Inside

Inside is a light puzzle-platformer, and the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800M reflect that. The combination is exceptionally strong, delivering playable performance even at 4K with maximum settings and exceeding 200 FPS at 1080p on lower presets. The data indicates that this system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU at 1080p is more than capable of pushing very high frame rates, making the overall experience smooth across the board. Benchmark results show the bottleneck shifting clearly from the processor at 1080p to the graphics card as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High settings, the system produces an average of 143 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 103 FPS, a 28% reduction, and then to 4K, it falls to 65 FPS, a 55% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline as pixel count increases is the signature of the Radeon RX 7800M becoming the limiting factor. The GPU is working progressively harder to fill those extra pixels, and the data shows that the CPU headroom is not the constraint at these higher resolutions.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 286 FPS drops to 206 FPS at 1440p (a 28% decrease) and then to 129 FPS at 4K (a 55% decrease). This consistency confirms that the scaling penalty is purely resolution-driven. The percentage drops are nearly identical regardless of the quality preset, which strongly implies that the workload is dominated by pixel throughput rather than shader complexity. In other words, the GPU's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary determinants of performance at 1440p and 4K.

At 1080p, the picture changes. The jump from 143 FPS at High to 286 FPS at Low shows that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to more than double the frame rate when the graphical load is light. The fact that the 1080p Low score is more than double the 4K High score highlights how dependent this pairing is on resolution. For users targeting very high refresh rates, the data suggests that 1080p is the resolution where this combination truly flexes its muscles, with the CPU and GPU working in balance to deliver over 200 FPS on medium and low presets.

The measured results indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for maintaining a high refresh rate experience, as the average FPS never drops below 98 even at Ultra settings. While 4K is playable, it is clear that the RX 7800M is working at its limit, with the Ultra preset averaging 61 FPS and the High preset at 65 FPS. The scaling analysis indicates that if a user wants to prioritize frame rate over resolution, dropping from 4K to 1440p yields a significant performance boost of roughly 50% or more across all settings, making it a highly effective adjustment.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the star of the show at higher resolutions, and its specifications in the data explain why. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth that is crucial for feeding the shaders at 4K resolution, where the demand for texture data and frame buffer access is immense. The benchmark results show that even at 4K Ultra, the game maintains a 61 FPS average, indicating that the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck that causes catastrophic frame drops.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor. The boost clock is listed as 2335 MHz, with a game clock of 2145 MHz. These high frequencies, combined with the 3840 shading units, allow for the strong performance seen in the data. The FP32 compute rating is 35.87 TFLOPS, which is a measure of raw shader throughput. In a game like Inside, which has a minimalist art style but uses lighting and post-processing effects, this compute power is sufficient to handle the visual effects at high resolutions without compromising the frame rate.

