Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination reveals interesting scaling behaviors and performance ceilings that are worth dissecting. The data indicates that this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU's capabilities become more apparent at lower settings and resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor built on Intel's 7 nm Meteor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz can boost up to 4.80 GHz, providing substantial headroom for single-threaded tasks, which are critical for a game like Inside that relies on consistent frame pacing. The processor integrates Arc Xe-LPG graphics with 128 execution units, though in this configuration, the discrete RTX 5080 handles all rendering duties.

The CPU's benchmark scores show a strong balance between single and multi-threaded performance. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743 suggest that the processor can handle both the game's physics logic and any background tasks without becoming a bottleneck. The PassMark single-thread score of 3468 reinforces this, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong indicator for gaming workloads that often depend on raw single-core speed.

However, the data from the measured FPS suggests that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in Inside. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 314, which is a significant number. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU has enough processing power to feed the GPU with frames far beyond what most displays can handle. The PassMark physics score of 1727, which is a moderate number, does not seem to be a hindrance here, as the game's 2D side-scrolling perspective likely has simpler physics calculations than a modern 3D title.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F (32750), with delta percentages of 0% and -0.2%, respectively. This places the CPU in a performance tier where it performs essentially on par with these desktop alternatives, despite being a mobile part. The data implies that for a game like Inside, the CPU's 22 threads are more than sufficient, and the boost clock of 4.80 GHz provides the necessary responsiveness for input and logic at high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS across different settings, the data provides a clear picture of diminishing returns. At 1080p, the Low preset averages 314 FPS, while Ultra averages 215 FPS. The difference between Medium (290 FPS) and High (226 FPS) is also significant. For a game like Inside, which is a narrative-driven puzzle platformer, a stable and high frame rate is more beneficial than a marginal increase in visual fidelity. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 290 FPS and a minimum of 246 FPS, offers the best balance, ensuring no perceptible drops below 240 Hz refresh rates, which is a common target for competitive or high-refresh displays.

Moving to 1440p, the Medium preset again shows a strong performance profile, averaging 259 FPS with a minimum of 221 FPS. This is a substantial 43 FPS improvement over the High preset (163 FPS) and a 104 FPS improvement over Ultra (155 FPS). The data indicates that the Medium preset maintains a minimum FPS above the 200 FPS threshold, which is a good target for smooth gameplay on high-refresh monitors. The Low preset at 1440p, with an average of 281 FPS, is tempting, but the visual downgrade from Medium is likely more noticeable at this resolution.

At 4K, the Medium preset averages 163 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS, which is still very playable and above the 120 FPS threshold for high-refresh 4K displays. The High preset at 4K drops to 102 FPS, and Ultra to 97 FPS. Given that the game's visual style is minimalist and atmospheric, the difference between Medium and High at 4K may not justify the 61 FPS loss. The data strongly suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions, providing the highest minimum FPS values while maintaining a visually coherent experience.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of a GPU-bound scenario, but with some nuance. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 290 at 1080p to 259 at 1440p, a reduction of 31 FPS (approximately 10.7%). Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops to 163 FPS, a further reduction of 96 FPS (approximately 37%). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as the pixel count increases, which is expected given the RTX 5080's specifications.

However, the scaling is not as steep as one might expect from a 2.25x increase in pixel count from 1440p to 4K. The data implies that the game's rendering engine has some overhead that scales more favorably with resolution. For instance, the 37% drop in FPS from 1440p to 4K is less than the 100% increase in pixel count, suggesting that the game is partially CPU-bound at 1440p Medium. This is supported by the fact that at 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 290, but the minimum is 246, which is a 44 FPS variance, indicating some frame time inconsistency that could be attributed to CPU or memory latency.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. The average FPS at 1080p is 314, at 1440p it is 281, and at 4K it is 204. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33 FPS (10.5%), but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 77 FPS (27.4%). This pattern suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is more involved, but as the resolution increases, the GPU's workload becomes dominant. The data shows that the RTX 5080, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, is well-equipped to handle the data throughput required at 4K, but the game's engine appears to have a hard ceiling around 300 FPS at lower resolutions, likely due to CPU or driver overhead.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 722nd out of 2887 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the top 25% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The data implies that while this is a high-end mobile CPU paired with a high-end desktop GPU, the overall system performance is hampered by the fact that the CPU is a mobile part, even though its benchmark scores are comparable to desktop alternatives.

