Inside

# Inside — Intel Core Ultra X9 388H + AMD Radeon 880M

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the AMD Radeon 880M integrated graphics delivers a playable but constrained experience in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. Measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show that this combo ranks 3626th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3% of all systems. The data reveals a system where the integrated GPU is the dominant bottleneck, though the processor's strong single-thread performance ensures the game remains fluid at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a system relying on integrated graphics. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 131 FPS average, but this falls to 94 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 59 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the same Low preset. The scaling pattern indicates that pixel throughput is the limiting factor — each resolution step roughly halves the pixel count, and the frame rate responds proportionally.

At High settings, the same trend appears but with lower absolute numbers: 66 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29%, nearly identical to the Low preset's relative decline, which suggests the GPU is consistently saturated regardless of quality level. The 4K High result of 30 FPS is right at the edge of playability, while 4K Ultra drops to 28 FPS, indicating that the Radeon 880M simply cannot maintain smooth motion at this resolution with higher quality settings.

Medium settings show the only row with min/max FPS data, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 105 FPS with a min of 89 and max of 121, a spread of 32 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 75 FPS with a min of 64 and max of 87, a similar 23 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a min of 40 and max of 55, widening the spread to 15 FPS. This suggests that as resolution increases, frame pacing becomes less consistent, likely due to the GPU struggling to complete frames within the display refresh window.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units, with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 400 MHz and boosts to 2900 MHz, delivering 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its memory is system shared, meaning the bandwidth and capacity depend entirely on the host system's RAM configuration — listed as "System Dependent" in the specifications.

This GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8436. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X (1.3% ahead). These are all older discrete mobile GPUs, which highlights that the 880M's performance is competitive with dedicated graphics hardware from several generations ago, but it remains far behind modern discrete solutions.

In Inside, the GPU's role is clearly the limiting factor. The game's art style uses monochromatic, high-contrast visuals with subtle lighting effects, which can be demanding on fill rate and pixel processing. The 16 ROPs are a likely constraint at higher resolutions, as the pixel rate is listed at 46.40 GPixel/s. At 4K, the system must process over 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the GPU's throughput simply cannot keep pace with the CPU's ability to feed it draw calls.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3626 out of 3716 tested combinations places this system in the bottom 2.4% of all tested hardware pairings for Inside. This is a low rank, but it must be interpreted in context: the game is a lightweight 2D side-scroller with modest system requirements, and many of the 3716 tested combos likely include high-end discrete GPUs that achieve vastly higher frame rates. The rank reflects the integrated GPU's limitation rather than any deficiency in the CPU.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, ranking in the 88th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 44466. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (0.2% behind), the Intel Core i9-13950HX (0.3% ahead), the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (0.4% ahead), and the Intel Core i5-13600 (0.5% ahead). This places the Ultra X9 388H in the company of desktop-class processors, which is remarkable for a mobile chip with a 25 W TDP.

The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentiles — 88th for the CPU versus 43rd for the GPU — shows a clear imbalance. The processor has more than enough headroom to drive the game's physics and logic, but the integrated graphics cannot translate that into high frame rates at demanding settings. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the only viable option at 1080p and above.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 131 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience. Medium settings average 105 FPS with a range of 89 to 121 FPS, still comfortably playable. High settings drop to 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but with less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings average 62 FPS, which is marginal — playable but with little margin for frame time spikes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 94 FPS, which is still smooth but shows the GPU beginning to strain. Medium settings average 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 87 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. High settings average 47 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS target and becoming noticeably less fluid. Ultra settings average 45 FPS, which is playable for a puzzle platformer but not ideal.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 47 FPS with a range of 40 to 55 FPS, which shows significant frame time variance. High settings average 30 FPS, which is at the edge of acceptable for a slow-paced puzzle game but will feel stuttery. Ultra settings average 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min/max data, and they reveal that the frame rate variance increases with resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 32 FPS; at 1440p, it narrows to 23 FPS; at 4K, it widens to 15 FPS. This counterintuitive pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU can occasionally push frames faster than the GPU can render them, creating a wider range of frame times.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process at Intel. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 25 W TDP. The cache hierarchy consists of 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3. Memory support is LPDDR5X over a dual-channel bus, providing 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance. It scores 2955 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 309.5 in single-core, 13101 in Cinebench R20 multicore and 1849 in single-core, and 18911 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2200.5 in single-core. Passmark results show 36811 in multithread and 4280 in single-thread, with strong scores in specific workloads like data compression (361763), floating point math (112550), and integer math (90882).

For Inside, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and audio processing, which are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded workloads. The 5.10 GHz boost clock and strong single-core performance are well suited to this task. The 16 cores also provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming, though the game itself is unlikely to use more than a few threads.

The CPU's 88th percentile ranking and its proximity to desktop-class rivals like the Core i5-13600 suggest that it is not a bottleneck in this system. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low (131 FPS) indicate that the CPU can feed the GPU faster than the GPU can render, confirming that the integrated graphics is the limiting component.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the player's target resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual quality. For 1080p, the Low preset delivers 131 FPS, which is ideal for players who want maximum smoothness. The Medium preset at 105 FPS also offers excellent fluidity with improved visual fidelity, and its min/max range of 89 to 121 FPS indicates consistent frame pacing. The High preset at 66 FPS is playable, but the Ultra preset at 62 FPS offers little additional visual benefit for the performance cost.

For 1440p, the Low preset at 94 FPS is the recommended choice for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 75 FPS is also acceptable, with a min/max range of 64 to 87 FPS that provides a mostly stable experience. The High preset at 47 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less responsive, making them less suitable for action sequences.

For 4K, the system is severely constrained. The Low preset at 59 FPS is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, and even this may dip in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 47 FPS is playable for a puzzle platformer but will exhibit noticeable frame pacing issues, as indicated by the 40 to 55 FPS range. The High and Ultra presets at 30 FPS and 28 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for anything beyond casual exploration.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is at 1080p with Medium settings, which balances visual quality with a 105 FPS average and a narrow frame time spread. For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 131 FPS is the clear winner. At higher resolutions, the Low preset is the only reasonable choice, and 4K should be avoided unless the player is tolerant of sub-60 FPS gameplay.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Inside?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best balance, achieving 105 FPS average with a range of 89 to 121 FPS. This delivers smooth gameplay with improved visual quality over the Low preset.

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which achieve 59 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 47 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 30 FPS and 28 FPS, respectively. The experience at 4K is marginal even at Low settings.

Q: How does the integrated GPU compare to other graphics solutions?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M ranks in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8436. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (0.1% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (0.3% behind), showing it is competitive with older discrete mobile GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H ranks in the 88th percentile of all CPUs with an average score of 44466, and its single-thread score of 4280 in Passmark indicates strong performance for game logic. The frame rates are limited by the GPU, not the CPU.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target but offers less headroom than the Medium preset. For consistent smoothness, Medium at 105 FPS is a better choice.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?*

A: It ranks 3626th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 2.4% of systems. This reflects the integrated GPU's limitations, not the CPU's performance, which is in the top 12% of all processors.