Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers an exceptionally strong performance in Inside, consistently producing frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate requirements across all tested settings and resolutions. The data indicates this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU’s robust single-threaded performance ensures the system remains fluid even at extreme frame rates. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against the component specifications, and provides clear guidance on optimal settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced scaling pattern as resolution increases, directly reflecting the workload shift onto the GPU. At the 1920x1080 resolution, the system achieves remarkably high frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset hitting an average of 413 FPS and the Medium preset reaching 352 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are both highly capable, and the limiting factor is likely the game engine's frame pacing rather than hardware saturation.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain exceptionally high but show a clear downward trend. The High preset drops from 220 FPS at 1080p to 158 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 28%. The Low preset similarly falls from 413 FPS to 317 FPS, a 23% decrease. This scaling suggests that the RTX 3080 is still operating well within its comfort zone at this resolution, with the pixel throughput demand increasing but not yet overwhelming the GPU's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.77 TFLOPS compute capacity.

At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more aggressive, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The High preset at 4K averages 99 FPS, down from 158 FPS at 1440p—a 37% reduction. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 95 FPS, while the Medium preset manages 159 FPS. The delta between 1440p and 4K for the High preset is 59 FPS, which is a substantial drop, but the absolute numbers remain playable. This pattern is classic for a puzzle platformer where the rendering complexity is moderate, but the sheer pixel count at 4K stresses the GPU's 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus interface.

The data shows that the RTX 3080 is the limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the gap between Low (199 FPS) and Medium (159 FPS) presets shrinking compared to the 1080p gap (413 FPS vs 352 FPS). At lower resolutions, the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock can feed the GPU fast enough, but at 4K, the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth constraints dominate. The 1080p to 4K scaling factor for the High preset is 2.22x (from 220 FPS to 99 FPS), which is close to the theoretical 4x pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU is scaling nearly linearly with resolution—a sign of efficient utilization without major CPU stall.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its core configuration is unusual—14 cores with 14 threads means no Hyper-Threading, but the architecture compensates with high clock speeds: a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. For Inside, a Puzzle Platformer that likely has modest multi-threading requirements, the single-threaded performance is paramount.

The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and PassMark single-thread score of 4516 place this CPU in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, according to the data. This is critical for Inside, as the game's logic, physics, and rendering draw calls are typically serialized on one or two threads. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 413 FPS, which is an extreme frame rate that requires the CPU to issue draw calls and update game state at a rate of over 400 times per second. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput to sustain this.

The nearest rivals in CPU performance reinforce this analysis. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 has an average score of 46030, just 0.1% lower than the Core Ultra 5 235's 46062 average. The Intel Core i9-13900HX sits at 46098, a 0.1% delta. These tiny deltas indicate that the Ultra 5 235 is firmly in the top tier of desktop processors, and in a game like Inside, where frame rates are already very high, the CPU will not be a limiting factor at any resolution below 4K.

The data shows that at 4K, the CPU's role diminishes. The drop from 199 FPS (Low) to 99 FPS (High) at 4K is entirely attributable to GPU load, as the CPU has ample headroom. However, at 1080p, the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock and strong IPC are what enable the 413 FPS Low result. The PassMark multi-thread score of 37816 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 further confirm that even if Inside were to use more threads, the CPU has the raw compute to handle it without bottlenecking the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, based on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, is a high-end GPU that is now end-of-life but remains highly capable. Its specifications include 8704 shading units, 272 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 68 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The FP32 compute is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 164.2 GPixel/s.

In Inside, the GPU's role is to render the game's atmospheric, side-scrolling environments. The measured results show that the RTX 3080 handles the game with ease, even at 4K. The 4K Medium preset averages 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS, which is a smooth experience on any display. The 4K High preset at 99 FPS and Ultra at 95 FPS are still well above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating that the GPU has substantial headroom.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database is interesting. The RTX 3080's average benchmark score is 23172, placing it in the 68th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, -0.3%), and AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4%). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the RTX 3080 is a solid mid-to-high-tier performer, but not a top-tier card by current standards. However, for Inside, this is more than sufficient.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is notable. At 4K Ultra, the game likely consumes a significant amount of memory, but the data does not show any stuttering or frame drops that would indicate VRAM overflow. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 135 FPS, which is 24 FPS below the average, suggesting some momentary spikes in rendering complexity, but this is still far from problematic. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is a key asset here, allowing the GPU to stream textures and geometry quickly, which is essential for maintaining high frame rates in a game with smooth, camera-relative scrolling.

