Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers overwhelming performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far from demanding by modern standards. Measured data confirms that this pairing produces triple-digit frame rates at every resolution and preset level tested, making the concept of a playability ceiling essentially irrelevant. The benchmark results show a system that is entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of exceeding 400 FPS at 1080p on low settings, indicating a level of performance that far outstrips the game's requirements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals exceptional headroom across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from a low of 279 FPS at Ultra settings to a peak of 417.8 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 386.8 FPS, while High settings deliver 292 FPS. These figures demonstrate that even the most demanding preset at the most common resolution leaves enormous performance in reserve.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains staggeringly high. The Ultra preset produces an average of 200.6 FPS, while High settings reach 210.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p records 337.7 FPS, and Low settings push the average to 375.6 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in frame rates, but the magnitude of the drop is modest, with the Ultra preset losing approximately 28% of its performance when moving up in resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers triple-digit averages across the board. The Ultra preset achieves 127.4 FPS, while High settings record 130.2 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 211.8 FPS, and Low settings reach 262.7 FPS. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, with only a 2.8 FPS gap, suggesting that the game's Ultra preset does not impose a significantly heavier load than High at this resolution. The data shows no min or max FPS values, only averages, but the consistency implied by such high averages indicates a stable experience.

The performance hierarchy across presets is consistent at every resolution: Low produces the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. However, the gaps between presets vary. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 138.8 FPS, while at 4K, that same gap narrows to 135.3 FPS. This suggests that the performance cost of higher settings scales similarly across resolutions, with the GPU handling the additional load without significant bottlenecks.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component roles as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames so quickly that processor speed becomes a limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides substantial single-thread performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that likely relies on a single primary game thread. The 1080p results, particularly the 417.8 FPS at Low settings, indicate that the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU's output, though the scaling from Low to Ultra suggests that GPU load is still the dominant factor in frame rate variance.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a more prominent role. The frame rates drop by approximately 10-15% compared to 1080p across all presets, which is consistent with a 78% increase in pixel count. The CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU takes longer to render each frame, but the Ryzen 5 9600X still provides enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The 1440p results show that the combination is well-balanced, with neither component causing a significant performance ceiling.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the dominant component. The frame rates at 4K are roughly 54-61% lower than at 1080p, which aligns with the 4x pixel count increase. The Ultra preset at 4K achieves 127.4 FPS, which is still far above the 60 FPS playability threshold, but the scaling shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is working harder relative to the CPU. The CPU's role at this resolution is reduced to feeding the GPU with data, and the Ryzen 5 9600X's strong single-thread performance ensures that it does so without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues. The data indicates that this game is not CPU-intensive, and the GPU is the primary driver of performance at all resolutions above 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which scores 29656 and is 0.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, which scores 29868 and is 0.5% faster. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS are also close, with scores of 29879 and 29955, respectively, representing 0.6% and 0.8% performance advantages. These processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Inside, as the game's CPU demands are minimal and all of these chips offer comparable single-thread performance. The differences in average benchmark scores are within the margin of error for real-world gaming, so users with any of these CPUs would see virtually indistinguishable results.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the closest rival, with an average score of 54247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54209. This means the non-SUPER variant would perform almost exactly the same in Inside, with frame rate differences of less than 1 FPS at any resolution. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 55698 and 55757, respectively, representing 2.7% and 2.8% higher average scores. Despite these slightly higher benchmark scores, the actual gaming performance in Inside would be effectively identical, as all of these GPUs are far beyond what the game requires. The data indicates that any of these alternatives would produce the same triple-digit frame rates, with the differences being imperceptible in practice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 122nd out of 3716 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the top 4% of all tested systems, which is a remarkable position for a game that is not particularly demanding. The high rank is driven primarily by the GPU's strong performance, as the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier card that excels even in lightweight titles. The CPU's percentile rank of 81 among all processors is respectable, but it is the GPU's 86th percentile rank that pushes this combination to the upper echelon of the rankings.

The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, with only 121 combinations achieving higher average frame rates. This is notable because many of those higher-ranked combos likely feature more expensive or newer hardware, yet the performance gap in Inside is minimal. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is overkill for the game, but that overkill translates into a top-tier ranking that would satisfy any user seeking maximum performance. The rank of 122 also suggests that this combination is well-matched, as the CPU and GPU complement each other without one creating a significant bottleneck.

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: this PC can run Inside flawlessly at every resolution and preset tested. The data shows that all four settings at all three resolutions exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin. At 1920x1080, the lowest average frame rate is 279 FPS at Ultra settings, which is 4.65x the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 200.6 FPS, representing 3.34x the threshold. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding configuration, the Ultra preset delivers 127.4 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS requirement.

The verdict by resolution confirms that every setting is playable, with the best settings being Ultra at all three resolutions. This means users can max out the game's graphical options without any concern for frame rate drops. The minimum performance observed is 127.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still exceptionally smooth and well above any standard for playability. The system has so much performance headroom that it could likely handle future updates or mods that increase the graphical load without dropping below 60 FPS. In summary, this combination is more than sufficient for Inside, delivering a flawless experience at any resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which achieves an average of 279 FPS. This is the most demanding preset, and it still provides frame rates that are nearly 5 times the playability threshold. The High preset at 1080p delivers 292 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice because it offers the highest visual quality without any meaningful performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 200.6 FPS. This represents a 28% drop from the 1080p Ultra performance, but it remains far above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1440p achieves 210.1 FPS, but the difference between High and Ultra is only 9.5 FPS, making Ultra the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 127.4 FPS. This is the lowest performance measured in the entire dataset, yet it still exceeds the playability threshold by more than 2x. The High preset at 4K delivers 130.2 FPS, which is slightly higher, but the 2.8 FPS difference is imperceptible, and the visual improvements from Ultra are worth the marginal frame rate cost. The data clearly indicates that Ultra is the optimal setting at every resolution, as it provides the best visual experience while maintaining frame rates that are far above what is required for smooth gameplay.