Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on the surface, appears modest in its graphical demands, yet the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a fascinating performance landscape. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a story of a game that is exceptionally responsive to hardware capabilities, often pushing frame counters into territory reserved for esports titles. This pairing of a modern 14-core desktop processor with a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU produces results that range from the merely excellent at 4K Ultra to the outright extreme at 1080p Low, where the average frame rate approaches the refresh rate of the fastest gaming monitors. The data positions this combo as a top-tier performer, ranking in the 218th spot out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it comfortably within the top 10% of all systems tested with this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245, built on the Arrow Lake architecture, brings a configuration of 14 cores and 14 threads to the test bench. This is a notable design choice, as the lack of hyper-threading means the physical core count is the primary driver of its multi-threaded performance. The processor’s base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide a substantial frequency range for handling both lightly-threaded game logic and more demanding background tasks. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU’s capabilities are clearly quantified: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. These figures indicate a strong balance, suggesting the processor can feed a powerful GPU without becoming a limiting factor in most scenarios.

The relationship between the CPU and the game’s performance is best understood by examining the impact of resolution on frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 420 FPS. This extraordinarily high number suggests that the CPU is capable of processing the game’s simulation and draw calls at an incredibly fast rate. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a hard ceiling on the frame rate, regardless of how low the graphical load is. The fact that the system reaches 420 FPS at 1080p Low, and then climbs to 368 FPS at 1440p Low and 231 FPS at 4K Low, indicates that while the CPU is very fast, it is not the absolute limit at the lowest settings; the GPU is still contributing to the final frame rate even at 1080p. This points to a well-balanced system where neither component completely dominates the other in the least demanding scenarios.

The processor’s standing among its peers is reinforced by its benchmark averages. Its average benchmark score of 48995 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (with a deltaPct of -0.5) and the Intel Core i5-14600K (with a deltaPct of 0.8), show that the Core Ultra 5 245 is operating in a performance tier where single-digit percentage differences separate competitors. This tight grouping suggests that, in a game like Inside, the CPU’s influence on the final frame rate is more about avoiding a bottleneck than about providing a unique performance advantage. The data implies that the Core Ultra 5 245 has ample headroom for this title, and its high single-thread score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 is likely a critical factor in maintaining those high minimum frame rates seen at 1440p and 1080p Medium settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this hardware combo in Inside?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 420 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination is ranked 218th out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the top 10% of all systems.

Q: Is there a significant performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: Yes, the average frame rate drops from 256 FPS at 1920x1080 to 116 FPS at 3840x2160 on High settings. This represents a 55% reduction in average FPS, indicating a substantial increase in GPU load.

Q: What is the only measured configuration that provides both an average and a minimum frame rate?

A: The Medium settings at all three resolutions include minimum frame rate data. For example, at 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 294 FPS, with minimum and maximum of 250 and 338 FPS, respectively.

Q: Does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance appear to be a limiting factor at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests it is not the primary limit. The CPU scores 32924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and the system reaches 420 FPS at 1080p Low. The frame rate continues to scale down as resolution increases, indicating the GPU is still a significant contributor to the final output even at this low resolution.

Q: How does this combo's performance compare to the closest rival in the database?

A: The combo’s average benchmark score is 43223, which is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and 1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, its closest GPU rivals. This indicates the GPU is performing in line with its expected tier.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, which serves as a direct indicator of where the performance bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the system averages 420 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 368 FPS, a 12% decrease. The jump to 4K Low results in 231 FPS, a 37% decrease from the 1440p figure. This scaling is not linear, with the most significant drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the sheer number of pixels being rendered begins to strain the graphics card.

However, the data also reveals a more nuanced story when examining the High settings. At 1080p High, the average is 256 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 184 FPS (a 28% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 116 FPS (a 37% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is larger for the High preset than it is for Low (28% vs 12%), which suggests that the additional graphical effects and shading complexity at High settings amplify the load on the GPU, making it a more significant bottleneck even at the lower resolution. This indicates that while the CPU is strong enough to handle the game logic at high frame rates, the GPU’s rendering capabilities become the primary constraint as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

