Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers an exceptionally strong showing in Inside, a puzzle platformer that clearly does not stress modern high-end components. The measured data shows this combination pushing frame rates well beyond what most displays can even use, even at the highest settings and most demanding resolution. This pairing operates in a performance tier where the primary question is not whether it can hit a target frame rate, but rather how much headroom remains for future titles or higher refresh rate monitors. The results are consistent, with the CPU and GPU both showing they have ample capacity for this title’s demands.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate does this combo achieve at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 produce an average of 206 FPS. This is the lowest average at 1080p, but it remains far above the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 positions it competitively. Its overall average benchmark score of 46062 places it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030, a delta of just 0.1%, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098, a delta of -0.1%.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 9070’s performance more similar to a desktop or mobile GPU?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23877 places it very close to the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which scores 24063, a delta of -0.8%. It also sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which scores 24170, a delta of -1.2%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, which scores 23736, a delta of 0.6%.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 156 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 148 FPS. This is a difference of only 8 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset is nearly as efficient as High at this resolution.

Q: Does the combination perform better at 4K Low or 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Low preset achieves an average of 196 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra preset achieves an average of 206 FPS. The 10 FPS difference shows that resolution scaling is highly efficient, with even the most demanding resolution at Low settings nearly matching the least demanding resolution at Ultra settings.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the CPU and GPU individually?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. This indicates that the CPU is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own peers.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It carries 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1330 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These specifications are substantial, but in the context of Inside, they are far more than the game requires.

The data shows that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor in this title. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 413 FPS, which indicates that the rendering pipeline is not constrained by the GPU’s raw compute power. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 93, which is still comfortably playable on a high refresh rate display. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for this game’s assets, and the high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations are not bottlenecks.

The GPU’s role in this pairing becomes more apparent at higher resolutions and settings. The transition from 1080p Ultra (206 FPS) to 4K Ultra (93 FPS) represents a significant drop, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to feel the load at 4K with all settings maxed. However, the fact that 4K Low still produces 196 FPS demonstrates that the GPU has ample headroom when graphical effects are reduced. The 56 ray tracing cores and 128 ROPs are present, but Inside does not utilize ray tracing, so these resources are largely idle. The FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS is high, yet the game’s simple geometry and lighting mean that this compute power is not fully exercised.

In practical terms, the RX 9070 is overqualified for Inside. The measured results show that the GPU can handle every tested configuration with ease, and the only scenario where it approaches its limits is at 4K Ultra, where it still maintains an average above 90 FPS. For a puzzle platformer, this level of performance is excessive but welcome, as it provides a fluid experience with no perceptible stutter or frame pacing issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 583rd out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 20% of all configurations in the database, which is a strong result given the game’s age and low system requirements. The rank reflects the sheer performance of both components, but it also indicates that many other combos, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates at the most demanding settings.

The CPU’s high percentile ranking (89th) compared to the GPU’s (69th) suggests that the processor is the stronger component in this pairing. This is reflected in the benchmark scores: the Core Ultra 5 235’s average score of 46062 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, while the RX 9070’s average score of 23877 is only slightly above the GTX TITAN Z. The combo’s rank of 583 is likely influenced by the GPU’s relatively lower standing, as other combos with top-tier CPUs and GPUs will naturally outperform this pairing in raw FPS.

However, the rank should be interpreted with caution. Inside is not a demanding title, and the differences between combos at this level of performance are often negligible in practice. A combo ranked higher may achieve 250 FPS at 4K Ultra, but the user experience at 93 FPS is already flawless. The data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience, and the rank of 583 does not reflect any deficiency in real-world gameplay. It simply indicates that there are many other configurations with more powerful GPUs that can push frame rates even higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of its performance. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 413 FPS on Low, 346 FPS on Medium, 217 FPS on High, and 206 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset also includes a minimum FPS of 294 and a maximum of 398, indicating consistent frame pacing. The spread from Low to Ultra is 207 FPS, showing that the graphics settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 311 FPS on Low, 249 FPS on Medium, 156 FPS on High, and 148 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 212 FPS and a maximum of 287 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial but expected, with the Low preset losing 102 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 58 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is handling the additional pixel count efficiently, but the CPU is also playing a role in maintaining high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 196 FPS on Low, 157 FPS on Medium, 98 FPS on High, and 93 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in further drops, with the Low preset losing 115 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 55 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 93 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains highly playable.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 207 FPS; at 1440p, it is 163 FPS; and at 4K, it is 103 FPS. This suggests that the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck at higher resolutions, but the CPU is still capable of delivering high frame rates even when the GPU is heavily loaded.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a key indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 413 FPS, which drops to 311 FPS at 1440p and 196 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 52.5% drop from 1080p to 4K. For the Ultra preset, the frame rates are 206 FPS at 1080p, 148 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K, which are drops of 28.2% and 54.9%, respectively.

The percentage drops are relatively consistent across settings, indicating that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU’s pixel throughput. The RX 9070’s pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are being exercised more as resolution increases. The fact that the frame rate does not halve when going from 1080p to 4K (which has four times the pixels) suggests that the CPU is still contributing, especially at lower settings where the GPU is less stressed.

At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can feed it. This is evidenced by the 413 FPS average, which is far above the GPU’s typical performance ceiling in more demanding titles. As resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows, and it gradually becomes the primary bottleneck. By 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, with the CPU having ample headroom to spare.

The data shows that this combo scales predictably, with no sudden cliffs or anomalies. The Medium preset at each resolution shows the most balanced performance, with minimum FPS values that are not far below the averages. This suggests that the system is well-balanced and does not suffer from severe frame time spikes, even when the GPU is working harder at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience in Inside, the data suggests that the Medium preset offers the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 346 FPS with a minimum of 294 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show. At 1440p Medium, the average is 249 FPS with a minimum of 212 FPS, still providing a massive buffer above typical 144 Hz refresh rates. Even at 4K Medium, the average of 157 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS is excellent.

The High preset is also a strong choice, with averages of 217 FPS at 1080p, 156 FPS at 1440p, and 98 FPS at 4K. However, the jump from Medium to High offers diminishing returns in visual fidelity for this game, and the frame rate cost is noticeable, especially at 4K where the average drops below 100 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually identical to High in most respects, only provides marginal improvements at the cost of additional performance, with 206 FPS at 1080p and 93 FPS at 4K.

For users with a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, the Low preset is unnecessary, as even Ultra settings at 4K exceed 60 FPS. The Medium preset is recommended for most users, as it provides the highest minimum frame rates while still looking great. The minimum FPS data for Medium shows 294 FPS at 1080p, 212 FPS at 1440p, and 133 FPS at 4K, which are all well above the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum graphical fidelity and have a display that can take advantage of the extra frames. The difference between High and Ultra is small, but at 1080p and 1440p, both presets deliver frame rates that are indistinguishable in practice. At 4K, the 5 FPS difference between High (98 FPS) and Ultra (93 FPS) is negligible, so either preset is viable. Given the game’s simple art style, the Medium preset is the most practical choice, offering the best combination of high frame rates and consistent frame pacing across all resolutions.