Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that is remarkably forgiving to run on modern hardware, but the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B370 reveals a specific performance profile that is heavily dependent on settings and resolution. The measured FPS across the board shows a system that can deliver a smooth experience at lower settings but struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum quality presets, particularly at 4K. The data indicates a significant bottleneck that shifts between the CPU and GPU depending on the workload, making the choice of in-game settings the single most critical factor for playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 offers the highest frame rates across all settings, with a Low preset reaching 141 FPS and a Medium preset hitting 113 FPS. While 2560x1440 is playable, the 3840x2160 resolution results in sub-60 FPS performance on every preset except Low, which averages 64 FPS, making 1080p the only resolution where all presets exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS, which is only 3 FPS lower than the High preset's 70 FPS average. This indicates a minimal performance cost for the jump from High to Ultra at this resolution, making Ultra a viable option for users with 60Hz displays.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370 strong enough for 4K gaming in Inside?

A: The data suggests it is not consistently strong enough. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers only 30 FPS and High delivers 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset improves to 51 FPS, but only the Low preset achieves a comfortable 64 FPS average at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 101 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS. This represents a 53 FPS difference, or more than a 50% reduction in frame rate, showing that the Ultra preset is much more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus bottleneck the Intel Arc B370 in this game?

A: The evidence suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution and settings increase, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, such as a 51731 score in Cinebench R23 multicore, indicate it has ample headroom for this title.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 2654 out of 2887 tested combinations. This places it in the lower percentile of systems, which is consistent with the GPU's low 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs, indicating that while the CPU is powerful, the overall gaming performance is held back by the integrated graphics.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results for Inside point to a clear hierarchy of playable settings based on the target frame rate and resolution. For a standard 60 FPS experience, the data shows that the Medium preset is the highest quality option that consistently achieves this target across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium averages 113 FPS, at 2560x1440 it averages 81 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it averages 51 FPS. While the 4K result at Medium is below 60 FPS, it is the most balanced preset for that resolution.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the safest choice. It is the only preset that delivers over 60 FPS at every resolution, with 141 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns, as they drop the average frame rate below 60 FPS at 1440p and 4K, and only barely exceed it at 1080p with 70 and 67 FPS respectively. Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer where precision and timing are key, the data suggests that sacrificing some visual quality for a higher and more stable frame rate on the Medium or Low presets will provide the best overall experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep performance cost as resolution increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Medium preset drops the average frame rate from 113 FPS to 81 FPS, a reduction of 28.3%. Scaling up further to 3840x2160 at Medium results in 51 FPS, which is another 37% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern of significant frame rate drops with each resolution step strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting component in this configuration.

The data at the High preset reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the system averages 70 FPS, which drops to 51 FPS at 1440p and further to 32 FPS at 4K. The consistent and dramatic falloff across all presets, including Low which drops from 141 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 4K, points to a GPU that is quickly overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU's performance is sufficient, but the graphics processor cannot maintain the same level of output as the resolution demands more work, confirming that the Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the constraining factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across all settings. The Low preset leads with an average of 141 FPS, followed by Medium at 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130. The High preset averages 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the native resolution for this combo, providing a smooth experience even on the most demanding presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable. The Low preset remains strong with an average of 101 FPS. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93, which is still playable on high refresh rate monitors. However, the High preset falls to 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset dips to 48 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that users should stick to Medium or lower at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly struggling. The Low preset is the only one to break the 60 FPS barrier, averaging 64 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS with a narrow range of 43 to 59 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable for a smooth experience, with averages of 32 FPS and 30 FPS respectively. This resolution is only recommended for users who prioritize image clarity over frame rate and are willing to use the Low preset.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is marked as "System Shared," which means its bandwidth is "System Dependent," a factor that likely contributes to its performance limitations. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. Its benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is remarkably low.

This low percentile ranking is reflected in the game's performance. The GPU's theoretical peak pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, but the measured data shows that it cannot sustain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The fact that the frame rate drops by nearly half when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The "System Shared" memory configuration means that the GPU is competing with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which can further hinder performance in demanding scenes, explaining why the Ultra preset at 4K falls to just 30 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, along with 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. The processor's PassMark multithread score of 60860 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is far more capable than the GPU paired with it.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role appears to be secondary. The benchmark data shows a clear GPU bottleneck, as frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings. The CPU's high single-core performance, as evidenced by a 4823 PassMark single-thread score, is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics at any of the tested settings. The fact that the Low preset at 1080p achieves 141 FPS without the CPU becoming a constraint confirms that the processor is not holding back the system, and the performance ceiling is defined almost entirely by the Arc B370's graphics capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2654 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This puts the system in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, which is a direct result of the GPU's performance. The CPU itself is a top-tier part, as shown by its 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, but the integrated graphics solution drags the overall gaming performance down significantly.

The contrast between the components is stark. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average benchmark score of 83807, which is only 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003 average. This shows that the CPU is competitive with the best desktop processors on the market. In comparison, the GPU's nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, has a 3DMark score of 1186, which is nearly identical to the Arc B370's 1184. This places the GPU in a performance class that is over a decade old, explaining why the combo's rank in Inside is so low despite having a modern, powerful CPU. The data conclusively shows that for gaming, the GPU is the determining factor for this combo's overall standing.