Inside

Inside is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a deliberately restrained visual style, and this specific pairing—the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the Intel Arc B570—delivers a performance profile that is far more nuanced than the game’s simple aesthetic might suggest. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution, with the combo ranking in the 2301st position out of 2887 tested configurations. This places the system in the lower-mid tier of all possible combinations, indicating that while it can run the game, it does not do so with the headroom expected from a flagship-class CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The data shows a clear story: this is a combination where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher fidelity settings, while the processor’s immense power remains largely untapped.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s overall rank of 2301 out of 2887 tested combinations is a critical indicator of its standing. It puts this system in the bottom 20% of all pairings, which is a surprising result given the hardware involved. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, achieving a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile against all GPUs. The disparity in these percentiles is the first clue that the GPU is holding the system back in this specific title. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is vastly more capable than the GPU, and in a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding by modern standards, the frame rate is often dictated by the weakest link in the chain.

The system’s performance is not an outlier when compared to the GPU's direct rivals. The Intel Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, a delta of just 0.1%. Similarly, the Intel Arc A750 is a near-exact match, with a score of 20582 and a delta of -0.1%. This means the GPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. However, the CPU is in a different league. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is only 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) but a significant 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). This processor is a computational powerhouse, but in Inside, its capabilities are largely irrelevant, as the measured frame rates are not constrained by the CPU’s processing power. The data suggests that the system is leaving a massive amount of CPU performance on the table, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor far before the CPU’s potential is reached.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance I can expect from this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 240 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the more demanding Ultra preset, the average drops to 114 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest fidelity.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the performance is much more constrained. The High preset yields an average of 54 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS. The Low preset is the only playable option, achieving an average of 108 FPS.

Q: Is this system better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming in this title?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the system can achieve an average of 86 FPS on High settings and 82 FPS on Ultra. This is a playable experience. At 1920x1080, the High preset reaches 120 FPS, which is smoother. The system is well-balanced for both, but the higher refresh rate potential at 1080p is notable.

Q: Which component is the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B570 GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU’s performance is far beyond what the game requires, given its high benchmark scores and percentile ranking.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rival in terms of raw GPU score?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is virtually identical to the Intel Arc A750 (20582) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). The performance difference between them is less than one percent.

Q: What is the expected frame rate on Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 138 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 159 FPS. This is a very smooth experience for a puzzle platformer.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior is a textbook example of GPU-bound performance. The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as the resolution increases, the average frame rate drops proportionally, which is the definitive indicator that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component. At the High preset, the system achieves 120 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 86 FPS at 2560x1440, and further down to 54 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline is not characteristic of a CPU-limited scenario, where the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The pattern is even more pronounced when looking at the Low preset. The system hits 240 FPS at 1080p, which is likely a frame rate cap or a point where the CPU starts to have a slight influence. However, at 1440p, it drops to 172 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 108 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 37% reduction in frame rate, which again points directly at the GPU’s pixel throughput as the bottleneck. The fact that the frame rate scales so consistently with resolution, irrespective of the preset, confirms that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the constraining factor. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data far faster than the GPU can render it, especially at higher resolutions where the pixel workload increases dramatically.

The performance delta between the 1080p and 4K results is substantial across all settings. For example, on Medium settings, the frame rate goes from 192 FPS at 1080p down to 87 FPS at 4K. This 105 FPS difference is a massive loss in smoothness and is entirely attributable to the GPU’s inability to keep up with the increased pixel count. The data suggests that users with 4K displays will need to heavily reduce graphical settings to achieve a consistently smooth experience, while those on 1080p displays can enjoy very high frame rates even on the demanding Ultra preset. The limiting component is unambiguously the graphics card, and the resolution scaling data is the primary evidence for this conclusion.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for the optimal settings across different resolutions. The primary goal is to maintain a frame rate that is both smooth and visually pleasing. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, a frame rate of at least 60 FPS is generally considered the baseline for a good experience, though higher is always better. Based on the data, the “High” preset appears to be the sweet spot for this system. At 1080p, it delivers 120 FPS, which is excellent. At 1440p, it still manages a very respectable 86 FPS. Even at 4K, it maintains a playable 54 FPS, though this is on the edge of what is ideal.

