Inside

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 lands at rank 635 out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside. That places it in the top 22% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a mobile CPU paired with a high-end desktop-class GPU. The ranking reflects a system that is clearly capable of maxing out this title, but it is not at the absolute top tier, leaving headroom for combos with more powerful desktop processors or newer GPUs. Benchmark results indicate this combo is a high-performance outlier, delivering frame rates that will satisfy most users, even if it does not dominate the leaderboard.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 635 out of 2,887 tested configurations puts it in the 78th percentile of all pairings tested for Inside. This is a strong result, but it is worth remembering the CPU and GPU each hold individual percentile scores of 88 and 86 respectively against all other parts. The slight drop in combo rank compared to the individual component percentiles suggests that the pairing, while excellent, is not perfectly optimized for this specific title, or that the mobile CPU’s power constraints limit the desktop GPU’s full potential in some scenarios. Still, the data shows that this combination is far more capable than the median system, and it will handle the game’s demands with ease.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H scores an average benchmark of 44,466, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44,573, a -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44,342, a +0.3% delta). This means the processor is essentially on par with those desktop and high-end mobile parts in general compute, which is impressive for a 16-thread mobile chip. The GPU, meanwhile, sits at an average score of 54,247, just 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). These narrow deltas confirm that the RTX 4080 is performing at the top of its class, with only the SUPER variant and a few workstation cards marginally ahead.

For Inside, a puzzle platformer that is not typically demanding on hardware, this combo is overkill. The rank of 635 reflects that many other combos, likely with newer or more powerful desktop parts, achieve higher raw frame rates, but the practical difference is negligible at the refresh rates most monitors support. The data suggests that this combo will not be the bottleneck in any realistic gaming scenario for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications are more than sufficient for Inside. The GPU comes with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a massive amount of memory and bandwidth for a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a dark, atmospheric art style. The game’s textures and effects are unlikely to stress the memory capacity, and the bandwidth ensures that even at 4K resolution, the GPU can feed data to the cores without issue.

The GPU’s clock speeds are equally robust: a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 9,728 shading units and 304 TMUs, allow the card to process the game’s lighting and shadow effects with ease. The RTX 4080 also features 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, but Inside does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS, so these features are largely dormant in this title. The GPU’s raw rasterization power is what drives the frame rates, and it does so effortlessly.

The measured FPS data confirms the GPU’s role. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 421 FPS, which is likely a CPU-limited scenario given the game’s simplicity. As resolution increases to 4K, the frame rate drops to 191 FPS at Low settings, showing that the GPU is starting to take on more load but still has plenty of headroom. The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is never a concern, and its 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures that even the highest texture quality settings do not cause stutters. The GPU is the clear workhorse here, but the CPU is more than capable of keeping up.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo delivers 152 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate common on many monitors. At 1920x1080 with High settings, it hits 211 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with High settings, it drops to 95 FPS. For a smooth experience on a high-refresh monitor, 1440p is the sweet spot, but 1080p offers the highest frame rates.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 91. This is still playable, but it is the lowest frame rate recorded in the dataset. For a game like Inside, which is not a fast-paced competitive shooter, 91 FPS is perfectly smooth, but users with 120Hz or higher 4K displays may prefer to drop to High settings for a boost to 95 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 421 FPS. This extremely high frame rate suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the graphics workload is minimal. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, with its 16 threads and 5.10 GHz boost clock, is strong, but it cannot push the frame rate beyond this point in this scenario.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 243 FPS (with a minimum of 206 FPS and a maximum of 279 FPS), while High settings drop to 152 FPS. The jump from Medium to High represents a 37% decrease in frame rate, indicating that High settings are more demanding but still deliver excellent performance.

