Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 pairing is a high-end configuration that delivers a decisive performance advantage in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. The measured frame rates show this combination is capable of extreme refresh rates at 1080p and remains fully playable at 4K, though the performance scaling reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution increases. The data indicates this is a system where the CPU’s massive multi-core headroom is largely irrelevant to the game’s demands, while the GPU’s raw throughput becomes the defining factor at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. This is a processor designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. In PassMark, it achieves a multi-thread score of 60,860 and a single-thread score of 4,823, placing it in the 96th percentile against all CPUs.

However, the benchmark results from Inside suggest that this CPU’s capabilities are far beyond what the game requires. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 291 FPS, a figure that is more likely constrained by the game engine’s frame pacing or the GPU’s ability to issue draw calls than by the CPU’s processing power. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average benchmark score of 83,807, which is 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus’s 84,003 average. Similarly, the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 is the only rival with a higher average score at 85,072, which is 1.3% above the 290K Plus.

For a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively modest physics and AI requirements, the CPU is not a limiting factor. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the system drops to 47 FPS, the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that the game logic remains fluid. The 24 cores and 24 threads are superfluous for this workload, but the robust single-core performance, reflected in the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 736, ensures that the game’s primary thread is never starved. The L3 cache of 36 MB shared and L2 cache of 3 MB per core provide ample bandwidth for the game’s assets, but the performance deltas between resolutions are primarily driven by the GPU.

FAQ

*Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus bottleneck the RTX 4080 in Inside?*

A: No. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 291 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 47 FPS. The performance drop is directly correlated with resolution and settings, which points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck rather than the CPU’s 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER’s 54,209. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1% (54,828) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6% (55,698). The AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7% ahead with a score of 55,757.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1440p High, the system averages 113 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. While 1080p provides higher frame rates (up to 291 FPS at Low), 1440p High delivers a significant visual upgrade while maintaining a high refresh rate experience.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the RTX 4080 in this title?

A: Yes, but only at certain settings. At 4K Medium, the system averages 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS, which is smooth. At 4K High, it averages 68 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 47 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for fast-paced action. Therefore, 4K is viable at Medium or High settings.

Q: How much of a frame rate penalty does Ultra settings incur at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, moving from High to Ultra reduces the average frame rate from 113 FPS to 78 FPS, a drop of 35 FPS. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a significant load on the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 48.74 TFLOPS of compute power, making High a more efficient choice for maintaining high refresh rates.

Q: Does the game scale well with the RTX 4080’s memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4080’s 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth appears sufficient for Inside. The game’s art style is relatively simple, and the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues. The 16 GB VRAM is more than enough, as the game is not texture-heavy.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that highlights the GPU as the dominant performance factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 291 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces the average to 202 FPS, a 30.6% drop. At 4K Low, the average falls to 121 FPS, which is a 58.4% drop from 1080p. This scaling is expected for a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels rendered directly impacts the workload.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 218 FPS at 1080p to 151 FPS at 1440p (a 30.7% decrease) and then to 90 FPS at 4K (a 58.7% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium settings suggests that the RTX 4080’s shading units and texture units are the limiting resource, rather than the CPU’s memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly steeper. The system delivers 163 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p (a 30.7% drop), and 68 FPS at 4K (a 58.3% drop from 1080p). The similarity in these percentages indicates that the game’s renderer is well-optimized and that the performance penalty is purely a function of pixel count. The only outlier is Ultra settings, where the frame rate at 1080p is 112 FPS, dropping to 78 FPS at 1440p (a 30.4% drop) and 47 FPS at 4K (a 58.0% drop). This consistent scaling pattern confirms that the limiting component is the GPU’s raw execution throughput, not any other system resource.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of extremely high frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 291 FPS, Medium settings deliver 218 FPS (with a minimum of 185 FPS and maximum of 250 FPS), High settings achieve 163 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 112 FPS. This range makes 1080p suitable for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, with even the most demanding preset remaining well above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. Low settings average 202 FPS, Medium settings average 151 FPS (minimum 128 FPS, maximum 174 FPS), High settings average 113 FPS, and Ultra settings average 78 FPS. The 1440p Medium results are particularly notable, as the 128 FPS minimum ensures a stable experience on 144 Hz monitors without any noticeable frame dips.

At 3840x2160, the system transitions from high-refresh territory to standard 60 FPS gaming. Low settings average 121 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K. Medium settings average 90 FPS (minimum 77 FPS, maximum 104 FPS), providing a smooth experience with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings average 68 FPS, which is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 47 FPS, which is below the standard for a smooth experience, indicating that this preset is not recommended for 4K gaming with this hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of performance in Inside, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The GPU is based on the AD103 chip with an Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. It is capable of 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is more than sufficient for this title’s visual effects.

The measured frame rates show that the RTX 4080’s performance is the limiting factor at every resolution. The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the demands of 4K Ultra prove too heavy. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Low settings results in a 170 FPS reduction, which is a direct consequence of the GPU having to render four times the number of pixels.

The RTX 4080’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (54,209 vs. 54,247, a 0.1% difference), and the measured FPS in Inside would likely be indistinguishable between the two. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, despite having a higher average score (55,698), is 2.6% ahead, but this does not translate to a meaningful advantage in this specific game. The GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is never a constraint, as the game’s assets are modest, and the 22.4 Gbps effective memory speed ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset (163 FPS) is the best choice, as it provides a substantial visual improvement over Medium (218 FPS) while still delivering a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most 144 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset (112 FPS) is also viable, but the 51 FPS drop from High is a significant cost for what is likely a marginal visual gain in a game with a stylized art direction.

For 1440p, the High preset (113 FPS) offers the best experience. It provides a high frame rate that is suitable for 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays, and the visual quality is excellent. The Medium preset (151 FPS) is preferable for users with 165 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, as the 128 FPS minimum ensures a smooth experience. The Ultra preset (78 FPS) is playable but does not offer a compelling advantage over High, and the 35 FPS reduction is not justified.

For 4K, the Medium preset (90 FPS) is the clear recommendation. It maintains a minimum of 77 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, and provides a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. The High preset (68 FPS) is a viable alternative for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, but it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset (121 FPS) is unnecessary, as the visual compromise is too severe for a game that benefits from its atmospheric lighting. The Ultra preset (47 FPS) should be avoided, as the frame rate drops below the playable threshold, and the performance cost is not worth the incremental visual improvements.