The GPU's clock speeds of 1440 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost are moderate by today's standards, but the sheer number of shading units compensates. In Inside, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck at 1080p, as evidenced by the 413 FPS Low result, but at 4K, the GPU's compute and memory subsystems become the limiting factor, as seen in the 95 FPS Ultra result.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 539th out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 18.7% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the RTX 3080's age. The high ranking is primarily driven by the CPU's excellent single-threaded performance, which allows the GPU to run at full utilization at lower resolutions.

The combo's rank is more impressive when considering that the RTX 3080 is end-of-life and has been succeeded by newer architectures. The data shows that the CPU's 89th percentile standing helps boost the combo, as many other configurations with newer, more powerful GPUs may be held back by weaker CPUs. The rank of 539 out of 2887 means that 2348 other combos perform worse, which confirms the balance of this pairing.

The nearest CPU rivals (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Intel Core i9-13900HX, AMD EPYC 4364P, AMD EPYC 7303) all have average scores within 0.2% of the Core Ultra 5 235, so swapping in any of these would yield nearly identical results in Inside. The GPU's nearest rivals (NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, AMD Radeon R9 M290X) are also closely matched in average score, but the RTX 3080's higher memory bandwidth and compute capabilities give it an edge in this specific game, as seen in the 4K results.

This ranking suggests that users with this combo can expect a top-tier experience in Inside, with the only potential upgrade path being a newer GPU with higher raw performance to push 4K frame rates even higher. However, given that the 4K Ultra result is 95 FPS, the practical benefit of an upgrade would be minimal unless targeting 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best balance, delivering 352 FPS average with a minimum of 299 FPS. This is high enough for any 240 Hz or 360 Hz esports display, and the visual quality upgrade from Low to Medium is substantial. The High preset at 220 FPS is also viable, but the drop from Medium to High is 132 FPS, which is significant, and the visual difference in a puzzle platformer like Inside may not justify it.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out, averaging 253 FPS with a minimum of 215 FPS. This is ideal for 240 Hz monitors. The High preset at 158 FPS is suitable for 144 Hz displays, but the Medium preset provides a nearly 100 FPS advantage for a minor visual sacrifice. The Low preset at 317 FPS is overkill for any current display, and the Ultra preset at 151 FPS is a good choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the clear winner, averaging 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS. This is well above the 120 Hz threshold and offers a smooth experience on high-refresh 4K displays. The High preset at 99 FPS is acceptable for 100 Hz displays, but the Medium preset's higher minimum FPS (135 vs null for High) suggests more consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is also viable, but the marginal visual improvement over High is not worth the 4 FPS drop. The Low preset at 199 FPS is unnecessary, as the visual degradation is severe for no practical benefit at 4K.

For a balanced experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset is recommended. It consistently offers the best frame rate-to-quality ratio, with the highest minimum FPS values in the tested data (299 at 1080p, 215 at 1440p, 135 at 4K). Users with 60 Hz displays can comfortably use Ultra at any resolution, but those with high-refresh monitors will benefit most from Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 413 FPS average
• Medium: 352 FPS average, 299 FPS minimum, 405 FPS maximum
• High: 220 FPS average
• Ultra: 210 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 317 FPS average
• Medium: 253 FPS average, 215 FPS minimum, 291 FPS maximum
• High: 158 FPS average
• Ultra: 151 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 159 FPS average, 135 FPS minimum, 183 FPS maximum
• High: 99 FPS average
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the Medium preset provides the only rows with both minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating that the benchmark captured a more complete frame time distribution for this setting. The absence of min/max for other presets does not imply instability, but rather that the measurement methodology focused on average FPS for those configurations.

Notable observations include the 4K Ultra result of 95 FPS, which is only 4 FPS lower than the 4K High result of 99 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a negligible impact on performance at this resolution. Conversely, the 1080p Low result of 413 FPS is the highest measured, showcasing the CPU's ability to drive the GPU to its limits at low resolution. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low (413 to 199 FPS) represents a 51.8% reduction in frame rate, which is less severe than the High preset's 55% reduction (220 to 99 FPS), indicating that the Low preset is less demanding on the GPU memory subsystem.

The Medium preset's minimum FPS values are particularly telling: 299 at 1080p, 215 at 1440p, and 135 at 4K. These minima are all well above 60 FPS, confirming that the combo never dips into unplayable territory, even under heavy load. The maximum FPS values of 405, 291, and 183 respectively show that the system is capable of bursting to very high frame rates, which is typical for a game with simple geometry and limited particle effects.

Overall, the measured data underscores that this combo is a high-performance pairing for Inside, capable of delivering competitive frame rates at 4K and extraordinary frame rates at 1080p. The balance between the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's substantial compute resources results in a system that is well-suited for this genre.