The scaling behavior points to a system where the RTX 4070 SUPER is the main driver of performance differences across resolutions. The CPU, with its high single and multi-threaded scores, provides a stable platform that does not introduce frame rate ceilings until perhaps the most extreme low-settings scenarios. The data implies that players using this combo will see a direct trade-off between resolution and frame rate, with the system capable of delivering high-refresh-rate experiences at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains a solid high-refresh-rate experience at lower settings or a 60+ FPS experience at higher settings. The 4K High average of 116 FPS is particularly telling; it suggests the GPU is still providing a very playable experience at the highest resolution, but it is far from the headroom seen at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results are exceptional across the board. The Low preset yields the highest average of 420 FPS. The Medium preset produces an average of 388 FPS, with a minimum of 329 FPS and a maximum of 446 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. The High preset averages 256 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 244 FPS. This represents a spread of 176 FPS between the lowest and highest quality settings, demonstrating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution, allowing for a wide range of graphical customization without dropping below the 200 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains remarkably high. The Low preset averages 368 FPS, which is still a phenomenal result for a 1440p panel. The Medium preset averages 294 FPS, with a minimum of 250 FPS and a maximum of 338 FPS. The High preset averages 184 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 175 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 9 FPS, suggesting that the additional visual features in the Ultra preset have a marginal performance cost relative to the jump from Medium to High, which costs 110 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to work considerably harder. The Low preset still manages an impressive 231 FPS average, which is higher than many systems achieve at 1080p. The Medium preset averages 185 FPS, with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 213 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 116 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 110 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K narrows to just 6 FPS, indicating that the system is becoming more GPU-limited, and the performance cost of Ultra settings is minimized as the resolution scaling dominates the rendering load. The minimum FPS of 157 at Medium 4K is particularly noteworthy, as it ensures a smooth experience even in more complex scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER in Inside is exemplary. The comboRankInGame places this pairing at 218 out of 2887 tested combinations, which puts it in the top 7.5 percent of all systems benchmarked on this site. This is a strong indicator that the hardware is well-matched for this specific title, providing a level of performance that is significantly higher than the majority of user-submitted results. The ranking is likely influenced by both the high single-core performance of the CPU, which is critical for game logic, and the raw pixel-pushing power of the GPU.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the CPU alone is in the 90th percentile of all processors, and the GPU is in the 83rd percentile of all graphics cards. When combined, their performance in this game yields a top-tier result. The data suggests that the system is not being held back by a weak component; rather, it is operating near the top of its respective hardware tiers. The high rank also indicates that the game is not particularly sensitive to the specific architecture of the CPU, as the Core Ultra 5 245’s 14 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer. The rank confirms the capability of both components to work in concert to deliver high frame rates across all tested settings.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (with a deltaPct of -1), are extremely close in average benchmark score, which shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is performing at a level that is competitive with even some higher-tier mobile parts. The CPU’s rivals, like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (with a deltaPct of -0.5), are also within a hair's breadth of its score. This indicates that the combo’s high rank is not due to one component vastly outperforming its peers, but rather a combination of two solidly performing parts that are both near the top of their respective performance curves.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for a balance of visual fidelity and performance at 4K would be the High preset, which averages 116 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The Ultra preset, at 110 FPS, offers only a 6 FPS improvement in average frame rate over High, suggesting it may not be worth the potential additional visual noise for such a marginal performance gain. For players with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors, the Medium preset, with an average of 185 FPS, is an excellent choice, as it nearly doubles the frame rate of High while likely still looking superior to Low.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended starting point, as it delivers an average of 184 FPS. This is an ideal frame rate for a 1440p 165Hz or 180Hz monitor. For those seeking maximum smoothness, the Medium preset offers an average of 294 FPS, which is a substantial increase and will be beneficial for competitive play, although the visual differences may be apparent. The Ultra preset at 175 FPS is also a viable option, providing a high level of detail with only a 9 FPS deficit compared to High. Given the small difference, the Ultra preset is arguably the better choice for a single-player puzzle game at this resolution, as the visual enhancements are likely to be more noticeable than the slight frame rate reduction.

At 1080p, the system is so powerful that the choice of settings is almost entirely personal preference. The Ultra preset averages 244 FPS, which is more than enough for any current monitor. The High preset at 256 FPS is equally viable. The Medium and Low presets exceed 380 FPS, which is only useful for players with the very highest refresh rate monitors (e.g., 360Hz or higher). For most users, the High or Ultra preset is recommended, as they provide the best visual quality without sacrificing the high frame rates that make the game feel incredibly responsive. The data strongly suggests that this combo can handle any setting at 1080p without breaking a sweat.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is a significant asset for a game like Inside, which, while not a modern AAA title, still benefits from fast memory access to render its detailed 2.5D environments and lighting effects. The GPU’s high boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units allow it to process the game’s pixel and vertex data with immense speed. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary component responsible for the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 420 FPS, but this is not a CPU limit; it is the GPU’s ability to render frames that quickly.

The GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks confirms its place in the market. Its Passmark G3D score of 29995 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 highlight its strong rasterization capabilities. The GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs further emphasizes its high-end status. The measured frame rates in Inside, particularly the 116 FPS average at 4K High, are a direct result of this computational power. The GPU’s ability to maintain a minimum FPS of 157 at 4K Medium shows that it has the raw throughput to handle even the most demanding scenes in this game without significant stuttering.

The data suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the key to unlocking the high refresh rate potential of this system. While the CPU ensures the game logic is processed quickly, it is the GPU that determines the final image output. The scaling from 244 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 110 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a 55% reduction in performance, which is directly attributable to the increased pixel count and shading complexity. The GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM is also a non-issue for this title, as the game’s textures and geometry are well within its capacity, ensuring there is no memory-related bottleneck even at 4K. The RTX 4070 SUPER is clearly the workhorse of this pairing, delivering exceptional frame rates that allow the Core Ultra 5 245 to showcase its own strengths without being constrained by graphical limitations.