Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should be trivial for modern hardware, yet the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the AMD Radeon 760M tell a more nuanced story. The combo ranks near the absolute bottom of the database, at 2876 out of 2887 tested combinations, which immediately signals that the integrated GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p on Low settings, but quickly degrades as resolution and quality presets rise, revealing a hardware pairing that is far more constrained by its graphics solution than by its capable processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Inside?

A: The combo ranks 2876 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 0.4% of all systems tested for this game. This is a remarkably low position, indicating that the pairing struggles significantly with the game's demands.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 760M compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Radeon 760M has an average benchmark score of 6019. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6400 with a score of 6001, a delta of 0.3%, meaning the 760M is essentially tied with that discrete card. It is also within 0.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro P2000, which scores 6049.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Inside, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 96, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 90 FPS barrier, and it is more than double the frame rate seen at 4K with the same Low preset.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 21, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is essentially unplayable, and it is only 1 FPS lower than the 22 FPS average seen at 4K High, showing a steep performance cliff at high resolutions.

Q: Does this combo ever achieve 60 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: No. The data shows that at 2560x1440, the highest average FPS is 69 on Low settings. The Medium preset drops to 55 FPS, High drops to 34, and Ultra drops to 33. So, 60 FPS is only achievable at 1440p with the Low preset.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 85% of processors in the database. This is in stark contrast to the GPU, which sits in the 35th percentile, highlighting the massive imbalance in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific configuration in Inside is 2876 out of 2887 tested combinations. To put that in perspective, only 11 other system configurations perform worse in this game. This is a catastrophic result for a system built around a high-end mobile processor. The data strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon 760M integrated GPU is the primary reason for this failure. While the CPU is a top-tier mobile part, the GPU is an entry-level integrated solution.

The contrast between the CPU and GPU percentiles is stark. The Core Ultra 9 185H is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, a position of strength, while the Radeon 760M sits in only the 35th percentile of all GPUs. This 50-percentile-point gap is a clear indicator of a bottleneck. The CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them, leaving the system's potential unrealized. This is not a balanced configuration for a game like Inside, which, while not visually demanding by modern standards, still requires a minimum level of pixel-pushing power that this iGPU struggles to provide at higher settings.

The fact that the combo ranks so low despite the CPU's strength suggests that the game is almost entirely GPU-bound in this scenario. The measured FPS data supports this, as we see frame rates plummet when resolution increases, a classic symptom of a GPU-limited system. The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads are largely idle while the GPU works at its maximum capacity. In practical terms, this means a user with this system would be better served by a much weaker CPU paired with a discrete GPU, as the integrated graphics cannot keep up with the processor's capabilities in this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is the clear performance limiter in this pairing. It is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The GPU has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. Its boost clock is listed at 2599 MHz, with a base clock of 800 MHz. The memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This architecture is a significant constraint for gaming, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth.

The GPU's performance in Inside is poor. Its average benchmark score is 6019, placing it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs. It is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Radeon RX 6400, a discrete entry-level card, with a delta of just 0.3%. The data shows that this GPU simply does not have the raw throughput to handle the game at high resolutions and quality settings. For example, at 1080p High, it manages 48 FPS, but at 4K High, that number drops to 22 FPS. This is a 54% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 4K, a significant drop that points directly at the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth limitations.

The Radeon 760M's 16 ROPs are a particularly weak point. Render output units are responsible for the final pixel write to the framebuffer, and with only 16 of them, the GPU is severely limited in how many pixels it can output per second. This is why the frame rate falls so sharply as resolution increases. At 1080p, the pixel count is manageable, but at 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed. The "System Shared" memory also adds latency and reduces effective bandwidth compared to dedicated GDDR6 or GDDR6X memory found on discrete GPUs, further hampering performance in texture-heavy scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 96 FPS, which is smooth and playable. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 77 FPS, with a minimum of 65 and a maximum of 88. High settings yield 48 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 46 FPS. The 1080p Low result is the only one that approaches what would be considered a high-refresh-rate experience.

