Inside

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with the AMD Radeon 890M in Inside?

A: The combo ranks 2714 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 6% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Core Ultra 9 185H scores 35670 on average, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, -0.1%), Intel Core 7 250H (35728, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.4%), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909, -0.7%).

Q: What frame rates does this combo achieve at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 111 FPS, with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU more comparable to a discrete graphics card or an older integrated solution?

A: The Radeon 890M's average benchmark score of 9210 places it nearly even with the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9221, -0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273, -0.7%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9294, -0.9%).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The Radeon 890M sits at the 45th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms roughly 45% of the database's GPU entries.

Q: Does the CPU hold a higher performance percentile than the GPU?

A: Yes, the Core Ultra 9 185H is at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, which is substantially higher than the GPU's 45th percentile placement.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated graphics solution built on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The chip, codenamed Strix Point, packs 34,000 million transistors into a 233 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz, which represents a significant clock range that allows the hardware to scale performance based on thermal and power headroom. The 890M's TDP is listed at 15 W, classifying it as a low-power integrated part.

Memory configuration for this GPU is entirely system-shared, meaning the VRAM size, type, bus width, and bandwidth all read as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This is a critical detail for interpreting Inside's benchmark results, as the iGPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The system's dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth from the CPU side becomes the practical ceiling for graphics data movement. The integrated nature of this GPU means it draws from the same DDR5 memory pool as the processor, and the memory bus width being system-dependent means actual performance can vary significantly based on the laptop's memory configuration.

The GPU's compute resources include 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. It also features 16 ray tracing cores, enabling some hardware-accelerated ray tracing despite its integrated status. The pixel rate of 92.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 185.6 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput capabilities. In terms of raw floating point performance, the 890M delivers 5.939 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations, indicating a 1:1 ratio that is notable for an integrated part. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering the modern graphics API landscape. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8, and the slot width is listed as IGP, confirming its integrated nature with no power connectors required.

Benchmark results for the GPU show a mixed profile. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 40808 exceeds the OpenCL score of 37254, suggesting the Vulkan driver is well-optimized for this architecture. The Passmark G3D score of 8076 sits far above the Passmark G2D score of 979, indicating the GPU is substantially stronger at 3D workloads than 2D operations. Interestingly, the DirectX 11 score of 73 dwarfs both the DirectX 10 score of 33 and DirectX 12 score of 37, which hints that older API paths might actually perform better for this particular implementation. The GPU compute score of 4157 on Passmark suggests compute workloads are not the primary strength of this part.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution-dependent scaling that points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck in Inside. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 139 FPS average, which drops to 100 FPS at 1440p and 63 FPS at 4K. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, suggesting the GPU is increasingly strained as pixel count rises.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern continues with 111 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar: 28% from 1080p to 1440p, and 55% from 1080p to 4K. This consistency across settings levels indicates that resolution is the dominant factor in performance scaling, regardless of the graphics preset chosen. The frame time data for Medium settings shows the minimum and maximum frames tracking proportionally, with the 1080p minimum of 94 FPS scaling down to 68 FPS at 1440p and 43 FPS at 4K.

High settings shows the same proportional pattern: 69 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The drops from 1080p to 1440p are 28%, and from 1080p to 4K are 55%, matching the Low and Medium settings scaling almost exactly. Ultra settings follows with 66 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, again showing the identical 28% and 55% reduction pattern.

The consistent scaling percentages across all four settings levels strongly indicate that the limiting component is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound. The CPU has ample headroom with its 85th percentile ranking, while the GPU sits at the 45th percentile. This imbalance suggests that the Radeon 890M is saturated at higher resolutions, and the fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints become the determining factors. The 92.80 GPixel/s pixel rate and system-shared memory bandwidth create a scenario where higher resolutions demand more memory traffic, and the shared memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck.

The data implies that playing at 4K with any settings above Low will push the system below 60 FPS, making 1440p the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the system can maintain 80 FPS on Medium settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for most players. The 1080p resolution gives the most headroom, with even Ultra settings achieving 66 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings delivers an average of 139 FPS, making it the only configuration to approach high refresh rate territory. Medium settings produces 111 FPS average with a minimum of 94 FPS and maximum of 127 FPS, providing a solid 60+ FPS experience with some headroom. High settings drops to 69 FPS average, still playable but with less margin. Ultra settings delivers 66 FPS average, nearly identical to High, suggesting diminishing returns at the top preset levels.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are significant but manageable for less demanding settings. Low settings achieves 100 FPS average, which remains fluid. Medium settings delivers 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, keeping the experience above 60 FPS with occasional dips near the threshold. High settings falls to 50 FPS average, which starts to feel less smooth. Ultra settings produces 47 FPS average, just below the 48 FPS that is often considered the minimum for console-like experiences.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates on most settings. Low settings achieves 63 FPS average, barely clearing the 60 FPS mark. Medium settings delivers 50 FPS average with a minimum of 43 FPS and maximum of 58 FPS, showing noticeable frame pacing issues near the lower bound. High settings drops to 31 FPS average, and Ultra settings produces 30 FPS average. These 4K results indicate that the Radeon 890M is fundamentally not suited for 4K gaming in Inside, with only the lowest settings approaching playability.

