Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer with a deliberately restrained visual style, yet the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile combination reveal a wide performance envelope. The data indicates that this system is capable of delivering anything from high-refresh-rate esports-level smoothness to cinematic 4K output, depending entirely on the settings and resolution chosen. The game, released in 2016, presents a significant challenge to the CPU at high frame rates, making the interaction between the 20-core processor and the high-end mobile GPU particularly interesting to analyze.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and highly informative about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 418 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 303 FPS, a reduction of 27.5%. Stepping up to 4K Low further reduces the average to 191 FPS, which is a 54.3% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, but the sheer magnitude of the frame rates suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor.

The data becomes even more telling when examining the High and Ultra presets. At 1080p High, the average is 211 FPS; at 1440p High, it is 152 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 95 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28.0%, and from 1080p to 4K is 55.0%. This consistent ~28% drop at each resolution step across different settings indicates that the GPU is scaling in a predictable fashion, but the absolute numbers are still very high, meaning the game is not heavily taxing the hardware.

The Ultra preset shows a similar trend. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 201 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this drops to 144 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 91 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28.4%, and from 1080p to 4K is 54.7%. The fact that the relative performance drops are nearly identical across all settings—Low, High, and Ultra—strongly suggests that the scaling is resolution-driven and not settings-driven. This means the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU is likely the constraint at 1080p.

The most significant observation is the difference between the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution. At 4K, the gap between Low (191 FPS) and Ultra (91 FPS) is a factor of 2.1x. This is a massive performance span, demonstrating that the visual quality settings have a profound impact on the GPU workload, perhaps more so than the resolution itself. The data shows that the limiting component changes based on the combination of resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the ceiling, preventing the frame rate from going higher than 418 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to 91 FPS, a value that is more than four times lower than the 1080p Low result.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 1665 MHz, and its base clock is 1290 MHz. In this game, the GPU's role becomes more prominent as the resolution increases. The benchmark results indicate that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully utilized, delivering an average of 91 FPS. This is a demanding scenario, and the fact that it maintains nearly 90 FPS reflects the GPU's raw compute power.

Looking at the VRAM capacity, Inside is a relatively lightweight game by modern standards, so the 12 GB frame buffer is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution or setting tested. The data shows no signs of texture thrashing or performance cliffs that would indicate VRAM exhaustion. Instead, the performance scaling is smooth and predictable, suggesting that the GPU's memory subsystem is more than adequate for this title.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its performance. In the Passmark G3D test, it scores 24926, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (with a delta of -0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (delta of -0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (delta of 1.3%). The proximity of these scores, all within a 1.3% delta, indicates that the RTX 4080 Mobile is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier. The measured FPS in Inside aligns with this positioning, as it delivers frame rates that are far beyond what a 60 Hz display could handle, even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's clock behavior is also relevant. The boost clock of 1665 MHz is not particularly high for a modern GPU, but the architecture's efficiency compensates for this. The data suggests that the GPU is not thermally or power-constrained in this test, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The 110 W TDP is a modest figure for a mobile flagship, and the performance per watt appears to be excellent in this puzzle platformer, where the visual effects are not as demanding as in a AAA first-person shooter.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU-GPU combination in Inside?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the data is 418 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain a stable 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. The lowest average frame rate across all tested 4K settings is 91 FPS on the Ultra preset, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 95 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 152 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 303 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 144 FPS. This represents a 52.5% reduction in average frame rate when switching from Low to Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: Given the extremely high average of 418 FPS, the CPU is almost certainly the limiting factor at this resolution and setting, as the GPU would have minimal work to do.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 4K?

A: The data shows a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS, with an average of 152 FPS at 3840x2160 on Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 Mobile compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the Passmark G3D test, the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 24926. Its nearest rival, the GeForce MX570, scores an average of 38299, which is a delta of -0.4% from the RTX 4080 Mobile's score, indicating they are statistically equivalent in that specific benchmark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile ranks 874th out of 3716 tested combinations for this game. This places it in the top 23.5% of all configurations in the database. This is a respectable ranking, but not a top-tier position. The ranking is likely pulled down by the fact that the CPU, while powerful, is not the absolute fastest for gaming, and the GPU, while highly capable, is not the top mobile part.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-13790F (delta of 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (delta of -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 (delta of 0.5%). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the Ultra 7 265HX is performing exactly as expected for its class. The GPU's nearest rivals are similarly close in synthetic scores, with the GeForce MX570 and RTX 5080 Mobile both within 0.6% of the RTX 4080 Mobile's average score.

