Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers extreme performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The benchmark data shows this combination is capable of triple-digit frame rates at every tested resolution and settings level, with the only limiting factor being the GPU's raw output at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across all twelve tested configurations, interprets the scaling patterns, and provides context for how this combo ranks against the broader database of tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the most dramatic drops occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 418 FPS at 1920x1080 to 332 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 86 FPS or approximately 20.6%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings brings another drop from 332 FPS to 209 FPS, a further 37% decrease. This steep scaling curve at Low settings indicates that the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly.

The scaling pattern shifts when examining High settings. At 1080p High, the system produces 231 FPS, which drops to 166 FPS at 1440p High (a 28% reduction) and then to 104 FPS at 4K High (a 37% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across High settings suggest a more balanced workload between CPU and GPU, though the absolute numbers still point to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The gap between Low and High settings at 4K is substantial: 209 FPS versus 104 FPS, representing a 105 FPS difference that highlights how much the GPU struggles with higher quality presets at this resolution.

Ultra settings follow a similar trajectory but with lower absolute values. The system achieves 220 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 158 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 99 FPS at 4K Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 28% drop, while 1440p to 4K is a 37% drop. This consistent scaling pattern across all settings levels suggests that the game's rendering pipeline scales linearly with pixel count, with no unexpected bottlenecks emerging. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the system is firmly GPU-limited, as the 99 FPS average is only 45% of the 220 FPS achieved at 1080p Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread mobile processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The benchmark data shows this CPU performing in the 93rd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 63173. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 with a delta of 0.5%.

In Inside, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system hits 418 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across the entire test matrix. This figure is only 21% higher than the 332 FPS at 1440p Low, despite the 1440p resolution requiring 78% more pixels. This relatively small difference at Low settings indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates, but the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the constraint as resolution increases. The 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for this puzzle platformer, which likely does not heavily utilize multi-threaded workloads.

The single-thread performance is particularly relevant for a game like Inside, which relies on consistent frame pacing. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5737 places it in a strong position for handling the game's logic and physics calculations. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides the high per-core throughput needed to maintain frame rates above 200 FPS at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding Ultra settings produce 220 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU can still push frames faster than the game's logic can update.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a massive Ada Lovelace architecture GPU with 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and its memory runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective throughput. The RTX 4090 performs in the 88th percentile of all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a delta of 0%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 with a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M with a delta of -2.5%.

The GPU's role in Inside is clearly demonstrated by the scaling between settings levels at each resolution. At 4K, the difference between Low and High settings is 105 FPS (209 versus 104), while the difference between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS (104 versus 99). This narrowing gap at the top end suggests that Ultra settings introduce additional effects that have diminishing returns on visual quality while still taxing the GPU. The 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as Inside is unlikely to exceed even 8 GB at 4K Ultra, meaning the GPU's compute capabilities are the limiting factor rather than memory capacity.

The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that explain the observed performance. At 4K Ultra, the 99 FPS average translates to approximately 397 million pixels per second, which is well below the GPU's pixel rate limit. However, the game's rendering pipeline includes additional effects beyond simple pixel fill, which explains why the observed frame rates are lower than the theoretical maximum. The FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS ensures that even the most complex shader workloads in this game are handled with ease, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 418 FPS average, Medium settings produce 370 FPS with a min of 314 FPS and max of 425 FPS, High settings produce 231 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 220 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is substantial at 139 FPS, indicating that High settings introduce significant rendering complexity. The gap between High and Ultra is only 11 FPS, suggesting that Ultra adds minimal additional load beyond High at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limitations. Low settings achieve 332 FPS, Medium settings achieve 266 FPS with a min of 226 FPS and max of 306 FPS, High settings achieve 166 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 158 FPS. The relative scaling between settings is similar to 1080p, with Medium to High showing a 100 FPS drop and High to Ultra showing only an 8 FPS drop. The minimum frame rates at Medium settings (226 FPS) are still far above what most displays can show, making this a very playable configuration.

At 3840x2160, the system delivers playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings. Low settings achieve 209 FPS, Medium settings achieve 167 FPS with a min of 142 FPS and max of 192 FPS, High settings achieve 104 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 99 FPS. The data shows that Ultra at 4K is the only configuration tested that drops below 100 FPS average, though the 99 FPS figure is still well within the range of high refresh rate gaming. The min FPS of 142 FPS at 4K Medium indicates that even with frame drops, the experience remains smooth and responsive.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 388th out of 2887 tested combos in Inside specifically. This places the combo in the top 13.4% of all systems tested for this game, which is notable given that the GPU alone ranks in the 88th percentile of all GPUs and the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The discrepancy between the combo's rank and the individual component percentiles suggests that other system configurations with different CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates in this specific title.

The combo's rank of 388 out of 2887 indicates that while this system is very fast, it is not the absolute top performer for Inside. The game's relatively simple rendering requirements mean that many older or less powerful GPUs can achieve high frame rates, and the CPU's massive core count may not provide a significant advantage in this single-threaded-leaning workload. The data shows that the combo outperforms 86.6% of tested systems, which is a strong result, but the specific characteristics of Inside — a puzzle platformer with limited graphical complexity — mean that the GPU's raw power is not fully utilized at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS is 418, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

*Q: Is the combo capable of 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, the combo achieves 104 FPS at 4K High settings and 99 FPS at 4K Ultra settings, both of which are playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 220 at 1080p to 158 at 1440p and then to 99 at 4K, representing a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for this combo?

A: Minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings: 314 FPS at 1080p, 226 FPS at 1440p, and 142 FPS at 4K.

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

A: This combo ranks 388th out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the top 13.4% of all systems tested for Inside.

Q: Which setting provides the best balance of performance at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings provide 266 FPS average, which is 100 FPS higher than High settings and 108 FPS higher than Ultra settings, while still offering improved quality over Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data reveals that Medium settings provide the best overall experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 370 FPS with a minimum of 314 FPS, ensuring no frame drops below 300 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the 266 FPS average with a 226 FPS minimum keeps the experience well above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found on high-end monitors. Even at 4K Medium, the 167 FPS average with a 142 FPS minimum provides a smooth experience that exceeds the 120 Hz threshold.

For users with high refresh rate displays, Low settings at 1080p or 1440p offer the maximum frame rates of 418 FPS and 332 FPS, respectively. However, the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the performance gain, as the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is only 48 FPS (418 versus 370) while the visual improvement is substantial. At 4K, Medium settings are the clear choice, as they deliver 167 FPS compared to 209 FPS at Low, a difference of 42 FPS that may not justify the reduced visual fidelity.

Ultra settings provide the worst performance-to-quality ratio, with only marginal improvements over High settings. At 1080p, the difference is 11 FPS (231 versus 220), at 1440p it is 8 FPS (166 versus 158), and at 4K it is 5 FPS (104 versus 99). These small differences suggest that Ultra settings add effects that are barely visible in Inside while incurring a measurable performance cost. For the best experience, Medium settings at 4K or High settings at 1440p offer the optimal balance of visual quality and frame rate, with the data showing that the combo never drops below 142 FPS in any tested Medium configuration.