Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that demands little from modern hardware, yet the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 show a surprisingly wide performance spread across resolutions and settings. The data reveals a combo that is fundamentally capable of extreme frame rates, but whose behavior under load shifts between CPU and GPU limitations depending on how it is configured.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination sits at rank 2431 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which might seem counterintuitive for a modern processor and discrete GPU. The context is crucial: Inside is an older, lightweight title, so many older or lower-end combos achieve very high frame rates because the game simply does not stress components heavily. The ranking reflects that this particular combo, while fast, is not exceptional relative to the entire field of tested systems for this specific game.

The CPU itself holds an 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs in the broader benchmark suite, with an average benchmark score of 35670. Its nearest rivals in the CPU database are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, the Intel Core 7 250H, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. The performance deltas between these parts are razor-thin: the Core Ultra 9 185H is just 0.1% behind the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, 0.2% behind the Core 7 250H, 0.4% behind the Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and 0.7% behind the Ryzen 7 7700X. These are negligible differences, suggesting that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5060 holds a 72nd percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26331. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT. The deltas here are similarly tight: the RTX 5060 is 0.3% behind the Radeon 860M, 0.3% behind the MX550, 0.8% behind the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, and 1.2% ahead of the RX 6750 XT. The data indicates that the RTX 5060's raw compute performance is closely matched with those rivals, which is relevant when analyzing frame rates in a game like Inside that is not graphically demanding.

The rank of 2431 out of 3716 means roughly 65% of tested combos perform better in this specific title. This is not a condemnation of the hardware, but rather a reflection of the fact that Inside's low system requirements mean that even mid-range parts from several years ago can hit triple-digit frame rates, making the ranking highly competitive.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a high-end mobile part with a 45 W TDP, designed for performance laptops.

For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and AI, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. The benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5. The PassMark multi-thread score is 29376, and the single-thread score is 3697. These numbers indicate a processor that can handle far more demanding workloads than Inside presents.

The measured frame rates support this analysis. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 288 FPS. This is a massive frame rate that suggests the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently. However, when comparing the scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops from 288 FPS to 207 FPS, a reduction of roughly 28%. This drop is more attributable to the GPU's workload increasing, but the CPU still has headroom. The fact that the CPU's nearest rivals are within 0.7% performance delta suggests that swapping to any of those parts would yield nearly identical frame rates in this title. The data shows the Core Ultra 9 185H is more than sufficient for Inside, and its role is to ensure the GPU is never starved of draw calls, which is evident from the very high frame rates at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz with an effective speed of 28 Gbps. The GPU's TDP is 145 W.

While the GPU's raw compute benchmarks are notable, with a PassMark G3D score of 20891 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3628, the measured FPS in Inside tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 137 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 99 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it falls to 62 FPS. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

The RTX 5060's memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s is ample for Inside, which does not require large texture pools. The 8 GB VRAM is also not a constraint at these settings. The GPU's performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, but in this game, the differences are amplified by the high frame rates. For instance, the RTX 5060 is only 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT in average benchmark score, yet at 1080p Low, the frame rate is 288 FPS. A 1.2% difference at that frame rate would be roughly 3 FPS, which is imperceptible. The data indicates that the GPU is more than capable of handling Inside at high refresh rates up to 1440p, but at 4K, it starts to show its limits, particularly at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The data shows that at 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 144 FPS, which is ideal for a 144 Hz monitor. At 1080p Medium, it reaches 230 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it hits 288 FPS, suitable for 240 Hz or higher displays.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 104, with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 120. At 4K High, it drops to 65 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 62 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 4K option that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall score?

A: The Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670. It is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, 0.2% behind the Intel Core 7 250H, 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. These differences are minimal.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking, and what does that mean for Inside?

A: The RTX 5060 holds a 72nd percentile ranking against all GPUs. This means it outperforms 72% of the GPUs in the database, but for a lighter title like Inside, its performance is more than sufficient, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: Is there a significant performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: Yes, the drop is substantial. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 144 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p and then to 65 at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM size cause any issues in Inside?

A: No, the 8 GB GDDR7 memory is not a limiting factor for this game. Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with modest texture requirements, and the measured frame rates show no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or performance dips.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 144 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p, a reduction of 27.8%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops from 104 to 65, a further reduction of 37.5%. Overall, from 1080p to 4K, the frame rate falls by 54.9%.

This scaling behavior is more pronounced at lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rate is 288 at 1080p, 207 at 1440p, and 130 at 4K. The percentage drops are 28.1% from 1080p to 1440p and 37.2% from 1440p to 4K. The fact that the frame rates are so high at 1080p Low (288 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing even more frames, but the GPU's rendering workload limits it.

The scaling at Medium settings provides the most detailed picture, as it includes minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 230 FPS with a minimum of 196 and a maximum of 265. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 166 FPS with a minimum of 141 and a maximum of 191. At 4K Medium, the average is 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 120. The minimum frame rates stay relatively close to the averages, indicating stable performance without major stutters.

The data suggests that the RTX 5060 is the primary limiting component as resolution increases. The CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions because the GPU takes longer to render each frame, reducing the demand on the CPU to feed it data. This is a classic example of a balanced combo where the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p, both components have headroom, but the frame rate is capped by the game's engine or VSync rather than hardware limits, given the extremely high numbers.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for different priorities. For players targeting a 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 4K Ultra (62 FPS average) and 4K High (65 FPS average) are both viable, but they hover just above the 60 FPS threshold. For a more comfortable margin, 4K Medium offers an average of 104 FPS with a minimum of 89, ensuring smooth gameplay without dips below 60 FPS. This makes 4K Medium the recommended preset for 4K displays.

For 1440p displays, the options are more flexible. The Ultra preset delivers 99 FPS average, which is excellent for a 100 Hz monitor. The High preset at 1440p provides 104 FPS, and the Medium preset offers 166 FPS with a minimum of 141, making it ideal for 144 Hz monitors. For those with 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays, the Low preset at 207 FPS average is the best choice to maximize the refresh rate.

At 1080p, the data shows that even the Ultra preset achieves 137 FPS, which is suitable for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz display. However, for competitive play or maximum smoothness, the Medium preset provides 230 FPS with a minimum of 196, ensuring no frame drops below 144 Hz. The Low preset at 288 FPS is overkill for most monitors but offers the absolute highest frame rate for a 240 Hz or 360 Hz display.

The overall recommendation from the data is to prioritize the Medium preset when aiming for a balance between visual quality and performance, as it consistently provides the highest minimum frame rates across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium is the only preset that guarantees a minimum above 60 FPS (89 FPS). At 1440p and 1080p, Medium provides ample headroom above typical refresh rates. The High and Ultra presets are acceptable for 60 Hz displays at 4K or for high-refresh-rate displays at lower resolutions, but the Medium preset offers the best measured stability.