Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands, yet the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER reveal a fascinating dynamic between CPU and GPU headroom. The data indicates that this combination is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the CPU's considerable strength allows the GPU to operate at extremely high frame rates, pushing towards the limits of display technology. The benchmark results show a system that delivers exceptional performance across all tested configurations, with the primary differentiator being the resolution and settings preset rather than any underlying hardware bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and clearly illustrates where the rendering burden falls. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 271 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 195 FPS, a decrease of 76 FPS (28%). At 4K High, the average further drops to 123 FPS, which is a 148 FPS reduction (55%) from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the limiting component as resolution increases; the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily, while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at lower settings, where the GPU is less stressed. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 430 FPS at 1080p down to 385 FPS at 1440p and finally to 245 FPS at 4K. The massive drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (a 185 FPS reduction, or 43%) suggests that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are still the primary constraint. The CPU's role is diminished here, as the data shows the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 can easily maintain frame delivery at these high rates without becoming a bottleneck.

Analyzing the Medium preset, which is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum frame times, provides further insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 397 FPS with a minimum of 337 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 312 FPS with a minimum of 265 FPS. Finally, at 4K Medium, the average is 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale proportionally with the averages, suggesting consistent performance without sudden stutters or CPU-related hitches. The data confirms that the scaling is smooth and predictable, typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering load increases linearly with pixel count.

The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 258 FPS at 1080p, 186 FPS at 1440p, and 117 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 141 FPS (55%), which is nearly identical to the drop seen on High settings. This consistency across presets strengthens the conclusion that resolution scaling is the dominant factor affecting performance, and the component responsible for this scaling is the GPU. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for these resolutions, but the compute load ultimately limits frame rates at higher pixel counts.

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 synthetic benchmarks are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. This CPU's role in Inside is to ensure that the game logic, physics, and draw calls are processed without delay, allowing the GPU to render frames as fast as possible. The data suggests it performs this role admirably, as the frame rates achieved at 1080p are exceptionally high.

At 1080p Low, the system reaches an average of 430 FPS, which is likely near the ceiling of what the game engine can output. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4689, is crucial for such high frame rates. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures that the primary game thread can execute quickly, while the 20 cores handle any background tasks and secondary threads. The data shows no signs of CPU limitation, as performance scales consistently across resolutions without a plateau at lower settings that would indicate a CPU bottleneck.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 sits at 64640, which is -0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823) and -0.7% behind the AMD EPYC 9124 (65104). It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7343 (64202). While these are synthetic comparisons, they place the CPU's processing power in a high tier. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU's single-core strength is more relevant than its multicore count, and the benchmark results in this game reflect that the processor is more than adequate for the task.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth also contribute to smooth data flow. These specifications ensure that the game's assets and instructions are readily available to the cores, reducing latency and preventing stalls. In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU's performance does not appear to be a limiting factor at any resolution. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 117, the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering, as the workload is heavily skewed towards the graphics processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the central component driving the frame rates in this analysis. With 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, it has a theoretical FP32 performance of 44.10 TFLOPS. Its boost clock of 2610 MHz and base clock of 2340 MHz are high for the Ada Lovelace architecture. The GPU's memory subsystem is equally impressive, with 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, yielding 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are directly reflected in the game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions.

At 4K Ultra, the system averages 117 FPS, while at 4K Low, it averages 245 FPS. The difference of 128 FPS (52%) between Ultra and Low at the same resolution highlights how much the GPU's shading and texture units are being utilized. The Ultra preset likely increases the resolution of shadows, reflections, and other effects, which are computationally expensive for the GPU. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's raw compute power is sufficient to handle these tasks, but the frame rate drop indicates that it is working near its limits at the highest settings.

The GPU's role is also evident in the scaling between presets at 1440p. At High, the average is 195 FPS; at Medium, it is 312 FPS; and at Low, it is 385 FPS. This wide range shows that the GPU has significant headroom when settings are lowered, allowing for massive frame rate increases. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's percentile ranking of 76 among all GPUs, while not top-tier, puts it in a strong position for 1440p and 4K gaming. Its synthetic benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 and the Passmark G3D score of 31811, corroborate its capability.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is ample for Inside, which is not a VRAM-intensive title. However, the high bandwidth is beneficial for the texture streaming and frame buffer operations at 4K. The data shows that the GPU does not become a bottleneck at 1080p, where it achieves 430 FPS on Low, suggesting that the rendering pipeline is efficient. The GPU's performance in this game is consistent with its position in the market, as it outperforms the NVIDIA TITAN RTX in average benchmark score by 1.9%, based on the deltaPct of -1.9% for the TITAN RTX relative to the 4070 Ti SUPER's score.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 136th out of 2887 combos. This places it in the top 5% of all systems tested, indicating that it is a high-performance configuration. The rank is a composite measure, likely accounting for performance across all settings and resolutions, and the high position reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates even at 4K.