The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that the RTX 5080 is a desktop-class GPU, and when paired with a mobile CPU, the performance can be limited by the CPU's power limits and thermal constraints. The CPU's TDP of 28 W is relatively low, which means it may not be able to sustain high boost clocks for extended periods, even though its boost clock is listed at 4.80 GHz. The data from the nearest rivals, where the CPU's average benchmark score is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, suggests that the CPU is not a weak point, but the motherboard's power delivery and cooling solutions for the BGA 2049 socket may not be optimized for sustained gaming loads.

In the context of all tested combos, the 722nd rank indicates that there are 721 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring desktop CPUs with higher sustained power delivery. However, for a game like Inside, the ranking is much less about raw performance and more about consistency. The measured FPS data shows that this combo can maintain high frame rates, but the ranking suggests that other combos may have better frame time consistency, which is crucial for a game with a slow, deliberate pace.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 215 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5080 have enough VRAM for 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, and the highest measured 4K average FPS is 204 at Low settings, indicating no VRAM limitations.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697, which is 0% different from the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707) and 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (32662).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 139 FPS.

Q: Is this combo more CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Inside?

A: The data suggests it is GPU-bound at higher resolutions, as the FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings is 37%, which is more significant than the 10.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p 240Hz monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 259 FPS and a minimum of 221 FPS, which is the best balance to stay above 240 FPS average and above 200 FPS minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data is presented in a structured format to show the exact performance at each configuration.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings yield an average of 314 FPS. The Medium settings produce an average of 290 FPS, with a minimum of 246 FPS and a maximum of 333 FPS. High settings lower the average to 226 FPS, while Ultra settings average 215 FPS. The data shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs a significant number of frames, with the largest gap between Medium and High (64 FPS).

At 2560x1440, the Low settings average 281 FPS. Medium settings average 259 FPS, with a minimum of 221 FPS and a maximum of 298 FPS. High settings average 163 FPS, and Ultra settings average 155 FPS. The pattern continues, but the gap between Medium and High is more pronounced at 96 FPS, indicating a heavier graphical load.

At 3840x2160, the Low settings average 204 FPS. Medium settings average 163 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS. High settings average 102 FPS, and Ultra settings average 97 FPS. The data here shows that the game becomes significantly more demanding at 4K, but the Medium preset still maintains a playable frame rate above 120 FPS.

The minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset across all resolutions, which provides a useful baseline for frame time consistency. The variance between average and minimum FPS is 44 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the frame pacing becomes more stable as the resolution increases, which is an interesting anomaly worth noting.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a high-end desktop GPU built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation pipelines. Its base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2617 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for a game like Inside, which has a minimalist art style and low texture requirements.

The GPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a PassMark G3D score of 36565 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 255450. This places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, which is a top-tier position. Its average benchmark score of 56083 is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S (55757) and 2.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828). The data suggests that the RTX 5080 is a performance leader, but its role in Inside is more nuanced.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 97. This indicates that even a high-end GPU like the RTX 5080 can be challenged by the game's Ultra settings at 4K, which likely include high-resolution shadows and post-processing effects. However, the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is not a constraint, as the game's memory footprint is likely well below this amount. The boost clock of 2617 MHz and the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth ensure that the GPU can process the game's data quickly, but the frame rate caps at lower resolutions suggest that the game engine has a limit around 300 FPS, which is not a GPU limitation but a software one. The data implies that the RTX 5080 is overkill for this game at lower settings, but it provides headroom for future titles or more demanding scenes.