Inside

# Inside — Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The measured performance of this combination in Inside reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but surprisingly CPU-limited at 1080p, where the RTX 4060's raw throughput becomes the bottleneck. With 14 cores and a 5.00 GHz boost clock on the CPU side, and an 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer on the GPU, the data across six resolution/settings combinations shows a clear pattern: this pairing delivers playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra (72 FPS average), yet the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p (333 vs. 159 FPS) suggests the GPU is working far harder than the CPU at lower resolutions. The benchmark results indicate a system that can handle Inside at any preset, but the scaling behavior raises questions about where the true performance ceiling lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, which points to the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 333 FPS at 1920x1080 to 239 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 150 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of 28.2% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 37.2% from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline is characteristic of a graphics card being pushed to its limits, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, demanding proportionally more fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 266 FPS at 1080p, 192 FPS at 1440p, and 120 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 27.8% and 37.5% respectively, nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that the RTX 4060's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck regardless of quality level, with the 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth constraining performance as resolution increases. The High preset reveals the same pattern: 167 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p (a 28.1% drop), and 75 FPS at 4K (a 37.5% drop).

Ultra settings follow the trend but with lower absolute numbers: 159 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The 1440p-to-4K drop of 36.8% is slightly shallower than the other presets, which may indicate that at Ultra, the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance at lower resolutions, evening out the scaling curve. At 4K Ultra, the system still maintains an average of 72 FPS — well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay — demonstrating that this combo has headroom even at the most demanding settings.

The data implies that Inside's art style, which features minimal geometry and simple textures, does not punish higher resolutions as severely as more graphically intensive titles might. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient to drive this game at 4K, but the scaling behavior suggests that memory bandwidth (272.0 GB/s) is the limiting factor when resolution increases, not raw shader throughput.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the AD107 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, plays the dominant role in determining frame rates at 1440p and 4K. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards but adequate for Inside's low-texture-fidelity aesthetic. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz contribute to its 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which the benchmark results show is sufficient to maintain 75 FPS average at 4K High.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB does not appear to be a limiting factor in Inside, given the game's simple visual style. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (72 FPS average) is only 4% lower than 4K High (75 FPS), suggesting that the extra memory usage from Ultra settings is not causing capacity-related stutters or drops. The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs handle the game's pixel-fill and texture-mapping demands without issue, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across all settings at each resolution.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (avgScore 17666, deltaPct -0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (avgScore 17588, deltaPct 0.3%), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (avgScore 17551, deltaPct 0.5%). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the RTX 4060's synthetic benchmark scores place it in a tightly contested performance tier. However, in Inside, the measured FPS shows the GPU comfortably exceeding 60 FPS at 4K across all settings, which would likely outperform older or integrated rivals significantly.

The GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs (percentileVsAllGpus: 61) suggests it sits slightly above the median, and its average benchmark score of 17639 puts it in the same class as the Radeon HD 7790 and Radeon 780M. Yet in a lightweight title like Inside, the RTX 4060's architecture advantages — including 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores — are largely irrelevant, as the game does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS. The performance gains come purely from rasterization throughput and memory bandwidth, which the data shows is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p and 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, plays a secondary but non-trivial role in Inside's performance. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 333 FPS average, which is likely near the CPU's single-thread limit for this game. The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.40 GHz, combined with 24 MB of shared L3 cache, provide ample processing power for the game's physics and puzzle logic, but the benchmark data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 (score 2085) and Passmark single-thread (score 4516), indicates strong per-core capability that is well-suited for Inside's relatively simple game logic. The multi-threaded scores are also impressive — Cinebench R23 multicore at 14769 and Passmark multithread at 37816 — but Inside is not a heavily threaded title, so these resources go largely unused. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs (percentileVsAllCpus: 89) places it firmly in the high-performance tier, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (avgScore 46030, deltaPct 0.1%) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (avgScore 46098, deltaPct -0.1%).

The 65W TDP and 3nm process node (TSMC) suggest efficient power delivery, but the real question is whether the CPU's 14 threads can sustain the frame rates demanded by the RTX 4060 at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the 333 FPS average is likely approaching the CPU's single-thread limit, as Inside's engine does not scale well across multiple cores. This is evidenced by the fact that at 1080p Ultra, the FPS drops to 159 — a 52.3% reduction — which aligns with the GPU working harder on rendering effects, not the CPU becoming a stronger bottleneck.

The data implies that for 4K gaming, the CPU has significant headroom, as the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (72) is nearly identical to 4K High (75), and both are far below what the CPU could theoretically drive. This suggests that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful GPU, not a faster CPU, while those targeting 360 Hz+ monitors at 1080p might find the CPU to be the limiting factor.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, the measured data shows 72 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra and 75 FPS at 4K High, both above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best-performing setting at 1080p for this system?