The rank of 874 suggests that while this combo is powerful, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in Inside. This is likely because the game is not particularly demanding, and at lower resolutions, the performance is more dependent on the CPU's single-core speed and the memory subsystem. The Ultra 7 265HX has a strong single-core score of 5737 in Cinebench R23, but it is not the absolute leader. The high core count of 20 and 20 threads is beneficial for multi-threaded workloads, but Inside may not fully utilize all of them, making the single-core performance more critical for achieving the highest possible FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display and performance goals. For a 4K display, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 95 FPS. This is a smooth experience that is indistinguishable from the Ultra preset in most scenarios, yet it provides a 4.4% performance headroom over Ultra (95 vs 91 FPS). The Medium preset at 4K offers a significant boost to 152 FPS, which would be ideal for a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor, but it comes at the cost of visual fidelity.

For 1440p users, the Ultra preset is the sweet spot, delivering 144 FPS. This is a perfect match for a 144 Hz monitor, providing a fluid and responsive experience. The High preset at 1440p yields 152 FPS, which is also excellent, but the Ultra preset offers better visuals for a marginal 5.3% performance decrease. The Medium preset at 1440p, at 243 FPS, is overkill for most displays and would only be beneficial for competitive play on a 240 Hz monitor.

At 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, averaging 211 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most 1080p monitors, and it provides a substantial visual upgrade over the Medium preset. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 201 FPS, is also viable, but the 4.7% performance difference between High and Ultra is not worth the extra graphical load. The Low preset at 1080p, at 418 FPS, is only useful for benchmarking or for users with extremely high refresh rate monitors (360 Hz or higher) who prioritize frame rate above all else.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 191 FPS
• Medium: 152 FPS (min 130, max 175)
• High: 95 FPS
• Ultra: 91 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 303 FPS
• Medium: 243 FPS (min 206, max 279)
• High: 152 FPS
• Ultra: 144 FPS

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 418 FPS
• Medium: 337 FPS (min 287, max 388)
• High: 211 FPS
• Ultra: 201 FPS

The Medium preset is the only setting where min and max frame rates are recorded. At 1080p, the range is from 287 to 388 FPS, a spread of 101 FPS. At 1440p, the range is from 206 to 279 FPS, a spread of 73 FPS. At 4K, the range is from 130 to 175 FPS, a spread of 45 FPS. This data indicates that frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, which is counter-intuitive but suggests that the CPU is producing variable frame times at lower resolutions, while the GPU is delivering a more steady stream at higher resolutions.

The performance deltas between presets are consistent across resolutions. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Medium and High is 126 FPS (337 to 211). At 1440p, the difference is 91 FPS (243 to 152). At 4K, the difference is 57 FPS (152 to 95). The absolute difference shrinks as resolution increases, but the relative difference remains similar, hovering around 37-38% reduction from Medium to High. This consistency reinforces the idea that the game's settings have a linear impact on the GPU workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming performance, as Inside is likely to be sensitive to single-threaded performance. The CPU's L3 cache is 30 MB (shared), which is ample for this game's data set.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 40642 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5737 in single-core. These scores place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63173. The multi-core performance is exceptional, but for gaming, the single-core score is more relevant. A score of 5737 is strong, but it is not the absolute highest, meaning that in a game like Inside, which can push frame rates to over 400 FPS, the CPU might become the limiting factor.

The data supports this hypothesis. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 418 FPS. If the GPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a similar frame rate at 1080p High, but the High preset drops to 211 FPS. This 2x difference between Low and High at 1080p suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck at High settings, but at Low settings, the CPU is maxing out. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is likely achieving its maximum, but the architecture's IPC (instructions per cycle) may not be sufficient to push beyond 418 FPS.

The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for this game. The 20 cores and 20 threads are not fully utilized by Inside, as it is not a heavily threaded title. However, the high single-core boost clock and the 30 MB L3 cache help to maintain high frame rates. The CPU's TDP is 55 W, which is modest, and it is unlocked, allowing for potential overclocking to further improve performance. Overall, the CPU provides a solid foundation for this GPU, but its performance ceiling is evident at the highest frame rates.