Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on the surface, asks very little of modern hardware. Yet, the measured frame rates from the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT combo reveal a fascinating story about how even older titles can scale dramatically with silicon. The data shows a system capable of triple-digit frame rates at nearly every setting, with performance ceilings that are only reached when the CPU is given room to stretch its legs.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its configuration is unusual for gaming: a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz suggest high single-thread headroom, but the 20 threads are all physical cores with no hyper-threading, which means the scheduler must rely on raw core count rather than logical thread duplication. The L3 cache is 30 MB shared, and each core has 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2.

For a title like Inside, which is not known for heavy multi-threaded physics or complex AI, the CPU’s single-core performance is the primary driver. The benchmark data supports this: the processor scores 711 in Cinebench R15 single-core and 2965 in R20 single-core, while its multi-core scores are 5040 and 21003 respectively. The single-thread Passmark score is 4904, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs. This suggests that the 265K has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where draw calls and game logic become the bottleneck.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 349.7 FPS, which is a staggering figure for a puzzle platformer. This is where the CPU’s boost clock of 5.50 GHz likely shines, as the game’s simple geometry and lack of complex shaders mean the processor is not the limiting factor. The question is whether the 20-core design is overkill for this workload. The benchmark results indicate that the processor is barely taxed, as evidenced by the fact that moving from 1080p to 1440p only drops the Low setting from 349.7 to 254.3 FPS, a 27% reduction that is more attributable to GPU pixel throughput than CPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 738th out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 44th percentile of all configurations, which is surprising given the high individual component rankings. The CPU alone sits in the 97th percentile, and the GPU is in the 79th percentile, so why does the combo rank so low?

The answer lies in the game’s age and the nature of the benchmark. Inside is a 2D side-scroller with minimal graphical demands, meaning that most modern GPUs can achieve very high frame rates. The ranking is likely dominated by combos with even more powerful GPUs that push frame rates into the 400-500 FPS range at 1080p. The RX 6750 XT is a capable mid-range card, but it is not in the same league as the top-tier GPUs that dominate the top of this list.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, with a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the 265K is only 0.2% slower. It is also 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i9-14900KF and 0.9% slower than the i9-14900K. This suggests that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo’s ranking. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600M (0.2% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (0.3% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (1.3% faster). The fact that mobile GPUs are competitive with the RX 6750 XT in this game underscores the GPU’s relative weakness at very high frame rates, where memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate become critical.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 349.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 254.3 FPS, a 27.3% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 157.9 FPS, another 37.9% drop from 1440p. This is a classic sign of GPU limitation, as the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and another 2.25x from 1440p to 4K, but the frame rate does not scale linearly, indicating that the GPU is hitting its compute limits.

The High settings tell a similar story but with a different magnitude. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 174.1 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 129.4 FPS (25.7% reduction), and at 4K High, it falls to 78.4 FPS (39.4% reduction). The percentage drops are consistent across Low and High settings, which suggests that the GPU’s performance scaling is uniform regardless of graphical complexity. However, the absolute numbers are telling: at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 73.9 FPS, which is below the 90 FPS threshold that many users consider desirable for a smooth experience.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the frame rates are so high that the GPU is not fully saturated. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as the RX 6750 XT’s 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are taxed by the sheer number of pixels. The resolution scaling curve is smooth and predictable, with no anomalies that would suggest a driver or API issue.

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

The full dataset shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 349.7 FPS, Medium delivers 280.7 FPS, High delivers 174.1 FPS, and Ultra delivers 170.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is negligible (3.9 FPS), while the jump from Low to Medium is a 19.7% reduction, and from Medium to High is a 38.0% reduction. This suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 1080p, as it offers a 61% improvement over High while only costing a small visual penalty.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are 254.3 FPS on Low, 201.9 FPS on Medium, 129.4 FPS on High, and 122.9 FPS on Ultra. The relative differences are similar to 1080p, but the absolute frame rates are lower, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor. The Medium preset still delivers over 200 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p display.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 157.9 FPS, Medium delivers 125.4 FPS, High delivers 78.4 FPS, and Ultra delivers 73.9 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 37.5%, which is the largest single-setting jump in the entire dataset. This indicates that the High preset introduces a significant computational load, likely from more advanced lighting or shadow effects, that disproportionately impacts the GPU at 4K.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is based on the Navi 22 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2150 MHz, with a boost clock of 2600 MHz and a game clock of 2495 MHz. The memory operates at 2250 MHz, effectively 18 Gbps.

For Inside, the 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as the game’s textures and assets are modest by modern standards. The benchmark scores show the GPU is a mid-range performer: its Passmark G3D score is 20700, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2548. The Geekbench scores are 137249 (Metal), 107621 (OpenCL), and 109310 (Vulkan), which indicate strong compute performance for a card in its class.

The GPU’s 40 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this game, as Inside does not use any ray-traced effects. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are the key specifications for this workload. The pixel rate is 166.4 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 416.0 GTexel/s. At 4K, the pixel rate becomes the limiting factor, as the GPU must fill 8.3 million pixels per frame. The fact that it achieves 78.4 FPS on High at 4K suggests that the pixel fill rate is adequate but not overkill.

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

The data provides clear guidance for the optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset is the best choice, delivering 280.7 FPS while the High preset only offers 174.1 FPS. The 62.4% improvement in frame rate from High to Medium is substantial, and the visual difference in a puzzle platformer like Inside is likely minimal. The Ultra preset at 170.2 FPS is almost identical to High, so there is no reason to select it over High.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again stands out, delivering 201.9 FPS compared to High’s 129.4 FPS. This is a 56.1% improvement, making Medium the clear recommendation for smooth gameplay on 1440p displays. The Low preset at 254.3 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 4K, the situation changes. The Low preset delivers 157.9 FPS, which is the only preset that exceeds 120 FPS. The Medium preset at 125.4 FPS is still playable, but the High preset at 78.4 FPS and Ultra at 73.9 FPS are below the 90 FPS threshold. For 4K, the Low preset is recommended for maximum smoothness, while Medium is acceptable for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended at 4K, as the frame rate drops become noticeable.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K overkill for a game like Inside?

A: The data shows the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as even at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 73.9 FPS. The 20-core processor’s single-thread performance (4904 Passmark) is more than sufficient for this title, and the multi-core scores (50009 in Cinebench R23) are never fully utilized.

Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: At 4K, the High preset delivers 78.4 FPS, and Ultra delivers 73.9 FPS. To exceed 120 FPS, the Low preset must be used, which achieves 157.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 125.4 FPS is the highest setting that maintains triple-digit frame rates at 4K.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RX 6750 XT is 0.2% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 5600M and 0.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile. It is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which is a more powerful desktop card.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings in Inside?

A: The measured data shows that at 1080p, High delivers 174.1 FPS and Ultra delivers 170.2 FPS, a difference of only 3.9 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 6.5 FPS (129.4 vs 122.9), and at 4K, it is 4.5 FPS (78.4 vs 73.9). The performance impact is minimal, suggesting that Ultra is nearly identical to High in this game.

Q: Does the CPU’s 125 W TDP affect gaming performance?

A: The TDP is not directly related to gaming performance, but the benchmark results show the CPU can sustain high clock speeds under load. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz is likely achieved during gaming sessions, as the title is not power-intensive.

Q: Is this combo ranked highly for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 738th out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack. This is due to the GPU’s mid-range performance, as the CPU is in the 97th percentile of all CPUs. The ranking is not a reflection of poor performance, but rather the fact that many other combos feature more powerful GPUs.