Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle platformer from Playdead, is not a typical stress test. Its stark, monochromatic world and physics-based puzzles place light demands on modern hardware, but that does not make the benchmark data uninteresting. For the combination of an Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the measured frame rates reveal a system operating far beyond the game’s requirements, with the CPU and GPU both contributing to a result that ranks in the top fraction of all tested configurations. The data shows a pairing that delivers exceptional performance, but the real story lies in how the components scale across resolutions and settings, and where the bottlenecks ultimately appear.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination achieves a rank of 23 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside. This places the pairing in the 99.2nd percentile of all configurations tested for this game, a position that reflects the sheer power of both components. The rank is a composite measure, but the individual parts also stand tall. The CPU sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs in the database, while the GPU is in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs. These are not merely good scores; they indicate that this system is built to crush any workload, and Inside is certainly no exception.

The deltaPct values for the nearest rivals show how close the competition is at this level. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is a mere 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P. Conversely, it trails the Intel Core i9-13900HX by 0.1%. These are rounding errors in performance, meaning the CPU is effectively tied with its closest competitors. The GPU tells a slightly different story. The RTX 5090 D’s average score of 77712 is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT but 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and 2.1% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB. The differences are small, but they show that the RTX 5090 D is not the top dog in every synthetic test, even if its raw specifications are massive.

For Inside specifically, the rank of 23 out of 2887 is a clear statement. The game is not demanding, and this hardware is overkill. However, the rank also implies that there are 22 other combos that perform better, likely configurations with even more extreme CPUs or GPUs. The data does not specify what those combos are, but the implication is clear: this pairing is near the top, but not the absolute peak. What matters for the user is that the performance is so high that the game will run flawlessly at any setting, with frame rates that far exceed any display’s refresh rate.

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 by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, and it boosts up to 5.00 GHz. With a TDP of 65 watts, it is a relatively efficient desktop chip, but that efficiency does not come at the cost of performance. The CPU’s L3 cache is 24 MB shared, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. These specifications, while not directly tied to Inside’s frame rates, establish the CPU as a high-end part that can handle any game.

In the context of Inside, the CPU’s role is mostly secondary. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with simple physics and AI, so it does not rely heavily on multi-threaded performance. The benchmark data shows the CPU’s single-threaded capabilities are strong: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4516. These scores indicate excellent per-core performance, which is what matters for a game that likely uses only a few threads. The multi-core scores are also impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a Passmark multithread score of 37816, but these are unlikely to be fully utilized by Inside.

The CPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 89th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its score, showing that it is a well-rounded processor that trades blows with high-end mobile and server chips. For Inside, the CPU is more than sufficient. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 413 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. Even at 4K with Ultra settings, where the GPU is more stressed, the CPU’s single-thread performance ensures that it can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The data indicates that the CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are overkill for this game, but the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that the few threads the game does use are handled with ease.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monstrous GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2017 MHz, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and its memory runs at 1750 MHz with an effective speed of 28 Gbps. The TDP is a hefty 575 watts, and the card requires a 950-watt power supply. These are flagship specifications that place it in the top tier of graphics cards.

For Inside, the GPU is the dominant performance driver, but only in the sense that it is so powerful that the game’s simple 2D visuals are rendered with absurd ease. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score is 44065, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 14326. These scores are high, but the GPU’s percentile rank of 92 against all GPUs is more telling. It is not the absolute best, but it is close. The nearest rivals show that the RTX 5090 D is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT but behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants by 1.6% to 2.4%. These are small margins, and in a game like Inside, they are irrelevant.

The GPU’s role in Inside is to provide frame rates that are limited only by the CPU or the game’s own engine. At 4K with High settings, the system achieves 160 FPS. At 4K with Low settings, it jumps to 317 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU has massive headroom. The RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB of VRAM is far more than Inside needs, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck. The boost clock of 2407 MHz is also high, which helps at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. In this game, the GPU is a sledgehammer cracking a walnut, but the data shows it does so consistently and without any frame rate dips, except for the Medium preset at 1080p where the minimum FPS is 324, still an incredibly high number.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is the core of the analysis. It covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The frame rates are exceptionally high across the board, with the lowest average being 153 FPS at 4K Ultra and the highest being 413 FPS at 1080p Low. This indicates that the system can run Inside at any setting with a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all monitors.

At 1920x1080, the performance is staggering. Low settings yield an average of 413 FPS. Medium settings drop to 381 FPS, with a minimum of 324 FPS and a maximum of 439 FPS. High settings produce 318 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 313 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 100 FPS, which shows that the game’s settings have a relatively modest impact on performance at this resolution. The CPU is the likely bottleneck here, as the GPU is so powerful that it can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain incredibly high. Low settings average 370 FPS, Medium settings average 342 FPS with a minimum of 291 FPS and a maximum of 393 FPS. High settings average 255 FPS, and Ultra settings average 243 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 127 FPS, which is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more of a factor. However, all of these numbers are still far above 144 FPS, meaning that any high-refresh-rate monitor will be fully utilized.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload increases significantly. Low settings average 317 FPS, Medium settings average 256 FPS with a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS. High settings average 160 FPS, and Ultra settings average 153 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 164 FPS, which is the largest of any resolution. This shows that at 4K, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, and the higher settings begin to tax it. However, even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 153 is still sufficient for a smooth experience on a 144 Hz monitor, though it is close to the limit.

The data also shows that the Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 324 and the max is 439. At 1440p Medium, the min is 291 and the max is 393. At 4K Medium, the min is 218 and the max is 295. These ranges indicate that the game’s frame pacing is consistent, with no major stutters or drops. The lack of min/max data for other presets does not imply instability; it simply means that the data was not recorded for those configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 313 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, it achieves an average of 153 FPS. The best experience depends on the display, but the system can handle 4K Ultra with a frame rate above 150 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 23rd out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. The CPU is in the 89th percentile and the GPU is in the 92nd percentile, indicating that the pairing is in the top 1% of all systems tested.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as frame rates are extremely high and the GPU has excess capacity. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, especially at High and Ultra settings, where frame rates drop below 200 FPS but remain above 150 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings average 317 FPS, while Ultra settings average 153 FPS. This is a difference of 164 FPS, showing that the higher settings significantly increase the GPU workload.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D outperform its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT but 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. In Inside, the GPU’s performance is so high that these differences are not noticeable.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its closest CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P, and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX. These are negligible differences, making the CPUs effectively equivalent in performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target refresh rate. For a 60 Hz display, any setting at any resolution will be overkill, as even 4K Ultra produces 153 FPS. For a 144 Hz display, the data suggests that 4K Medium is the sweet spot, as it averages 256 FPS with a minimum of 218 FPS, ensuring that the frame rate never dips below the refresh rate. For a 240 Hz display, 1440p High is the best choice, with an average of 255 FPS and no recorded minimum drops. For a 360 Hz display, 1080p Ultra is recommended, as it averages 313 FPS, which is close to the 360 FPS target but may occasionally dip.

If the user prioritizes visual fidelity over frame rate, 4K Ultra is viable, as the average of 153 FPS is still smooth for most users, but it does not leave much headroom for frame pacing variations. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance, as it provides a significant jump in FPS from Ultra (256 vs 153) while still looking better than Low. The Low preset at 4K, at 317 FPS, is only recommended for competitive play, which is not relevant for a puzzle platformer. In summary, for the RTX 5090 D and Core Ultra 5 235, the Medium preset at 1440p or 4K provides the best combination of high frame rates and visual quality, ensuring that the game runs flawlessly with no risk of stuttering.