Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a combination that straddles two very different performance eras. The CPU is a modern, high-core-count Arrow Lake part, while the GPU is an end-of-life Turing architecture card. Benchmark results for Inside show a system that can deliver extremely high frame rates, but the distribution of those frames across resolutions reveals a clear bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show exactly where this pairing excels and where it runs out of headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a game like Inside with its stylized, 2.5D presentation. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, producing frame rates that far exceed what any display can reasonably use. The measured average at 1080p Low is 281 FPS, which drops to 225 FPS at Medium and 141 FPS at High. This is a difference of 140 FPS between Low and High at the same resolution, indicating that the GPU is still doing meaningful work even at this lower resolution, but the CPU is clearly capable of feeding it far more data than it needs.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling pattern shifts. The 1440p Low average of 202 FPS is a 28% reduction from the 1080p Low score, and the 1440p High average of 101 FPS is a 28% drop from the 1080p High score. This is a more significant performance hit than the pixel count increase alone would suggest, which points to the GPU starting to become the limiting factor. The gap between Low and High at 1440p is 101 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, but the relative cost of higher settings is becoming more apparent.

At 4K, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The 4K Low average of 127 FPS is still playable, but it represents a 55% drop from the 1080p Low figure. The 4K High average of 63 FPS is a 55% drop from the 1440p High score of 101 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more punishing than the jump from 1080p to 1440p, which is a classic sign that the RTX 2060 SUPER is running out of pixel-pushing power. The data shows a system that is exceptionally fast at 1080p, comfortably fast at 1440p, and merely adequate at 4K, with the GPU being the primary constraint at the highest resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the 12 nm Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The card has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. With a PassMark G3D score of 16462, it sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, which puts it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159 (a delta of -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which scores 18189 (a delta of -0.5%). This indicates that the desktop 2060 SUPER is just slightly behind these mobile and workstation alternatives in raw compute.

In Inside, the GPU's role is clearly defined by the resolution scaling. The 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as its visual style and asset complexity are modest. The clock speeds are more relevant. The boost clock of 1650 MHz is relatively low by modern standards, which explains why the card struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The measured 4K Ultra average of 60 FPS is exactly at the threshold of smooth gameplay, and the 4K High average of 63 FPS is barely better. This suggests that the card's raw shading power, rated at 7.181 TFLOPS FP32, is just enough for 4K at lower presets but not for higher ones.

The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, but it is not the limiting component at 1080p. At 1080p, the CPU is capable of far higher frame rates than the GPU can produce, as evidenced by the 281 FPS Low score. The GPU becomes the primary bottleneck only when the resolution increases to the point where its pixel throughput and texture rate are fully saturated. The 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1440p High, but they are the primary reason the 4K High score falls to 63 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. The PassMark single-thread score is 4394, and the multi-thread score is 38706. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it just behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5%), and just ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.6%) and Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, 0.8%).

In Inside, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU as fast as possible, and the data shows it does this exceptionally well at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low average of 281 FPS is a clear indication that the CPU is not a limiting factor at that resolution. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz is critical for this game, which appears to have a light single-threaded workload. The 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient, as the game is unlikely to utilize more than a few cores effectively. The 24 MB of L3 cache also helps with data locality, reducing latency in a game that requires rapid state changes.

The CPU's performance headroom becomes apparent when looking at the 1080p to 1440p scaling. The 1080p Medium score of 225 FPS drops to 162 FPS at 1440p Medium, which is a 28% reduction. This shows that the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep up as the pixel count increases. The CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing; it is the foundation that allows the system to hit high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield significant improvements at 4K, while the CPU would not need to be changed for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of this combo's capabilities across nine different scenarios. At 1920x1080, the system produces excellent results. The Low preset yields an average of 281 FPS, which is extraordinarily high. The Medium preset delivers 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS, which are all well above the refresh rate of any standard monitor. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 134 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 147 FPS, showing that the GPU is still a significant factor even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the scores remain very playable. The Low preset averages 202 FPS, which is still far above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on 1440p monitors. The Medium preset averages 162 FPS, with a minimum of 137 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS. The High preset averages 101 FPS, which is smooth but not as high as the lower presets. The Ultra preset averages 96 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 106 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a constraint.

At 3840x2160, the system is firmly GPU-bound. The Low preset averages 127 FPS, which is still acceptable for a 4K display. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. The High preset averages 63 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 60 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 67 FPS, which is the smallest absolute gap of any resolution. This confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU has far more headroom than the GPU can use.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is ranked 1973 out of 2887 total combos tested for Inside. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a surprising result given the high frame rates achieved. The rank suggests that a significant number of other CPU-GPU pairings are capable of even higher performance in this game. The average frame rates, while high, are not exceptional compared to the top-tier combos in the database.

The ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's limitations at 4K, as well as the fact that many other tested combos feature more powerful graphics cards. The CPU is a strong performer, but the GPU holds the combo back from reaching the upper echelons of the rankings. The 62nd percentile GPU ranking indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a mid-range card, and the combo's overall rank reflects that. The data shows that this is a solid mid-range system for Inside, capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but not a top-tier performer when all combos are considered.

The rank of 1973 out of 2887 is a clear signal that while this system is playable, it is not optimized for maximum performance in this title. The CPU's high percentile ranking (90th) is not enough to overcome the GPU's lower ranking (62nd). The data indicates that users looking for a higher rank in this game would need to focus on upgrading the GPU, as the CPU is already providing ample performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The average of 134 FPS is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, and it is also above the 120 Hz refresh rate found on many gaming monitors. The High preset at 141 FPS is slightly faster, but the visual improvement from Ultra is worth the small performance cost. The Medium preset at 225 FPS is only necessary for users with extremely high refresh rate displays (240 Hz or higher), but it sacrifices visual quality for a marginal gain.

For 1440p users, the High preset is the best balance. The average of 101 FPS is smooth and responsive, and the High settings provide a good level of visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 96 FPS is also viable, but the performance drop from High is noticeable. The Medium preset at 162 FPS is ideal for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, as it ensures the frame rate stays above the display's refresh rate. The Low preset at 202 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the visual degradation is significant.

For 4K users, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. The average of 102 FPS is excellent for 4K, and the minimum of 86 FPS ensures a mostly smooth experience. The High preset at 63 FPS is playable, but the minimum frame rate is not recorded, so there is a risk of dips below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS is the bare minimum for smooth gameplay, and any frame time inconsistency could be noticeable. The Low preset at 127 FPS is the safest option for 4K, but it significantly reduces the visual quality of the game. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 4K, the Medium preset is the clear winner.