Inside

Resolution Scaling

Inside is an exceptionally light game by modern standards, and the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reflects that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 remains the decisive component at every resolution tested. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 256 FPS average, which is a figure so high that the CPU's headroom becomes irrelevant. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 184 FPS, a 28% reduction, and then to 116 FPS at 4K Low, which represents another 37% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-limited workload.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution is equally telling. At 1080p, the spread runs from 256 FPS at Low down to 122 FPS at Ultra, meaning the Ultra preset costs roughly half the frame rate of the Low preset. At 1440p, the same comparison shows 184 FPS versus 88 FPS, again almost exactly a 50% penalty. At 4K, the Low preset delivers 116 FPS, while Ultra drops to 55 FPS, a 53% reduction. This consistent halving of performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings indicates that the RTX 2060's shading and memory subsystems are the binding constraint, not the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus.

The Medium preset is where the scaling becomes most interesting for analysis. At 1080p Medium, the average is 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS and maximum of 236 FPS. At 1440p Medium, that average falls to 147 FPS (min 125, max 169), and at 4K Medium, it drops to 93 FPS (min 79, max 106). The minimum-to-maximum spread narrows as resolution increases: 62 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. This tightening frame time distribution at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, reducing the variability that CPU-side spikes would otherwise introduce.

What the data does not show is any evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the 256 FPS average is high, but the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, making it far more capable than what this puzzle platformer demands. The 3 nm Arrow Lake Refresh chip sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs in the database, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores only 0.2% lower on average. This processor is not going to constrain a 2016-era title at any settings.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 is the workhorse here, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm process, with a base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz. It carries 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For a game like Inside, which has a stylized monochromatic art style and limited geometric complexity, the 6 GB frame buffer is never stressed; the data shows no outlier dips that would indicate memory capacity issues.

The GPU's compute resources are modest by modern standards: 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s are sufficient for Inside's visual style, which relies on lighting and shadows more than high-resolution textures. The RTX 2060's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compliance mean the API surface is modern, but the game itself predates ray tracing, so the 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are largely idle during this workload.

The GPU's benchmark profile reinforces the notion that this is a mid-tier card. It holds the 58th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals are almost exactly matched: the GeForce GTX 580 has a delta of 0.0%, the AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, and the RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% behind. This cluster at the 15200-15300 score range shows that the RTX 2060 sits in a crowded performance tier, and Inside's results reflect that positioning.

The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (55 FPS average) are notable because they sit just below the 60 FPS threshold that many players target. At 4K High, the average rises to 58 FPS, still not quite there. But at 4K Medium, the card delivers 93 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above 60. This suggests the RTX 2060's raw throughput is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, and the difference between Ultra and Medium is where the card finds its usable headroom.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K smoothly?

A: Yes, provided you do not max out the settings. At 4K Medium, the average frame rate is 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 58 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 55 FPS. For a locked 60 FPS experience, Medium is the appropriate choice.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: Inside is a single-player puzzle platformer, so competitive play is not a consideration. That said, the 1080p Low preset delivers 256 FPS average, which is well beyond any display refresh rate in common use. The 1440p Low preset at 184 FPS is also far above typical monitor capabilities.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15290, which places it 0.0% ahead of the GeForce GTX 580, 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 680M, and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 trails by 0.8%. Performance in Inside should track these relative positions closely since the game is not CPU-limited.

Q: Should I worry about the 6 GB VRAM capacity?

A: No. Inside is a 2016 title with a limited art palette and low geometric complexity. The measured data shows no frame rate anomalies that would indicate VRAM exhaustion. The 6 GB GDDR6 buffer, paired with 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is ample for this workload at all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus overkill for this game?

A: The data suggests yes. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock. Inside does not benefit from such extreme hardware; the frame rate scaling follows the GPU's capabilities exactly. The CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or preset tested.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 174 FPS and maximum is 236 FPS, a spread of 62 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 44 FPS (125 to 169), and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 27 FPS (79 to 106). The consistency improves as resolution increases, indicating the GPU is being more uniformly utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 covers three resolutions and four quality presets. The Low and Ultra presets were only measured for average FPS, while the Medium preset includes minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low produces an average of 256 FPS. Medium produces an average of 205 FPS, with a minimum of 174 and a maximum of 236. High produces an average of 128 FPS. Ultra produces an average of 122 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is small at just 6 FPS, while the gap between Low and Medium is much larger at 51 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 184 FPS, Medium at 147 FPS (minimum 125, maximum 169), High at 92 FPS, and Ultra at 88 FPS. The medium preset's minimum of 125 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating no problematic frame dips. The High to Ultra gap is again small, only 4 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 116 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS (minimum 79, maximum 106), High at 58 FPS, and Ultra at 55 FPS. This is the only resolution where the High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 79 FPS provides a comfortable cushion. The Low preset at 116 FPS remains highly playable.

The scaling pattern across resolutions for each preset is consistent. Low goes from 256 to 184 to 116 FPS as resolution climbs. Medium goes from 205 to 147 to 93. High goes from 128 to 92 to 58. Ultra goes from 122 to 88 to 55. In every case, the step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 28-30% of the frame rate, and the step from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 37-38%. This consistent scaling indicates a purely GPU-bound scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2253rd out of 2887 combos tested in Inside. That places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is expected given that the RTX 2060 is a mid-range GPU from the Turing generation.

The CPU's influence on this ranking is minimal. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus achieves an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83807, a delta of just 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 trail by 1.1% and 1.2% respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 leads by 1.3%. This CPU would rank near the top if paired with a stronger GPU.

The GPU's ranking tells a different story. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals show how tight this segment is: the GTX 580 matches it exactly at 0.0% delta, the Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, the RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% behind, and the RX 7600 is 0.8% behind. None of these GPUs would produce dramatically different results in Inside, which is why the combo ranking clusters in the lower-middle range.

The overall ranking of 2253 out of 2887 means that approximately 78% of tested combos outperform this one in Inside. That is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-tier status, not any deficiency in the CPU. The data shows that the system's performance ceiling is set by the RTX 2060, and the CPU provides no meaningful uplift in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data points to a clear hierarchy. At 4K, the Medium preset is the only sensible choice, delivering 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 4K both fall below 60 FPS (58 and 55 FPS respectively), which may introduce noticeable stutter on standard 60 Hz displays. The Low preset at 4K produces 116 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given that Medium provides such a large margin.

At 1440p, all four presets exceed 60 FPS. The High preset at 92 FPS and Ultra at 88 FPS are both viable, with the 4 FPS difference between them being imperceptible in a game like Inside. The Medium preset at 147 FPS offers headroom for high-refresh displays, while Low at 184 FPS is excessive for most monitors. For the best visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable frame buffer, Ultra at 1440p is the recommendation.

At 1080p, the situation is even more forgiving. The Ultra preset at 122 FPS is the best choice for visual quality, and it still provides more than double the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 128 FPS is nearly identical. The Medium preset at 205 FPS and Low at 256 FPS are only useful for extremely high refresh rate displays (240 Hz and above), and the visual sacrifice is unlikely to be worth it for this atmospheric puzzle platformer.

The most balanced recommendation across all resolutions is the Medium preset. It delivers 205 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K, with minimum frame rates of 174, 125, and 79 FPS respectively. The minimums never dip below 79 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing. The Medium preset also shows the tightest relationship between resolution scaling and GPU load, making it the most predictable configuration for this hardware pairing. If a single setting must be chosen, Medium provides the best blend of visual quality and performance margin.