The frame time data for Medium settings across resolutions shows the range tightening as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread is 33 FPS (94 to 127). At 1440p, the spread is 24 FPS (68 to 92). At 4K, the spread narrows to 15 FPS (43 to 58). This compression at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming the consistent bottleneck, reducing the variance that comes from CPU-driven frame time spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and AMD Radeon 890M ranks 2714 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the bottom 6% of all systems tested. This low ranking is particularly striking given the strong CPU performance. The Core Ultra 9 185H sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35670 that places it within 1% of its nearest rivals. This CPU is clearly capable of driving modern games without being a limiting factor.

The GPU, however, tells a different story. The Radeon 890M sits at the 45th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9210. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9221, -0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273, -0.7%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9294, -0.9%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (9302, -1%). These comparisons place the 890M in the range of older mid-range discrete GPUs, which explains why it struggles to push high frame rates at demanding resolutions.

The disparity between the CPU's 85th percentile and the GPU's 45th percentile creates a significant bottleneck scenario. In Inside, the data shows that the GPU is the limiting component across all tested resolutions and settings. The rank of 2714 out of 2887 reflects this GPU constraint, as many other systems in the database likely pair similar or weaker CPUs with stronger discrete GPUs, allowing them to achieve higher frame rates.

The CPU's benchmark results reinforce the idea that the processor is not the issue. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 and single-core score of 1810.5 are strong results. The Geekbench multicore score of 11657 and single-core score of 1794 also show solid performance. The Passmark multithread score of 29376 and single-thread score of 3697 further confirm the CPU's capability. These numbers suggest the Core Ultra 9 185H could easily handle much more demanding games if paired with a more powerful GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience in Inside. At 1920x1080, Medium settings delivers 111 FPS average with a minimum of 94 FPS, which offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. The 94 FPS minimum ensures the experience stays well above the 60 FPS threshold even during demanding scenes. High and Ultra settings both hover around 66-69 FPS, which is playable but leaves less margin for frame rate drops.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings remains the recommended choice, delivering 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS. This configuration maintains a 60+ FPS experience while providing better visual fidelity than Low settings. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 100 FPS average, which could appeal to players who prioritize frame rate over visual quality. High settings at 50 FPS and Ultra at 47 FPS fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. Low settings delivers 63 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS mark and represents the only 4K configuration that maintains playability. Medium settings at 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum introduces noticeable stutter potential. High and Ultra settings at 30-31 FPS are effectively unplayable for most players.

The data suggests a tiered approach based on display resolution. For 1080p displays, Medium settings offers the best experience with 111 FPS average and a 94 FPS minimum. For 1440p displays, Medium settings at 80 FPS average (68 FPS minimum) is the recommended choice. For 4K displays, Low settings at 63 FPS average is the only viable option for maintaining 60+ FPS. The Medium preset's minimum frame rates at each resolution (94 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, 43 FPS at 4K) show a consistent pattern of providing the best balance between visual quality and frame time consistency.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 45 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth. It connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes from the CPU.

The CPU's integrated graphics are listed as Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 128EU, which is separate from the AMD Radeon 890M tested in this configuration. This suggests the system may have multiple graphics options, though the benchmark data specifically measures the AMD GPU. The CPU was released on December 13, 2023, with a launch MSRP of $640, and it remains in active production.

Benchmark results for the CPU show strong performance across the board. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 and single-core score of 1810.5 indicate balanced performance for both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. The Geekbench scores of 11657 (multicore) and 1794 (single-core) align with these results. Passmark scores show particular strength in integer math (98302), floating point math (73270), and multithread performance (29376). The data encryption score of 19827 and extended instructions score of 20272 also demonstrate solid computational capability.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85th among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 35670 places it within 1% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, -0.1%), Intel Core 7 250H (35728, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.4%), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909, -0.7%). These close margins indicate the Core Ultra 9 185H is competitive with current mid-range to high-end desktop and mobile processors.

In the context of Inside's benchmark results, the CPU's role appears to be largely supportive rather than limiting. The consistent 28% and 55% FPS drops from 1080p to 1440p and 1080p to 4K respectively, across all settings levels, point to a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions, and its strong single-thread performance from the 5.10 GHz boost clock helps maintain consistent frame pacing in a game that may have CPU-dependent physics or logic threads. The 22 threads provide plenty of parallelism for any background tasks or game engine threads that require simultaneous execution.