Inside

Inside is a puzzle-platformer with modest visual demands, but the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 reveal a configuration that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher quality presets, yet capable of extreme performance at lower settings, making it a versatile option for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic scaling curve, with the most significant drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 166 at 1920x1080 to 120 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 46 FPS or roughly 28%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops again to 75 FPS, which is a further 45 FPS decline from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, with the RTX 4070’s 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth being taxed more heavily at higher resolutions.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is narrower, with averages of 333 and 239 FPS respectively. This 94 FPS difference suggests that at lower settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role, though the Core Ultra X7 368H’s 16 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock still allow for exceptionally high frame rates. The most dramatic scaling occurs at 4K, where the Ultra preset yields only 72 FPS, while Low settings produce 150 FPS. This 78 FPS spread at 4K highlights how much headroom exists in the GPU when visual fidelity is reduced, reinforcing that the RTX 4070 is the bottleneck at higher quality levels.

Examining the Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, provides additional insight. At 1080p, the average is 266 FPS with a minimum of 226 and maximum of 306. At 1440p, the average drops to 192 FPS, with min/max of 163 and 220. The 4K Medium result averages 120 FPS, with min/max of 102 and 138. The consistency of the minimum frame rates, which remain above 100 FPS even at 4K, suggests that the combination handles demanding scenes without severe stutters, a positive indicator for a puzzle platformer where precise timing is less critical than smooth exploration.

The scaling behavior points to a system that is well-balanced for this game at 1440p, where High settings deliver 120 FPS, matching the refresh rate of many modern displays. At 4K, the Ultra preset’s 72 FPS is playable but close to the edge of comfort for fast-paced sections, while High at 75 FPS offers a marginal improvement. The data indicates that users targeting 4K should consider Medium or High settings to maintain frame rates above 100 FPS, as the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 45 FPS, a significant penalty for the visual upgrade.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, is the dominant component in determining Inside’s performance. Its 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs provide substantial raw compute, with an FP32 throughput of 29.15 TFLOPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz allow it to sustain high utilization, as evidenced by the strong 4K performance on Medium settings, where it maintains a 120 FPS average.

The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This proves sufficient for Inside’s art style, which uses a dark, minimalist aesthetic that likely does not require massive texture assets. The measured results support this, as even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS remains at 72, indicating that memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The GPU’s pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are more than adequate for the game’s rendering demands, which focus on silhouettes and atmospheric lighting rather than high-polygon geometry.

The RTX 4070’s benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 (a 0.1% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (0.4% higher). The RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3% higher, indicating that the RTX 4070 is positioned near the top of the mobile GPU hierarchy. In Inside, this translates to the ability to run the game at high frame rates even at 4K, with the GPU only struggling at the most demanding Ultra preset.

The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is the component to adjust first when optimizing for higher frame rates. Reducing settings from Ultra to High at any resolution yields a measurable FPS increase, with the most substantial gain at 4K (from 72 to 75 FPS, a modest improvement) and the largest at 1080p (from 159 to 166 FPS). However, the biggest single-setting jump occurs from High to Medium, particularly at 4K where the average rises from 75 to 120 FPS, a 60% increase. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU, such as advanced lighting or post-processing, which can be safely disabled for smoother performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor from the Panther Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock of 2.00 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, combined with 18 MB of shared L3 cache, position it as a high-end mobile CPU. However, in Inside, the CPU’s role is secondary, as the game is not heavily threaded and relies more on single-core performance for gameplay logic and physics.

The CPU’s benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28221 and a single-core score of 3984. Its average benchmark score of 40518 places it in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core 7 253PE at 40557 (0.1% lower). The AMD Ryzen 9 7940H scores 40431, which is 0.2% lower, while the Intel Xeon 6507P is also 0.2% lower at 40426. These scores indicate that the Core Ultra X7 368H is competitive with top-tier mobile processors, though its 16 threads (with no hyperthreading) may limit performance in heavily threaded workloads.

For Inside, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 333 suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with frames faster than the RTX 4070 can render them, but this is an exceptional case. More realistically, at 1440p High, the CPU’s role is to maintain a consistent frame pacing, which it does admirably, as shown by the 120 FPS average. The lack of min/max data for High and Ultra presets makes it harder to assess frame time consistency, but the Medium preset’s minimum FPS at 1440p (163) and 1080p (226) suggests that the CPU does not introduce significant hitches.

