Inside

# Inside — Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an extraordinary experience in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer released on 2016-07-06. Benchmark results show this combination producing frame rates that range from 140 FPS at 4K Ultra to 442 FPS at 1080p Low, placing it at rank 25 out of 2887 tested combos in this game. The data indicates that this system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU's substantial multi-threaded capacity keeps performance consistently above 300 FPS across all settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture using TSMC's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU features a cache hierarchy of 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3 cache. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and the processor is unlocked for overclocking.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, reflecting its strength in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. Its PassMark multithread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 further underscore this balance. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 96 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

For Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively modest CPU demands, the 290K Plus is far more capable than necessary. At 1080p Low settings, where the GPU is least stressed, the measured average FPS reaches 442, suggesting that the CPU can easily feed the RTX 4090 even in the most frame-rate-friendly scenarios. The gap between 1080p Low (442 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (309 FPS) — a 133 FPS difference — is almost entirely attributable to GPU load rather than CPU limitations, as the processor's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303) is more than sufficient for this game's logic and physics.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 290K Plus leads the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K by 0.2% in average benchmark score (84003 vs 83807), and it outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%. The AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% ahead, but these differences are negligible for gaming workloads. The 290K Plus's 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample parallel processing headroom, though Inside is unlikely to utilize more than a few cores, making the CPU's impressive multi-core scores largely irrelevant to actual in-game performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS is 442, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 408 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 396 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in this game?

A: The combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 25th out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations tested.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and under what conditions?

A: The lowest average FPS is 140, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating no performance concerns at any tested setting.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807), 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090), and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135 (82980). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher.

*Q: Does the GPU's performance in Inside reflect its overall benchmark standing?*

A: The RTX 4090 has a percentileVsAllGpus of 88 and an average benchmark score of 60347, but in Inside, it delivers frame rates exceeding 300 FPS at 1080p across all settings. The game's relatively simple visuals allow the GPU to operate far above its average performance profile.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 200 FPS?

A: Yes, at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 140. At 4K High, it is 147 FPS. All 1440p and 1080p configurations maintain averages above 222 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average frame rates range from 309 FPS (Ultra) to 442 FPS (Low), with Medium at 408 FPS and High at 325 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the averages drop to 222 FPS (Ultra), 234 FPS (High), 365 FPS (Medium), and 396 FPS (Low). At 4K, the averages fall further to 140 FPS (Ultra), 147 FPS (High), 235 FPS (Medium), and 293 FPS (Low).

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a reduction from 442 FPS to 293 FPS, a 33.7% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 309 FPS to 140 FPS, a 54.7% decrease. This disproportionate impact at higher quality settings indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as both resolution and graphical load increase. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, is clearly the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the pixel count and shading requirements overwhelm even this flagship GPU.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, as evidenced by the relatively small gap between Low (442 FPS) and Medium (408 FPS) compared to the larger gap between Medium and High (325 FPS). At 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's role diminishes. The 4K Medium result (235 FPS) versus 4K High (147 FPS) highlights how settings complexity, not just resolution, drives GPU load. Overall, resolution scaling in Inside is smooth and predictable, with no anomalies suggesting driver issues or thermal throttling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a combo rank of 25 out of 2887 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the 99.1st percentile of all tested systems, meaning only 24 other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this game. Given that Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with modest hardware requirements, the top-tier components in this system are significantly overqualified, yet the rank reflects the raw performance ceiling achievable with this pairing.

The CPU's contribution to this rank is substantial, as its 96th percentile standing among all CPUs ensures no processor-induced bottlenecks at any resolution or settings combination. The GPU, ranked 88th percentile among all GPUs, is equally capable. Together, they form a system that excels in both synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming, though the rank in Inside is more proof of the GPU's rasterization power than the CPU's computational might, given the game's low CPU utilization.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system's rank of 25 is impressive but not surprising, as the RTX 4090 is an end-of-life flagship with a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, and the 290K Plus is a current-generation desktop processor. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the system is most stressed, the average FPS of 140 remains well above playable thresholds, ensuring that this combo delivers a consistent high-refresh-rate experience across all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo balance visual quality with frame rate stability. At 1080p, all four settings — Low (442 FPS), Medium (408 FPS), High (325 FPS), and Ultra (309 FPS) — deliver average frame rates well above 300 FPS, making any choice viable. However, the Medium setting offers the best compromise, with a 408 FPS average and a minimum of 347 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in the most demanding scenes. The 100 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra (408 vs 309) is not justified by the modest visual improvements in a puzzle platformer, so Medium is recommended for 1080p.

At 1440p, Medium again provides the best experience, with an average of 365 FPS and a minimum of 310 FPS. High delivers 234 FPS, which is still excellent, but the 131 FPS advantage of Medium makes it the clear choice for maintaining the highest refresh rates. Ultra at 222 FPS is acceptable for players prioritizing visual fidelity, but the difference from High is minimal. Low at 396 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates for competitive play, which is not relevant for a single-player puzzle game.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts to High, as it delivers 147 FPS average compared to Ultra's 140 FPS. The 7 FPS difference is negligible, but High may reduce GPU load slightly, improving consistency. Medium at 235 FPS is the best option for players with high-refresh-rate 4K displays, offering a substantial 88 FPS advantage over High while still providing good visual quality. Low at 293 FPS is overkill for this game's visuals. Overall, Medium at 1080p and 1440p, and High at 4K, provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 442 FPS, Medium produces 408 FPS with a minimum of 347 and maximum of 469, High produces 325 FPS, and Ultra produces 309 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 133 FPS, indicating that settings have a significant impact on performance even at this resolution, though all values are exceptionally high.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 396 FPS, Medium at 365 FPS (minimum 310, maximum 420), High at 234 FPS, and Ultra at 222 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 174 FPS, and the drop from Low to High is 162 FPS, showing that High settings introduce a substantial GPU workload increase. Medium remains the standout, offering 365 FPS with a minimum of 310, which is 76 FPS higher than High.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 293 FPS, Medium at 235 FPS (minimum 200, maximum 270), High at 147 FPS, and Ultra at 140 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 153 FPS, but the most dramatic drop occurs between Medium and High, a 88 FPS reduction. This indicates that High settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits, while Low and Medium remain highly playable. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (200) is still comfortably above 60 FPS, ensuring no stuttering or frame pacing issues.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 609 mm² and 76,300 million transistors. It features 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, alongside 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is 82.58 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. Its TDP is 450 W, requiring a suggested PSU of 850 W.

In Inside, the RTX 4090's role is dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, allowing frame rates to exceed 400 FPS at lower settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, with average FPS dropping to 140. The GPU's memory capacity of 24 GB is more than sufficient for this game, which likely uses less than 8 GB even at 4K, and its bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s ensures no memory-related stutters.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 60347, with a percentileVsAllGpus of 88. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, 0.3% delta), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896, -2.5% delta), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657, 2.9% delta). In Inside, the RTX 4090's performance is far above these rivals, as the game's simple rendering pipeline favors raw rasterization throughput, which the 4090 delivers in abundance. The GPU is end-of-life, having been succeeded by the GeForce 50 series, but its performance in this game remains exceptional.