Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a performance profile in Inside that is defined by massive headroom at lower resolutions and a predictable shift to GPU-bound scaling at 4K. The data reveals a system that can obliterate high-refresh-rate targets at 1080p and 1440p, while maintaining a smooth, playable experience at Ultra HD.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 418 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces that figure to 303 FPS, a decline of approximately 27.5%. The jump to 4K Low yields an average of 191 FPS, which represents another significant drop of about 37% from the 1440p result.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is heavily CPU-limited. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is providing enough throughput to allow the RTX 4080 to stretch its legs, resulting in frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of most displays. The 418 FPS at 1080p Low is a clear indicator that the GPU is not the bottleneck at this setting.

The picture changes when moving to 4K. The difference between 1440p High (152 FPS) and 4K High (95 FPS) is a 37.5% reduction, which is a more substantial hit than the resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings (211 FPS to 152 FPS, a 28% drop). This suggests that at 4K, the workload begins to shift decisively to the GPU. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient, but the increased pixel count demands more from the shading units and ROPs.

The data for the Medium preset provides the most granular look at scaling. At 1080p, the average is 337 FPS with a minimum of 287 FPS. At 1440p, that average drops to 243 FPS with a minimum of 206 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS. The percentage drops between each resolution step are 27.9% (1080p to 1440p) and 37.4% (1440p to 4K). This consistent pattern reinforces that the scaling penalty for moving to 4K is roughly 10 percentage points higher than the penalty for moving from 1080p to 1440p. The system is clearly capable of handling the game’s puzzle-platformer demands, but 4K is where the RTX 4080 starts to feel the pressure, even if it remains comfortably playable.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 2,887 tested combos for Inside, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and RTX 4080 holds a comboRankInGame of 638. This places it in the top quarter of all tested systems, a strong showing that underscores its high-end status. The rank reflects not just the raw power of the components but their collective efficiency in this specific game engine.

The CPU itself is positioned near the top of the performance heap. Its percentileVsAllCpus is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all tested CPUs. The nearestRivals data for the CPU shows it is essentially in a dead heat with the Intel Core i7-13790F, with a deltaPct of 0.1% in favor of the 265HX. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G by a 0.2% margin and the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX by 0.7%. This indicates that the 265HX is at the very apex of laptop processor performance, with any differences to its closest competitors being within the margin of error.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 also sits in a strong position. Its percentileVsAllGpus is 86, and its average benchmark score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which shows a deltaPct of only 0.1%. This means that for practical purposes, the standard RTX 4080 and the SUPER variant deliver equivalent performance in general benchmarks, a nuance that is likely reflected in the game’s FPS results.

The combined rank of 638 out of 2,887 suggests that while this is a very fast system, it is not the absolute fastest configuration possible for Inside. There are likely combos with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs that achieve higher average frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra settings. However, the data confirms that this pairing is significantly faster than the vast majority of systems, placing it firmly in the enthusiast tier.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the defining component for the higher-resolution performance in this combo. Its specifications are formidable: a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the AD103 chip with 9,728 shading units. The memory subsystem is equally impressive, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s.

In Inside, a game that is not particularly demanding on GPU resources, these specifications translate into immense frame rates. At 1080p, the GPU is rarely stressed, allowing the CPU to dictate performance. The 418 FPS average at Low settings reflects the GPU’s ability to process frames with minimal latency when not bound by resolution. The boost clock of 2505 MHz ensures that the GPU can reach its maximum potential in lighter scenes.

The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for the game’s textures and geometry. Even at 4K Ultra, where the game might use more memory, the capacity is not a limiting factor. The data shows no signs of stuttering or performance cliffs that would indicate VRAM exhaustion. The GPU's 112 ROPs and 304 TMUs are also well-utilized at 4K, though the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s is the primary driver for the 4K scaling behavior observed.

The GPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals in the database is remarkably tight. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, which is only 0.1% higher than the 4080's 54,247. This near-identical performance profile means that in a game like Inside, the user would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two cards. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, with a score of 55,698, is actually 2.6% ahead in the synthetic benchmark, but this does not necessarily translate to a 2.6% FPS advantage in every game. The RTX 4080's architecture, with its robust ray tracing and DLSS capabilities, is well-suited for modern titles, but for this specific puzzle platformer, raw rasterization power is the key metric, and the data shows it performs admirably.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The most striking result is the High preset, which consistently outperforms the Ultra preset by a small margin. At 1080p, High averages 211 FPS while Ultra averages 201 FPS, a difference of 4.7%. At 1440p, the gap is 152 FPS vs. 144 FPS, or 5.3%. At 4K, the difference is 95 FPS vs. 91 FPS, roughly 4.2%.

This suggests that the Ultra preset in Inside may introduce certain effects or rendering techniques that have a disproportionate cost on the GPU without a corresponding visual benefit, or that the CPU becomes a slight bottleneck at the higher settings. Given that High is consistently faster and likely offers a nearly identical visual experience, it is the recommended preset for this system.

For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the only one that pushes beyond the 300 FPS mark. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 418 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it hits 303 FPS. For competitive play or for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, this is the optimal choice. The Medium preset also presents a compelling option, with 337 FPS at 1080p and 243 FPS at 1440p, offering a middle ground between visual quality and raw speed.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. The High preset at 95 FPS and the Ultra preset at 91 FPS are both playable, but the Medium preset at 152 FPS is the standout. It provides a substantial FPS boost over High and Ultra while likely maintaining a high level of visual quality. The minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 130, which ensures a smooth experience without significant frame drops. Therefore, for a 4K display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice to guarantee a consistently high frame rate. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest fidelity, dips to 91 FPS on average, which is still smooth but does not fully utilize the potential of a 120Hz or higher refresh rate display. The data clearly points to High or Medium as the sweet spots, depending on resolution and refresh rate priorities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is a direct breakdown of the average, minimum, and maximum frame rates measured for this combo in Inside.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: Average 418 FPS.
• Medium: Average 337 FPS, with a minimum of 287 FPS and a maximum of 388 FPS.
• High: Average 211 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 201 FPS.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: Average 303 FPS.
• Medium: Average 243 FPS, with a minimum of 206 FPS and a maximum of 279 FPS.
• High: Average 152 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 144 FPS.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: Average 191 FPS.
• Medium: Average 152 FPS, with a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS.
• High: Average 95 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 91 FPS.

The Medium preset is the only one for which full min/max data is available, and it shows a consistent pattern across resolutions. The minimum FPS for 4K Medium (130) is higher than the average FPS for 4K High (95), which reinforces the recommendation for Medium at 4K. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, with Low being roughly twice as fast as Ultra at 1080p (418 vs. 201 FPS) and slightly more than twice as fast at 4K (191 vs. 91 FPS). This large spread indicates that Inside's settings have a significant impact on performance, and the system's strong CPU is able to exploit the lower settings to achieve extraordinary frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset to use for a 4K display?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS, which is substantially higher than the High preset (95 FPS average) and the Ultra preset (91 FPS average), ensuring a smoother experience.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1080p?

A: The data suggests a strong CPU-bound nature at 1080p. The frame rate of 418 FPS at Low settings is exceptionally high, indicating the GPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is highlighted by its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested for this game?

A: It ranks 638th out of 2,887 tested combos, placing it in the top quarter of all systems. This is a strong result, reflecting the high-end nature of both the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080.

Q: Does the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: No. The measured FPS data shows no performance degradation or stuttering that would indicate VRAM limitations. The average FPS remains well above 90 at 4K across all presets, indicating the 16 GB buffer is sufficient for this game.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to the Ultra preset?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 418 FPS compared to 201 FPS for Ultra, making it roughly 108% faster. At 1440p, Low is 303 FPS vs. 144 FPS for Ultra, a 110% increase. At 4K, Low is 191 FPS vs. 91 FPS for Ultra, a 110% increase.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 significantly different in performance from the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: According to the benchmark data, the difference is negligible. The RTX 4080 has an average score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER has a score of 54,209, a delta of only 0.1%. This indicates they perform nearly identically.