Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The data shows this combination is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D ensures that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game runs far beyond the requirements of any modern display. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the combo’s standing among other tested configurations, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU based on the benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 420 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 376 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS or roughly 10.5%. Stepping up to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 321 FPS, which is a further 55 FPS drop from the 1440p result, or about 14.6%. This scaling pattern indicates that while the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU workload becomes more significant as pixel count increases.

The trend is more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 388 FPS at 1080p to 347 FPS at 1440p, and then to 256 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Medium is 91 FPS, a substantial 26.2% decrease, compared to a 41 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling suggests that the RTX 5090 D’s compute and memory bandwidth are being increasingly taxed as both resolution and graphical complexity rise. At High settings, the averages are 323 FPS (1080p), 255 FPS (1440p), and 160 FPS (4K). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 21%, and from 1440p to 4K is about 37%, indicating a growing bottleneck on the GPU side.

The most telling data point for identifying the limiting component is the performance delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (420 FPS) and Ultra (318 FPS) is 102 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 133 FPS (376 vs 243). At 4K, the difference is 168 FPS (321 vs 153). This widening gap demonstrates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as its workload scales directly with both resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system is likely closer to a CPU or memory limit, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, keeps frame rates exceptionally high. The conclusion from the data is that the RTX 5090 D is the dominant performance driver, with the Core Ultra 5 245 providing ample headroom at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 420 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the average FPS at 4K Ultra compare to the average FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 153 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it is 318 FPS. This represents a performance reduction of 165 FPS, or approximately 51.9%, when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings.

Q: Is the frame rate more consistent at lower resolutions?

A: The data provides minimum and maximum FPS only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080 Medium, the range is 329 to 446 FPS (a delta of 117 FPS). At 2560x1440 Medium, the range is 295 to 399 FPS (a delta of 104 FPS). At 3840x2160 Medium, the range is 218 to 295 FPS (a delta of 77 FPS). This suggests that frame time variance decreases as resolution increases, likely due to the GPU becoming the consistent bottleneck.

*Q: Does this CPU and GPU combination rank high among all tested combos in Inside?*

A: Yes, the combo ranks 17th out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the top 0.6% of all configurations.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (0.5% higher). It also slightly outperforms the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting produces an average of 376 FPS, while the High setting produces 255 FPS. The difference is 121 FPS, with the High preset delivering about 67.8% of the Low preset's frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Inside, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 17 out of 2887 tested configurations. This places the pairing in the 99.4th percentile of all tested combos, indicating that it is a top-tier performer for this specific title. The rank is a holistic measure of the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the data confirms that this hardware combination is exceptionally well-suited for Inside.

The high rank is unsurprising given the individual components' standings. The CPU holds a 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score of 48995 is virtually identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and AMD Ryzen 9 7900, with deltas of -0.4% and -0.5%, respectively. This indicates the CPU is a solid, mid-to-high-tier performer. The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 5090 D holds a 92nd percentile ranking against all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals in the database are notably different, including the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (-1.6% lower), showing that its aggregate benchmark score is competitive with a range of other high-end cards. The combination of a strong, though not top-tier, CPU and a very high-end GPU results in a combo that is near the top of the charts for Inside.

The rank of 17 out of 2887 suggests that only 16 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs have managed to produce higher measured frame rates in this game. This reflects the RTX 5090 D's raw power, as the game is clearly not CPU-bound at these performance levels. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of the high rank, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid becoming a limiting factor, especially at 4K resolutions where the GPU workload is most intense.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target refresh rate of the display. For a standard 60 Hz display, all settings and resolutions are overkill, with even the most demanding configuration (4K Ultra) producing an average of 153 FPS, which is more than double the requirement. For high-refresh-rate gaming at 144 Hz, 4K Ultra (153 FPS) and 4K High (160 FPS) are both viable, though the High preset offers a slight edge in average FPS. For 240 Hz displays, 4K Medium (256 FPS) becomes the sweet spot, as it comfortably exceeds the refresh rate while providing a higher graphical fidelity than Low.

At 1440p, the options expand significantly. For 240 Hz displays, 1440p Ultra (243 FPS) is just barely sufficient, while 1440p High (255 FPS) provides a small buffer. The 1440p Medium setting (347 FPS) is ideal for 360 Hz displays, offering a massive performance headroom. The 1440p Low setting (376 FPS) is only necessary for the most extreme refresh rates, such as 500 Hz panels, which are not yet common. For 1080p, the situation is similar. The 1080p Ultra (318 FPS) and 1080p High (323 FPS) settings are both excellent for 300 Hz displays. The 1080p Medium setting (388 FPS) is suitable for 360 Hz displays, and the 1080p Low setting (420 FPS) is the only measured configuration that can push beyond 400 FPS.

