Inside

Inside is a 2D puzzle-platformer from 2016, and its modest visual demands make it an interesting stress test for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the Intel Arc B370 integrated GPU. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with frame rates that scale dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, placing the combo's results in context against other tested hardware configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combo shows a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 141 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops that average to 101 FPS, a reduction of 28.4%. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields just 64 FPS, which represents a 54.6% drop from the 1080p figure and a 36.6% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling indicates that even at the lowest quality preset, the integrated graphics engine is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The pattern holds across other quality settings. With High settings, the average frame rate falls from 70 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p (a 27.1% decrease) and then to 32 FPS at 4K (a 54.3% decrease from 1080p). The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with averages of 67 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings levels suggests that the rendering resolution is the dominant variable affecting performance, rather than the specific graphical features toggled by the quality presets.

The data implies that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is not the bottleneck at any tested resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or show smaller differences as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload is largely independent of pixel count. Instead, the near-linear scaling of frame rates with pixel count strongly points to the Arc B370's fill-rate and shading capabilities as the ceiling for performance. For a playable experience at 4K, users would need to rely on the Low preset to approach 60 FPS, while 1080p offers the most flexibility for higher quality settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, a 3 nm part from Intel with a 25 W TDP. Its performance profile is decidedly entry-level, as evidenced by its benchmark scores. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1184 points, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low standing, and the nearest rivals in the database are all older discrete or mobile parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (scoring 1186, a 0.2% difference), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (scoring 1190, a 0.5% difference), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (scoring 1192, a 0.7% difference). The Arc B370 also trails the AMD FirePro M2000 by 1.4%, which scores 1168. This places the iGPU's raw compute power in the same league as graphics cards from over a decade ago.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the main system memory (DDR5) rather than having its own dedicated VRAM. Consequently, the memory bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. This is a crucial detail for a game like Inside, which, while not demanding by modern standards, still requires consistent memory bandwidth for texture streaming and frame buffer operations. The shared nature of the memory means performance can be influenced by CPU memory traffic, though the benchmark results suggest that the GPU's compute and fill-rate limits are hit well before memory contention becomes the primary issue.

Clock speeds for the Arc B370 are relatively high for an integrated part, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. However, the graphics processor has only 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. This combination results in a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. These figures explain the observed performance in Inside: the GPU has enough raw throughput for 1080p gaming at reasonable settings, but the limited ROPS and shading units become overwhelmed as the pixel count increases towards 4K. The FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS is modest, further confirming that this is not a part designed for high-resolution, high-fidelity gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Inside, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2654 out of 2887 total combos. This places it in the bottom 8.1% of all tested systems, a position that underscores the significant performance limitation imposed by the integrated GPU. The high-end CPU, which sits in the 94th percentile of all processors, is essentially held back by a graphics solution that performs in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

This massive discrepancy between the CPU's potential and the GPU's delivery is the defining characteristic of this combo. The processor is a top-tier part, but the system's overall gaming performance is dictated by its weakest link. The rank of 2654 out of 2887 indicates that the vast majority of other hardware combinations, even those with much older or slower CPUs, will outperform this setup in Inside simply because they have a more capable graphics solution, whether discrete or integrated. The data suggests this combo is not well-balanced for gaming, as the CPU's power is largely untapped in this scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates in most scenarios. The Low preset achieves an average of 141 FPS, offering a very smooth experience. Medium settings average 113 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 96 and 130 FPS, respectively. High settings average 70 FPS, which is still smooth, while the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the game is quite playable across the board, with even the most demanding preset staying well above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance becomes more variable. The Low preset still provides a high average of 101 FPS. Medium settings average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. However, the High preset drops the average to 51 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter for some players. The Ultra preset averages 48 FPS, making it less ideal for a smooth experience. At this resolution, users will likely need to stick with Low or Medium settings to maintain frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU struggles significantly. The Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, with an average of 64 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS, indicating that frame pacing may be inconsistent. High settings average just 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average 30 FPS, both of which are largely unplayable for a game that requires precise platforming. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming is only feasible on the lowest settings, and even then, it is not consistently smooth.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Inside?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset yields an average of 67 FPS, which is the highest quality setting at a playable frame rate. For a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS, the High preset at 1080p averages 70 FPS. At higher resolutions, users must sacrifice quality for speed.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, but only at the lowest settings. The 3840x2160 Low preset averages 64 FPS. All other settings at 4K fall below 51 FPS, with High and Ultra averaging 32 and 30 FPS, respectively, which is generally too slow for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). It is slightly ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168) by 1.4%.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K the reason for the low frame rates in this benchmark?

A: No. The CPU is a high-performance part with a benchmark score in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rates are consistently limited by the integrated GPU, as indicated by the significant performance drops when resolution increases.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 141 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. This represents a 52.5% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the benchmark recorded a minimum of 69 FPS, an average of 81 FPS, and a maximum of 93 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This is an exceptionally powerful CPU, as reflected in its benchmark scores. It achieves 35,850 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 20,918 points in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-threaded performance is also strong, with scores of 2,020 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2,953 in Cinebench R20 single-core. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking against all other processors confirms its high-end status.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is minimal. The game is a 2D side-scroller with relatively simple physics and AI, which does not tax a modern multi-core processor. The data confirms this, as the frame rates are overwhelmingly determined by the GPU. The fact that the system achieves 141 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can easily handle the game's logic and draw calls at high speed. The bottleneck is the Arc B370's ability to render the frames that the CPU is requesting.

The high core count and boost clock of the 265K are largely irrelevant for this specific title. Its performance in this benchmark is constrained by the GPU, not by its own capabilities. The nearest rivals to the 265K in the CPU database include the Intel Xeon 6511P (a 0.2% difference), the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (a 0.7% difference), the Intel Core i7-14700KF (a 1% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (a 1.3% difference). All of these processors would likely perform identically in this game when paired with the same Arc B370, as the frame rates are a function of the graphics solution, not the CPU. The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are good for general system performance, but they do not change the fundamental graphics limitation.