Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers an exceptional performance tier for Inside, a game that is highly sensitive to raw CPU speed and GPU fill rate. This combination ranks 552nd out of 2,887 tested combos, placing it in the top 19.1% of all systems in the database for this specific title. The ranking reflects a system that is massively overqualified for a game from 2016, providing frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of virtually all consumer displays, even at 4K with maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 552 out of 2,887 tested configurations indicates a high-performance pairing, but the data suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to achieve this position. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807, a negligible 0.2% difference, while the AMD EPYC 4584PX is 1.1% behind. This puts the 290K Plus at the absolute top of the consumer desktop heap, a position that matters greatly in Inside, a game that relies on a single powerful thread for its physics and logic.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 holds the 69th percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 23,877. Its rivals are a mixed bag of older and mobile parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z is 0.6% ahead, the AMD Radeon RX 6800S is 0.8% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER is 1.2% behind. This data indicates the RX 9070 is a solidly mid-to-high-tier graphics card, but it is not a flagship. The disparity between the CPU's top-tier percentile and the GPU's more modest percentile is the first clue that the processor is the primary driver of this combo's high rank in a game like Inside.

The rank of 552 is impressive, but it is not higher because the GPU, while capable, is not the absolute fastest. In a game with simple geometry and lighting, the RX 9070's raw compute is less critical than the CPU's ability to feed it frames. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system produces 433 FPS, which is a CPU-bound scenario. The high rank reflects the CPU's immense single-threaded power, which allows the GPU to run at its maximum potential without being bottlenecked by game logic.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using a 4 nm process, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. This configuration provides a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for a game like Inside with its largely static, low-resolution textures. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are high, but the card's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the defining spec for its role here.

In Inside, the GPU's task is to render a dark, atmospheric 2.5D world. The benchmark data shows the GPU’s performance scaling with resolution. At 4K High, the card produces 98 FPS, which is a demanding load. However, the fact that it produces 196 FPS at 4K Low shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings; the CPU is. The RX 9070's 128 ROPs and 224 TMUs are more than adequate for the pixel and texture throughput required by this title.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is a non-issue for Inside. The game's asset sizes are small, and the memory bus width of 256-bit is more than enough to handle the data throughput required. The real story is the GPU's ability to keep up with the CPU's high frame generation. At 1080p Medium, the combo hits 346 FPS, and the GPU is still not the bottleneck. It is only at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 93 FPS, that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth begin to assert themselves as the primary constraint, as the pixel fill rate demand increases significantly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is the star of this benchmark. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and a base clock of 3.70 GHz, it is a powerhouse. The CPU's benchmark scores are staggering: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,823 is particularly relevant for Inside, which is well-known for being single-thread dependent. The data shows the CPU's performance in the 96th percentile, and its average score of 84,003 is 0.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 285K.

For Inside, the CPU's role is to process the game's physics, character movement, and puzzle logic. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that a single core can execute these tasks at maximum speed. The benchmark results confirm this: at 1080p Low, the system produces 433 FPS, a frame rate that is almost entirely dictated by the CPU's single-core speed. The CPU is so fast that it prevents any kind of bottleneck, allowing the GPU to render frames as quickly as it can.

