Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that makes unusual demands on modern hardware, and the combination of an Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a fascinating set of results. The data shows this pairing is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates, but the pattern of performance across settings and resolutions reveals a complex interplay between the CPU's strong single-threaded capabilities and the GPU's aging architecture. This analysis digs into the measured frames per second (FPS) figures to understand what this specific combo means for players of this atmospheric title.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 1973 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the 68th percentile of all systems tested for this game. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier performer, it sits comfortably above the median, offering a solid experience for a game of this era.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% ahead of both the AMD EPYC 4364P and the AMD EPYC 7303. Conversely, it trails the Intel Core i9-13900HX by a mere 0.1%, showing that these four processors are effectively performance equals in general processing tasks.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this hardware in Inside?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 281, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This highlights the extreme scalability of the game's engine, as this older title can push frame rates far beyond what most modern displays can even show.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER provide a playable experience at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows it is playable at 4K. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 63, which is above the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth. With Medium settings, it averages 102 FPS, and even at the demanding Ultra preset, it maintains a 60 FPS average.

Q: What is the role of the CPU's core and thread count in this game's performance?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 features 14 cores and 14 threads, which is a substantial amount for a desktop processor. Given that the benchmark shows extremely high frame rates at lower resolutions (281 FPS at 1080p Low), the CPU's strong multi-core and single-core performance, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, is sufficient to prevent bottlenecking even when the GPU is not heavily taxed.

Q: Are there any measurable frame time inconsistencies at specific settings?

A: Yes, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS values only for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 and a maximum of 259. This indicates a frame time variance of about 68 FPS, which, while significant in number, is less noticeable at such high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 1973 out of 2887 combinations (comboRankInGame) might seem mid-pack at first glance, but it is crucial to interpret this in the context of the game's release date. Inside is a 2016 title, and the hardware being tested is a 2025 CPU paired with a 2019 GPU. The fact that this combo still lands in the 68th percentile suggests that the primary limiter is the GPU, which is being outpaced by newer graphics cards in the database. The CPU, being relatively modern and powerful, is likely not the constraining factor.

This ranking implies that for a game like Inside, which is not graphically intensive by modern standards, the RTX 2060 SUPER's age is showing. Many other combos, likely featuring newer mid-range or high-end GPUs, will achieve higher frame rates, especially at 4K. However, the absolute performance is still very high. A rank of 1973 does not mean a poor experience; it means that in a database of 2887 systems, 1972 of them are faster. Given that the game is from 2016, this confirms how well this particular pairing handles the title, delivering frame rates that are multiples of the standard 60 FPS target at most settings.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of each other, suggesting that the choice between the Core Ultra 5 235 and processors like the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 would have a negligible impact on the final FPS in this game. The performance is, for all intents and purposes, identical. This means the GPU is the sole arbiter of the frame rate differences between these systems. The 1973rd rank is therefore almost entirely a function of the RTX 2060 SUPER's position in the GPU hierarchy.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the best experience is found at the Medium settings preset. This is the only preset for which minimum and maximum FPS values are provided, allowing for a more complete assessment of performance stability. While the High preset offers a very good average FPS (141 at 1080p, 101 at 1440p, 63 at 4K), the Medium preset provides a significant performance boost with a modest visual trade-off, which is a classic optimization. The data shows the Medium preset delivers an average FPS of 225 at 1080p, 162 at 1440p, and 102 at 4K, all of which are exceptionally high.

The Ultra preset, while offering the best visual fidelity, drops the average FPS to 134 at 1080p and 60 at 4K. The 4K Ultra score is exactly at the 60 FPS line, which could lead to occasional dips that become noticeable. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (191 at 1080p, 137 at 1440p, 86 at 4K) are all well above 60, indicating a very stable experience without significant frame drops. Therefore, for a consistently smooth and fast experience, Medium is the recommended preset. It provides a buffer of performance headroom that ensures the game remains fluid even in complex scenes.