The “Ultra” preset, while offering the highest visual fidelity, does not provide a significant improvement in frame rate over “High” relative to its performance cost. At 1080p, the drop from 120 FPS to 114 FPS is minor. However, at 1440p, the drop is more noticeable, going from 86 FPS to 82 FPS. The most significant issue with “Ultra” is at 4K, where it only achieves 52 FPS, making it the least playable option. The data suggests that the visual difference between “High” and “Ultra” is not worth the performance hit, especially at higher resolutions. The “Medium” preset offers a significant boost in frame rate, hitting 192 FPS at 1080p and 138 FPS at 1440p, but the visual downgrade from “High” is often more noticeable in the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadows.

For the best experience, the recommendation is to use the “High” preset. It provides a robust frame rate at all resolutions, ensuring the game remains fluid. At 1080p, it is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, it is the ideal balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, it is the only preset that offers a playable experience without dipping below 50 FPS. The “Low” preset is an option for those seeking extremely high frame rates, particularly at 1080p where it hits 240 FPS, but it sacrifices a significant amount of visual detail. Ultimately, “High” is the recommended preset for the vast majority of users, as it delivers a consistently smooth and visually faithful experience across all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system’s performance. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 240 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average is 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS. The High preset delivers 120 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 114 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding settings are easily playable, and the system is capable of pushing very high refresh rates on lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still strong but shows the expected decline. The Low preset averages 172 FPS. The Medium preset averages 138 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 159 FPS. The High preset drops to 86 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 82 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combination, offering a good balance between visual clarity and high frame rates, with the High preset providing a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limitations become apparent. The Low preset is the only one that provides a high frame rate, averaging 108 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset drops to 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding, achieving only 52 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: 4K resolution is only viable with the Low or Medium presets, and even then, the frame rate is not as high as what is achievable at lower resolutions. The frame rate scaling is consistent and predictable across all settings and resolutions, reinforcing the analysis that the GPU is the primary performance bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a flagship processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is built on a 3 nm process and features 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. It sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, making it one of the most powerful processors available. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, a mere 0.2% difference, confirming that this CPU is at the absolute peak of performance.

However, in Inside, the CPU’s role is minimal. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a simple art style, and it does not require the massive multi-threaded or single-threaded performance that this CPU provides. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rate is almost entirely dependent on the resolution and graphics settings, which are GPU-centric variables. The CPU’s immense processing power is never stressed, and it is not the limiting factor in any of the tested scenarios. The data suggests that a much less powerful CPU could achieve the same frame rates with this GPU, as the bottleneck is clearly on the graphics side. The processor’s high performance, while impressive in synthetic benchmarks, is effectively irrelevant for this particular game. The system’s poor combo rank is not a reflection of the CPU’s capability, but rather a consequence of pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU that cannot fully utilize it in a game with such modest CPU requirements.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a mid-range graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, and it features 2304 shading units. Its raw compute power is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. In terms of benchmark scores, it achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844. It holds the 65th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its performance is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, and the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582.

In this game, the GPU is the definitive limiting factor. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of frame rates scaling with resolution, which is the classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The card’s performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, providing high frame rates on most presets. However, at 4K, its limitations are exposed. The card cannot maintain high frame rates on the more demanding presets, with the High and Ultra settings yielding averages of 54 and 52 FPS, respectively. This suggests that the card’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title, despite the game’s relatively simple graphics. The GPU’s performance is consistent with its class, but it is not powerful enough to take full advantage of the CPU’s capabilities, resulting in the system’s low overall rank. The data indicates that the GPU is the component that users should upgrade to improve performance in this game, as it is the primary constraint on frame rates.