Inside

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 yields a combination rank of 2223 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. This ranking suggests a significant bottleneck dynamic, where the high-end CPU is held back by a mid-range GPU, a conclusion strongly supported by the FPS data across resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that while the system is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K, its performance headroom is fundamentally constrained by the graphics card's specifications rather than the processor's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2223 out of 2887 combos places it in the 23rd percentile of tested configurations for Inside. This is a surprisingly low position given the processor's standing; the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. The data implies that the GPU is the primary limiter in this pairing, dragging the overall combo ranking down despite the CPU's top-tier status. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's modest rank is a clear indicator of imbalance.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus performs nearly identically to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, showing a delta of just 0.2% in average score. It also edges out the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These margins are minuscule, showing that in raw compute, this CPU is at the top of its class. However, the GPU's percentile ranking tells a different story; the Radeon RX 6600 sits in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19036, which is a stark contrast to the CPU's dominant position.

The measured FPS data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 122 FPS, which is respectable, but the frame rates scale down dramatically as resolution increases. The fact that this high-end CPU cannot push the RX 6600 to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra (55 FPS) highlights the GPU-bound nature of Inside in this configuration. The combo rank would likely be much higher if the GPU were closer in performance tier to the CPU, but the data shows that this pairing is fundamentally limited by the graphics card's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination for Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 2223 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 23% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is only 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807, making them nearly identical in performance.

*Q: Does the RX 6600's VRAM capacity affect 4K performance in Inside?*

A: Yes, the 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM on the RX 6600 appears to be a limiting factor at 4K, as the average FPS drops to 55 at Ultra settings, suggesting the GPU struggles with memory-intensive workloads at that resolution.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p Low and 4K Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 257 FPS, while at 4K Low, it drops to 116 FPS, representing a 54.9% reduction in frame rate when scaling up the resolution.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this system for Inside?*

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile while the GPU ranks in the 63rd percentile, and frame rates scale heavily with resolution rather than showing CPU limitations.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo averages 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the pivotal component in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance in Inside. The GPU is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 1626 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2044 MHz. The memory configuration is particularly telling: 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is a critical constraint at higher resolutions, where the demand for texture data outstrips what the bus can deliver.

The GPU's shading units count of 1792, along with 112 TMUs and 64 ROPs, provides a compute capacity of 8.928 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. The pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are mid-range figures that align with the 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs. In the context of Inside, a 2D puzzle-platformer, these specifications are more than sufficient for the game's graphical demands, but the memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The benchmark results for the RX 6600 show a Passmark G3D score of 15096, which is modest compared to the CPU's dominant scores. In terms of nearest rivals, the RX 6600's average score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% delta), the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (-0.1%), and the Tesla K20m (-0.3%). This places the GPU in a performance tier where 4K Ultra settings are a stretch, which is exactly what the measured FPS data reveals. The GPU's role in this combo is to be the primary limiter, capping performance at 55 FPS at 4K Ultra, while the CPU sits idle with significant headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results show a wide range of frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 257 FPS, which is extremely high and indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. Medium settings average 206 FPS, with a minimum of 175 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 129 FPS, and Ultra settings average 122 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 52.5%, showing that the GPU is increasingly stressed as settings increase, but even at Ultra, the frame rate remains highly playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 185 FPS, a 28% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS. High settings average 92 FPS, and Ultra settings average 88 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at this resolution is 37.8%, which is more pronounced than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth begins to strain at 1440p with higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 116 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 54.9% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. High settings average 58 FPS, and Ultra settings average 55 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 79, indicating that there are moments of significant frame drops, further highlighting the GPU's limitations at this resolution. The data shows a clear pattern: 1080p is comfortably smooth, 1440p is playable with some settings compromises, and 4K is borderline, requiring Low or Medium settings for a consistent experience.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 257 at 1080p to 185 at 1440p, then to 116 at 4K. This represents a 54.9% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial reduction. At Medium settings, the averages go from 206 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p, then to 93 at 4K, a 54.9% drop as well. The consistency of this percentage across Low and Medium settings suggests that the GPU is being scaled uniformly with resolution, with no CPU limitation interfering.

At High settings, the averages go from 129 at 1080p to 92 at 1440p, then to 58 at 4K, which is a 55.0% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the averages go from 122 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p, then to 55 at 4K, a 54.9% drop. The uniformity of these drops—hovering around 55%—is a clear indicator of GPU-bound performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to plateau or drop less dramatically at higher resolutions, as the CPU would be able to maintain higher frame rates. Instead, the FPS scales almost linearly with the pixel count increase, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

The 4K to 1080p ratio is particularly telling. At 4K, the pixel count is 4 times that of 1080p, yet the FPS does not drop to a quarter of the 1080p value. For instance, at Low settings, the 4K FPS (116) is 45.1% of the 1080p FPS (257), not 25%. This indicates that while the GPU is stressed, it is not completely overwhelmed, likely due to the relatively simple graphical nature of Inside. The data suggests that the RX 6600 has enough compute power to handle the game, but the memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s limits performance at higher resolutions. The scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint, and the CPU's 24 cores and 36 MB of L3 cache are not being fully utilized in this scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver an average of 122 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The data shows that there is no need to compromise on settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset maintains a high frame rate. For players with high refresh rate monitors, Medium settings at 206 FPS or Low at 257 FPS would be better choices, but for most users, Ultra is the clear recommendation at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the situation is more nuanced. Ultra settings average 88 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. High settings average 92 FPS, a marginal improvement, but the jump to Medium at 148 FPS is substantial. The data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p offer the best balance, providing a 60.9% improvement over Ultra while maintaining a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 126 at Medium also indicates a more consistent experience compared to the higher presets, which lack reported minimums but are likely more variable.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations become more critical. Ultra settings average 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stuttering. High settings average 58 FPS, only a marginal improvement. Medium settings average 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS, which provides a comfortable buffer above 60 FPS. Low settings at 116 FPS are even better but sacrifice visual fidelity. For 4K gaming, Medium settings are the recommended choice, as they deliver a 60.9% improvement over High while maintaining a minimum FPS of 79, ensuring smooth gameplay. The data clearly indicates that the RX 6600 is not suited for 4K Ultra in Inside, and users should expect to run Medium settings to achieve a consistent experience at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a formidable processor that is vastly overqualified for the task of running Inside alongside the RX 6600. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is built on a 3 nm process with a die size of 243 mm² and contains 17,800 million transistors. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications place the CPU in the 96th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 51731 in multicore and 7303 in single-core tests, demonstrating exceptional multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. Passmark tests show a multithread score of 60860 and a single-thread score of 4823, further confirming its dominance. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83807, which is only 0.2% lower, showing that the 290K Plus is at the very top of the performance hierarchy.

However, in the context of Inside, this CPU power is largely wasted. The game is a puzzle platformer with minimal CPU demands, and the measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 257 FPS, but this is likely a GPU limitation even at this resolution, as the CPU could theoretically push much higher frame rates. The fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any point. The 24 cores and 36 MB of L3 cache are irrelevant for this game, which likely uses only a few threads. The CPU's role in this combo is to provide a massive performance ceiling that the RX 6600 cannot reach, resulting in a system that is significantly imbalanced for this particular title. The data suggests that a less powerful CPU would yield identical FPS in Inside, as the GPU is the sole limiting factor.