The CPU's 36 MB of L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache also help, providing fast access to frequently used data. The 125W TDP is high, but the performance it delivers justifies the power draw. The comparison to rivals shows that the 290K Plus is essentially the fastest CPU for this workload, with the nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K, being virtually identical in performance. This means the CPU is providing a ceiling that no other processor in the top 1% of the database can significantly surpass.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are astronomical. With Low settings, the system averages 433 FPS. Medium settings see a drop to 346 FPS, with a minimum of 294 FPS and a maximum of 398 FPS. High settings produce 217 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 206 FPS. These numbers indicate a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p, as the drop from Low to Medium is only 87 FPS, and the drop from High to Ultra is just 11 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not the primary constraint.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain extremely high. Low settings average 311 FPS, Medium settings drop to 249 FPS with a min of 212 and max of 287, High settings produce 156 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 148 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is interesting: Low settings drop from 433 to 311 FPS (a 28% decrease), while Ultra settings drop from 206 to 148 FPS (a 28% decrease as well). This consistent percentage drop suggests the load is balanced between CPU and GPU, but the absolute numbers are still so high that the experience is flawless.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings still produce a very playable 196 FPS, and Medium settings average 157 FPS with a min of 133 and max of 180. High settings drop to 98 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 93 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K is more punishing: Ultra settings drop from 148 to 93 FPS, a 37% decrease, which is a clear sign that the GPU is now the bottleneck. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a frame rate above 90 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, but the headroom available at lower resolutions is gone.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling analysis reveals a system that is balanced but leans heavily on CPU power. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by roughly 28-29%. This is a moderate drop that is expected as pixel count increases by 78%, but the frame rates are still so high that it doesn't indicate a problem. The consistency of the drop across settings suggests that neither component is being saturated at these resolutions; the system is simply doing more work.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU's limitations become apparent. At Low settings, the drop from 311 to 196 FPS is a 37% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop from 148 to 93 FPS is also a 37% decrease. This consistent percentage drop at 4K, regardless of settings, is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The RX 9070 is being pushed to its limits at 4K, and the CPU's immense power cannot compensate for the increased pixel fill rate demand.

The data implies that for Inside, the optimal experience is at 1440p, where the system can push over 145 FPS at Ultra settings. At 4K, the system is still capable, but the headroom is reduced. The fact that Low settings at 4K (196 FPS) is higher than Ultra settings at 1440p (148 FPS) is telling: it shows that the GPU's performance is more dependent on resolution than on the graphical fidelity of Inside's simple art style. The CPU is strong enough to run the game logic at any resolution, but the GPU's rasterization speed is the limiting factor at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus the main reason for the high frame rates in Inside?*

A: Yes. The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score of 4,823, is critical for Inside's game logic. At 1080p Low, the system produces 433 FPS, which is a CPU-bound scenario, proving the processor is the primary driver of the high frame rates.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 9070 handle 4K gaming in this title?

A: The RX 9070 is capable but not unlimited at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 93 FPS, and at 4K High it averages 98 FPS. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the card becomes the bottleneck at this resolution, as seen in the 37% FPS drop from 1440p to 4K.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to play Inside?*

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the system produces 148 FPS at Ultra settings, which is smooth and leaves headroom. At 4K, the frame rates drop to the 90s at Ultra, which is still playable but less optimal for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in terms of overall performance?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83,807. This means the 290K Plus is virtually identical in performance to its predecessor, making it a marginal upgrade.

Q: Is the GPU's performance tier adequate for this CPU?

A: The RX 9070 sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, which is a solid mid-to-high-tier position. While it doesn't match the CPU's top-tier 96th percentile, the benchmark results show it is not a bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p in Inside.

Q: Will lowering settings help improve the frame rate at 4K?

A: Yes, significantly. At 4K Low, the system produces 196 FPS, compared to 93 FPS at 4K Ultra. This shows that the GPU is sensitive to settings at 4K, and lowering them from Ultra to Low nearly doubles the frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

For the optimal experience, the data points to a specific setting profile. At 1920x1080, the High preset provides 217 FPS, which is more than enough for any display, and the jump to Ultra only yields a 11 FPS decrease to 206 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p is unnecessary given the high frame rates, but it does show the CPU's peak capability of 433 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. The average of 148 FPS is high enough for a 144Hz display, and the difference between High (156 FPS) and Ultra (148 FPS) is negligible. The Medium preset at 249 FPS is also an option for those seeking maximum smoothness, but the visual fidelity of Inside is not so demanding that Ultra is not worth the slight FPS cost.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is more nuanced. The High preset yields 98 FPS, which is decent for a 60Hz display, but the Medium preset offers 157 FPS, which is a significant improvement for a 144Hz 4K monitor. The data shows that the jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs only 5 FPS (98 to 93), so there is little reason to choose High over Ultra if you can accept the 60Hz range. The best experience at 4K is Medium, which balances the GPU load and provides a smooth 157 FPS average, with a minimum of 133 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutter. The Low preset at 196 FPS is overkill and sacrifices visual quality for a frame rate that is not necessary for a game like Inside.