Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The data shows that this pairing is heavily GPU-limited at lower resolutions, with the CPU becoming a more significant factor only at 4K Ultra settings. Across all twelve measured configurations, the system never drops below 131 FPS average, indicating a surplus of performance for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, though the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 430 FPS at 1920x1080 to 385 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 45 FPS, and then to 275 FPS at 3840x2160, another 110 FPS decline. This translates to a 36% total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, suggesting that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the rendering load at 4K begins to strain the GPU.

The Medium preset shows a steeper scaling curve. The average FPS drops from 397 at 1080p to 350 at 1440p (a 47 FPS loss), then to 220 at 4K (a 130 FPS loss). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 177 FPS, or roughly 45%. This larger percentage drop compared to Low settings indicates that the additional shading and texture work at Medium settings amplifies the resolution penalty, placing more demand on the RTX 5080's pixel processing capabilities.

High settings exhibit a similar proportional decline. Starting at 305 FPS in 1080p, the average falls to 219 FPS at 1440p and then to 138 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 55% reduction from the 1080p baseline. Notably, the gap between 1440p and 4K at High settings is 81 FPS, which is larger than the 86 FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p, indicating that the transition to 4K imposes a disproportionately heavy load on the GPU's rasterization and memory subsystems.

Ultra settings produce the lowest absolute frame rates and the most dramatic scaling. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 290, dropping to 209 at 1440p and further to 131 at 4K. The total decline from 1080p to 4K is 159 FPS, or 55%. The 4K Ultra result of 131 FPS average is the only measured configuration that approaches the lower bounds of high-refresh-rate displays, though it remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

The scaling behavior across all presets indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's ability to feed the GPU becomes the primary constraint, particularly at Low and Medium settings where the GPU has less work per frame. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the larger absolute FPS drops between 1440p and 4K compared to the 1080p-to-1440p transition for most presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Inside, a game from 2016 that does not demand high VRAM capacity. The data shows no evidence of memory-related performance degradation at any resolution or settings combination, as the frame rates remain consistently high even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's clock speeds are 2295 MHz base and 2617 MHz boost. The boost clock is particularly relevant for sustained performance in a game like Inside, which features continuous rendering with no extended loading screens that would allow the GPU to downclock. The measured frame rates, especially the 275 FPS average at 4K Low, indicate that the RTX 5080 is operating at or near its boost clock under load, as the game's relatively simple geometry and lighting do not create thermal or power constraints that would force clock reductions.

The GPU's architecture is Blackwell 2.0, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The chip, designated GB203, contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. With 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, the RTX 5080 has substantial raw compute resources. The FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS is more than adequate for a title like Inside, which relies primarily on 2D sprite rendering and simple 3D geometry rather than complex shader effects.

The RTX 5080's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its overall performance. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 0.6% lower on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 0.7% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 2.3%, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% ahead. These small deltaPct values indicate that the RTX 5080 sits in a tightly packed performance tier, though the measured FPS in Inside suggests that the GPU has ample headroom for this specific workload.

The passmark G3D score of 36,565 places the RTX 5080 in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. This percentile ranking confirms that the card is positioned well above the median, and the Inside results align with this expectation. The GPU compute score of 21,789 further demonstrates the card's capabilities in non-graphics workloads, though this is less relevant for analyzing game performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. The base clock of 2.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide a wide operating range. For Inside, which is not a heavily threaded title, the high boost clock is more important than the core count. The data suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic without becoming a bottleneck at most settings.

The processor's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The 30 MB L3 cache is particularly relevant for game performance, as it can hold significant portions of the working set for a game like Inside, reducing the frequency of main memory accesses. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support provides 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's data requirements.

The CPU benchmarks show strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for Inside's main thread. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960 and multi-core score of 42,216 demonstrate that the processor excels in both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,689 corroborates the single-core strength, while the multithread score of 49,682 indicates robust multi-core capabilities.

The nearest CPU rivals show a tightly clustered performance group. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 0.3% lower on average, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% higher. The AMD EPYC 7343 trails by 0.7%, and the AMD EPYC 9124 is 0.7% behind. These deltaPct values, all within 0.7%, indicate that the Core Ultra 7 265's performance is well within the expected range for its tier.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 93 among all CPUs places it in the top 7% of processors in the database. This high ranking is consistent with the measured FPS results in Inside, where the CPU is able to sustain frame rates above 400 FPS at 1080p Low settings. The 20 cores and 20 threads may be overkill for this game, but the high single-thread performance ensures that the primary game thread runs without delays.

