Inside

Inside is a restrained 2D puzzle platformer, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 reflects that simplicity. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high across all tested configurations, indicating that this hardware combination is far more powerful than the game’s rendering demands require. The analysis below breaks down the specific numbers, the relationship between the components, and what the results mean for a player using this setup.

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, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features a 30 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 35,850 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,020 in single-core, placing it in the 94th percentile of all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 70,879 sits within 1.3% of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, showing it is a top-tier desktop part.

For Inside, this processing power is overwhelmingly excessive. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with minimal physics simulation and no large open-world streaming. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 256 FPS, which is far beyond any display refresh rate. The CPU’s role here is not to push the limits of the engine, but rather to ensure that the frame time is consistently low enough to never bottleneck the GPU. With 20 threads and a high boost clock, the Core Ultra 7 265K can easily handle the game's single-threaded logic and any background tasks, leaving the RTX 2060 as the sole determinant of performance.

The benchmark results confirm this dynamic. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 55, which is a 78% reduction from the 1080p Low score. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the CPU maintains a high frame production ceiling but the graphics card cannot keep up with the increased pixel count. The CPU’s 20 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock are effectively idle headroom in this title; the game does not utilize multi-threading to any significant degree, and the single-core performance is more than sufficient to feed the GPU with draw calls.

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

The measured data includes four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at three resolutions. The most balanced experience appears to be the Medium preset, as it provides a significant frame rate boost over High and Ultra while maintaining visual quality. At 1080p, Medium averages 205 FPS, which is 60% higher than High’s 128 FPS and 68% higher than Ultra’s 122 FPS. At 1440p, Medium averages 147 FPS, compared to 92 FPS on High and 88 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, Medium averages 93 FPS, which is a 60% improvement over High’s 58 FPS and a 69% improvement over Ultra’s 55 FPS.

For players with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees maximum frame rates. At 1080p, Low produces 256 FPS, and at 1440p it produces 184 FPS. Even at 4K, Low maintains a playable 116 FPS average. However, the visual differences between Low and Medium are typically noticeable in a game with atmospheric lighting and shadows. The Medium preset hits the sweet spot, as it is the only setting that provides 60+ FPS at 4K (93 FPS) while also offering a comfortable margin above 144 FPS at 1440p.

The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical in performance, with Ultra being only 5% slower than High at 1080p (122 vs 128 FPS) and 4% slower at 1440p (88 vs 92 FPS). This suggests that the graphical uplift from High to Ultra is minimal in Inside, making the Ultra preset a poor choice for the performance cost. The recommendation is clear: use Medium for the best balance, or Low if the goal is to maximize frame rates on a high-refresh display.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a textbook GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average frame rate drops by approximately 28% across all settings. For example, Medium goes from 205 FPS at 1080p to 147 FPS at 1440p, and High goes from 128 FPS to 92 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with Medium falling from 147 FPS to 93 FPS (a 37% reduction) and High falling from 92 FPS to 58 FPS (a 37% reduction).

This pattern indicates that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is constant regardless of resolution, but the GPU’s rendering workload scales with pixel count. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (122 FPS at Ultra) that the GPU is still not fully saturated, but it is clearly working harder than at 4K. The fact that Low settings at 4K (116 FPS) outperform Ultra settings at 1080p (122 FPS) by a small margin confirms that resolution is the primary factor, not the quality preset.

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 7 265K is never the bottleneck. Even at the lowest settings and highest resolution, the CPU has ample headroom to maintain frame times. The 55 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a direct result of the RTX 2060’s pixel throughput limits, not any CPU constraint. For players with 4K displays, the Medium preset (93 FPS) is the highest playable option, while 1080p and 1440p users can enjoy near-maximum refresh rates with the Medium or Low presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2,915 out of 3,716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the bottom 21% of all hardware pairings, which is a surprising result given the high frame rates measured. The rank is likely influenced by the fact that many other combos use more powerful GPUs, as the CPU is overqualified for this game. A combo with a newer or higher-tier graphics card would achieve higher frame rates at 4K, pushing the rank upward.

The RTX 2060 itself scores 14,111 in Passmark G3D and ranks in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (0.8% delta). This shows that the RTX 2060 is an average mid-range card in 2025, but it is clearly sufficient for Inside. The combo rank of 2,915 reflects that this pairing is below average for the game, but the absolute performance is still excellent, with 55 FPS at 4K Ultra being the only sub-60 result.

The rank suggests that most other tested combos achieve higher frame rates, likely due to newer GPU architectures with better rasterization performance. However, the Core Ultra 7 265K’s 94th percentile CPU ranking (20,918 in Cinebench R20 multi-core) ensures that this combo never suffers from CPU-induced stutters. The data indicates that the rank is a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range standing, not a failure of the system to run the game well.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is based on the TU106 chip with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and it has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The card draws 160 W and requires a 450 W PSU. In synthetic tests, it scores 1,242 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 14,111 in Passmark G3D, with a 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

For Inside, the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM is more than adequate, as the game’s textures are modest and the art style is minimalist. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is also sufficient for 4K rendering, as evidenced by the 58 FPS average at 4K High. The GPU’s 1920 shading units are the primary factor in the performance drop at higher resolutions, as the pixel fill rate scales with resolution. The boost clock of 1680 MHz helps maintain consistent frame times, but the card’s raw compute throughput (6.451 TFLOPS FP32) is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

The data shows that the RTX 2060 performs exactly as expected for its class. At 1080p, it delivers 122 FPS at Ultra, which is excellent for a mid-range card, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 55 FPS, confirming that it is not a 4K-capable card for demanding titles. However, for Inside, the Medium preset at 4K (93 FPS) is a very playable experience, and the Low preset (116 FPS) is suitable for high-refresh 4K displays. The GPU’s 58th percentile ranking is reflected in these results, as it sits between entry-level and high-end cards.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 256, achieved at 1080p with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with a 60 FPS average?

A: Yes, but only on the Medium preset, which averages 93 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS, which is below 60.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70,879 on average, which is 1% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163) and 1.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69,996).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, High averages 92 FPS while Ultra averages 88 FPS, a difference of 4 FPS or approximately 4.3%.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: No, the RTX 2060 delivers 122 FPS at 1080p Ultra, indicating it is not a bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested hardware pairs in Inside?

A: The combo ranks 2,915 out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 21% of all pairings.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 256 FPS, Medium produces 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 236 FPS, High produces 128 FPS, and Ultra produces 122 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 51 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 6 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all presets: Low produces 184 FPS, Medium produces 147 FPS (min 125, max 169), High produces 92 FPS, and Ultra produces 88 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a variance of 44 FPS, which suggests consistent frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is significantly lower: Low produces 116 FPS, Medium produces 93 FPS (min 79, max 106), High produces 58 FPS, and Ultra produces 55 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a variance of 27 FPS, which is tighter than at 1440p, indicating that the GPU is more consistently loaded at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that drops below 60 FPS, and it does so by 5 FPS, making it the least playable option.