Inside

# Inside Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile delivers exceptional frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that remains highly playable on this flagship mobile hardware. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the combo never drops below 104 FPS average, with the 1080p Low preset reaching 433 FPS. The data indicates a system that is dramatically overqualified for this title, yet the scaling patterns reveal interesting insights about where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU as resolution increases.

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 TSMC process. It operates with a base clock of 2.70 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. This is a desktop-class CPU transplanted into a mobile package, drawing 55 W TDP and supporting DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth.

In the context of Inside, a puzzle platformer that is not computationally demanding by modern standards, this CPU is heavily underutilized. The game's physics and logic are simple, and even at 1080p with Low settings, the frame rate is capped more by the rendering pipeline than by CPU throughput. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo produces 433 FPS, which is likely near the engine's practical ceiling or the display's refresh-rate limit rather than a CPU constraint.

The processor's benchmark scores place it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (0.3% ahead), AMD EPYC 4484PX (0.5% ahead), AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (0.6% ahead), and Intel Xeon 6515P (0.7% behind). These are all workstation and server-class processors, underscoring the 275HX's position as a top-tier mobile chip.

For Inside specifically, the CPU's single-thread performance matters more than its 24 cores. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and Geekbench single-core score of 2458 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is what a lightly-threaded game like Inside will leverage. The Passmark single-thread score of 4713 further confirms this capability. The game does not exploit the multi-threading potential, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p Low result (433 FPS) is only 14% higher than the 1440p Low result (347 FPS), suggesting that even at high frame rates, the GPU is still the primary limiter.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo in Inside?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 433 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The 1440p Low preset achieves 347 FPS, and 4K Low reaches 218 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 Mobile compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 45152, placing it in the 84th percentile. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT by 0.5% and the Intel Arc A730M by 1%, while leading the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti by 0.8% and the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation by 1.8%.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution in Inside?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 433 FPS, which is extraordinarily high. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU remains the limiting factor even at the lowest settings.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 278 FPS average (236 min, 319 max), while Ultra produces 165 FPS average. This represents a 68% performance drop from Medium to Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 405th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 11% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested settings?

A: The lowest minimum FPS is 148, recorded at 4K Medium settings. The highest minimum is 328 at 1080p Medium. No minimum FPS data is available for the High, Low, or Ultra presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of how performance scales from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 241 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 109 at 4K (a 37% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count drives the workload.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 433 FPS at 1080p drops to 347 FPS at 1440p (20% reduction) and then to 218 FPS at 4K (37% reduction from 1440p). The fact that Low settings at 4K still achieves 218 FPS indicates that the RTX 5090 Mobile has substantial headroom, but the diminishing returns from 1080p to 4K suggest the GPU's rasterization limits are being approached.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the average is 386 FPS with a 328-444 range. At 1440p, the average drops to 278 FPS (236-319 range), and at 4K, it falls to 175 FPS (148-201 range). The progression from 1080p to 1440p is a 28% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K is a 37% reduction. This consistent scaling pattern indicates that neither the CPU nor the memory subsystem is introducing a bottleneck; the GPU is the sole performance limiter.

Ultra settings show the lowest frame rates: 230 FPS at 1080p, 165 FPS at 1440p, and 104 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that drops below 109 FPS, making it the most demanding test in this dataset.

The resolution scaling analysis confirms that Inside is not a CPU-intensive title for this hardware. Even at 1080p Low with 433 FPS, the system is GPU-limited, as evidenced by the smooth scaling across resolutions. The RTX 5090 Mobile's 24 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for the game's modest texture and geometry requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile ranks 405th out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside, placing it in the top 10.9% of all systems. This ranking is surprisingly modest given the high-end nature of both components, but it reflects the fact that Inside is an older title that may not fully utilize the latest hardware features.

The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 84th percentile among all graphics cards. The discrepancy between these percentile rankings and the combo's overall rank suggests that other factors, such as memory configuration, driver optimization, or thermal constraints, may influence the final result in this specific game.

The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (0.3% higher average score), AMD EPYC 4484PX (0.5% higher), AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (0.6% higher), and Intel Xeon 6515P (0.7% lower). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 275HX is well-matched against workstation-class processors in synthetic benchmarks.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (0.5% higher average score), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (0.8% lower), Intel Arc A730M (1% higher), and NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (1.8% higher). The RTX 5090 Mobile's position among these rivals is notable because the RTX 4070 Ti is a desktop card, suggesting that mobile flagship GPUs are approaching desktop performance levels.

The combo's 405th rank out of 3716 systems means it outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations, but the top 400 systems likely include desktop CPUs with higher clock speeds or multiple GPU setups that extract slightly more performance from this aging title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 433 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings achieve 386 FPS average with a minimum of 328 and maximum of 444. High settings reach 241 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 230 FPS average. The 1080p results show that even at the most demanding preset, the system maintains over 230 FPS, making any modern high-refresh-rate display fully utilized.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings produce 347 FPS average, Medium settings achieve 278 FPS average (236 min, 319 max), High settings reach 174 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 165 FPS average. The 1440p results indicate that this resolution is the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and frame rate, with even Ultra settings maintaining well above 144 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 218 FPS average, Medium settings achieve 175 FPS average (148 min, 201 max), High settings reach 109 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 104 FPS average. The 4K results show that even the most demanding configuration maintains above 100 FPS, which is remarkable for a mobile platform.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. The 1080p Medium range is 328-444 FPS, the 1440p Medium range is 236-319 FPS, and the 4K Medium range is 148-201 FPS. These ranges indicate consistent frame pacing with no major stutters, as the spread between min and max is reasonable for each resolution.

Settings Recommendations

For players with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset at 230 FPS is the recommended choice. This configuration provides the highest visual quality while still delivering frame rates that exceed any display's refresh rate. The 86 FPS difference between Ultra and High at 1080p is negligible in practice, so there is no reason to sacrifice visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 165 FPS is also recommended for users with high-refresh-rate displays. The jump from High (174 FPS) to Ultra (165 FPS) costs only 9 FPS, which is imperceptible in a puzzle platformer. The Medium preset at 278 FPS offers a significant frame rate boost but at a noticeable visual quality reduction, making it more suitable for competitive play or esports scenarios.

At 4K, the choice is more nuanced. The High preset at 109 FPS and Ultra preset at 104 FPS are nearly identical in performance, differing by only 5 FPS. Given that both maintain above 100 FPS, the Ultra preset is the better choice for maximum visual quality. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is recommended for players who prioritize smoothness over fidelity, but the 71 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra may not justify the visual downgrade on a 4K display.

The Low preset across all resolutions delivers frame rates from 218 FPS (4K) to 433 FPS (1080p), but these settings are only recommended for players with extreme refresh-rate displays (360 Hz or higher) who want to maximize responsiveness. For most players, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 386 FPS at 1080p, 278 FPS at 1440p, and 175 FPS at 4K.

Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer with a slower pace, the extra frame rate from lower settings provides diminishing returns. The Ultra preset at any resolution delivers a smooth experience, and the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the minimum frame rate never drops below 100 FPS, though min FPS data is only available for Medium settings. The 4K Medium minimum of 148 FPS provides confidence that the system can maintain smooth frame pacing even in demanding scenes.