Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an exceptional performance profile for Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The measured data shows this combination is not just capable of running the game but obliterates the 60 FPS playability threshold at every tested resolution and preset. The benchmark results reveal a system with massive headroom, where even the most demanding settings at 4K produce frame rates more than double the playability target, making this a definitive example of high-end hardware applied to a less demanding title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest tested resolution, the average frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset yields an average of 419 FPS, while the High preset produces 322 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 328 FPS, an average of 386 FPS, and a maximum of 444 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, still achieves an average of 309 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is heavily limited by game engine logic or CPU performance rather than the GPU, as the frame rates are extraordinarily high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar but shows a predictable decline from 1080p. The Low preset averages 375 FPS, and the High preset averages 234 FPS. The Medium preset provides a minimum of 294 FPS, an average of 346 FPS, and a maximum of 398 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 222 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a moderate drop, around 10-30% depending on the preset, which suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more responsibility, though the CPU still has ample headroom.

At 3840x2160, the resolution where the RTX 4090’s power is most relevant, the frame rates are still remarkable. The Low preset averages 293 FPS, which is higher than the 1440p High preset and nearly matches the 1080p Ultra preset. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 200 FPS, an average of 235 FPS, and a maximum of 270 FPS. The High preset averages 147 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 140 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is more significant, with frame rates dropping by roughly 35-40% across presets, clearly indicating the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, yet it still never falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a combo rank of 47 out of 3716 tested configurations in Inside. This places it in the top 1.3% of all tested combos, a position that reflects the raw power of both components. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU ranks in the 81st percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 88th percentile against all GPUs. When combined, their performance in this game is near the apex of the database.

The rank of 47 is interesting because it is not higher. Given that the RTX 4090 is the flagship GPU of its generation and the Ryzen 5 9600X is a modern 6-core processor, one might expect a top-10 ranking. However, Inside is a game with modest system requirements, and the data suggests that beyond a certain point, additional hardware power yields diminishing returns. The top 46 combos likely include CPUs with higher single-threaded performance or configurations with faster memory, which can matter more in a title with such high frame rates where CPU draw-call limits are reached. The data implies that the bottleneck at 1080p is often the CPU, and the 9600X, while excellent, is not the absolute fastest option available for this specific workload.

CPU and GPU Roles

Analyzing the scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra presets is relatively small. The Low preset averages 419 FPS, while Ultra averages 309 FPS, a difference of only 26%. This relatively small delta suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor; increasing graphical fidelity (which primarily loads the GPU) does not proportionally reduce frame rates because the CPU is already working near its limit to feed frames to the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the role reverses. The Low preset averages 293 FPS, while Ultra averages 140 FPS, a difference of 52%. Here, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. The RTX 4090 is being tasked with rendering four times the pixels of 1080p, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The CPU, which was a bottleneck at lower resolutions, now has more time to prepare frames, and its role diminishes. The data from the Medium preset supports this: at 1080p the average is 386 FPS, at 1440p it is 346 FPS, and at 4K it is 235 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 10%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 32%, highlighting how GPU load scales non-linearly with resolution.

The 4K High preset, with an average of 147 FPS, and the 4K Ultra preset, with an average of 140 FPS, are close together, suggesting that at this resolution, the GPU is saturated and the preset differences have a smaller impact than resolution changes. In summary, the CPU dominates performance at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU takes over as the limiting factor at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users considering this configuration, the nearest rivals for the CPU provide a sense of what other processors would yield similar results. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE has an average benchmark score of 29656, which is 0.2% lower than the Ryzen 5 9600X’s average of 29713. This indicates that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE would perform nearly identically. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H is also close, with an average score of 29868, which is 0.5% higher than the 9600X. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT, with a score of 29879, is 0.6% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, with a score of 29955, is 0.8% higher. These small deltas mean that swapping the 9600X for any of these CPUs would result in imperceptible differences in Inside’s frame rates, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the bottleneck.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals to the RTX 4090 are notably different in class. The Intel Arc Pro A60 has an average score of 60326, which is exactly 0% different from the RTX 4090’s score of 60347. This is a surprising result, indicating that in synthetic benchmarks, the Arc Pro A60 performs on par with the RTX 4090, likely due to the specific workload of the test. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% slower. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% faster. However, in the context of Inside, these professional-grade GPUs may not deliver the same gaming performance as the RTX 4090, as the synthetic benchmarks do not directly translate to game FPS. The data suggests that the RTX 4090’s direct competitors in the database are workstation cards, not gaming GPUs, which reflects its position at the top of the consumer stack.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Yes. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The lowest average FPS recorded is 140 FPS at the Ultra preset, which is more than double the playability threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice for 2560x1440. It delivers an average of 222 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS. The data shows no reason to lower the preset, as even the most demanding settings provide a smooth experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate difference between Low (419 FPS) and Ultra (309 FPS) is only 26%, suggesting that the graphics card is not fully utilized because the CPU cannot supply frames fast enough.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 47th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 1.3% of all tested configurations, indicating superior performance relative to the vast majority of systems in the database.

Q: Are there CPUs that perform similarly to the Ryzen 5 9600X?

A: Yes, several CPUs have nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE is only 0.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H is 0.5% faster. These differences are negligible for gaming performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum FPS is the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 328 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 294 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 200 FPS. All other presets only have average FPS data, but the averages are all above 140 FPS.

The Verdict

The verdict is unequivocal: this PC can run Inside at maximum quality across all tested resolutions. The data from verdictByResolution confirms that at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, the playable settings include Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The best settings at each resolution are the Ultra presets. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 309 FPS. At 2560x1440, it achieves an average of 222 FPS. At 3840x2160, it achieves an average of 140 FPS. Every single one of these figures comfortably clears the 60 FPS playability threshold, often by a factor of two or more. The RTX 4090, even at the end of its life cycle, proves to be overkill for this title, and the Ryzen 5 9600X provides more than enough processing power to avoid any CPU-related stutters or hitches.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is the Ultra preset. The exact frame rates are as follows:

• 1920x1080: Ultra preset, average 309 FPS. The minimum and maximum are not recorded, but the average is far above the threshold.
• 2560x1440: Ultra preset, average 222 FPS. This is the highest quality setting and provides a near-flawless experience.
• 3840x2160: Ultra preset, average 140 FPS. Even at 4K with all settings maxed, the system maintains an average well above 60 FPS, with the Medium preset showing a minimum of 200 FPS, suggesting the Ultra preset would not dip below the playable level.