The Low preset is only recommended for players seeking the absolute maximum frame rate, as it pushes the average to 281 at 1080p. This is useful for high-refresh-rate monitors but is likely not necessary for a puzzle platformer. The High preset is a good middle ground for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, but the data suggests that the stability offered by the Medium preset makes it the superior choice for an overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data paints a clear picture of this combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the performance is staggering. The Low preset averages 281 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 and a maximum of 259. High settings still deliver a very playable 141 FPS, and even the Ultra preset manages an average of 134 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound for this pairing, as the GPU is not being pushed to its limits, allowing the Core Ultra 5 235's high clock speeds to drive massive frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's load. Low averages 202 FPS, and Medium averages 162 FPS, with a minimum of 137 and a maximum of 186. The High preset delivers 101 FPS, and Ultra drops to 96 FPS. The step down from 1080p to 1440p is significant but not dramatic, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is still capable of handling the increased pixel count with relative ease for this game.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset still produces an average of 127 FPS, which is impressive. Medium averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 117. The High preset averages 63 FPS, which is right on the edge of the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages exactly 60 FPS. These numbers show that 4K is the only resolution where the RTX 2060 SUPER is truly challenged, but it still manages to meet the standard for smooth gameplay in most cases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the central figure in this performance analysis, as its age is the most likely bottleneck. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is a crucial asset for 4K gaming, where texture data requirements are high. The measured FPS at 4K shows that this memory configuration is sufficient to prevent major stutters, as the minimum FPS on Medium settings is a solid 86.

The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz and its boost clock is 1650 MHz, which are modest by modern standards. Its raw compute power is 7.181 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. The benchmark results show it sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 18093. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, is only 0.4% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 is 1.5% faster, which is a curious data point. This suggests that the desktop RTX 2060 SUPER is performance-equivalent to some mobile and older desktop parts in synthetic tests.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is to render the game's distinctive monochromatic art style and lighting effects. The data indicates that it excels at this task, delivering high frame rates at all but the most demanding settings. The game's age means it does not utilize the RTX 2060 SUPER's ray tracing cores (34) or tensor cores (272), but the raw rasterization performance is more than adequate. The GPU's Turing architecture, while from 2019, is well-suited for a game from 2016, and the 8 GB VRAM is more than enough for the game's assets. The performance at 4K High, averaging 63 FPS, demonstrates that the GPU is nearing its limits but still provides a playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is an interesting piece of the puzzle, as its capabilities are far beyond what this game requires. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, as it allows for excellent single-threaded performance. Its L3 cache is 24 MB (shared), which helps reduce memory latency. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085.

The CPU's role becomes apparent when analyzing the frame rates at 1080p. At this resolution, the GPU is often not the limiting factor, and the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls is what drives the frame rate. The fact that the combo achieves 281 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU is powerful enough to feed frames to the GPU as fast as it can render them. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4516 is exceptionally high, putting it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This ensures that even at lower resolutions, the game is not held back by the processor.

The CPU's 14 cores are mostly irrelevant for a game like Inside, which likely uses only a few threads. However, the high clock speeds are what matter. The data shows that the CPU is so capable that it allows the RTX 2060 SUPER to reach its maximum potential. The performance delta with its rivals (all within 0.2%) confirms that any of these high-end CPUs would produce the same result. The Core Ultra 5 235's role is to be a silent, powerful partner that ensures the GPU is the only thing that matters for performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is the most telling indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 281 at 1080p to 202 at 1440p and then to 127 at 4K. This is a reduction of 28% from 1080p to 1440p and another 37% from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior. As the resolution increases, the GPU has to render more pixels, and the frame rate drops proportionally. The CPU's performance remains constant, so the frame rate scaling is a direct reflection of the GPU's workload.

However, the scaling is not perfectly linear, which reveals the RTX 2060 SUPER's architecture. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 225, 162, and 102 for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 37%, which is less than the 55% increase in pixel count. This suggests that the game's engine is not purely pixel-bound, and other factors, such as memory bandwidth, play a role. The 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth is likely sufficient, but the GPU's shading units (2176) are being taxed more heavily at 4K.

Ultimately, the resolution scaling confirms that this combo is GPU-limited. The CPU has so much headroom that it is never a factor. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is entirely due to the RTX 2060 SUPER's processing power. The game becomes unplayable at 4K Ultra, where it averages exactly 60 FPS, but the fact that it can still hit 60 FPS at 4K High shows that the GPU is a capable performer for a 2016 title. The limiting component is the GPU, and the data suggests that to get higher frame rates at 4K, a more powerful graphics card would be needed, as the CPU is already more than capable.