Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a unique performance profile in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The data shows a system where the GPU is consistently the limiting factor, yet the sheer capability of the 24-core CPU ensures that frame rates remain playable even when the graphics card is pushed to its limits. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand how this combination behaves across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 135 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 97 FPS, a 28% reduction, and further to 4K Low yields 61 FPS, which is 55% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at these lower resolutions.

The trend becomes even more pronounced when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 68. At 1440p High, it falls to 49 FPS, a 28% decrease. At 4K High, the system manages only 31 FPS, which is a 54% drop from the 1080p figure. The consistency of this roughly 50% penalty when quadrupling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 570's 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 39.81 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient to maintain higher frame rates at 4K.

Interestingly, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p is less severe than between 1440p and 4K for some presets. For Medium settings, 1080p yields 108 FPS, 1440p yields 78 FPS, and 4K yields 49 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 37%. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is not only struggling with pixel fill but also with memory bandwidth saturation, as the larger frame buffer demands more data throughput.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic impact of resolution scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 64 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this drops to 46 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to a mere 29 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset, indicating that this setting is essentially unplayable for smooth gameplay. The data strongly suggests that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, the user must stay at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, or 1440p with Low settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570, built on the 14 nm Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, is unequivocally the governing component in this system's Inside performance. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a modest figure by modern standards. The GPU's base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, and it houses 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s.

The measured FPS data demonstrates that the RX 570's capabilities are the ceiling for this combo. The fact that the CPU is not the limiting factor is evident from the consistent FPS drops as resolution increases. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across resolutions, but the data shows a clear decline from 135 FPS at 1080p Low to 61 FPS at 4K Low. This is a direct consequence of the GPU's rendering workload increasing with pixel count.

The GPU's 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for a 2016 title like Inside at lower resolutions, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 61 FPS, which is barely above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K produces an average of just 29 FPS, which is a sub-optimal experience. The GPU's end-of-life production status and its position in the 74th percentile of all GPUs further contextualize its performance ceiling.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 is remarkably close to its peers. It sits just 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470, while being 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000. This tight clustering indicates that the RX 570 is a well-balanced mid-range part, but its performance in Inside is still constrained by its age and memory capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2749 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the bottom 5% of all system configurations, which is a surprisingly low rank given the CPU's immense power. This ranking is a direct result of the GPU being a severe bottleneck. While the CPU is a top-tier part, its performance is irrelevant when the GPU cannot keep pace.

The combo's rank of 2749 out of 2887 combos indicates that the vast majority of other tested systems outperform it in this specific game. This is not due to the CPU, which has an average benchmark score of 84003 and sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Instead, it is the RX 570's modest performance that drags the combo down. The GPU's average benchmark score of 28766 places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but in a game like Inside where the CPU is not demanding, the GPU's relative weakness is fully exposed.

This ranking highlights a fundamental imbalance in the system. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, capable of handling any modern workload. However, when paired with a GPU that is 0.4% slower than an RX 6800M in average benchmarks, the system's overall gaming performance is limited. The data suggests that this combo would be better suited for CPU-intensive tasks rather than high-resolution gaming. The rank of 2749 out of 2887 is a stark reminder that a balanced system is often more important than having a single high-end component.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this combo for a smooth 60 FPS experience?*

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings achieves 135 FPS, and 1080p with Medium settings achieves 108 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset achieves above 60 FPS at 97 FPS. 4K is not viable for 60 FPS, as even the Low preset only reaches 61 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. This is evident from the FPS scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 135 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 61 FPS. This consistent drop as resolution increases indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, not the 24-core CPU.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 470. It is 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 combo ranks 2749 out of 2887 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems for Inside.

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 135, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 108 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance percentile compare to the GPU's?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the AMD Radeon RX 570 is in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. This disparity explains why the system is GPU-bound in Inside.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a formidable processor that plays a supporting, yet crucial, role in this system's Inside performance. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, this CPU is an absolute powerhouse. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensure that data can be fed to the GPU without any hiccups. The CPU's architecture, Arrow Lake Refresh on a 3 nm process, is designed for high throughput and low latency.

In Inside, a game that is not CPU-intensive, the Ultra 9 290K Plus has more than enough headroom to maintain high frame rates. The benchmark results show that the CPU is never the limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 135 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it achieves 97 FPS. These frame rates are entirely dependent on the GPU's ability to render frames, not the CPU's ability to process game logic. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 further demonstrate its immense processing power.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is 0.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which is 1.1% slower. The AMD EPYC 9135 is 1.2% slower, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% faster. These small deltas indicate that the Ultra 9 290K Plus is at the very top of the CPU performance hierarchy. However, in this specific game, the CPU's power is largely untapped, as the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's role here is to ensure that it never creates a bottleneck, which it accomplishes with ease.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data suggests that 1080p with Medium settings provides the best balance, yielding an average of 108 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the 68 FPS at High settings and the 64 FPS at Ultra, while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum FPS of 92 and a maximum of 124, indicating stable performance.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the only viable option for 60 FPS gameplay, as it achieves 97 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 78 FPS, which is still playable, but the High preset at 49 FPS may introduce noticeable stutter. At 4K, no preset achieves a consistent 60 FPS. The Low preset comes closest at 61 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K averages 49 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended for this combo. At 1080p, it only achieves 64 FPS, which is barely above 60, and at 1440p, it drops to 46 FPS. At 4K, it falls to 29 FPS, which is unplayable. The data indicates that the visual fidelity gains from Ultra over High are not worth the significant FPS cost. The High preset at 1080p offers 68 FPS, which is a solid experience, but Medium provides a 59% performance increase over High at the same resolution. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings at 1080p or Low settings at 1440p for the best experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 in Inside is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average FPS of 135. This is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset, demonstrating the GPU's capability at this resolution.
• Medium: Average FPS of 108, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. This is the most stable preset based on the available min/max data.
• High: Average FPS of 68. This is a 37% drop from Medium, indicating a significant performance cost for higher visual quality.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 64. This is only slightly lower than High, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average FPS of 97. This is a 28% drop from 1080p Low, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the system.
• Medium: Average FPS of 78, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. The minimum FPS of 66 suggests that this preset can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.
• High: Average FPS of 49. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p High, showing consistent scaling.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 46. This is the lowest 1440p result and is below the ideal 60 FPS threshold.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average FPS of 61. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only 4K preset that is marginally playable.
• Medium: Average FPS of 49, with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 56. The minimum FPS of 42 indicates that frame pacing can be inconsistent.
• High: Average FPS of 31. This is a 37% drop from 1440p High, highlighting the GPU's struggle at 4K.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 29. This is the lowest recorded value in the dataset, making this preset effectively unplayable.

The data illustrates a clear hierarchy: performance is best at 1080p with lower settings, and degrades rapidly as both resolution and settings increase. The GPU's 4 GB memory capacity and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the key constraints at higher resolutions, where the demand for pixel data exceeds what the card can efficiently deliver.