Inside

Inside is a lightweight puzzle platformer, and this combination of an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on how you configure it. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher settings, but capable of extreme refresh rates when the load is lightened. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best treated as a high-refresh 1080p machine or a smooth 1440p experience, with 4K being possible only at lower graphical presets.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. The measured average of 133 FPS is well above the standard 60 FPS threshold and provides a fluid experience for the game's physics-based puzzles and precise platforming. The minimum frame rate of 113 FPS shown in the data ensures that even during complex scenes with multiple moving objects, the action remains consistently smooth. This setting offers a substantial improvement over the High preset's 83 FPS average, and the jump from Low to Medium is worth the visual upgrade, as Low only pushes the average to 166 FPS.

If you are playing on a 1080p display with a 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, the High preset is the recommended choice. The 115 FPS average at 1920x1080 is a strong result, and it provides a more detailed image than the Medium preset's 184 FPS. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution yields 110 FPS, which is a negligible 5 FPS drop for what is typically a minor visual improvement over High, so either is viable, but High is the more efficient choice. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness above all else, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an exceptional 231 FPS average, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1070 is clearly the limiting factor. The Ultra preset drops to 50 FPS and High to 52 FPS, which is below the ideal for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 83 FPS average and 71 FPS minimum, is the only viable option for a playable frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Low preset at this resolution produces 104 FPS, which is impressive, but the visual downgrade is substantial. For most users, sticking to Medium or High at 1440p will provide a superior overall experience compared to Low settings at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, it can run at 3840x2160, but only with adjusted settings. The data shows an average of 83 FPS on Medium, which is playable. However, on High and Ultra presets, the average drops to 52 FPS and 50 FPS respectively, indicating the GPU is not powerful enough for maximum settings at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: For a 144Hz or higher display, 1920x1080 is the target. The results show 184 FPS on Medium and 115 FPS on High at this resolution. Even at 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 133 FPS, which is also sufficient for most high-refresh displays, though the minimum of 113 FPS is closer to the edge.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: The performance gain is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate increases from 110 FPS on Ultra to 231 FPS on Low, which is a 110% improvement. At 2560x1440, the increase is from 79 FPS to 166 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it goes from 50 FPS to 104 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings. For example, at 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra is 54 FPS (104 vs 50), which shows the graphical processor is under heavy load. The CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low.

Q: Does the game's frame rate scale well with resolution?

A: Yes, it scales predictably. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 184 at 1080p to 133 at 1440p and finally to 83 at 4K. This pattern shows a linear decrease in performance as pixel count increases, which is typical for a GPU-limited scenario.

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

A: The performance difference is minimal. At 1080p, the average is 115 FPS on High versus 110 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, it is 83 FPS versus 79 FPS. At 4K, it is 52 FPS versus 50 FPS. The data suggests that the Ultra preset offers no significant visual advantage for a small cost in frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This is an exceptionally powerful CPU, ranking in the 94th percentile of all processors in the database. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with a multi-core score of 35,850 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 2,020 in the same test. However, for a game like Inside, the CPU's role is relatively minor.

The data suggests that the game is not CPU-intensive. The evidence for this is that the frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings, which points to the GPU being the limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 231 FPS. This high frame rate shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to hit these numbers, but the fact that it drops to 110 FPS at Ultra settings at the same resolution confirms that the graphics card is what struggles with the increased graphical workload.

This processor's high single-thread performance, indicated by its 2,020 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 2,713 Geekbench single-core score, is more than adequate for the game's logic. The 20 cores and 30 MB of shared L3 cache are irrelevant for this title, as it is unlikely to use more than a few threads. In essence, the Core Ultra 7 265K is overkill for Inside. It will not be the cause of any frame rate drops or stutters; it provides a massive performance headroom that ensures the GPU is the only thing you need to consider when tuning settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is ranked 3,056 out of 3,716 tested combos for this game. This puts it in the lower 18th percentile of all possible pairings, which is a direct consequence of the older GPU. The CPU is a top-tier modern component, but the GTX 1070 is an end-of-life product from 2016 that holds the entire system back.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect this. It has a Passmark G3D score of 13,498 and an average benchmark score of 9,780, placing it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD FirePro W5000 and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which have near-identical average scores. This places the GTX 1070 in the mid-range of graphics cards, which is not a good match for a top-tier CPU in a modern context.

The low ranking is not a sign of a broken setup, but rather a sign of a mismatch. The CPU is capable of much more, but it is waiting on the GPU. If you were to pair this CPU with a more powerful graphics card, the combo rank would improve dramatically. As it stands, this ranking highlights that the GTX 1070 is the limiting component, and it is responsible for the overall performance ceiling of this system.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At the Medium settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 184 FPS at 1920x1080, to 133 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 83 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% drop in performance from 1080p to 1440p, and a 55% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound workload, where the graphics card's pixel processing capabilities are the primary constraint.

The pattern holds for the Low and High presets as well. At Low, the averages are 231 FPS (1080p), 166 FPS (1440p), and 104 FPS (4K). At High, they are 115 FPS, 83 FPS, and 52 FPS respectively. The fact that frame rates halve as pixel count quadruples points directly to the GTX 1070's fill rate and memory bandwidth being insufficient for higher resolutions.

This scaling behavior confirms that the limiting component in this system is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be much closer together across resolutions, as the CPU's workload is independent of resolution. The data shows a massive discrepancy, particularly at 4K, where the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. For the best experience, you should prioritize lower resolutions to allow the GTX 1070 to shine, as it is far more capable at 1080p than it is at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured FPS data for this system in Inside.

At 1920x1080:

• With Low settings, the average frame rate is 231 FPS.
• With Medium settings, the average frame rate is 184 FPS, with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS.
• With High settings, the average frame rate is 115 FPS.
• With Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 110 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• With Low settings, the average frame rate is 166 FPS.
• With Medium settings, the average frame rate is 133 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS.
• With High settings, the average frame rate is 83 FPS.
• With Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 79 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• With Low settings, the average frame rate is 104 FPS.
• With Medium settings, the average frame rate is 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS.
• With High settings, the average frame rate is 52 FPS.
• With Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 50 FPS.

The data for Medium settings at all resolutions includes minimum and maximum frame rates, providing a clearer picture of consistency. The minimum frame rates at 1440p (113 FPS) and 4K (71 FPS) are still respectable and show the game remains playable even in demanding scenes. The lack of min/max data for other presets suggests they were either not measured or not deemed necessary, but the average values provide a solid baseline for comparison. Overall, the best experience is found at 1080p or 1440p, where the GTX 1070 can maintain high and stable frame rates.