A: The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 333, followed by Medium at 266, High at 167, and Ultra at 159. All exceed 144 Hz, making any preset viable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: Across all settings, the average FPS drops by approximately 28%. For example, High falls from 167 FPS at 1080p to 120 FPS at 1440p, and Low falls from 333 to 239.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance in Inside?*

A: The data shows no evidence of VRAM-related stuttering or frame drops, as the game's simple textures do not stress the 8 GB buffer. Performance scales consistently with resolution, indicating capacity is not a constraint.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 scores 46062 in average benchmark score, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098). The differences are negligible.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured minimum FPS is 102 at 3840x2160 Medium settings, while the highest minimum is 226 at 1920x1080 Medium. Minimums were not recorded for High, Low, or Ultra presets.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1411 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 51st percentile of all systems tested. This mid-pack ranking is surprising given the high individual component scores — the CPU sits in the 89th percentile and the GPU in the 61st percentile — but it reflects the fact that Inside is not a demanding title, and many older or lower-end combos can achieve playable frame rates.

The ranking suggests that the combo's value is not in raw performance but in headroom. At 4K Ultra, it delivers 72 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 1080p Low, it hits 333 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. The 1411th rank out of 2887 means that roughly half of all tested combos perform better, likely due to more powerful GPUs that can push higher frame rates at 4K, or CPUs with higher single-thread performance that can sustain 500+ FPS at 1080p.

The rank also reveals that this combo is neither over- nor under-performing relative to its component scores. The CPU's 89th percentile and GPU's 61st percentile average to roughly 75th percentile, but the game's light demands mean that even mid-range components can achieve high frame rates, compressing the performance spread and pushing this combo to the middle of the pack. For context, the combo's 4K Ultra FPS (72) is only slightly above the 60 FPS baseline, while the 1080p Low FPS (333) is far above typical display refresh rates, indicating that the system is overkill for some scenarios and adequate for others.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing a comprehensive view of the combo's performance envelope.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 333 FPS average
• Medium: 266 FPS average, with minimum 226 and maximum 306
• High: 167 FPS average
• Ultra: 159 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 239 FPS average
• Medium: 192 FPS average, with minimum 163 and maximum 220
• High: 120 FPS average
• Ultra: 114 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 150 FPS average
• Medium: 120 FPS average, with minimum 102 and maximum 138
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 72 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, which provide insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 226 FPS is 85% of the average (266), indicating stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 163 FPS is also 85% of the average (192). At 4K Medium, the minimum of 102 FPS is also 85% of the average (120). This consistency suggests that the frame times are well-distributed, with no major spikes or drops across resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution decreases: at 1080p, the difference is 174 FPS (333 vs. 159); at 1440p, it is 125 FPS (239 vs. 114); at 4K, it is 78 FPS (150 vs. 72). This trend confirms that the GPU's workload scales with both resolution and settings, and that at 4K, the system is closer to its performance ceiling across all presets.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1440p emerges as the sweet spot for this combo. At 2560x1440 Medium, the system delivers 192 FPS average with a minimum of 163 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The 192 FPS at Medium is 60% higher than the 120 FPS at High, while the visual difference between Medium and High in a puzzle-platformer like Inside is likely minimal due to the game's minimalist art style.

For 4K displays, the High preset at 75 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it provides a 4% improvement over Ultra (72 FPS) while likely using fewer GPU resources. The 75 FPS is comfortably above 60 FPS, making it suitable for standard 60 Hz displays, and the difference between High and Ultra in this game is unlikely to be perceptible given the simple geometry and flat shading.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p, the Low preset at 333 FPS is the clear choice, though the Medium preset at 266 FPS offers a better visual experience with only a 20% FPS penalty. The High preset at 167 FPS is still sufficient for 144 Hz displays, and the Ultra preset at 159 FPS provides the best visual quality while remaining above 144 Hz. Given that Inside is a puzzle-platformer that rewards atmospheric visuals, the Ultra preset at 1080p (159 FPS) or the High preset at 1440p (120 FPS) may provide the most enjoyable experience, balancing the game's moody aesthetic with smooth gameplay.

The data indicates that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame pacing, as it is the only setting with recorded minimum and maximum values that show a stable 85% minimum-to-average ratio. This makes Medium the safest choice for users who prioritize consistent frame delivery over peak FPS, particularly at 1440p where the 192 FPS average leaves ample headroom for any scene complexity variations.