The processor’s 25 W TDP is notably low for a 16-core chip, but its 5.00 GHz boost clock allows it to respond quickly to single-threaded demands. In a game like Inside, where the main character moves through a linear world with scripted events, the CPU’s job is to handle collision detection and AI routines, which are unlikely to stress even a mid-range processor. The data confirms this, as the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings (e.g., High) shows a GPU-bound pattern rather than a CPU-limited one.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers 166 FPS, which is already above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The Ultra preset at 159 FPS is barely slower, so users with high-refresh displays (e.g., 240 Hz) may prefer High to maintain a smoother experience, while those with 144 Hz panels can safely choose Ultra without dropping below their monitor’s capabilities.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 120 FPS, making it the best choice for gamers with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is close, but the 6 FPS difference is not worth the potential visual degradation in frame pacing. For those seeking maximum smoothness, the Medium preset at 192 FPS is an excellent option, though it may reduce visual fidelity in a game that relies on atmosphere. The Low preset at 239 FPS is overkill for most displays and should only be used for competitive play, which is not typical for a puzzle platformer.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, offering 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS. This ensures a consistently smooth experience, which is crucial for a game that requires precise platforming in later sections. The High preset at 75 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid, especially during camera transitions or when the game loads new areas. The Ultra preset at 72 FPS is not recommended, as the visual upgrade over High is minimal while the performance penalty is significant. The Low preset at 150 FPS is an option for users with 144 Hz 4K displays, but the graphical compromise may detract from the game’s intended aesthetic.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combination, providing the best balance of visual quality and frame rate across all resolutions. At 1080p, it offers 266 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show, but it includes a minimum FPS of 226, ensuring no drops below 200 FPS. At 1440p, it maintains 192 FPS, and at 4K, it hits 120 FPS, making it the only preset that exceeds 100 FPS at all resolutions tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 1889 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 51st percentile of all systems. This ranking is lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest, as the CPU and GPU are both in the 81st and 87th percentiles respectively. This discrepancy indicates that Inside is not a demanding game for this hardware, and many lower-end combinations can achieve similar frame rates, thus diluting the combo’s relative standing.

The combo’s rank suggests that while the hardware is capable of excellent performance, it is overkill for this title. Many systems with less powerful GPUs can run Inside at 1080p High with frame rates above 100 FPS, so the RTX 4070’s advantages only become apparent at 4K or with high refresh rates. The data shows that the combo excels at 4K Medium (120 FPS) and 1440p High (120 FPS), which are scenarios that would challenge weaker GPUs, but the overall ranking reflects that Inside is not a benchmark that separates high-end hardware.

Compared to the nearest rival components, the CPU’s 0.2% average benchmark score difference from the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H and the GPU’s 1.3% difference from the RTX 4080 Mobile suggest that this combo is competitive but not class-leading. In practice, the measured FPS in Inside shows no signs of CPU limitation, so the combo’s rank is more indicative of GPU performance scaling than any systemic issue. Users with this hardware can expect a flawless experience in Inside, with the only caveat being that they may not see a meaningful benefit over a mid-range system at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 333 FPS, Medium produces 266 FPS (minimum 226, maximum 306), High produces 166 FPS, and Ultra produces 159 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium to High to Ultra shows diminishing returns, with the largest drop occurring between Medium and High (a 100 FPS decrease). The Ultra preset is only 7 FPS slower than High, indicating that the additional settings in Ultra have a minimal impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 239 FPS, Medium at 192 FPS (minimum 163, maximum 220), High at 120 FPS, and Ultra at 114 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a 28% reduction in FPS for Low (from 333 to 239), a 28% reduction for Medium (from 266 to 192), a 28% reduction for High (from 166 to 120), and a 28% reduction for Ultra (from 159 to 114). This consistent 28% drop across all settings confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, as pixel count increases uniformly.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 150 FPS, Medium at 120 FPS (minimum 102, maximum 138), High at 75 FPS, and Ultra at 72 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K results in a 37% reduction in FPS for Low (from 239 to 150), a 37% reduction for Medium (from 192 to 120), a 37% reduction for High (from 120 to 75), and a 37% reduction for Ultra (from 114 to 72). The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p reflects the 4K resolution’s 2.25x pixel increase over 1440p, which taxes the GPU’s memory bandwidth more heavily.

The Medium preset’s min FPS data shows that at 4K, the minimum is 102 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 1440p, the minimum is 163 FPS (85% of average), and at 1080p, it is 226 FPS (85% of average). This consistent 85% ratio suggests that the game’s frame time variance is stable across resolutions, with no unusual spikes or drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Inside?

A: The 2560x1440 resolution at High settings provides a 120 FPS average, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the Medium preset also hits 120 FPS, so users with 4K displays can use that instead.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Inside?

A: No, the data shows that the frame rate scales nearly identically with resolution changes, indicating a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s 16 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for this game.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 166 at 1080p to 75 at 4K, a 55% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 333 to 150, also a 55% reduction, confirming consistent scaling.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using?

A: At any resolution, the Ultra preset is only 4-7 FPS slower than High, so it is worth using if the visual upgrade is noticeable. At 4K, the Ultra preset’s 72 FPS is still playable, but Medium at 120 FPS is a safer choice for smoothness.

Q: What settings should I use for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, High at 166 FPS exceeds 144 Hz. At 1440p, High at 120 FPS is slightly below 144 Hz, so Medium at 192 FPS is recommended for full refresh rate utilization. At 4K, no preset reaches 144 FPS, with Low at 150 FPS being the closest.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems in the database?

A: It ranks 1889 out of 3716 combos, placing it in the middle of the pack. This is due to the game’s low system requirements, as many weaker GPUs can achieve high frame rates, making the RTX 4070’s extra power less impactful.