Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that is remarkably light on hardware demands, yet the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a configuration capable of delivering exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. The dataset shows a system that is never stressed by the game's engine, with performance scaling that behaves predictably as resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread mobile processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock operates at 2.70 GHz, and it boosts to 5.40 GHz, providing a substantial range for both sustained and burst workloads. The chip features a 36 MB shared L3 cache, with 3 MB of L2 and 192 KB of L1 per core, which contributes to its responsiveness in varied tasks. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a single-core score of 2204, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested.

For a game like Inside, the CPU's role is not a limiting factor. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a linear narrative, meaning its physics and logic are simple enough that even a modest processor could maintain playable frame rates. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 297 FPS, which is a figure that suggests the CPU is not bottlenecking the GPU. The high single-core performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4713 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2458, ensures that the game's primary thread is handled with ease.

The multi-core capability of the Ultra 9 275HX is vast, with a PassMark multithread score of 55759 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 20795, but Inside does not utilize such parallelism. The game's engine is not built to spread its load across 24 cores, so the CPU's performance headroom is effectively unused. The benchmark results indicate that the processor's strength lies in its low-latency single-core execution, which is sufficient for the game's demands. Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Ultra 9 275HX performs nearly identically to the Intel Xeon w5-3525, with a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 4484PX, with a delta of -0.5%, meaning there is no practical performance difference in this context.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a mobile graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring the AD107 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz, with memory running at an effective speed of 17 Gbps. It has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, delivering a theoretical FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS.

In the context of Inside, the RTX 4060 is overqualified. The game's visual style is minimalist, using a dark, atmospheric palette and simple geometry, which does not stress the GPU's rasterization or compute capabilities. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the card pushes frame rates well above the refresh rates of most displays even at 4K resolution. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 64, which is still smooth for a puzzle platformer, but it shows a significant drop from the 134 FPS average at 4K Low settings. This indicates that the GPU is the primary component responding to changes in resolution and settings, as the CPU remains idle in comparison.

The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Inside, which does not feature high-resolution textures or complex shaders. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and the AMD Radeon 780M, have similar average scores, with deltas of -0.2% and +0.3% respectively, but this is irrelevant for the game's performance. The card's strength in synthetic tests, like a PassMark G3D score of 19545 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302, does not translate into a meaningful advantage in this title, as the game is not graphically intensive enough to differentiate between modern GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 1709 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside. This position, which is in the 59th percentile of all combos, might seem modest, but it reflects the fact that the game is not demanding. Many lower-end CPUs and GPUs can achieve high frame rates in this title, so the ranking is compressed. The data shows that this combo is not near the top, but it is also far from the bottom, indicating that the hardware is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience.

The rank is likely influenced by the fact that the game's engine is optimized for older hardware, and the performance ceiling is reached quickly. A combo with a less powerful CPU and GPU might achieve similar FPS numbers, as the game is not limited by processing power at lower settings. However, at higher resolutions and settings, the RTX 4060's capabilities become more apparent, and this combo separates itself from weaker configurations. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 64, which is playable, but a higher-end GPU would push that number higher, explaining why this combo does not rank in the top 1000.

Benchmark results indicate that the combo's performance is consistent across the board, with no anomalous dips in frame rates. The rank of 1709 is a function of the game's low system requirements rather than a deficiency in the hardware. For a puzzle platformer, the experience is flawless, and the combo's position in the rankings does not detract from its real-world usability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the average frame rates are exceptionally high. With Low settings, the combo achieves 297 FPS, which is the highest average in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 237 FPS, with a minimum of 202 and a maximum of 273 FPS. High settings produce 148 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 141 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo is heavily GPU-bound only at the highest settings, but even then, the frame rate is far above the 60 FPS standard.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a predictable decline. Low settings average 213 FPS, Medium settings average 171 FPS with a range of 145 to 196 FPS, High settings average 107 FPS, and Ultra settings average 102 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 28% for Low settings, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count. The GPU is beginning to work harder, but the CPU is still not a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the frame rates are still playable. Low settings average 134 FPS, Medium settings average 107 FPS with a range of 91 to 123 FPS, High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra settings average 64 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, at just 3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces effects that have diminishing returns on visual quality. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 91, which is still smooth, indicating that the combo maintains a stable experience even under load.

The data shows that the combo is capable of running the game at maximum settings at 1080p and 1440p with ease, and at 4K, it can maintain high frame rates on Medium settings. The lack of frame time data means we cannot assess consistency, but the average FPS figures suggest a fluid experience across all scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of frame rates from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 297 at 1080p to 213 at 1440p, a 28% decrease, and then to 134 at 4K, a 37% decrease from 1440p. This scaling is close to the theoretical pixel count increase, which is 1.77x from 1080p to 1440p and 2.25x from 1440p to 4K. The fact that the FPS does not drop proportionally to the pixel count increase suggests that the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions, and the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 141 at 1080p to 102 at 1440p, a 28% decrease, and then to 64 at 4K, a 37% decrease from 1440p. This is the same pattern as Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions when the graphical load is high. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 156 FPS, but at 4K, it is 70 FPS, showing that the GPU's capabilities are stretched as resolution increases.

The data suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, as the CPU's performance is essentially constant across all resolutions. The frame rate drops are consistent with the GPU's rendering load, and the high frame rates at 1080p indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck. For gamers looking to maximize performance, lowering the resolution is the most effective way to increase FPS, as the GPU is the component that dictates the final frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 64 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is playable. However, the minimum FPS is not recorded, so consistency cannot be guaranteed.

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

A: The highest average FPS is 297, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the maximum value in the measured dataset.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: In the GPU benchmark database, the RTX 4060 has an average score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M. These differences are negligible.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The Ultra 9 275HX's single-core performance is more than sufficient for the game's demands.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 107 FPS, while Ultra settings average 102 FPS. The difference is 5 FPS, indicating that Ultra offers minimal performance cost for potentially higher visual fidelity.

Q: Does the combo support the latest graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 4060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which are the latest versions of these APIs. This ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, though Inside does not heavily utilize them.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate over visual quality. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 141 FPS, which is more than enough for a smooth experience on a standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. Since the difference between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS, there is no reason to compromise on visual quality at this resolution. The Medium preset at 237 FPS is excessive for most displays, and Low at 297 FPS offers no practical benefit.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 102 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 107 FPS is nearly identical, so choosing between them is a matter of personal preference. If the user prioritizes a higher frame rate, the Medium preset at 171 FPS is the best choice, as it offers a significant boost over Ultra while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. Low at 213 FPS is unnecessary for most users.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are lower, and the choice of settings becomes more critical. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but it may dip below that in demanding scenes. The High preset at 67 FPS is similar, but the Medium preset at 107 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial frame rate increase with a minor reduction in visual quality. Low at 134 FPS is the best for maximizing smoothness, but it sacrifices the game's atmospheric effects. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal selection.