At 1080p Low, the 430 FPS average suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has minimal work per frame. The fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low (430 FPS) is higher than at 1440p Low (385 FPS) but lower than the GPU's theoretical maximum indicates that the CPU's ability to issue draw calls is the constraint. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is instrumental in achieving these high frame rates, as Inside's rendering pipeline relies on a single primary thread for scene traversal.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 430 FPS, the highest of any measured configuration. The Medium preset produces 397 FPS average, with a minimum of 337 and maximum of 456 FPS. High settings yield 305 FPS average, while Ultra delivers 290 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 140 FPS, representing a 33% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to highest settings.

The 2560x1440 results show a similar pattern with lower absolute values. Low settings produce 385 FPS average, Medium achieves 350 FPS with a range of 298 to 403 FPS, High reaches 219 FPS, and Ultra delivers 209 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 176 FPS, or 46%. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 298 is notably higher than the High preset's average of 219, indicating that the jump from Medium to High settings imposes a substantial performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 275 FPS average, Medium produces 220 FPS with a range of 187 to 253 FPS, High reaches 138 FPS, and Ultra delivers 131 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 55 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 82 FPS. This indicates that the High preset introduces effects that are particularly expensive at 4K resolution, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing that scales with pixel count.

The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest average FPS of 131, which is still more than double the game's base refresh rate requirements. The minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution, with values of 337 FPS at 1080p, 298 FPS at 1440p, and 187 FPS at 4K. These minimums suggest that even in the most demanding scenes, the system maintains high frame rates without significant dips.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 58th out of 2,887 tested combinations in Inside. This places the combo in the top 2% of all tested systems, indicating that it delivers performance that is exceptional for this title. The rank of 58 is notable given that many combinations above it likely use higher-end GPUs or CPUs, but the measured FPS data shows that this combo already saturates the game's rendering requirements at most settings.

The combo's rank relative to its position in the database suggests that the performance is well-balanced. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking combine to produce a system that excels in a game like Inside, which benefits from both high single-thread CPU performance and strong GPU throughput. The fact that the combo ranks higher than the individual component percentiles might indicate that the CPU's strength is particularly well-suited to this game's engine.

The nearest rival combos are not listed in the data, but the component-level rival comparisons provide context. The CPU's rivals are all within 0.7% in average benchmark score, while the GPU's rivals are within 2.3%. This tight clustering suggests that swapping in a comparable CPU or GPU would produce similar Inside performance, though the specific measured FPS values would likely vary based on the exact combination.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 430 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 131 FPS, which is well above typical 60 FPS display refresh rates.

*Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance impact Inside?*

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960 and boost clock of 5.30 GHz support high frame rates at low resolutions, where the CPU becomes the limiting factor, as seen in the 430 FPS result at 1080p Low.

*Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect Inside?*

A: The RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this 2016 title, as no memory-related performance drops are evident in the data.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 58th out of 2,887 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all systems.

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

A: The Medium preset achieves 350 FPS average, while High produces 219 FPS average, a difference of 131 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium produces 397 FPS average, which is nearly indistinguishable from the Low preset's 430 FPS in terms of perceived smoothness but provides better visual fidelity. The minimum FPS of 337 at 1080p Medium is also high enough to prevent any noticeable stuttering.

At 1440p, the Medium preset's 350 FPS average is the recommended choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, as it exceeds the capabilities of most displays. The 298 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 1440p, with its 219 FPS average, is acceptable but does not offer a proportional visual improvement over Medium given the 131 FPS performance cost.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 275 FPS is the best option for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, while the Medium preset at 220 FPS is recommended for users prioritizing visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset's minimum of 187 FPS at 4K is still well above the threshold for tear-free gameplay on standard 60 Hz displays. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, producing 138 and 131 FPS respectively, are only recommended for users with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate headroom.

The Ultra preset provides diminishing returns in Inside, as the visual differences between High and Ultra are minimal for a game of this era, yet the performance cost is measurable. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset represents the optimal configuration, delivering frame rates that are 1.6 to 1.8 times higher than Ultra while maintaining a visually coherent experience. The data indicates that the Medium preset is the most efficient choice for this hardware combination, offering a fluid experience at all tested resolutions.