Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that places surprisingly heavy demands on hardware for a 2D side-scroller, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 handles it with authority. The benchmark data shows this combination delivers high frame rates across all tested settings, making it a strong candidate for high-refresh-rate displays, though the performance scaling between settings reveals where the GPU and CPU each carry the load. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS results, the role of each component, and how to optimize the experience based on the available data.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 986th out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the upper third of all systems evaluated. This percentile position (roughly the 66th percentile) indicates a solidly capable setup that outperforms the majority of tested configurations, though it is not near the top tier reserved for the most extreme hardware. The ranking reflects a balance where the GPU’s 61st percentile standing and the CPU’s 90th percentile standing combine to produce frame rates that are consistently high, but not record-breaking.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context for this ranking. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, the Ultra 5 245 sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, outperforming its nearest rivals by a small margin. The data shows it is 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively. This tight clustering means the CPU is not a bottleneck, as its performance is essentially on par with other top-tier processors.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3070’s 61st percentile ranking is more modest, with an average benchmark score of 17208. It sits 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, while trailing the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5%. The GPU’s mid-range standing is the limiting factor in this combo, as the CPU could likely drive higher frame rates if paired with a faster graphics card. However, within Inside’s specific workload, the measured FPS indicates the RTX 3070 is sufficient to maintain high performance, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU’s strength becomes more apparent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is crucial for Inside’s rendering demands, particularly at 4K resolution where the data shows a significant performance drop when moving from Medium to Ultra settings. The GPU’s 5888 shading units and 46 ray tracing cores, based on the Ampere architecture, provide the compute horsepower, while its boost clock of 1725 MHz determines how quickly those units can process frames. The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures sufficient bandwidth for data transfer.

The benchmark results reveal how the GPU’s capabilities scale with resolution. At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 produces an average of 85 FPS on High settings, which drops to 81 FPS on Ultra. This narrow gap between High and Ultra suggests that the GPU is nearing its limits at 4K, as the additional visual effects in Ultra require more shading work that the 8 GB memory and 5888 shading units cannot fully compensate for. In contrast, at 1920x1080, the same settings jump to 189 FPS on High and 180 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions. The GPU’s 61st percentile ranking aligns with this behavior: it is a competent mid-range card that excels at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain ultra-high frame rates at 4K.

The measured FPS data also shows that the RTX 3070 benefits from lower settings, with a 171 FPS average at 4K Low versus 85 FPS at 4K High. This 2x improvement highlights how the GPU’s render load scales with graphical complexity, and it suggests that for 4K gaming, dropping to Medium settings (136 FPS) provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance. The GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s texture streaming, but the 8 GB memory capacity may be a limiting factor at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 81 at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Inside’s physics and logic calculations. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 192 KB L1 cache per core ensure that frequently accessed data is quickly available, reducing latency. With a 65 W TDP, it is an efficient processor that does not require exotic cooling solutions, and its support for DDR5 memory with a 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures fast data transfer to the rest of the system.

The CPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 90th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance, which is useful for games that leverage multiple cores for background tasks. The single-core score of 4648 is equally impressive, and this is what matters most for Inside’s primary game logic. The PassMark single-thread score of 4394 confirms this, showing that the CPU can handle single-threaded workloads efficiently. The CPU’s nearest rivals all score within 1% of each other, indicating that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive with the best processors available.

