Inside

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers an exceptionally smooth experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer where frame rate consistency is paramount to maintaining the game's precise, atmospheric tension. The measured data shows that this combination rarely dips below playable thresholds, even at the most demanding settings, indicating a system well-matched to the title's technical demands. The results across the board suggest that while the GPU handles the visual load, the CPU's strong single-core performance ensures the game's logic and physics remain fluid, creating a balanced platform for this 2016 release.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound performance, but with an interesting twist at the lower settings. At the Ultra preset, the drop is significant: average FPS falls from 168 at 1920x1080 to 121 at 2560x1440, and finally to 76 at 3840x2160. This represents a 54.8% reduction in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a steep decline that clearly places the rendering load squarely on the Radeon RX 7700's shoulders. The High preset shows a similar, albeit slightly less dramatic, trajectory, with averages of 177, 127, and 80 FPS across the three resolutions, a 54.8% drop as well. This consistency points to a purely pixel-pushing bottleneck at these higher fidelity settings.

However, the scaling pattern shifts dramatically when examining the Low and Medium presets. At Low settings, the average FPS at 1080p is an astronomical 353, which drops to 254 at 1440p and 160 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 54.7%, nearly identical to the higher presets, but the absolute numbers are so high that even the 4K result remains far above the refresh rate of most displays. This suggests that even when the GPU is given less work, the frame rate is still scaling with resolution in a linear fashion, indicating that the RX 7700 is still the primary limiter, just at a much higher performance ceiling.

The Medium preset provides the most intriguing data point. With average FPS of 282 at 1080p, 203 at 1440p, and 128 at 4K, the scaling is again linear, but the minimum FPS figures offer a clue about the system's stability. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 108, which is a sizeable 15.6% below the average of 128. This variance suggests that while the GPU is the main constraint, there are moments of heavier load that cause the frame rate to dip, possibly due to complex particle effects or lighting transitions common in Inside's atmospheric scenes. The fact that the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 240 against an average of 282 shows a similar pattern, reinforcing the idea that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute units are being taxed in bursts.

Overall, the data implies that the Core Ultra 5 245 is never the bottleneck. The consistent scaling percentages across all presets indicate that the CPU is feeding the GPU with data fast enough to keep it fully utilized, regardless of resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see the frame rates plateau or even drop at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the FPS scales almost perfectly with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the best experience based on the measured rows, the High preset at 2560x1440 emerges as a compelling choice. It delivers a robust average FPS of 127, which is high enough for smooth, responsive gameplay on most monitors. The jump to Ultra at the same resolution only yields a marginal increase in visual fidelity but comes at a 4.7% cost in average frame rate (121 FPS). Given that Inside is a side-scroller with a distinct art style, the visual differences between High and Ultra are likely subtle, making High the more efficient choice for conserving GPU headroom.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers an interesting proposition. With an average of 282 FPS and a minimum of 240, it provides a massive performance buffer, ensuring that even during the most chaotic on-screen moments, the frame rate never stutters. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 168 FPS average, is still exceptionally smooth and is the best choice for those who want maximum graphical features without any concern for performance. The data suggests that at 1080p, even the most demanding preset is well within the capabilities of this hardware.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 128 FPS average is the most balanced option. It offers a significant improvement over Low (160 FPS) in terms of visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that is high enough for a game like Inside, which does not require twitch-reflex response times. The High preset at 4K drops to 80 FPS, which is still playable, but the 37.5% reduction in frame rate compared to Medium is a steep price for the visual upgrade. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 76 FPS, is the least desirable, as it combines the lowest performance with the highest demand, making it the choice only for players with a 60Hz display who prioritize absolute visual fidelity over headroom.

The data strongly suggests that the system is overkill for 1080p, where every preset is playable at high frame rates. The most interesting trade-off occurs at 1440p and 4K, where the choice between High and Medium becomes a meaningful decision. The High preset at 1440p appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, providing a balance of visual quality and performance that is hard to beat.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the clear performance driver in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures and effects that Inside can present. The benchmark data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, a sign that its memory subsystem is not being saturated at any of the tested settings. The 96 ROPs and 160 TMUs are well-suited for the game's 2.5D perspective, which often relies on heavy texture filtering and pixel output.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, the card has a wide dynamic range. When the game's load is light, such as in the Low preset, the GPU can potentially boost to higher frequencies, contributing to the 353 FPS average at 1080p. Conversely, in the more demanding Ultra preset at 4K, the GPU will likely settle at a lower, more sustained clock, resulting in the 76 FPS average. The "game" clock of 2041 MHz suggests the card is designed to maintain a high frequency during typical gaming loads, which is reflected in the strong 1440p results.

