Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers an overwhelmingly positive performance profile for Inside, with measured frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and settings combination. The data shows a system that is not merely capable, but one that provides substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays and demanding visual presets. This analysis draws exclusively from the measured FPS data and component benchmark scores provided, presenting a clear picture of what this hardware combination achieves in this specific puzzle platformer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for Inside reveal a performance landscape where this CPU and GPU combination never approaches the playability floor. At 1920x1080, the lowest tested resolution, frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. With the Low preset, the system produces an average of 427.2 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 350.2 FPS, while the High preset yields 218.3 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains a robust 208.7 FPS average. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the primary limitation is not the hardware but potential CPU bottlenecks or engine-level frame caps, as the gaps between presets are not linear.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar, though the scaling shows the expected impact of increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 315.7 FPS, which is a reduction of 111.5 FPS compared to the 1080p result. Medium settings produce 253.8 FPS, and High drops to 158.4 FPS. At the Ultra preset, the system still delivers 151.9 FPS. The relative consistency between High and Ultra at this resolution—a difference of 6.5 FPS—suggests that the game’s Ultra preset does not introduce a massive additional load over High at 1440p, unlike the more significant 60 FPS gap seen between Medium and High.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K are evident, yet the system still performs admirably. The Low preset achieves 201.8 FPS, which reflects the efficiency of the game engine on this hardware. Medium settings drop to 156.4 FPS, and High averages 98.4 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most visually demanding configuration, still produces 93.3 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on the High preset shows a reduction from 158.4 FPS to 98.4 FPS, a 60 FPS drop that highlights the significant pixel-count increase. However, even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate remains 33.3 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant performance driver at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions. This is a classic pattern evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 1920x1080, the difference between the Low preset (427.2 FPS) and the Ultra preset (208.7 FPS) is 218.5 FPS, showing that settings changes have a massive impact. However, the absolute numbers are so high that they suggest the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU effectively even at these extreme frame rates.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU load increases, and the frame rates scale down accordingly. The drop from Low to Ultra is 163.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with the difference between Low and Ultra shrinking to 108.5 FPS. This narrowing gap indicates that at 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is working near its limits, and the CPU’s processing power becomes less relevant to the final frame output. The benchmark scores support this: the CPU’s passmark_multithread score is 37161, placing it in the 86th percentile, while the GPU’s passmark_g3d score is 25086, placing it in the 68th percentile.

The scaling between resolutions at the same preset further clarifies the component roles. For the High preset, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by 59.9 FPS, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it by another 60 FPS. This linear progression suggests a balanced workload where both components are scaling as expected. In contrast, for the Low preset, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 111.5 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 113.9 FPS, showing that the GPU is more heavily taxed at lower settings because the CPU is not the limiting factor.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the Ultra preset. The data shows that this system does not struggle to run Inside at maximum settings on any resolution tested. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 208.7 FPS. This is the best possible visual quality with enormous performance headroom, making it the clear choice for any 1080p display, including high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 151.9 FPS. This is still more than double the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for smooth gameplay on 1440p monitors with refresh rates up to 144 Hz or higher. The visual fidelity of the Ultra preset comes at a modest performance cost compared to High, which averages 158.4 FPS, but the extra visual quality is worth the 6.5 FPS trade-off given the massive headroom available.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 93.3 FPS. This is the only resolution where the frame rate dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains comfortably above 60 FPS. For 4K displays, this is the optimal setting, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining a smooth, playable experience. The High preset at 4K averages 98.4 FPS, but the Ultra preset’s 93.3 FPS is still well within playable territory, making it the recommended choice for those prioritizing image quality.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset is 93.3, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The High preset averages 158.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 151.9 FPS. The difference is only 6.5 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional visual effects have a minimal performance impact at this resolution.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extremely high (427.2 FPS on Low), indicating that the CPU, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The GPU becomes the more significant factor as resolution increases.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Low compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Low preset averages 201.8 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra preset averages 208.7 FPS. The performance is nearly identical, showing that the GPU handles the increased resolution well at lower settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this hardware combination?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 93.3, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is still 33.3 FPS above the playable threshold.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in the tested scenarios?

A: No. All measured average FPS values, ranging from 93.3 at 4K Ultra to 427.2 at 1080p Low, are above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware might behave similarly. For the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, the nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i9-14901E, with a delta of 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, also with a 0.1% delta. The Intel Core 5 211E is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4% behind. These processors would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside, as the game is not heavily CPU-demanding at the tested resolutions.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores include the NVIDIA P106-100, which is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, also 0.3% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X is 0.4% slower. It is important to note that these rival GPUs have significantly different specifications and market positions, but their benchmark scores are close to the RTX 3080. In practice, for Inside, these alternatives would likely deliver frame rates within a few percentage points of the measured results, meaning they would also clear the 60 FPS threshold at all resolutions and settings tested.

The combination of a CPU in the 86th percentile and a GPU in the 68th percentile suggests that the system is well-balanced for this title. Users with a slightly less powerful CPU but a comparable GPU would see similar results, as the game’s frame rates at 4K Ultra (93.3 FPS) still leave room for GPU-bound performance.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can absolutely run Inside, and it does so with extraordinary proficiency. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra with an average FPS of 208.7. At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, achieving 151.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset remains the best choice, with an average of 93.3 FPS. All tested settings at all resolutions—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are deemed playable, as every measured average exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a system that is overkill for this particular game in many scenarios. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that users with 60 Hz monitors will see no benefit from the extra performance, while those with 240 Hz or higher refresh rate displays can fully utilize the hardware. At 1440p, the performance is ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming, and at 4K, the system still provides a premium experience with all settings maxed out. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination is a powerful pairing that makes Inside a trivial workload, ensuring smooth, stutter-free gameplay regardless of the visual configuration chosen.