The GPU's performance percentile is 73, and its average benchmark score is 27883. In the nearest rival comparisons, it sits very close to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, which has a deltaPct of 0.2, meaning the RX 7800M is slightly ahead. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti by 0.5%. This context is useful: the RX 7800M is a capable mobile graphics solution that trades blows with older desktop flagship cards, but it is not in the top tier of GPUs. This is reflected in the 4K performance, where it achieves playable but not spectacular frame rates.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is more than sufficient for Inside, a game from 2016. The data does not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or performance degradation at 4K, which suggests that the game's textures and geometry fit comfortably within the 12 GB frame buffer. The GPU's role is clearly to provide the pixel-pushing power, and the measured FPS numbers show that it does so effectively, with the 4K Medium preset achieving 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, indicating a stable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H handles the CPU side of the equation with ease. Its benchmark results show a strong processor, with an average benchmark score of 35670 and a percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and single-core score of 1810.5 indicate a balanced processor that excels in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the single-core performance is more critical for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU's specifications support this analysis. It has 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The high boost clock is essential for gaming, as it ensures that the main game thread can run at maximum speed. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 286 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At this resolution and setting, the game is likely running at a frame rate where the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary driver, and the Core Ultra 9 185H is more than up to the task.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, it is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, which has a deltaPct of -0.1, and the Intel Core 7 250H, with a deltaPct of -0.2. This means the Core Ultra 9 185H is essentially at parity with these chips in synthetic benchmarks. In the context of Inside, this means that any of these CPUs would likely deliver similar frame rates, as the game is not a CPU stress test. The data shows that the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation, and it does so without breaking a sweat, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance at higher resolutions.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory are also relevant. While the game may not be memory-bandwidth sensitive, the platform ensures that the GPU has enough data to work with. The CPU's L3 cache of 24 MB is also ample for the game's data footprint. The result is that the CPU never appears in the data as a bottleneck; the frame rates scale almost perfectly with the GPU's capabilities, confirming that the Core Ultra 9 185H is a capable partner for the RX 7800M in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, the High preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 143 FPS, which is above the 144Hz threshold, and the jump to Ultra only yields a 7 FPS improvement to 136 FPS, which is a negligible gain that comes with a slight decrease in stability. The Medium preset at 229 FPS is overkill unless the display is 240Hz, and the Low preset at 286 FPS offers no visual benefit. The High preset balances visual quality with a frame rate that matches the most common high-refresh displays.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It achieves an average of 164 FPS with a minimum of 140 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a 144Hz monitor. The High preset drops to 103 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for competitive play, while the Ultra preset at 98 FPS is a marginal improvement over High in visuals but a step down in frame rate. The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best frame rate headroom, ensuring that the game stays well above the 100 FPS mark even in demanding scenes.

For 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset at 65 FPS and the Ultra preset at 61 FPS are both playable, but they are close to the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset, however, jumps to 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, which is a much more comfortable margin. Given that the visual difference between Medium and High in a game with Inside's art style is likely minimal, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for 4K. It provides a significantly higher frame rate, which improves the smoothness of the game's animations and camera movements, without a substantial hit to the overall aesthetic.

The Low preset is only recommended for users who are targeting the absolute maximum frame rate at 1080p or 1440p, or for those who are using very high refresh rate displays (240Hz+). At 4K, the Low preset at 129 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the game's atmosphere may suffer from the reduced visual effects. Overall, the data points to Medium as the most balanced preset across all resolutions, offering the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring a consistent and responsive experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 65 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it does not leave much headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 164 FPS with a minimum of 140 FPS. This is ideal for a 144Hz display, as it stays above the refresh rate most of the time.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the main bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as frame rates scale down significantly with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is more than capable, with Low settings hitting 286 FPS, showing that the CPU has plenty of headroom.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 7800M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7800M has an average benchmark score of 27883. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, according to the nearestRivals data.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Inside?

A: Yes, the measured results show stable frame rates with no signs of memory-related stuttering at 4K Ultra, which suggests that the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than enough for this game's requirements.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 103 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS. The difference is only 5 FPS, making the High preset a slightly better option for higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: Average 286 FPS
• Medium: Average 229 FPS, Minimum 194 FPS, Maximum 263 FPS
• High: Average 143 FPS
• Ultra: Average 136 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: Average 206 FPS
• Medium: Average 164 FPS, Minimum 140 FPS, Maximum 189 FPS
• High: Average 103 FPS
• Ultra: Average 98 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: Average 129 FPS
• Medium: Average 103 FPS, Minimum 88 FPS, Maximum 119 FPS
• High: Average 65 FPS
• Ultra: Average 61 FPS

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates, which suggests it was the primary test point for stability analysis. The 1080p Low score of 286 FPS is the highest recorded, indicating the absolute ceiling of this combination in this game. The 4K Ultra score of 61 FPS is the lowest, showing the most demanding scenario is still playable. These numbers provide a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities, and they all point to a high-performance mobile setup that can handle Inside with ease at any resolution, with the Medium preset offering the best balance of performance and visual quality.