Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle platformer from Playdead, presents an unusual benchmark scenario when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. The measured data shows this combination achieves a combo rank of 174 out of 2887 tested configurations, placing it in the top 6% of all tested combos for this specific title. This high ranking is notable given that the game is not typically considered a demanding title, yet the hardware still demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy across different settings and resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for running Inside at maximum fidelity, with the data suggesting that the primary bottleneck shifts dramatically depending on the graphical preset selected.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 174 out of 2887 tested combos places this specific CPU-GPU pairing in the top tier of systems for Inside. This positioning is particularly impressive when considering the raw benchmark scores of the individual components. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 achieves an average benchmark score of 46062, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, directly competing with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, deltaPct -0.1). Meanwhile, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, which places it in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334, deltaPct 0.4) and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177, deltaPct 1.2).

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile ranking (89th) and the GPU's more modest ranking (64th) is crucial for understanding this combo's performance in Inside. The game's relatively simple 2D side-scrolling visuals rely more heavily on the CPU for physics and game logic than on the GPU for complex geometry. This explains why the combo achieves such a high rank despite the GPU not being in the top tier of all GPUs. The data shows that the Core Ultra 5 235's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and Passmark single-thread score of 4516, combined with the GPU's substantial raw power, creates a synergy that excels in this title. The 0.1% deltaPct between the Core Ultra 5 235 and the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in average CPU score suggests that these processors are essentially interchangeable for this workload, further cementing the CPU's role as a capable performer in this scenario.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings a specific architectural profile to this benchmark that directly influences Inside's performance. With 14 cores and 14 threads, this processor eschews hyperthreading in favor of a straightforward core count, operating at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The Arrow Lake architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, provides 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. These specifications translate to the benchmark results showing a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085, which are relevant to Inside's performance characteristics.

For a puzzle platformer like Inside, the CPU's single-threaded performance is often more critical than multi-threaded throughput. The game's physics calculations, character movement, and object interactions typically rely on a limited number of threads. The Passmark data supports this theory: the CPU scores 4516 in single-thread tests, which is notably strong, while multi-threaded performance reaches 37816. The data compression score of 390711 and floating-point math score of 117951 indicate robust general-purpose computing capabilities that benefit game logic. The 65 W TDP (thermal design power) suggests that the processor can sustain high clocks without throttling, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame rates in a game that may have variable CPU load depending on on-screen action.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU's role in this combo is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU to operate without constraint. At lower settings and resolutions where the GPU has excess headroom, the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates becomes the limiting factor. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support ensure that data can flow efficiently between the CPU and GPU, preventing memory bandwidth bottlenecks that could otherwise reduce performance in a game with frequent asset loading.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems for Inside?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 174th out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations for this game. This high rank reflects the hardware's strong performance in the benchmark tests.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 falls into the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. This places it in direct competition with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, deltaPct -0.1).

Q: How does the GPU's performance percentile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX sits in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 19410. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334, deltaPct 0.4) and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177, deltaPct 1.2).

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 413, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is substantially higher than the 1080p Ultra average of 255 FPS, demonstrating a significant performance range across settings.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is far more than sufficient for Inside, which is a lightweight title in terms of graphics memory requirements.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 115, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This still provides a smooth experience, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the most common gaming resolution, the results show exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings achieve an average of 413 FPS, Medium settings reach 381 FPS (with a minimum of 324 FPS and maximum of 439 FPS), High settings deliver 268 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 255 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is relatively small at 32 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is more pronounced at 113 FPS, suggesting that High settings introduce significant visual enhancements that impact performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows expected scaling. Low settings average 370 FPS, Medium settings average 308 FPS (with a minimum of 262 FPS and maximum of 355 FPS), High settings average 193 FPS, and Ultra settings average 184 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in approximately 10% performance loss at Low settings (from 413 to 370 FPS), which is relatively modest. The larger drop occurs at High settings, where the frame rate falls from 268 to 193 FPS, a 28% reduction that indicates increased GPU load from the higher resolution.

