Inside

Inside is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer from 2016 that, on the surface, does not demand advanced hardware. Yet, the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the AMD Radeon 8060S tell a more nuanced story about how modern mobile silicon handles even older titles. The data reveals a system that is never truly bottlenecked by its CPU, but one where the GPU's performance ceiling shifts dramatically based on resolution and the game's relatively simple graphical load.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and can boost up to 5.30 GHz, which provides substantial single-thread headroom for a game like Inside that relies heavily on physics calculations and game logic rather than massive parallel threads. The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensure that data feeding the GPU is not a limiting factor.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 40,642 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,737 points in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 63,173 is nearly identical to that of its nearest rivals; it is just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13790F and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G. This near-parity in raw compute suggests that in a lightweight title like Inside, the CPU will rarely be the component that determines the final frame rate.

The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 309 FPS, which is a staggering number that points to the CPU's ability to feed frames far beyond typical display refresh rates. Even at 4K with Ultra settings, where the GPU is under maximum stress, the average FPS only drops to 67, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold. The consistency across resolutions implies that the 265HX's 20 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient to handle the game's single-threaded and lightly threaded workloads, leaving the GPU as the primary variable in performance scaling.

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

The AMD Radeon 8060S is an integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. It features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, with a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU uses system-shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, bus width, and bandwidth are all system-dependent, which in this case is tied to the 30 MB L3 cache and the dual-channel DDR5 memory controller of the CPU.

In terms of raw compute, the Radeon 8060S delivers 14.85 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a figure that puts it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 55,757 is virtually identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.1% ahead) and only 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, which is an extraordinary result for an integrated part. This places the 8060S in a performance tier where it can handle modern games at 1080p and 1440p with ease, but Inside's specific rendering demands reveal interesting behavior at higher resolutions.

The game's measured FPS shows the GPU scaling nearly linearly with resolution when settings are held constant. At Low settings, the system jumps from 309 FPS at 1080p to 222 FPS at 1440p, and then to 140 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but not in a way that causes a dramatic collapse. The 8060S's 64 ROPs and 2900 MHz boost clock are sufficient to maintain high fill rates, but the shared memory bandwidth becomes a constraint as pixel count increases, explaining why the 4K Ultra setting yields only 67 FPS.

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

For players targeting a stable 60 FPS experience, the data shows that even the most demanding settings are viable. At 4K with Ultra settings, the system averages 67 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for drops in more complex scenes. The High preset at 4K averages 70 FPS, offering a marginal improvement of 3 FPS over Ultra, suggesting that the difference between High and Ultra is minimal in this title.

The most compelling recommendation comes from the Medium preset, which is the only setting tier with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 284 FPS. This consistency indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for a buttery-smooth experience without any perceptible stutter. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS, still far exceeding the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

For users with 4K displays who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 4K delivers 140 FPS, which is more than double the Ultra preset's 67 FPS. This suggests that Inside's visual differences between Low and Ultra are not worth the performance cost at 4K, as the game's dark, minimalist art style does not heavily rely on high-resolution textures. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom, ensuring that the game remains fluid even during the most physics-intensive puzzle sequences.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and AMD Radeon 8060S ranks 1,600th out of 2,887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 55th percentile, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of all other system configurations tested in this game. Given the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking, one might expect a higher combo rank, but the game's age and simplicity mean that many lower-end components can achieve high frame rates, compressing the performance distribution.

The combo rank relative to the individual component percentiles suggests that Inside is not a demanding title that rewards top-tier hardware proportionally. For example, a system with a weaker CPU but a similarly capable GPU could achieve nearly identical results, as the game does not scale well with multi-core performance. The 1,600th rank indicates that while this combo is capable, it is not in the top tier for this specific game, likely because other tested combos feature discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM that avoid the shared memory bandwidth limitations of the 8060S.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 309 FPS at 1080p to 222 FPS at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 140 FPS at 4K, another 37% reduction. This near-linear scaling with pixel count (from 2.07 million pixels at 1080p to 8.29 million at 4K) indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

At Ultra settings, the drop is less dramatic in relative terms but more significant in absolute FPS. The system goes from 147 FPS at 1080p to 106 FPS at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 67 FPS at 4K, a 37% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across all settings strongly suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the performance degradation is purely a function of the GPU's workload increasing with pixel count.

The fact that the FPS at 4K Low (140 FPS) is nearly identical to the FPS at 1080p Ultra (147 FPS) is particularly telling. It implies that the GPU has a maximum performance ceiling of around 300 FPS at 1080p Low, and any increase in resolution or graphical fidelity directly subtracts from that ceiling. This behavior confirms that the AMD Radeon 8060S is the limiting component in this combo, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX providing more than enough computational headroom to keep up.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with Ultra settings smoothly?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 67 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it leaves minimal headroom for frame drops.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this system?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 309 at 1080p with Low settings, indicating the system can push far beyond typical display refresh rates at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K across all settings, while the CPU's high single-core score (5,737 in Cinebench R23) ensures it is never a bottleneck.

Q: How does the Radeon 8060S compare to dedicated GPUs?

A: Its average benchmark score of 55,757 is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and only 0.6% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, showing it competes with mid-range discrete cards.

Q: What is the best setting for a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p averages 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS, making it ideal for 144Hz or even 165Hz displays without sacrificing visual quality.

Q: Are the Ultra settings worth the performance cost?

A: At 4K, Ultra averages 67 FPS compared to 70 FPS on High, suggesting the visual difference is negligible in this game, so High is recommended for slightly better performance.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 309, which is the maximum recorded for this combo. Medium settings reduce the average to 247 FPS, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 284 FPS. High settings yield an average of 155 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 147 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 8 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent. Low settings average 222 FPS, Medium settings average 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS, High settings average 111 FPS, and Ultra settings average 106 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra narrows further to just 5 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system still maintains playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings average 140 FPS, Medium settings average 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, High settings average 70 FPS, and Ultra settings average 67 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is notable for having the only recorded minimum FPS below 100 at this resolution, yet it still remains well above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration, but the data confirms it is still a viable option for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate headroom.