Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016, and the measured data for this specific combination—Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with Intel Arc B390—presents a fascinating case of system balance. The game is not graphically demanding by modern standards, yet the benchmark results reveal significant performance swings based on settings and resolution. The data shows a system where the CPU is exceptionally powerful, ranking in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile, creating a dynamic where the integrated graphics solution becomes the primary bottleneck. This analysis will break down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, explore what the numbers mean for playability, and contextualize the roles of both components using only the provided fact pack.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset delivers the best experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the most common gaming resolution, the Low preset achieves an average of 156 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a puzzle platformer. However, this comes with the visual trade-offs inherent to Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 125 FPS average, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, according to the measured data. This is a substantial drop from Low but still well above the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p yields 78 FPS average, which remains playable, while the Ultra preset drops to 74 FPS average.

The recommendation hinges on what the player prioritizes. For a game like Inside, which relies heavily on atmospheric visuals and subtle lighting, the visual quality differences between Low and Medium are likely more noticeable than in a fast-paced shooter. The data shows that Medium at 1080p provides a 125 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS, ensuring no significant frame drops below the display refresh rate of most monitors. This makes Medium the optimal balance at 1080p—it offers a 60% improvement in average FPS over High (125 vs 78) while still maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most displays' capabilities.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. The Low preset achieves 112 FPS average, while Medium drops to 90 FPS average (minimum 76, maximum 103). High and Ultra produce 56 FPS and 53 FPS averages, respectively. For 1440p gaming, the Low preset is the only one that guarantees a consistently high frame rate, but Medium's 90 FPS average is still smooth for this genre. The minimum of 76 FPS on Medium suggests occasional dips, but for a puzzle platformer with slower-paced gameplay, this is acceptable. The recommendation for 1440p is Medium, as it provides a meaningful visual upgrade over Low while staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a different story. The Low preset achieves 70 FPS average, Medium drops to 56 FPS (minimum 48, maximum 65), and both High and Ultra fall below 40 FPS (35 and 34, respectively). For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, since Medium's 56 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum risks noticeable stutter. Given that Inside is a 2D side-scroller at heart, the resolution scaling benefits are less pronounced than in 3D titles, so playing at 1080p Medium or 1440p Low would be preferable to 4K Low for most users. The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which balances visual fidelity with a 125 FPS average and a 106 FPS minimum.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in game places this system at 2547 out of 2887 tested combinations. This is a low ranking, sitting in the bottom 12% of all tested combos (2547 divided by 2887 is approximately 88.2%, meaning it outperforms only about 11.8% of tested systems). This ranking is primarily driven by the Intel Arc B390's performance, which has a percentile of 9 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The nearest rivals for the GPU are NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta 1.3%), GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta 1.5%), GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta 2.5%), and GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, delta 2.7%). These are all entry-level or legacy mobile/desktop GPUs, confirming that the Arc B390's performance is very modest.

However, the combo rank is not solely a reflection of the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier part. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has a percentile of 96 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. Its nearest rivals are Intel Xeon 6520P (score 93786, delta 0%), AMD EPYC 4564P (score 95183, delta -1.5%), AMD EPYC 9175F (score 95615, delta -1.9%), and AMD EPYC 4565P (score 95764, delta -2.1%). The CPU is essentially tied with the Xeon 6520P and within 2% of the EPYC parts, indicating strong multi-threaded performance. Yet in this game, the measured FPS are constrained by the GPU at higher settings and resolutions, which is why the combo ranks so low despite the powerful CPU.

The data implies that for Inside, the combo's rank is almost entirely GPU-bound. The CPU could handle far more demanding graphics workloads, but the Arc B390's limited shading units (1536), TMUs (48), and ROPs (24) cap the frame rates. The GPU's boost clock of 2500 MHz and base clock of 300 MHz are specifications that, while not directly comparable to rival specs, suggest a design focused on power efficiency (80 W TDP) rather than raw throughput. The 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance places it firmly in the entry-level category, as evidenced by its 3DMark score of 1482.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process by Intel. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical factor for Inside, as the game's texture and buffer requirements are modest, but the shared memory bandwidth is "System Dependent." The CPU's memory bandwidth is listed as 115.2 GB/s for dual-channel DDR5, which is the ceiling for the GPU's memory access.

The GPU's clock speeds are 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost. The boost clock is relatively high for an integrated solution, but with only 1536 shading units, the raw compute is limited. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, which are modest figures. In the measured FPS data, the GPU's limitations become apparent when comparing settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (156 FPS) and Ultra (74 FPS) is 82 FPS, a 53% reduction. This scaling is typical of a GPU that is fill-rate or shader-bound, as higher settings increase the per-pixel work.