In Inside, the CPU’s role is less about raw frame rate and more about maintaining consistent performance. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (378 FPS) is more than double the 4K Low result (171 FPS), which suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach extremely high frame rates. The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads (no hyperthreading) are sufficient for the game’s demands, and its boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks are processed quickly. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration, as even at 4K Ultra (81 FPS), the frame rate is limited by the GPU’s shading capabilities rather than the CPU’s processing speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates, with a 378 FPS average on Low settings. This drops to 302 FPS on Medium, 189 FPS on High, and 180 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a min FPS of 257 and a max FPS of 347, indicating a stable frame delivery with no major dips. The 1080p results demonstrate that the RTX 3070 has significant headroom at this resolution, and the CPU’s 5.10 GHz boost clock helps maintain high frame rates even under load.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings produce 272 FPS, Medium delivers 217 FPS, High manages 136 FPS, and Ultra drops to 129 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a min FPS of 185 and a max FPS of 250, which is a wider range than at 1080p but still acceptable for smooth gameplay. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 7 FPS (136 vs. 129), suggesting that Ultra’s additional effects are relatively light on the GPU at this resolution. The 1440p results indicate that this combo is ideal for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, as even Ultra settings exceed 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low settings yield 171 FPS, Medium delivers 136 FPS, High drops to 85 FPS, and Ultra falls to 81 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a min FPS of 116 and a max FPS of 157, which is a significant range but still playable. The drop from Medium to High (136 to 85 FPS) is a 37.5% reduction, indicating that the GPU’s 5888 shading units are overwhelmed by the increased shader complexity at High settings. The 4K results show that while the combo can handle 4K, users will need to compromise on settings to achieve frame rates above 100 FPS, with Medium being the sweet spot.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Inside?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with Ultra settings averaging 129 FPS and High settings at 136 FPS. This resolution allows for high frame rates without the GPU bottleneck seen at 3840x2160, where Ultra drops to 81 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system exceeds 180 FPS on all settings, making it suitable for 240Hz displays, but the visual fidelity is lower than at 1440p.

Q: How does the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: At 3840x2160, the 8 GB GDDR6 memory is a limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate drop from 136 FPS on Medium to 85 FPS on High. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient, but the capacity may not be enough for Ultra settings, which average only 81 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, users should stick to Medium settings to avoid VRAM-related performance degradation.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the RTX 3070?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck. The Ultra 5 245 ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with a single-core score of 4648 in Cinebench R23. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 378 FPS, which is over 2x the 4K Low result of 171 FPS, showing that the CPU can feed the GPU with data at high frame rates. The CPU’s performance is on par with rivals like the Core i5-14600K, which is 0.8% behind in average score.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The impact of Ultra settings varies by resolution. At 1080p, the difference is minimal (189 FPS vs. 180 FPS), while at 1440p, it is just 7 FPS (136 vs. 129). However, at 4K, the drop is significant, from 85 FPS on High to 81 FPS on Ultra. This suggests that Ultra’s visual enhancements are more GPU-intensive at higher resolutions, and the RTX 3070 struggles to maintain frame rates above 100 FPS at 4K with Ultra enabled.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 3070’s nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3070’s average benchmark score is 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, but 1.5% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c. This indicates that the RTX 3070 is competitive with its peers, and the combo’s performance in Inside is representative of this mid-range GPU class.

Q: Can the combo achieve 4K 60 FPS in Inside?

A: Yes, the data shows 4K 60 FPS is achievable. The system averages 85 FPS at 4K High and 81 FPS at 4K Ultra, both above the 60 FPS threshold. However, for smoother gameplay, Medium settings at 4K (136 FPS) are recommended, as they provide a more consistent experience without the frame rate dips seen at High and Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and refresh rate priorities. At 1920x1080, the combo is powerful enough to run Ultra settings at 180 FPS, making this the best choice for users with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors. The performance headroom at 1080p means there is no reason to drop below High settings, as even Ultra maintains a high frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p (302 FPS) is overkill for most displays, so sticking with Ultra provides the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings at 129 FPS are the best recommendation for users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays. The difference between High (136 FPS) and Ultra (129 FPS) is negligible, so enabling Ultra adds visual fidelity at minimal cost. If the user prioritizes maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 217 FPS is an option, but the visual downgrade is significant. The 1440p Ultra settings provide a balanced experience that showcases the GPU’s capabilities without pushing it to its limits.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset stands out as the best choice, averaging 136 FPS with a min FPS of 116 and a max FPS of 157. This setting provides a smooth experience well above 60 FPS while maintaining decent visual quality. High settings at 4K (85 FPS) are playable but may experience more frame time variability, and Ultra (81 FPS) offers little benefit over High for a 4 FPS difference. Low settings at 4K (171 FPS) are unnecessary unless the user has a 165Hz 4K display, but Medium is the recommended compromise between fidelity and performance. Overall, the data suggests that the combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, with 1080p as a high-refresh-rate alternative and 4K requiring Medium settings for optimal performance.