At 3840x2160, the 4K resolution, the performance remains playable but demonstrates the GPU's limits. Low settings average 242 FPS, Medium settings average 194 FPS (with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 223 FPS), High settings average 121 FPS, and Ultra settings average 115 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal at just 6 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects have diminishing returns at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K provides the best balance, with 194 FPS average and a minimum of 165 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay. The data shows that this combo can handle 4K gaming in Inside at all settings, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining an average above 100 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about which component is limiting performance in Inside. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 413 at 1080p to 370 at 1440p (a 10.4% decrease), and then to 242 at 4K (a 34.6% decrease from 1440p). This progressive decline suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly important as resolution increases, but the CPU still has headroom to spare even at 4K Low settings with 242 FPS.

At High settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 268 FPS at 1080p, 193 FPS at 1440p (a 28% decrease), and 121 FPS at 4K (a 37.3% decrease from 1440p). The steeper drop from 1080p to 1440p compared to the Low setting's scaling indicates that the GPU is starting to become a limiting factor at higher quality presets. However, the fact that 4K High still achieves 121 FPS suggests that the GPU has substantial headroom for this game.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 381 FPS with a range of 324-439 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 308 FPS (a 19.2% decrease) with a range of 262-355 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 194 FPS (a 37% decrease from 1440p) with a range of 165-223 FPS. The consistent 37% drop from 1440p to 4K across Medium and High settings indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at these quality levels and higher resolutions. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium (165 FPS) remain well above playable thresholds, confirming that the GPU's 24 GB of VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are not being taxed by this game's requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and display refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all settings provide well over 240 FPS, meaning even the Ultra preset at 255 FPS average is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays up to 240 Hz. The Medium preset at 381 FPS offers the best balance for competitive play or extremely high refresh rates, but the visual differences between Medium and Ultra may not justify the 126 FPS performance cost for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 184 FPS average is still exceptionally smooth and suitable for 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays. The High preset at 193 FPS is nearly identical in performance, so users could choose either based on preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate consistency. The Medium preset at 308 FPS provides headroom for future demanding scenes or for users with 360 Hz displays, though the visual tradeoff may not be worth it for a game like Inside.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset at 115 FPS average is playable on 120 Hz displays, but the High preset at 121 FPS is nearly identical, making Ultra the recommended choice for maximum visual quality at this resolution. The Medium preset at 194 FPS is the best option for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz 4K displays, offering a substantial 73 FPS advantage over High while maintaining a minimum of 165 FPS. For the vast majority of 4K displays capped at 60 Hz, even the Ultra preset provides double the required frame rate, so users should select Ultra for the best visual experience without concern for performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX plays a significant role in this combo's Inside performance, despite the game's relatively simple graphics. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this title. The Navi 31 chip, built on RDNA 3.0 architecture and TSMC's 5 nm process, operates at a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz. With 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 raster operation units, the GPU provides substantial parallel processing capability.

The GPU's benchmark scores indicate its performance characteristics: a Passmark G3D score of 31238 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 85612. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6841 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 50465 further demonstrate its compute capabilities. The GPU's 64th percentile ranking among all GPUs is somewhat misleading in this context, as its nearest rivals in the Passmark database (GTX 1060 3 GB, Quadro K5200, FirePro D300) are vastly different in performance class, indicating that the percentile is based on a broad range of GPUs rather than direct competitors.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the FPS drops accordingly, demonstrating that the GPU is now the bottleneck. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 115 FPS average indicates that the RX 7900 XTX is never truly stressed by this game, and its 355 W TDP and dual-slot design provide ample thermal headroom for sustained performance. The GPU's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 ensures compatibility with Inside's rendering requirements, while its 96 ray tracing cores and 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 performance are largely unused in this title but indicate future-proofing for more demanding games.