The GPU's closest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the GT 500M/600M/700M era, with scores within 2.7% of the Arc B390. This places the Arc B390's performance in the same class as GPUs from over a decade ago, despite its modern architecture. For Inside, which was released in 2016, this is sufficient for playable frame rates at lower settings, but the data shows that Ultra settings at any resolution result in sub-60 FPS averages (74 at 1080p, 53 at 1440p, 34 at 4K). The GPU's 12 ray tracing cores are present but likely unused in this game, as Inside does not feature ray-traced effects. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 confirms the GPU's entry-level positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 156 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all tests. The Medium preset averages 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144. High drops to 78 FPS average, and Ultra is 74 FPS. The lack of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra at 1080p means only average FPS are available, but the Medium preset's 106 FPS minimum suggests that the 125 average is stable.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 112 FPS, a 28% decrease from 1080p Low. Medium averages 90 FPS (minimum 76, maximum 103), which is a 28% decrease from 1080p Medium. High averages 56 FPS, a 28% decrease from 1080p High. Ultra averages 53 FPS, a 28% decrease from 1080p Ultra. The consistent 28% drop across all settings when moving from 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the pixel count increases by about 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels), but the frame rate drops by only 28%, which suggests the GPU is not purely pixel-bound—possibly due to the game's simplicity.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 70 FPS, a 38% decrease from 1440p Low (112 to 70). Medium averages 56 FPS (minimum 48, maximum 65), a 38% decrease from 1440p Medium (90 to 56). High averages 35 FPS, a 38% decrease from 1440p High (56 to 35). Ultra averages 34 FPS, a 36% decrease from 1440p Ultra (53 to 34). The 4K pixel count is 8.29 million, which is 2.25 times the 1440p count, yet the frame rate drops by only about 38%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the game is not purely GPU-bound at these settings, or that the CPU's memory bandwidth is providing some relief.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a consistent pattern. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by exactly 28% across all four settings presets. This consistency is remarkable and indicates that the limiting factor scales uniformly with resolution. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is 38% for Low, Medium, and High, and 36% for Ultra. The 4K to 1080p comparison shows a more complex relationship: 1080p Low is 156 FPS, 4K Low is 70 FPS, a 55% drop. 1080p Medium is 125 FPS, 4K Medium is 56 FPS, a 55% drop. 1080p High is 78 FPS, 4K High is 35 FPS, a 55% drop. 1080p Ultra is 74 FPS, 4K Ultra is 34 FPS, a 54% drop.

The fact that the percentage drop is nearly identical (54-55%) from 1080p to 4K across all settings strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate or memory bandwidth is the limiting factor. The 4K resolution has four times the pixels of 1080p, and the frame rate drops by about half, which is less than the pixel increase but more than the 1440p to 4K drop. This could indicate that at 1080p, the GPU is partially idle due to CPU or game engine limitations, while at 4K, it becomes fully saturated. The medium preset at 4K has a min FPS of 48, which is below the 60 FPS target, confirming that 4K gaming is not viable with this combo beyond Low settings.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU's benchmarks are stellar (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253, single-core of 2439), and its memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s is more than sufficient for a game like Inside. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain constant across resolutions or drop less severely. Instead, the data shows a linear relationship between resolution and frame rate, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz and boost clock is 5.50 GHz. The CPU has a 36 MB shared L3 cache, with 192 KB L1 per core and 3 MB L2 per core. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's release date is 2026-03-10, with a launch MSRP of $299.

In terms of benchmark scores, the CPU excels in multi-threaded workloads: Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 44253, R20 multi-core is 24461, and R15 multi-core is 6656. Single-core scores are also strong: R23 single-core is 2439, R20 single-core is 3453, and R15 single-core is 354. PassMark scores include a multithread score of 68574, single-thread of 5068, and data compression of 804322. These numbers place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785.

For Inside, the CPU's role is minimal because the game is not CPU-intensive. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (156 FPS) suggests that the CPU can easily feed the GPU, but the GPU's limits cap the frame rate. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS across all resolutions, but we don't. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are far more than this game needs; even a dual-core processor from 2016 could handle Inside's physics and logic. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that any single-threaded tasks, such as game logic or audio processing, are handled with minimal latency.

The nearest rivals for the CPU are server-grade Xeon and EPYC parts, indicating that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is positioned as a high-end desktop processor. Its performance is within 2.1% of the AMD EPYC 4565P (score 95764) and within 1.5% of the AMD EPYC 4564P (score 95183). This is impressive for a desktop part, but it has no bearing on Inside's FPS because the game does not utilize this level of compute. The CPU's integrated graphics (Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU) is separate from the Arc B390 GPU, but in this combo, the system uses the discrete/IGP Arc B390 for rendering.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in Inside?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best balance, achieving an average of 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS. This offers a 60% higher frame rate than High (78 FPS) while maintaining visual quality. At 1440p, Medium is still playable at 90 FPS average, but 4K only reaches 56 FPS on Medium with a 48 FPS minimum.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, a delta of 1.3%. Other rivals include GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5%), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5%), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7%). All are within 2.7% of the Arc B390's performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Inside?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. Evidence shows that FPS scales with resolution: from 1080p to 1440p, FPS drops by 28% across all settings, and from 1440p to 4K, it drops by about 38%. The CPU is in the 96th percentile with an average benchmark score of 93785, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile with a score of 1482, making the GPU the clear bottleneck.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K with Low settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 70. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Medium preset drops to 56 FPS average with a 48 FPS minimum. High and Ultra are not recommended at 4K, as they average 35 FPS and 34 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Inside?

A: This combination ranks 2547 out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of systems. The low rank is attributed to the GPU's modest performance, despite the CPU being in the 96th percentile overall.

Q: What are the CPU's key specifications relevant to gaming?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has a 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2439 and multi-core score is 44253, indicating strong performance for any game logic, but Inside does not heavily utilize these resources.