Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer, across all tested resolutions and settings. The benchmark data, which is measured rather than estimated, shows this combination is far beyond what the game requires, making it a straightforward choice for achieving maximum performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured average frame rates for this configuration are uniformly high, with every tested setting at every resolution exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin. The data shows a clear scaling pattern from the most demanding to the least demanding settings.

At 4K (3840x2160), the RTX 3080 delivers an average of 101.8 FPS on High settings. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 156.7 FPS, while Low settings hit 201.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still produces an average of 97.3 FPS, keeping it comfortably within high-refresh-rate territory for 4K displays.

Moving to 1440p (2560x1440), the performance ceiling rises substantially. High settings average 156.2 FPS, Medium jumps to 252.4 FPS, and Low reaches 317.9 FPS. Ultra settings remain highly playable at 152.2 FPS, showing that even the maximum quality preset leaves significant headroom.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the numbers become extreme. Low settings produce an average of 380.5 FPS, Medium averages 354.3 FPS, and High delivers 222.8 FPS. Ultra settings still manage 209 FPS, which is more than triple the playability threshold. The data reveals that at this resolution, the game is almost certainly bound by the CPU's single-thread performance rather than the GPU, given the massive frame counts.

It is important to note that the dataset does not include minimum or maximum frame rate values, only averages. Therefore, the analysis relies on the average figures, which are consistent and high across all configurations. The lack of min/max data means frame time consistency cannot be assessed, but the sheer magnitude of the average FPS suggests stuttering is unlikely to be a concern.

CPU and GPU Roles

Determining which component matters more in Inside requires examining how performance scales with resolution and settings. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more important, while at lower resolutions, the CPU's role is amplified.

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is relatively modest compared to the raw FPS values. Low averages 380.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 209 FPS, a difference of about 45%. This gap is smaller than at higher resolutions, suggesting that at 1080p, the CPU's ability to feed frames is a limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 7700X, with its 16 threads and Zen 4 architecture, is clearly capable, but even a strong CPU has a ceiling when the GPU is this fast at a low resolution.

At 1440p, the scaling between settings becomes more pronounced. Low averages 317.9 FPS, Medium 252.4 FPS, High 156.2 FPS, and Ultra 152.2 FPS. The drop from Low to High is about 51%, indicating that the GPU is beginning to take on more work. The difference between High and Ultra is negligible (156.2 vs 152.2 FPS), which suggests that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not heavily taxing the GPU at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low averages 201.1 FPS, Medium 156.7 FPS, High 101.8 FPS, and Ultra 97.3 FPS. The drop from Low to High is about 49%, and from Low to Ultra about 52%. This is a typical GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput and shading complexity drive performance. The RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle 4K textures without issue.

The scaling between resolutions at the same settings confirms this. At Ultra, 1080p averages 209 FPS, 1440p averages 152.2 FPS, and 4K averages 97.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 27%, and from 1440p to 4K about 36%. This progressive decline points to the GPU becoming the bottleneck as pixel count increases, while the CPU maintains a consistent level of performance across resolutions. For this game, the RTX 3080 is the primary driver of frame rates at 4K, while the Ryzen 7 7700X is more relevant at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data indicates that the Ultra preset is the best choice at every resolution, as it is the most demanding setting that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

At 4K (3840x2160), Ultra settings average 97.3 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, making it the recommended preset for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The next step down, High, averages 101.8 FPS, but there is no reason to compromise when Ultra is already so fast.

At 1440p (2560x1440), Ultra settings average 152.2 FPS. This is more than double the playability threshold, offering a superb experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The frame rate is high enough that even a 144 Hz display would be fully utilized.

At 1080p (1920x1080), Ultra settings average 209 FPS. This is an exceptional result, providing a smooth experience on any monitor, including 240 Hz models. The headroom is so large that the user could enable additional features without concern, though the data does not support specific tweaks.

Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset is the clear winner. The RTX 3080 and Ryzen 7 7700X combination is powerful enough that the game's maximum settings are always the best choice. This is an unusual situation, as most games require some compromise at 4K, but Inside is not demanding enough to force one.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for how other hardware would behave with this game. These alternatives are based on average benchmark scores, not game-specific measurements, so the FPS figures would likely differ slightly, but the overall performance class is similar.

For the Ryzen 7 7700X, the nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, the Intel Core 7 250H, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. The Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 has an average score of 35802, which is 0.3% lower than the 7700X's 35909. The Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728, a 0.5% difference. The Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719, also a 0.5% difference, and the Core Ultra 9 185H scores 35670, a 0.7% difference. These deltas are negligible, meaning that in a CPU-bound scenario like 1080p in Inside, these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates. The Core Ultra 9 185H, for example, would likely average around 207-209 FPS at 1080p Ultra, given the 0.7% performance deficit.

For the RTX 3080, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA P106-100, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X. The P106-100 has an average score of 23249, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 3080's 23172. The Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, also 0.3% higher. The RX 6600M scores 23273, a 0.4% higher score, and the R9 M290X scores 23276, a 0.4% difference. These are remarkably close scores, but it is critical to note that these rivals are not comparable in real-world gaming performance. The P106-100 and R9 M290X are older or specialized parts, and their average benchmark scores may not reflect gaming performance accurately. The RX 6600M is a laptop GPU, which would be subject to thermal and power limits. For Inside, the RTX 3080's lead in raw gaming performance would likely translate to a meaningful advantage at 4K, despite the near-identical synthetic scores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 3080 ranks 773 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 21% of all configurations tested. The percentile data for the individual components reinforces this: the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

The combo's rank is driven primarily by the CPU's strong performance, as the 85th percentile indicates it is better than most processors. The GPU, while still above average, is not as exceptional, sitting in the 68th percentile. This suggests that in Inside, the CPU is doing more work relative to its peers than the GPU is. The rank of 773 out of 3716 means there are 772 combos that perform better, likely featuring newer or more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, but for a last-generation GPU and a current mid-range CPU, this is a strong result.

The data shows that this combo is overkill for Inside, as the game is not demanding. The high rank is a reflection of the hardware's overall capability, not just its performance in this specific title. For a puzzle platformer, this rank is more than sufficient, and users should expect flawless performance.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 97.3, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The RTX 3080 is capable of handling 4K Ultra in this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 380.5 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the fastest configuration in the dataset, indicating the game is not taxing the hardware at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the scaling between settings shows a mix of both. Low averages 317.9 FPS and Ultra averages 152.2 FPS, a significant drop that indicates the GPU is becoming more relevant. The CPU still matters, but the GPU has a larger impact on frame rates at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 7700X compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has an average benchmark score 0.3% lower. In a CPU-bound scenario like 1080p in Inside, the frame rate difference would be minimal, likely within a few FPS of the 7700X's results.

Q: Why does the RTX 3080 have rivals with similar benchmark scores but different gaming performance?

A: The nearest rivals by average score include parts like the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon R9 M290X, which are not gaming GPUs. Their synthetic scores are close, but real-world gaming performance, especially in a modern game like Inside, would favor the RTX 3080 due to its architecture and driver support.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 1080p for this combo?

A: Ultra settings are the best choice, as they average 209 FPS at 1920x1080. This is more than double the playability threshold, providing a smooth experience on any monitor. There is no performance reason to use lower settings.