Inside

Inside is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a deliberately minimal visual style, but the benchmark data for this particular combination, Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the integrated Intel Arc B370, reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics component. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings show a clear pattern: the CPU has ample headroom, while the GPU struggles to maintain fluid motion at higher loads. This analysis walks through the measured data to explain how the system scales, where the bottleneck sits, and what the numbers mean for playability.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking trend in the measured data is how average FPS collapses as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the system delivers 141 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 101 FPS at 1440p, and then falls sharply to 64 FPS at 4K. That represents a 54.6% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset, a steep decline that points directly at the graphics processor as the limiting factor. The pattern is consistent across all presets: High settings yield 70 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings produce 67 FPS, 48 FPS, and 30 FPS respectively.

The scaling behavior indicates that the Intel Arc B370, an integrated graphics solution with a 25 W TDP, is being overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but manageable, a 29.9% reduction on High, but the jump from 1440p to 4K is brutal, with another 37.3% loss on the same preset. This non-linear degradation is typical of a GPU that runs out of fillrate or memory bandwidth as the render target grows. The data suggests that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can approach smooth performance, and even then only at lower settings.

It is also worth noting the gap between Low and Medium presets at each resolution. At 1080p, Low runs at 141 FPS while Medium runs at 113 FPS, a 19.9% difference. At 4K, the gap widens in relative terms: Low runs at 64 FPS while Medium runs at 51 FPS, a 20.3% difference. This consistency implies that the settings themselves have a relatively uniform cost across resolutions, but the absolute headroom shrinks as the resolution climbs. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU would not show such dramatic scaling with resolution changes if it were the bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42,216 and a single-core score of 5,960. The PassMark multithread score of 49,682 and single-thread score of 4,689 further confirm that this is a high-end desktop part, ranking in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs. For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and logic, the CPU workload is modest, and this processor should have no trouble keeping up.

The measured FPS data supports this assessment. Even at the lowest resolution and settings, 1080p Low, which is the most CPU-bound scenario, the system reaches 141 FPS. The fact that the frame rate does not exceed this level suggests the GPU is already capping the output, since a 20-core Arrow Lake chip with a 5.30 GHz boost clock could easily push a lightweight 2D title far beyond 141 FPS if the graphics pipeline were not the constraint. The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game’s data demands.

The nearest rivals to the Core Ultra 7 265 in overall benchmark scores include the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% slower) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% faster), with the AMD EPYC 7343 at 0.7% faster. These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU’s performance is effectively on par with those server-class parts. For Inside specifically, the CPU role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data shows it is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting tested. The bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS values, the choice of settings depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 70 FPS on average, which is smooth for a puzzle platformer. The Medium preset offers 113 FPS, a substantial improvement over High, and the Low preset reaches 141 FPS. For 1080p, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot: it provides a 61.4% FPS increase over High while still looking significantly better than Low, and the measured minimum FPS of 96 indicates that even the worst-case frame times are well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. High settings drop to 51 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold for many players. Medium settings at 1440p produce 81 FPS on average with a minimum of 69 FPS, which is playable but not perfect. Low settings at 1440p reach 101 FPS, offering the best performance margin. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the pragmatic recommendation, as it balances visual quality with a 58.8% FPS advantage over High, and the minimum FPS of 69 ensures no significant stutter.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. High settings average 32 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS, and Low averages 64 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer at 30 FPS. Even the Low preset at 4K barely reaches 64 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves no headroom for complex scenes. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, and even then, the margin is thin. The Medium preset at 4K, with a minimum FPS of 43, would likely experience noticeable frame drops during action sequences. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited to 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium, with 4K reserved for players who prioritize resolution over frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2,654 out of 2,887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the bottom 8.1% of all configurations. This is a poor ranking, driven almost entirely by the GPU’s low performance. The Intel Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,184, which puts it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% faster) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% faster), both of which are legacy parts from over a decade ago. This indicates that the Arc B370, despite being an integrated solution on a 3 nm process, delivers performance comparable to very old discrete graphics cards.

The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 93rd percentile, but its contribution to this game’s results is minimal because the GPU is so weak. The combo rank of 2,654 out of 2,887 reflects the fact that the vast majority of other tested combos, even those with older or lower-end CPUs, likely pair them with discrete GPUs that outperform the Arc B370. The data suggests that for a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding by modern standards, this combo still falls short because the integrated graphics simply cannot sustain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s 5th percentile standing, not any deficiency in the CPU.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the most viable resolution, with the Medium preset achieving 113 FPS on average and a minimum of 96 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset exceeds 100 FPS, while at 4K, even Low settings drop to 64 FPS.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 141 FPS, which is 101.4% faster than the High preset’s 70 FPS. The Medium preset sits in between at 113 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the system in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has a 93rd percentile ranking and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and the FPS scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has ample headroom for this lightweight title.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 32 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are not smooth.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184, placing it in the 5th percentile. It is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770.

Q: What settings provide the best balance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, which offers a good balance. High settings drop to 51 FPS, while Low settings reach 101 FPS but with reduced visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 141 FPS on average, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. The Medium preset averages 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. High settings average 70 FPS, and Ultra settings average 67 FPS, both without recorded minimum or maximum values.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 101 FPS, Medium averages 81 FPS (minimum 69, maximum 93), High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p is 37.0%, which is significant. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS (minimum 43, maximum 59), High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The 4K data shows a dramatic drop-off, with the High preset falling below the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin.

Notable observations include the fact that Ultra settings are only marginally slower than High at each resolution, at 1080p, the difference is 4.3% (70 vs 67 FPS), and at 1440p it is 5.9% (51 vs 48 FPS). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds little extra cost over High, but both are far behind Medium and Low. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution, which limits the analysis of frame time consistency, but the available data shows that Medium at 1080p and 1440p both maintain minimums above 69 FPS, while Medium at 4K drops to 43 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It features 1,280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s memory is system shared, meaning it relies on the CPU’s DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, and its bandwidth is system dependent. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is exceptionally low. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, both from the early 2010s, indicating that the Arc B370’s raw performance is on par with very old discrete parts. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm that this is a low-power integrated solution, not designed for demanding gaming workloads.

In the context of Inside, the GPU’s role is the primary bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (141 FPS) likely represents the upper limit of what this GPU can deliver, and it falls to 64 FPS at 4K Low. The system shared memory means that the GPU and CPU must compete for bandwidth, but the CPU’s 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate. The data shows that the GPU’s fillrate and shading capabilities are insufficient for higher resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K. For players seeking higher frame rates, the only option within this combo is to reduce resolution and settings to the bare minimum, as the GPU cannot be upgraded without changing the entire platform.