Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle platformer from Playdead, presents an interesting case for hardware analysis. The measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 show a configuration that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, delivering hundreds of frames per second at standard resolutions. The data indicates a system that is rarely stressed by the game’s visual demands, with performance scaling in a predictable manner across different settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 1125 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 61st percentile of all tested systems, which is a solid standing, though it is not near the very top of the leaderboard. The ranking suggests that while this hardware is undeniably capable, other combinations of higher-end components can push the game to even higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes a more significant factor.

The score is a reflection of the entire system's capability, and for a game like Inside, which is not particularly demanding, the ranking is more indicative of the raw power available than of any optimization for the title itself. The CPU is a top-tier part, as evidenced by its performance in synthetic benchmarks. It scores 51,731 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 points in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. This high level of processing power is a major contributor to the system's overall standing. The GPU, while competent, is not at the same elite level, sitting in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 26,331. However, for a game as lightweight as Inside, the combination proves to be more than sufficient, as the measured FPS data shows.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's role in this configuration is to provide the rendering power, and its specifications are more than adequate for a game of Inside's visual complexity. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor for higher resolutions and texture-heavy scenes, though Inside's art style is not particularly demanding on memory capacity.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at a base of 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. These clocks, combined with 3840 shading units, allow the card to produce a substantial amount of graphical compute power. The data shows this is more than enough, as even at 4K resolution with High settings, the system maintains an average of 80 FPS. The card also has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, which are features that are largely irrelevant for this particular game, as Inside does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS. The performance of the RTX 5060 is contextualized by its nearest rivals; it is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, according to average benchmark scores. This places it in a competitive mid-range tier, but for Inside, the measured data shows that even this level of performance is enough to push frame rates well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors at 1440p.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate is 169 FPS.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 4K Low?

A: The average frame rate at 4K Ultra is 76 FPS, while at 4K Low, it is 161 FPS. This represents a significant performance increase of over double the frame rate when lowering the settings.

Q: Is the RTX 5060 a bottleneck for the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus in this game?

A: The data suggests that the GPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 355 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it achieves 255 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU more than enough data. The GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases, but it still delivers playable frame rates at 4K.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum frame rate recorded at 1440p with Medium settings is 174 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations for Inside?

A: This specific combination ranks 1125th out of 2887 tested combos.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the graphics card in this configuration?

A: The launch MSRP for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is 299 USD.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system handles Inside across different resolutions and quality presets. The game is clearly not a strenuous test for this hardware, as even the most demanding settings at the highest resolution produce playable results.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 355 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 284 FPS, with a minimum of 242 FPS and a maximum of 327 FPS. At High settings, the average is 178 FPS, and at Ultra, it is 169 FPS. Even at the highest settings, the frame rate is far above what is needed for a smooth experience on most displays.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high. The Low preset yields an average of 255 FPS. The Medium preset averages 204 FPS, with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. High settings produce an average of 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 122 FPS. These numbers show that for 1440p gaming, the system provides a comfortable margin over 60 FPS, even with the most demanding settings.

At 3840x2160, the system still performs admirably. The Low preset averages 161 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. The Medium preset averages 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 80 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. While these 4K numbers are lower than at other resolutions, they are still well within the range of smooth, playable performance for a title like Inside.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the balance between CPU and GPU load. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the frame rates are extraordinarily high. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 186 FPS (355 FPS down to 169 FPS), which shows that the GPU is still being tasked with more work as settings increase, but the headroom is enormous.

As resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rates drop, but the pattern remains. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 133 FPS (255 FPS down to 122 FPS). This indicates that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload, but the CPU is still providing a strong foundation.

The most significant scaling occurs when moving to 4K. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 76, which is less than half the 169 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This is a clear indication that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at 4K. The rendering load on the RTX 5060 increases substantially, and the frame rates adjust accordingly. The shift from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K is a classic pattern, and the data for this combo in Inside illustrates this transition perfectly. The ability to maintain over 60 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the GPU is still powerful enough for this game, but the scaling makes it clear where the bottleneck lies.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display and performance targets. For those with a 60 Hz display, even the most demanding settings are unnecessary. At 4K, the Ultra preset provides an average of 76 FPS, which is more than sufficient. The High preset at 4K offers a slight performance boost with an average of 80 FPS, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is likely minimal in a game with such a stylized aesthetic.

For users with high-refresh-rate displays, the choice is more interesting. At 1440p, the High preset averages 128 FPS, which is well-suited for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 1440p is also viable, averaging 122 FPS. The data suggests that for the best experience, the High preset at 1440p offers a good balance, as it provides a higher average frame rate than Ultra with presumably a negligible visual difference.

At 1080p, any setting will result in a high frame rate. The Low preset's 355 FPS is excessive for any current display. The Medium preset, with an average of 284 FPS, is also far more than needed. The High and Ultra presets, with averages of 178 and 169 FPS respectively, are the most sensible choices for 1080p, as they will provide a visually richer experience while still maintaining frame rates that far exceed the capabilities of most monitors. Given that the game is a puzzle platformer, prioritizing a stable and smooth experience is key, and the High preset at any resolution seems to provide the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance, according to the data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a powerhouse processor, and its specifications make it an ideal partner for the RTX 5060 in this test. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it has immense parallel processing capability. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic, is top-tier. This is reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 points.

In a game like Inside, which is not heavily multithreaded, the CPU's job is to handle game logic and physics without becoming a bottleneck. The data indicates that it performs this role flawlessly. The fact that the system can achieve 355 FPS at 1080p Low settings strongly suggests that the CPU is capable of processing frames at a rate far higher than the GPU can render them. The CPU's massive L3 cache of 36 MB and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s further contribute to its ability to feed data to the GPU quickly.

The CPU's performance is contextualized by its nearest rivals. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX in average benchmark scores. While these are close margins, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is clearly one of the most powerful consumer CPUs available. In the context of Inside, its role is to ensure that the RTX 5060 is never waiting for data, and the benchmark results confirm that this is the case. The CPU is effectively the engine that allows the GPU to run at its full potential, even at lower resolutions where the processing load is lighter.