Inside

# Inside on Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable but heavily GPU-limited experience in Inside, with the CPU showing far more headroom than the integrated graphics can exploit. Benchmark results indicate the combo ranks 2547th out of 2887 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all combos for this title. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance — an average benchmark score of 46062, which sits within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 7303 and AMD EPYC 4364P — contrasts sharply with the Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it just 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. This imbalance defines the system's behavior: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 156 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 34 FPS, a 78% reduction that clearly points to the GPU as the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor built on Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which was released in 2016 and does not demand heavy parallel processing, this CPU is substantially over-provisioned. The single-thread performance, measured at 2085 in Cinebench R23 single-core, ensures that the game's logic and physics updates run comfortably without bottlenecking the frame pipeline.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 at 46030 (0.1% slower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX at 46098 (0.1% faster), the AMD EPYC 4364P at 45970 (0.2% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7303 at 45960 (0.2% slower). These margins are negligible, meaning the Ultra 5 235 delivers performance statistically identical to those four processors. In Inside, this computational capacity is largely idle; the game's modest CPU requirements mean that even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 156 FPS, the processor is unlikely to be the constraint. The data supports this: as resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, frame rates drop consistently across all settings, a pattern indicative of GPU saturation rather than CPU exhaustion.

The architecture's efficiency also matters. With a 3 nm process and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, the Ultra 5 235 delivers high performance per watt. However, the integrated graphics on the CPU — Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 EU — are irrelevant here because the system uses the discrete Arc B390 GPU instead. The CPU's memory support for DDR5 at dual-channel with a theoretical bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s provides ample bandwidth for feeding both the processor and the shared-memory GPU, though the actual impact on Inside is minimal given the game's age and low data throughput requirements.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo averages 156 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 70 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 34 FPS. This steep decline across all settings indicates the Intel Arc B390's rendering throughput is the limiting factor. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it lacks the raw pixel-pushing capability to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 strong enough for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU is more than adequate. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 are far above what Inside requires. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 46062, shows it can handle far more demanding workloads. The fact that frame rates scale inversely with resolution — not with CPU load — confirms the processor is not the bottleneck.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level or legacy parts, indicating the Arc B390 performs at a very low tier relative to modern discrete GPUs.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p on High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 56 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is identical to the 4K High average of 35 FPS — wait, that's incorrect. The 1440p High average is 56 FPS, while 4K High is 35 FPS. For 1440p, Medium settings yield 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 and maximum of 103, while Ultra settings drop to 53 FPS average.

Q: Does the combo's ranking in this game reflect its overall hardware capability?

A: No. The combo ranks 2547th out of 2887 tested combinations for Inside, placing it in the bottom 12%. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU's weak performance (9th percentile among all GPUs), not the CPU, which sits in the 89th percentile. The mismatch creates a system where the processor's potential is largely untapped in this title.

*Q: Is the system usable for 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 70, which is playable. However, at 4K Medium, the average drops to 56 FPS with a minimum of 48, and at 4K High or Ultra, the averages fall to 35 and 34 FPS respectively, which may exhibit noticeable stutter. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern: frame rates plummet as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average is 156 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 112 FPS (a 28% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 70 FPS (a further 37.5% reduction). This scaling is typical of a GPU with limited fill rate and shading power — the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for higher resolutions. The pattern holds across all settings. For Medium, 1080p averages 125 FPS, 1440p drops to 90 FPS, and 4K falls to 56 FPS. For High, the numbers are 78, 56, and 35 FPS respectively. For Ultra, they are 74, 53, and 34 FPS.

