Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that places minimal stress on modern high-end hardware, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti confirm this. The data shows a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet still capable of delivering extremely high frame rates that far exceed the demands of the game’s genre. The following analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combo, focusing on how the CPU and GPU contribute to the observed FPS across different settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 346 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 249 FPS, a reduction of approximately 28%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 156 FPS, which is a 37% drop from the 1440p figure. This consistent decline with each resolution step indicates that the rendering workload is scaling directly with pixel count, a hallmark of a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the average is 173 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 124 FPS (a 28% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 78 FPS (a 37% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to those seen in the Low preset, suggesting that the relative performance cost of increasing resolution is consistent regardless of the graphics settings. This is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a limiting factor; if the processor were struggling, the frame rate would plateau or show inconsistent scaling when the resolution changes, as the CPU workload would remain constant while the GPU workload increased.

The Ultra settings tell a similar story, with 1080p Ultra averaging 165 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 118 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 74 FPS. The game’s simple 2D side-scrolling visuals, while atmospheric, do not present a heavy geometric load. Therefore, the RTX 3060 Ti’s fillrate and memory bandwidth become the determining factors at higher resolutions. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is still partially CPU-limited or at least operating in a range where the CPU’s high clock speeds can keep feeding frames, but by 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, with the 4K High and Ultra averages (78 and 74 FPS) being less than half of their 1080p counterparts (173 and 165 FPS).

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores are formidable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. The processor’s average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scoring 83807, a marginal 0.2% difference.

For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with a fixed camera and relatively simple physics, the CPU’s massive multi-threading capabilities are largely irrelevant. The game is not designed to utilize 24 cores. Instead, single-thread performance is the key metric. The Ultra 9 290K’s single-core performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 3067, is exceptionally high. This ensures that the game’s primary game logic thread, responsible for player input, character movement, and environmental interactions, is processed with minimal latency.

The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU workload is at its minimum, the system is able to push 346 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of processing frames much faster than the GPU can render them at that resolution. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is likely a significant factor here, as it allows the processor to quickly execute the relatively light instructions required by the game. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps by keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores. In this configuration, the CPU acts as an enabler, ensuring that the RTX 3060 Ti is never starved of data, but it does not directly contribute to the FPS differences seen between resolutions; those are purely driven by the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its average benchmark score is 16129, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9060, scores 16014, a 0.7% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT scores 16361, a -1.4% difference.

The GPU’s role in this game is to manage the rendering of the game’s distinctive monochromatic art style and lighting effects. The data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions. The shift from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in a 46 FPS drop (from 124 to 78), which is a substantial 37% reduction. This is a direct consequence of the increased pixel count, which requires the GPU to process more fragments and fill more of the frame buffer. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the textures and effects in Inside are not demanding by modern standards, but the memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is a more critical factor at 4K.

The GPU’s performance ceiling is most evident in the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the card produces 346 FPS, but at 4K Low, it produces 156 FPS. This shows that even with the simplest shaders and effects, the pixel throughput of the RTX 3060 Ti limits the frame rate at higher resolutions. The card’s FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS is more than adequate for this title, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 overwhelms the ROPs and memory subsystem, preventing the frame rate from scaling linearly with the reduction in graphical complexity. The Ultra preset, which likely adds more advanced post-processing and shadow effects, further stresses the GPU, resulting in a 4K average of 74 FPS, which is the lowest measured score in the dataset.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achieved by this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 346, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much does performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 173 at 1080p High to 78 at 4K High, a decrease of 95 FPS, or roughly 55%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently with increased resolution, which is a sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s high single-thread score is sufficient to keep up with the game’s logic.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the 1440p Medium preset?

A: For the 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings, the average FPS is 199, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003. Its closest competitor, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has a score of 83807, making the 290K Plus 0.2% faster.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. The average FPS at 1080p High is 173, while at 1080p Ultra it is 165, a difference of only 8 FPS or about 4.6%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate is achieved with the High preset at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p High, the system produces an average of 173 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays and provides a smooth, responsive experience. The jump to Ultra only yields a marginal 8 FPS decrease, but the visual difference in a game with this art style is likely negligible, so High is the more efficient choice to maintain a higher frame rate headroom.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers an average of 124 FPS. This is still an excellent frame rate for a puzzle platformer, offering fluid motion. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 118 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame pacing could become noticeable on high-refresh-rate monitors. Therefore, High is recommended for 1440p to keep the frame rate comfortably above 120 FPS.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 125 FPS, which is surprisingly high and offers a smooth experience. The High preset at 4K drops to 78 FPS, which is still fluid but not as ideal for a high-refresh-rate display. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 74 FPS, which is the lowest in the dataset. The Low preset at 4K offers 156 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too significant to justify the extra frame rate. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best combination of a stable, high frame rate (125 FPS) and acceptable visual quality, making it the most balanced option for this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high across all settings. The Low preset averages 346 FPS, Medium averages 277 FPS with a minimum of 235 FPS and a maximum of 318 FPS, High averages 173 FPS, and Ultra averages 165 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 8 FPS, showing that the game’s most demanding settings have a minimal impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU’s workload. The Low preset averages 249 FPS, Medium averages 199 FPS with a range of 169 to 229 FPS, High averages 124 FPS, and Ultra averages 118 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is significant, a 75 FPS reduction, indicating a major increase in rendering complexity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Low preset averages 156 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 47 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset is not much more demanding than High at this resolution, or that the GPU is hitting a performance wall.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination is ranked 1273 out of 2887 tested combos for this game. This places it in the 44th percentile of all configurations, which is a middling rank. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the high performance of the individual components, but it reflects the nature of the game itself.

Inside is a lightweight title that does not require a top-tier GPU to achieve high frame rates. Many older or lower-end GPUs can easily produce 60 FPS or more in this game. Therefore, the RTX 3060 Ti, while a capable card, does not distinguish itself in this specific benchmark. The ranking is likely dominated by combos with higher-end GPUs that can push even higher frame rates at 4K, or conversely, by combos with weaker CPUs but similar GPUs, as the CPU’s performance is not a bottleneck. The data shows that the combo’s performance is solid, but its rank relative to other systems is dragged down by the fact that the game does not heavily stress the hardware, allowing a wide range of components to achieve similar playable results. The 59th percentile GPU and 96th percentile CPU individually would suggest a higher rank, but the game’s low demands mean that the GPU’s performance ceiling at 4K, where it averages 78 FPS on High, is the primary factor in its position.