Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is not graphically demanding by modern standards. The measured data shows this combination is not merely playable but overwhelmingly capable, with average frame rates at 1080p exceeding 200 FPS across all tested presets and never dropping below 95 FPS even at 4K Ultra. This system is massively overqualified for the game’s requirements, leaving substantial headroom for high refresh-rate displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces extraordinary results. Low settings yield an average of 433 FPS, while Medium settings average 352 FPS with a minimum of 299 FPS and maximum of 405 FPS. High settings average 220 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 210 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 223 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample resources to spare at this resolution; the CPU’s strong single-thread performance likely prevents any bottleneck even at these extreme frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar but begins to show more differentiation between presets. Low settings produce 317 FPS average, Medium drops to 253 FPS (minimum 215, maximum 291), High reaches 158 FPS, and Ultra sits at 151 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 166 FPS, tighter than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor as pixel count increases. Still, every preset comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin.

At 3840x2160, the system demonstrates it can handle 4K with ease. Low settings average 199 FPS, Medium averages 159 FPS (minimum 135, maximum 183), High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 95 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is roughly linear for the lower presets — Low drops from 317 to 199 FPS (a 37% reduction), while Ultra drops from 151 to 95 FPS (a 37% reduction as well). This consistent scaling indicates the GPU workload is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, with the CPU maintaining adequate headroom throughout.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows the system’s stability: at 1080p Medium the minimum is 299 FPS, at 1440p Medium it is 215 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 135 FPS. These minimums are all far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, confirming there are no stutter or frame-time spikes that would compromise the experience. The max FPS values at Medium settings (405 at 1080p, 291 at 1440p, 183 at 4K) reveal that the system can burst well above its averages, particularly at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 95 FPS, which is 35 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 99 FPS, so even the most demanding settings are comfortably playable.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p?

A: Low settings yield the highest average at 433 FPS. Medium follows at 352 FPS, High at 220 FPS, and Ultra at 210 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 223 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact even though all are playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has an average benchmark score of 58386, placing it 0.1% above the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58323) and 0.5% above the Intel Core i9-14900 (58115). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (58826) by 0.7% and the Intel Xeon w5-2545 (58504) by 0.2%. These deltas are marginal, indicating the CPU performs in a tight cluster with high-end workstation and desktop chips.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3080’s average benchmark score is 23172. Its nearest rivals — the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276) — all score within 0.4% of it. This suggests the RTX 3080 is statistically indistinguishable from these cards in synthetic benchmarks, despite being a higher-tier product in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p to stay above 60 FPS?

A: All four presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS. Ultra is the best, averaging 151 FPS, followed by High at 158 FPS, Medium at 253 FPS, and Low at 317 FPS. Since every preset clears the threshold, users can select Ultra without concern.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 693rd out of 3716 tested combos in the database for Inside, placing it in the top 18.6% of all systems. This is a strong ranking, though the game’s low requirements mean many lesser configurations also achieve high frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, Intel Xeon w5-2545, Intel Core i9-14900, and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 — all score within 0.7% of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. In Inside, these processors would likely deliver nearly identical frame rates, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested settings. The Core i9-14900, being a mainstream desktop part, is the most practical alternative for gaming, while the Xeon models target workstation workloads.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080’s nearest rivals — the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and AMD Radeon R9 M290X — show benchmark scores within 0.4% of the 3080. However, these are vastly different hardware generations and market segments. The P106-100 is a mining-oriented card, the Radeon Pro Vega 16 is a mobile workstation GPU, and the R9 M290X is an older mobile chip. Their similar synthetic scores do not reflect gaming performance parity; the RTX 3080’s 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth give it a decisive advantage in modern titles. For Inside specifically, any of these rivals would likely exceed 60 FPS given the game’s modest demands, but the RTX 3080’s higher-end specifications ensure it leads in frame rate consistency.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Inside at any resolution and preset combination tested. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. The best settings per resolution are Ultra at every tier: 210 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K. The 60 FPS threshold is cleared by a minimum of 35 FPS (at 4K Ultra) and a maximum of 373 FPS (at 1080p Low). This system is not merely capable of running the game; it runs it with such headroom that users could enable maximum settings on a 4K 120 Hz display and still not fully stress the hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

Among 3716 tested combos in the database for Inside, this pairing ranks 693rd, placing it in the top 18.6% of all tested systems. This rank reflects the strong absolute performance of both components, but the game’s low graphical demands mean the ranking does not translate to a linear performance advantage — many lower-ranked systems also clear 60 FPS easily. The rank is more meaningful as a validation of the hardware’s overall capability rather than a measure of necessity for this specific title. The CPU’s 92nd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU’s 68th percentile among all GPUs indicate this is a high-end pairing, and the 693rd rank out of 3716 confirms it outperforms the majority of tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 210 FPS. This is 150 FPS above the threshold, leaving massive headroom for frame rate dips that never materialize — even the Medium preset’s minimum of 299 FPS is far higher than needed.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 151 FPS. This is 91 FPS above the threshold, and the High preset’s 158 FPS average shows that Ultra does not sacrifice much performance. The Medium preset’s minimum of 215 FPS confirms stability.

At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 95 FPS, which is 35 FPS above the playable threshold. This is the tightest margin of any resolution, but still ample. The High preset’s 99 FPS average is nearly identical, so users can select either without meaningful difference. Low settings at 4K average 199 FPS, demonstrating that even at 4K the system has headroom to spare.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more important as resolution increases, while the CPU remains consistently capable across all settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (433 FPS) and Ultra (210 FPS) is 223 FPS, a 106% increase from Ultra to Low. This large spread suggests the GPU is heavily utilized even at low settings, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228) prevents any bottleneck from emerging at these extreme frame rates.

At 1440p, the Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 166 FPS (317 vs. 151), a reduction that aligns with the increased pixel workload. At 4K, the spread tightens further to 104 FPS (199 vs. 95). This progressive narrowing indicates the GPU’s rendering workload is the dominant scaling factor — as resolution rises, the GPU becomes the primary limiter, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The consistent 37% performance drop from 1440p to 4K across presets reinforces this: the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count.

However, the CPU’s contribution should not be dismissed. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D’s 96 MB of shared L3 cache and 5.60 GHz boost clock ensure that frame pacing remains smooth even at 433 FPS at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead per frame is minimal. At 4K Ultra, the 95 FPS average is still high enough that the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are not stressed, but the low minimum FPS values (135 at 4K Medium) suggest the engine’s physics and logic threads still benefit from a capable processor. In Inside, a puzzle platformer with modest AI and physics demands, the GPU is the clear determining factor for performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU matters most for achieving the extremely high frame rates possible at 1080p.