The GPU's position in the benchmark hierarchy is also telling. With a percentile of 58 against all GPUs, it is a mid-range performer, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which it trails by only 1.7% in average benchmark score. In the context of Inside, this means the RX 7700 is more than capable, but not overpowered. The performance data suggests it is perfectly matched to this game's engine. The 40 RT cores are present, but Inside is not a game that uses ray tracing, so their influence on these results is negligible. The 2560 shading units are the workhorses here, and the data shows they are being utilized effectively across all resolution and settings combinations.

The fact that the GPU is the limiting factor is most evident when looking at the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K. The consistent percentage drops in performance across all presets align with the increase in pixel count, which is a direct measure of GPU workload. This is a clear sign that the RX 7700 is the component that determines the frame rate in this game, and it does so with a very consistent performance envelope.

FAQ

Q: At what resolution and settings does this combo hit a 144 Hz target?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 177 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 282 FPS, both exceeding 144 Hz. At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 127 FPS, which is just short of 144 Hz, while the Medium preset at 203 FPS easily clears it.

Q: Is the 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 7700 sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the data indicates no performance anomalies that would suggest a VRAM shortage. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, and the minimum FPS figures (such as 108 at 4K Medium) do not indicate any stuttering or texture thrashing that would occur if memory capacity were exceeded.

Q: How much slower is the Ultra preset compared to High at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS, while the High preset averages 80 FPS. This is a 5.0% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Can this hardware handle 4K at all?

A: Yes, it can. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS, which is a very smooth experience. Even the High preset at 80 FPS is playable, though the frame rate is notably lower.

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

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is almost perfectly linear, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's strong single-core performance (a score of 4648 in Cinebench R23) is sufficient to keep the GPU fed.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 353, recorded at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks at position 1161 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 40.2% of all tested hardware pairings, which is a solid result. While this ranking might seem modest, it is important to consider that the database includes many high-end enthusiast configurations with multiple GPUs and flagship processors. For a mid-range system, being in the 60th percentile of performance is a strong showing.

The ranking indicates that this combo is not exceptional, but it is far from underpowered. The data from the measured FPS shows that it provides a high-refresh-rate experience at 1080p and a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 4K on Medium settings. The rank of 1161 suggests that there are many other combinations that can achieve higher frame rates, but it also implies that this pairing is a dependable and balanced choice. The CPU's own performance ranking is quite high (90th percentile against all CPUs), but the GPU's more modest standing (58th percentile) drags the combined rank down. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for the overall ranking, which is consistent with the game being GPU-bound.

The position within the combo list is a useful data point, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The raw FPS numbers show that this system is more than adequate for a game like Inside, which is not a demanding AAA title. The rank of 1161 reflects the system's absolute performance against all others, but its practical performance for this specific title is excellent. It confirms the fact that a high overall ranking is not always necessary for a great gaming experience, especially in games that are not graphically intensive.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting but essential role in this configuration. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it provides ample parallel processing power, but its most critical asset for Inside is its single-core performance. The game's physics and logic are likely to be handled by a few primary threads, and the CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz, combined with its architecture, ensures that these threads are processed with minimal latency. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 is a strong indicator of this capability.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the linear FPS scaling with resolution. If the CPU were struggling, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at lower resolutions, such as 1080p, where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the system achieves 353 FPS at 1080p Low, proving that the CPU can handle a massive number of draw calls and game logic updates per second. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache likely plays a role here, helping to keep frequently accessed data close to the cores.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is also relevant. It sits within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K in average benchmark score, indicating that it is a capable modern processor. The fact that it is paired with a GPU that is only in the 58th percentile of all GPUs means the CPU has significant headroom, ensuring it will never become the limiting factor in Inside. This headroom also suggests that the system is future-proofed for more demanding games, where the CPU's strong multi-core performance (a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924) can be fully utilized.

The CPU's role is to maintain a consistent and high frame time delivery. The minimum FPS data points, particularly the 108 FPS at 4K Medium, show that even when the GPU is stressed, the CPU is able to provide the necessary data to avoid major hitches. The Core Ultra 5 245 is a solid foundation for this system, providing the necessary performance to keep the RX 7700 operating at its full potential in Inside.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers overwhelming performance. The Low preset produces an average of 353 FPS. The Medium preset averages 282 FPS, with a minimum of 240 and a maximum of 325. The High preset averages 177 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 168 FPS. This resolution is clearly not a challenge for this hardware, with even the most demanding preset providing a frame rate far beyond what any standard display can show.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptional. The Low preset averages 254 FPS. The Medium preset averages 203 FPS, with a minimum of 173 and a maximum of 234. The High preset averages 127 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. This resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and raw speed, with the High preset still comfortably exceeding 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits, but remains highly playable. The Low preset averages 160 FPS. The Medium preset averages 128 FPS, with a minimum of 108 and a maximum of 147. The High preset averages 80 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear distinction between the Medium preset, which is very smooth, and the High/Ultra presets, which, while playable, see a significant drop in frame rate. This breakdown confirms that the system is a 1440p powerhouse and a capable 4K performer, provided settings are adjusted appropriately.