The data suggests that the "best experience" is a balance between visual quality and frame rate headroom. For most users with high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K displays, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience. At 4K, Medium (256 FPS) provides a significant visual upgrade over Low (321 FPS) while still delivering frame rates that are more than sufficient for any current display technology. At 1440p, Medium (347 FPS) is similarly balanced, offering a large improvement over Low (376 FPS) in visual fidelity for a modest 29 FPS cost. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, yields the lowest averages at each resolution (153 FPS at 4K, 243 FPS at 1440p, 318 FPS at 1080p) and is only recommended for users with displays that cannot exceed those refresh rates. Given the game's age, the Medium preset provides a high level of detail without sacrificing the fluidity that this hardware is capable of.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination in Inside.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS is 420.
• Medium: Average FPS is 388, with a minimum of 329 and a maximum of 446.
• High: Average FPS is 323.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 318.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS is 376.
• Medium: Average FPS is 347, with a minimum of 295 and a maximum of 399.
• High: Average FPS is 255.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 243.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS is 321.
• Medium: Average FPS is 256, with a minimum of 218 and a maximum of 295.
• High: Average FPS is 160.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 153.

The data reveals a few key points. First, the difference between High and Ultra settings is minimal at all resolutions. At 1080p, the delta is only 5 FPS (323 vs 318). At 1440p, it is 12 FPS (255 vs 243). At 4K, it is 7 FPS (160 vs 153). This suggests that the Ultra preset offers only a marginal performance penalty over High, making it a viable choice for users who want maximum visual quality. Second, the jump from Medium to Low is significant. At 1080p, the delta is 32 FPS (388 to 420). At 1440p, it is 29 FPS (347 to 376). At 4K, it is 65 FPS (256 to 321). This indicates that the Low preset is a substantial performance lever, but the Medium preset provides a much better balance of quality and speed. The minimum FPS figures for Medium settings also show that frame drops are more pronounced at lower resolutions, with the 1080p minimum being 329 FPS, which is still exceptionally high.

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. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU’s benchmark results show a strong single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4394. This is critical for Inside, which, as a puzzle platformer, is not heavily multithreaded. The game’s performance is more dependent on the speed of a single core than on the total thread count, and the Ultra 5 245’s high boost clock ensures it can handle the game’s primary game logic and physics threads with ease.

The CPU’s overall performance is solid, with a 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48995 is almost exactly on par with its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5%). This means that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo's performance; it is a competent mid-to-high-tier part that provides more than enough processing power for Inside. In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 420 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to avoid a CPU-side bottleneck, even at very high frame rates.

However, the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, and the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant to the final FPS. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck for this game, as the frame rates are consistently high across all settings. The 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for the game, and the lack of hyper-threading does not appear to have a negative impact on performance. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game’s assets. In summary, the Ultra 5 245 is a capable and well-balanced processor that provides a stable foundation for the RTX 5090 D, but it is not the star of the show in this specific benchmark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications are staggering. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for high-resolution gaming, as the GPU needs to quickly access textures and frame buffers. The RTX 5090 D also has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, giving it immense raw compute power. Its FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, and its boost clock is 2407 MHz.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are equally impressive. It holds a 92nd percentile ranking against all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals in the database are a mix of other high-end cards, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, -1.6%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605, -2.4%). This suggests that while it is a top-tier card, its aggregate benchmark score is not significantly higher than some other powerful GPUs, which confirms the broad performance of modern high-end hardware.

In Inside, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s distinctive monochromatic visuals and atmospheric effects. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. At 1080p, the GPU is so powerful that it can push frame rates to 420 FPS on Low settings. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear GPU bottleneck, as the frame rate drops by roughly 51.9% from 1080p Ultra (318 FPS) to 4K Ultra (153 FPS). This is a direct result of the increased pixel count and the corresponding increase in GPU workload. The 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Inside, which is not a VRAM-intensive game, but it ensures that there is no memory-related performance ceiling. The RTX 5090 D’s raw compute power allows it to handle the game at 4K Ultra with an average of 153 FPS, a figure that would be considered high even for many less demanding esports titles. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the single most important factor in achieving the high frame rates seen in this benchmark, and its capabilities are the reason this combo ranks 17th out of 2887 tested configurations.