The relative consistency of the drop from 1440p to 4K — roughly 37% to 38% for Low, Medium, and High — indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent due to shared memory architecture, does not create a cliff but rather a smooth degradation. The fact that the CPU is not the limiter is evident because if it were, frame rates would remain flat across resolutions. Instead, the data shows a strong inverse correlation between pixel count and FPS. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 106 and maximum is 144, suggesting the system can hold near-monitor-refresh rates at lower resolutions but struggles as pixel count increases. The 4K Medium data includes a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS, showing a wide variance that could result in perceptible frame pacing issues. Overall, the resolution scaling analysis indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with 1440p being acceptable at Low or Medium settings, and 4K only viable at Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2547 out of 2887 tested configurations for Inside places it in the bottom 12% of all systems benchmarked for this game. This low standing is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The Intel Arc B390's percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs means it outperforms only a tiny fraction of graphics cards tested, while the CPU's 89th percentile ranking shows it is competitive with high-end processors. The disparity between these two components creates a system that is severely imbalanced for gaming: the CPU could easily drive a much more powerful GPU without becoming a bottleneck, but the current pairing leaves significant performance on the table.

Compared to the nearest CPU rivals, the Ultra 5 235's average benchmark score of 46062 is within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970), and within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098). This means that swapping the CPU for any of these four processors would yield virtually identical performance in Inside, assuming the same GPU. On the GPU side, the Arc B390's nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from a decade ago: the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The Arc B390 leads these by margins of 1.3% to 2.7%, which is marginal in real-world terms. This comparison underscores that the GPU is a legacy-tier component in terms of gaming performance, despite its modern architecture.

The low combo rank also reflects the fact that Inside is not a demanding title; many older or lower-end systems can run it well. With 2887 combos tested, a 2547th rank means that 340 configurations performed worse, but the vast majority of modern systems outperform this pairing. The data suggests that users of this combo should either stick to 1080p gaming or lower settings at higher resolutions to achieve playable frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process as part of the Panther Lake generation. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (2:1 ratio), with pixel and texture rates of 60.00 GPixel/s and 120.0 GTexel/s respectively. Critically, the memory configuration is "System Shared" — there is no dedicated VRAM, and bandwidth is system-dependent, relying on the CPU's DDR5 memory.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of exactly that value. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These are all low-end or obsolete parts, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance in Inside. The game, released in 2016, is not graphically intensive, yet the GPU still struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. This is because the shared memory architecture limits effective bandwidth; the system's theoretical CPU memory bandwidth is 102.4 GB/s, but the GPU must compete with the CPU for that bandwidth, which can reduce effective throughput in practice.

The GPU's feature set is modern — it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 — but Inside is an older title that likely does not leverage these advanced APIs fully. The ray tracing cores and high FP16 throughput are irrelevant for this game. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is around 156 FPS at 1080p Low, but this drops to 74 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution — 82 FPS on average — demonstrates that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are the limiting factors when increasing graphical fidelity. The 24 ROPs are particularly low, which directly impacts fill-rate-bound scenarios at higher resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. Low settings yield an average of 156 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 78 FPS. Ultra settings yield an average of 74 FPS. The data shows a clear step-down from Low to Medium (31 FPS drop), then a smaller step from Medium to High (47 FPS drop), and a minimal difference between High and Ultra (4 FPS drop), suggesting that Ultra settings add little visual cost relative to High.

At 2560x1440, the performance falls significantly. Low settings average 112 FPS. Medium settings average 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 56 FPS. Ultra settings average 53 FPS. The relative scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows reductions of 28% for Low (156 to 112), 28% for Medium (125 to 90), 28% for High (78 to 56), and 28% for Ultra (74 to 53). This consistency indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput scales linearly with resolution, which is expected for a fill-rate-limited scenario.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings average 70 FPS. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS. Ultra settings average 34 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper in percentage terms: 37.5% for Low (112 to 70), 37.8% for Medium (90 to 56), 37.5% for High (56 to 35), and 35.8% for Ultra (53 to 34). This accelerated decline at 4K is consistent with the GPU exhausting its memory bandwidth and ROP throughput, as the shared memory system cannot keep up with the 4x pixel count increase from 1080p. The 4K Medium data shows a minimum of 48 FPS, which may dip below the 50 FPS threshold that some users consider the minimum for smooth play, while 4K High and Ultra averages of 35 and 34 FPS respectively are likely to exhibit noticeable stutter. For users targeting 60+ FPS, 1080p Low or Medium is the only reliable option, while 1440p Low approaches that target at 112 FPS. The data unequivocally shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming in Inside, with higher resolutions requiring substantial settings reductions to remain playable.