The combo's ranking is more impressive when considering the CPU's percentile of 93 among all CPUs and the GPU's percentile of 76 among all GPUs. The CPU is at the 93rd percentile, meaning it outperforms 93% of all processors, while the GPU is at the 76th percentile. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a strong upper-midrange GPU yields a system that excels in this game. The data shows that the bottleneck is almost always the GPU, so pairing a more powerful GPU with this CPU would likely improve the rank further, but the current setup already provides an excellent experience.

Compared to the synthetic benchmarks of the individual components, the combo's rank is slightly lower than what the CPU's percentile might suggest. This is because the GPU's 76th percentile pulls the overall ranking down. For instance, a system with a similar CPU but a higher-ranked GPU would likely rank better in this specific game. However, the 136th position out of 2887 is a strong result, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is well-matched with the Core Ultra 7 265 for the demands of Inside. The measured FPS data supports this, as the system never dips below 117 FPS in any tested configuration, ensuring a smooth and responsive gameplay experience.

The ranking also suggests that the system is not overkill for the game; rather, it is appropriately balanced. The high average FPS at 1080p and 1440p indicates that the system has headroom for future titles or higher refresh rate displays. The rank of 136 reflects the engineering of both components, as the CPU's raw processing power and the GPU's rendering capabilities combine to deliver top-tier performance in this puzzle platformer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all presets yield frame rates above 258 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 258 FPS, providing the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. For a standard 144Hz monitor, the High preset at 1080p, which averages 271 FPS, is more than sufficient and offers a slight performance boost over Ultra for minimal visual differences.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 186 FPS, which is still exceptionally high and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 1440p averages 195 FPS, offering a marginal performance increase over Ultra. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is the best choice for 1440p, as the frame rate remains well above 144 FPS, and the visual improvements are likely noticeable. If a player has a 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 1440p, which averages 312 FPS, would be the better option to fully utilize the display's capabilities.

At 4K, the situation changes. The Ultra preset averages 117 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and suitable for most 4K displays, but below the 144Hz threshold. For a 60Hz display, the Ultra preset is the best choice, providing the highest visual fidelity. The High preset at 4K averages 123 FPS, which is slightly faster but with reduced visual quality. For players with a 120Hz 4K display, the Medium preset, which averages 196 FPS, would be the recommended choice, as it offers a significant frame rate boost while still maintaining good visual quality. The Low preset at 4K, averaging 245 FPS, is only useful for competitive play or if maximum frame rates are desired, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a puzzle platformer.

In summary, the data recommends using the Ultra preset at 1080p and 1440p, as the frame rates are high enough to support any modern display. At 4K, the choice depends on the display's refresh rate: use Ultra for 60Hz, High for 120Hz, and Medium for 144Hz or higher. The Low preset is generally not recommended for this game, as the visual downgrade is not worth the frame rate increase, given that even the Ultra preset at 4K maintains a playable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 430 FPS on Low settings, 397 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 337 and maximum of 456), 271 FPS on High, and 258 FPS on Ultra. These figures demonstrate that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is not constrained at 1080p, and the CPU's performance allows the GPU to operate at its maximum potential. The difference between Low and Ultra is 172 FPS, showing that the settings have a significant impact on the GPU's workload.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 385 FPS on Low, 312 FPS on Medium (minimum 265, maximum 359), 195 FPS on High, and 186 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, with the Low preset losing 45 FPS (10.5%) and the Ultra preset losing 72 FPS (27.9%). This indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at this resolution, as the increased pixel count requires more shading and fill rate operations. The frame times for Medium are still tight, with a minimum that is 85% of the average, suggesting stable performance.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 245 FPS on Low, 196 FPS on Medium (minimum 167, maximum 226), 123 FPS on High, and 117 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration, and the system still manages to average 117 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep, with the Low preset losing 140 FPS (36.4%) and the Ultra preset losing 69 FPS (37.1%). The data shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s is being fully utilized, as the frame rates are consistent with the pixel throughput requirements.

Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that the system is capable of handling all tested settings at playable frame rates. The only configurations that dip below 120 FPS are the 4K High and 4K Ultra presets, but they still remain above 60 FPS. For a game like Inside, which has a slower pace and less action than a typical shooter, even the 117 FPS at 4K Ultra is more than adequate for a smooth experience. The data indicates that this hardware combination offers a wide range of performance options, allowing players to prioritize either visual quality or frame rate based on their preferences.

FAQ

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

A: The system achieves an average of 258 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates drop significantly from 1440p to 4K. For example, the Ultra preset falls from an average of 186 FPS at 1440p to 117 FPS at 4K, indicating the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is handling the increased rendering load.

Q: What is the highest frame rate recorded in the test data?

A: The highest average frame rate is 430 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the least demanding configuration, allowing the GPU to operate at its maximum output.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Inside?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 136th out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the top 5% of all systems.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the 4K Medium preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum frame rate is 167 FPS, with an average of 196 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. This indicates stable performance without significant stuttering.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset averages 117 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. While it is the lowest frame rate in the test data, it remains fully playable for a puzzle platformer like Inside.