Q: Does the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: No. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is far more than Inside requires. The game’s art style and resolution settings do not come close to exhausting the memory capacity or its 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, so there are no VRAM-related bottlenecks.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 in this combo has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER’s score of 54,209. In practice, the performance difference is negligible, and the measured FPS in Inside would be nearly identical between the two cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. With Low settings, the combo achieves 421 FPS, which confirms the GPU’s raw power and the CPU’s ability to feed it frames. Medium settings drop this to 337 FPS, with a minimum of 287 FPS and a maximum of 388 FPS. High settings yield 211 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 201 FPS. Even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the frame rate is more than double what a standard 60Hz monitor can display.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. Low settings produce 303 FPS, while Medium settings deliver 243 FPS (minimum 206 FPS, maximum 279 FPS). High settings drop to 152 FPS, and Ultra settings reduce the average to 144 FPS. This is a significant jump from 1080p, but the performance is still excellent for high-refresh 1440p gaming. The minimum FPS at Medium settings (206 FPS) is above the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors, ensuring a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU starts to feel the load, but it still delivers playable frame rates. Low settings yield 191 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium settings drop to 152 FPS (minimum 130 FPS, maximum 175 FPS), and High settings reduce the average to 95 FPS. Ultra settings bring the frame rate down to 91 FPS, which is the lowest recorded in the dataset. This 4K Ultra result is still above 60 FPS, making it playable on most TVs and monitors, but it is noticeably lower than the lower-resolution results.

The pattern is clear: the combo is capable of running the game at maximum settings at 1080p and 1440p with frame rates that exceed 144 FPS, while 4K requires dropping to High or Medium settings to maintain a similar experience. The data does not include min or max FPS values for most settings, but the Medium settings at each resolution show that frame pacing is solid, with minimums that are not far off the averages.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but it follows a predictable pattern that reveals the balance between the CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the 1080p result is 421 FPS, which drops to 303 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and 191 FPS at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1080p). This scaling indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is still a significant factor at 1080p, but the GPU becomes more dominant as resolution increases.

At High settings, the drop is steeper: 211 FPS at 1080p, 152 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction), and 95 FPS at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU is less of a bottleneck. The difference between Low and High settings at 4K is 96 FPS (191 vs 95), which shows that the GPU has plenty of headroom even at 4K with more demanding settings.

The limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU’s 16 threads and 5.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to push frame rates above 400 FPS at Low settings, but they cannot go higher, indicating a CPU limit. At 4K, the GPU’s fill rate and shading power become the limiting factor, especially at Ultra settings where the frame rate drops to 91 FPS. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU’s single-core performance (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2200.5) is more than adequate, and the GPU is the component that determines the final frame rate at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience with this combo depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the data shows that Ultra settings deliver 201 FPS, which is more than enough for any monitor. There is no reason to drop below Ultra at this resolution, as the frame rate remains extremely high. The difference between High (211 FPS) and Ultra (201 FPS) is minimal, so enabling Ultra provides the best visual quality without a noticeable performance hit.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings yield 144 FPS, which is exactly the refresh rate of many 1440p gaming monitors. This is a perfect match, and the data shows that High settings (152 FPS) offer only a marginal improvement. For users with a 144Hz display, Ultra is the recommended choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while keeping the frame rate at the monitor’s refresh limit. If a user prefers higher frame rates for competitive play, Medium settings (243 FPS) are a viable option, but the visual difference between Medium and Ultra is noticeable in a game with such a distinctive art style.

At 3840x2160, the choice is more nuanced. Ultra settings produce 91 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a high-refresh 4K display. High settings (95 FPS) offer a slight improvement, but the data shows that Medium settings (152 FPS) provide a much smoother experience. For 4K, Medium settings are the recommended balance, as they deliver a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS and close to 144 FPS, while still maintaining good visual quality. Dropping to Low (191 FPS) is unnecessary, as Medium offers a significant visual upgrade with only a 20% reduction in frame rate.

In summary, the combo is so powerful that users can prioritize visual quality without sacrificing playability. At 1080p and 1440p, Ultra is the clear recommendation. At 4K, Medium settings provide the best balance between frame rate and visual fidelity, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience in Inside.