Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with a deliberately minimalist visual style, yet its benchmark results on this Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti configuration reveal a title that is surprisingly demanding at its highest settings. The measured frame rates indicate that this hardware combination is capable of extreme performance at lower presets, but the scaling behavior across resolutions points to a complex interplay between the CPU and GPU. The data suggests that while the RTX 3080 Ti is a formidable Ampere-generation part, the game's engine and the CPU's 14-core architecture create specific bottlenecks at different settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that degradation is heavily dependent on the graphics preset. At the Low preset, the frame rate drops from 420 FPS at 1920x1080 to 329 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 91 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the Low preset still delivers 206 FPS, which is a further drop of 123 FPS. This indicates that at Low settings, the RTX 3080 Ti is being pushed harder as pixel count increases, but the CPU is still able to feed it enough data to maintain a very high frame rate.

The scaling at Ultra settings tells a different story. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields 218 FPS, which drops to 156 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 98 FPS at 3840x2160. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is more severe than at Low, suggesting that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. However, the fact that the 1080p Ultra score is 218 FPS, while the 1080p Low score is 420 FPS, indicates that the graphical settings themselves have a massive impact on the render load. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 108 FPS, while at 1080p it is 202 FPS, which shows that the GPU is more capable of absorbing the extra load at lower resolutions.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, including minimum and maximum FPS figures. At 1920x1080, Medium averages 366 FPS with a minimum of 311 and maximum of 420. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 263 FPS with a minimum of 223 and maximum of 302. At 3840x2160, the average is 165 FPS with a minimum of 140 and maximum of 190. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium is a 103 FPS drop, and from 1440p to 4K it is a 98 FPS drop. This consistency suggests a balanced load where neither the CPU nor the GPU is completely dominant at Medium settings, but the overall trend points to the GPU becoming more critical as resolution climbs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. The Passmark single-thread score of 4394 and multithread score of 38706 further illustrate its capability. In the context of Inside, which is not typically a multi-threaded heavy title, the single-core performance is likely the most relevant factor for maintaining high frame rates.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the configuration achieves 420 FPS. This is an extremely high frame rate that suggests the CPU is able to process the game's logic and draw calls quickly enough to feed the GPU. However, the fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p only reaches 218 FPS, despite the same CPU, indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor when graphical effects are increased. The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing the scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings; the drop from 420 to 206 FPS is a 51% reduction, which is less than the 55% reduction seen at Ultra (218 to 98 FPS). This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is still a significant contributor to the frame rate, and as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, but the CPU is not entirely off the hook.

The Core Ultra 5 245's 24 MB of L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are ample for a game like Inside, which has relatively simple assets. The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows a delta of -0.4% against the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and -0.5% against the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, indicating it is competitively positioned. The 14-core configuration with a 3 nm process node from TSMC ensures efficient power delivery, but for this game, the clock speed of 5.10 GHz is likely the key attribute that allows for the high frame rates observed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most balanced experience for this configuration is achieved at the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 366 FPS with a minimum of 311 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays. At 2560x1440, Medium still provides 263 FPS average with a minimum of 223 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 also performs admirably with 165 FPS average and a minimum of 140 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most monitors.

The High preset is also a viable option, as it delivers 228 FPS at 1080p, 164 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K. However, the jump from Medium to High incurs a significant performance cost: at 4K, the drop is from 165 to 103 FPS, a 62 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, pushes the 4K average down to 98 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for frame time spikes. Given that the Medium preset provides the most consistent minimum FPS values across all resolutions, it is the recommended setting for a smooth experience.

For users with high refresh rate displays, the Low preset offers exceptional performance, with 420 FPS at 1080p and 329 FPS at 1440p. However, the visual fidelity of Inside is a core part of its atmospheric appeal, and the Low preset may compromise the game's artistic direction. The data clearly shows that Medium is the sweet spot, offering a 93% increase in FPS over Ultra at 4K while maintaining a visually pleasing render. The measured minimum FPS of 140 at 4K Medium is particularly notable, as it ensures that the frame rate rarely dips below the refresh rate of standard 144 Hz monitors.

FAQ

Q: Can this configuration run Inside at 4K with a stable 60 FPS?

A: Yes. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the Medium preset averages 165 FPS with a minimum of 140 FPS. Even at the Ultra preset, the average is 98 FPS, which is above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for maximum performance?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average FPS at 420. However, for a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 with 263 FPS average is a strong choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti's VRAM affect performance in Inside?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 384-bit bus and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Inside's assets, and the benchmark results show no signs of memory-related bottlenecks, even at 4K Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU appears to be the limiting factor, as the GPU is not fully utilized, resulting in 420 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to 218 FPS due to the increased graphical load.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a significant visual improvement over Medium?

A: The benchmark data does not include visual quality metrics, but the performance cost is substantial. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS versus 165 FPS for Medium, a 68% reduction in frame rate.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 223 FPS, with a maximum of 302 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end Ampere architecture GPU with a GA102 chip, 10,240 shading units, and 80 RT cores. Its boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 26896, and it ranks in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 5077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 170037 in Geekbench OpenCL.

In Inside, the GPU's role is critical at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 98, while at 4K Low it is 206. This 108 FPS difference highlights the GPU's workload scaling with settings. The RTX 3080 Ti's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are substantial, but the game's engine still manages to create a significant load at Ultra settings. The memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 4K.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals, it has a deltaPct of 0.8% against the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, while being 1.2% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB. This places it in a competitive position, but the measured FPS data shows that in Inside, it is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience at all but the most demanding settings. The GPU's 350 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and its performance in this game is consistent with its synthetic benchmark scores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 420 FPS, which is the highest recorded score. The Medium preset averages 366 FPS with a minimum of 311 and maximum of 420. The High preset averages 228 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 218 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being 84% faster than Ultra at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 329 FPS, a 22% drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 263 FPS with a minimum of 223 and maximum of 302. The High preset averages 164 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 156 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 173 FPS, which is a 53% reduction. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 206 FPS, which is a 37% drop from 1440p Low. The Medium preset averages 165 FPS with a minimum of 140 and maximum of 190. The High preset averages 103 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset consistently provides the most stable performance, with the smallest difference between minimum and maximum FPS across all resolutions. At 1080p, the difference is 109 FPS, at 1440p it is 79 FPS, and at 4K it is 50 FPS. This suggests that Medium is the most predictable setting for maintaining a consistent frame rate. The Ultra preset, on the other hand, does not include minimum or maximum FPS values, but its averages are significantly lower, indicating that it is the most demanding.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination ranks 430th out of 2887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 15% of all configurations. This rank is based on the measured FPS data, which shows that this combo excels at delivering high frame rates across all resolutions. The CPU's percentile of 90 against all CPUs and the GPU's percentile of 83 against all GPUs indicate that both components are above average, but the combination's performance in this specific game is particularly strong.

The rank of 430 out of 2887 suggests that while this is a high-performing combo, there are many other configurations that score better. This is likely due to the fact that Inside is not a particularly demanding game, and even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates. However, the data shows that this specific combo is capable of hitting 420 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an exceptional result. The CPU's 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock, combined with the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 34.10 TFLOPS, create a balanced system that avoids major bottlenecks.

The combo rank is a holistic measure that takes into account all measured settings and resolutions. The fact that this combo performs well at both 1080p and 4K indicates that it is versatile. At 4K Ultra, it still manages 98 FPS, which is a playable frame rate. The rank also reflects the consistency of the performance, as the Medium preset shows stable minimum FPS values. Overall, this combo is a strong performer for Inside, ranking in the 85th percentile of all tested configurations, and it provides a smooth experience at any resolution or setting.