At 2560x1440, the performance hit is substantial. The Low preset still manages a respectable 69 FPS, but the Medium preset falls to 55 FPS (with a min of 47 and max of 63). The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical, at 34 FPS and 33 FPS, respectively. This suggests that at this resolution, the GPU is so saturated that the difference between High and Ultra settings is negligible. The jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low represents a 28% drop in frame rate, from 96 to 69 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to remain playable. The Low preset manages 43 FPS, which is borderline. Medium drops to 35 FPS, with a minimum of 29 and maximum of 40. High is at 22 FPS, and Ultra is at 21 FPS. These latter two are effectively unplayable, as the frame pacing and low average will result in a stuttery, unpleasant experience. The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU can handle the game at 1080p Low, is acceptable at 1080p Medium and 1440p Low, but falls apart at higher resolutions and settings. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra is a 75 FPS drop, from 96 to 21 FPS, a 78% reduction in performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the only sensible recommendation for a playable experience is to use the Low preset at 1080p, which yields 96 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth frame rate that takes full advantage of a standard 60Hz display and even leaves headroom for a 75Hz or 100Hz panel. The Medium preset at 1080p, at 77 FPS, is also a viable option for those who want slightly better visual quality, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a playable frame rate, at 69 FPS. However, this is a significant compromise, as Low settings will noticeably reduce the visual fidelity of the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow effects. The Medium preset at 1440p, at 55 FPS, is a borderline experience, and the High and Ultra presets, at 34 and 33 FPS, should be avoided entirely.

For 4K, the data suggests that this system is not suitable for this game at any setting. Even the Low preset, at 43 FPS, is below the 60 FPS target, and the visual quality would be so heavily compromised that it would detract from the game's intended experience. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Low, which offers a smooth and responsive frame rate. If a user insists on higher visual fidelity, 1080p Medium is the next best choice, sacrificing 19 FPS for improved textures and effects. The data implies that the user should prioritize frame rate over quality, as the GPU's limitations make high preset and high resolution combinations untenable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a high-end mobile processor that is vastly more powerful than the GPU it is paired with. It features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It is built on Intel's 7 nm process and has a 24 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive: it scores 17984.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1810.5 in single-core. It also achieves 11657 in Geekbench multi-core and 1794 in single-core. These scores place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Inside, this CPU is not the bottleneck. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer that is not heavily threaded, and the Core Ultra 9 185H's powerful single-core performance is more than sufficient to handle the game's physics and logic. The data shows that the CPU is effectively idle, waiting for the GPU to render each frame. The processor's 22 threads are a massive over-provision for this workload.

The nearest rivals to this CPU, based on average benchmark score, are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core 7 250H (35728, delta -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, delta -0.4%). All of these are within 0.7% of the Core Ultra 9 185H's average score of 35670. This tells us that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The problem is not the CPU's performance, but the fact that a processor of this caliber is being paired with an entry-level integrated GPU, creating a massive imbalance. If the CPU were paired with a discrete GPU, it would likely rank in the top percentile for this game, but as it stands, its potential is completely wasted.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is a textbook example of a GPU-bound system. Starting at 1080p Low, the system achieves 96 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 69 FPS, a 28% decrease. Moving further to 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 43 FPS, a 38% decrease from 1440p and a 55% decrease from 1080p. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at Medium settings, the frame rate goes from 77 FPS at 1080p, to 55 FPS at 1440p, to 35 FPS at 4K. That is a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The scaling is not linear. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than the drop from 1440p to 4K. This is because the pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p, but by 125% from 1440p to 4K. The GPU's limited number of ROPs (16) and its shared memory bandwidth are the primary causes of this steep decline. As the resolution increases, the GPU has to fill more pixels with each frame, and its fill rate is simply not high enough to keep up.

This data reveals that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain constant. Instead, we see a dramatic drop in performance as resolution increases, which is a direct indicator of the GPU reaching its pixel throughput limit. The system is designed for 1080p gaming at best, and even then, only with reduced settings. At higher resolutions, the GPU is overwhelmed, and the system's performance collapses. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is more than capable of driving this game, but the AMD Radeon 760M holds the entire system back, making this combination one of the worst-performing in the database for this title.