smaller 23% gap. This compression of the performance delta at 1080p further confirms that the CPU is the limiting component at that resolution; the GPU has enough headroom to render both presets quickly, but the CPU cannot feed it frames fast enough to fully express the difference.

The data shows that the RTX 5090 is a monstrous GPU, but its full potential in Inside is only realized at 4K. At lower resolutions, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, becomes the bottleneck, capping performance around the 400 FPS mark. For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, this means the system is capable of delivering an incredibly smooth experience at any resolution, but the performance scaling indicates that the GPU is the dominant component in determining final frame rates at 4K, while the CPU takes over that role at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combination depend entirely on the target resolution, but the "Ultra" preset offers the most compelling experience at 4K and 1440p. At 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 143 FPS. This is a fantastic result, providing a high-refresh-rate experience that is well above the standard 60 FPS target. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K is a small 4.7% performance cost (from 150 FPS to 143 FPS), which is a negligible difference for what is likely a marginal visual improvement. Therefore, at 4K, Ultra is the clear choice.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset delivers 228 FPS, which is a massive 91.7% headroom above a 120Hz display's needs. The High preset at 1440p achieves 239 FPS, only a 4.6% increase over Ultra. Given this small delta, there is no reason to sacrifice the maximum visual fidelity. The system is so powerful that the performance difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is imperceptible in terms of smoothness, so enabling Ultra is the recommended path.

The situation is slightly different at 1080p. Here, the Ultra preset produces 305 FPS, while High produces 311 FPS, a difference of just 2%. Both are far beyond the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor. The Low preset at 1080p pushes the frame rate to 404 FPS, which is a 32.5% increase over Ultra. This could be relevant for competitive players using 360Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, but for the vast majority of users, the visual quality of the Ultra preset is far more valuable than the extra 100 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a middle ground at 373 FPS, but the Ultra preset's performance is already so high that its use is justified. The data strongly suggests that, for this game and this hardware, the Ultra preset should be the default choice at all resolutions, as it never drops below 143 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average frame rate of 143 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and provides a highly smooth experience.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate this combination can achieve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 404 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The highest measured frame rate for any single run was 429 FPS, also at 1080p with the Medium preset.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in Inside?*

A: The bottleneck shifts depending on settings and resolution. At 4K, the GPU (RTX 5090) is the limiting factor, as evidenced by a 2x performance difference between Low and High settings. At 1080p, the CPU (Intel Core Ultra 5 225) becomes the bottleneck, as frame rates plateau around 400 FPS regardless of significant setting changes.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The performance cost of Ultra over High is minimal. At 4K, the difference is just 7 FPS (143 vs 150). At 1440p, it is 11 FPS (228 vs 239). At 1080p, the difference is only 6 FPS (305 vs 311). In all cases, the cost is under 5%.

Q: Is there any benefit to using the Low preset?

A: The Low preset provides a significant performance boost, particularly at 4K where it doubles the frame rate from 150 FPS to 300 FPS. At 1080p, it offers the highest frame rates (404 FPS), which could benefit users with very high refresh rate displays (360Hz+). However, for most users, the visual quality trade-off is not worth the performance gain.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 4K Medium?

A: The data for 4K Medium shows an average of 240 FPS, with a minimum of 204 FPS and a maximum of 276 FPS. This indicates a frame time variance of approximately 30%, which suggests some minor stuttering or frame pacing issues, though the average remains very high.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 47th out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 1.6% of all systems tested, an elite tier of performance. The ranking reflects the raw power of the RTX 5090, which is a top-tier GPU. The CPU, while not the absolute fastest, is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU in this specific title.

The ranking is particularly impressive considering that the CPU itself, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, only ranks in the 85th percentile when compared to all other CPUs in the database. This suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of this high combo rank. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with the game's low CPU demands, allows the GPU to shine. The data indicates that this combo is not ranked higher likely due to the CPU's limitations in feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but at 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck, the system performs at a level consistent with the very top of the chart.

The nearest rivals for the CPU in general benchmarks, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, have average scores that are within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225. This shows that the CPU's performance is very competitive in its class. However, the sheer power of the RTX 5090 in this combo boosts it to a position that is unattainable with a weaker GPU. The 47th place ranking out of 2887 combos is a clear indication that this is a high-end system capable of delivering top-tier performance in Inside.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In the context of Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer, the CPU's role is not to manage complex AI or physics simulations, but rather to ensure a steady stream of draw calls and game logic updates to the GPU. The benchmark results show that this CPU is more than sufficient for this task.

The data shows that the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p. When the GPU's workload is light enough, the frame rate is capped by the CPU's ability to process the game's instructions. The fact that the frame rate plateaus at around 400 FPS at 1080p, regardless of whether the Low or High preset is used, points directly to the CPU's single-threaded performance as the bottleneck. While the Core Ultra 5 225 has a high boost clock of 4.90 GHz, the game likely relies on a single or a few threads, and the CPU's 10-core/10-thread configuration is not fully utilized.

This is not a criticism of the CPU. For a game like Inside, the CPU's performance is more than adequate to provide a flawless experience. The 404 FPS at 1080p Low is an extraordinary result. However, the data illustrates an important principle: even a very fast CPU can become the limiting factor when paired with an exceptionally powerful GPU in a less demanding game. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 show it is a capable processor, but no amount of multi-core performance can help if the game's main loop is single-threaded and the GPU is waiting for the next frame. The CPU's role here is to be fast enough to not hold back the GPU, and while it does at 4K, it does become the ceiling at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average frame rates for this combination, organized by resolution and settings.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 300 FPS
• Medium: 240 FPS (min 204, max 276)
• High: 150 FPS
• Ultra: 143 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 362 FPS
• Medium: 334 FPS (min 284, max 384)
• High: 239 FPS
• Ultra: 228 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 404 FPS
• Medium: 373 FPS (min 317, max 429)
• High: 311 FPS
• Ultra: 305 FPS

The data shows a clear hierarchy. At every resolution, the Low preset delivers the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The most significant performance gap is between Medium and High at 4K, where the frame rate drops by 37.5% (from 240 to 150 FPS). This suggests a major visual feature is enabled at the High preset. The gap between High and Ultra is consistently small across all resolutions, averaging less than 5%. This indicates that the Ultra preset adds little performance cost over High, making it a highly efficient choice for maximum visual fidelity. The minimum and maximum FPS data for the Medium preset show that frame times are generally consistent, with the largest variance observed at 1080p, ranging from 317 to 429 FPS.