Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that demands little from modern hardware, but the question is whether the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 clears the 60 FPS bar at every resolution and preset. The measured data says yes—decisively. The CPU, a 12-core Zen 5 part with a launch MSRP of $499, and the GPU, an Ampere-based RTX 3070 with a launch MSRP of 499 USD, together deliver average frame rates from 83 FPS at 4K Ultra to 375.6 FPS at 1080p Low. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, compares the components to their nearest rivals, and identifies the best settings for each resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 3070 combination averages 83 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is 23 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Are all settings playable at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—averages at least 130 FPS. The lowest average is 130 FPS at Ultra, while Low reaches 269.3 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498. Its closest competitors are the AMD EPYC 9015 (57555, -0.1% difference), AMD EPYC 7313 (57399, +0.2%), Intel Core i9-14900 (58115, -1.1%), and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58323, -1.4%). All four are within 1.4% of the 9900X.

Q: What about the GPU’s nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3070 averages 17208 in benchmarks. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, +0.7%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, +1%), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, +1.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, -1.5%) are all within 1.5% of the RTX 3070.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X + RTX 3070 combination ranks 1341st out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 36% of all configurations tested for Inside.

Q: What is the best preset at 1080p?

A: Ultra settings at 1920x1080 yield an average of 178 FPS, the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS. Since all presets exceed 60 FPS, Ultra is the most demanding playable option.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 9 9900X’s average benchmark score of 57498 is nearly indistinguishable from its nearest CPU rivals. Swapping the CPU to an AMD EPYC 9015 would shift performance by -0.1%, while an AMD EPYC 7313 would be +0.2% faster in synthetic tests. The Intel Core i9-14900 and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M are 1.1% and 1.4% slower, respectively, based on average scores. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily threaded, these differences would be imperceptible in practice.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3070’s average score of 17208 is bracketed by the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (1.1% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (1.5% lower). Any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Inside, meaning a system built with, say, an RX 7600 XT would produce results within a few FPS of the RTX 3070 at all tested settings. The measured FPS data for this combo can be considered representative of that entire performance class.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal how the CPU and GPU each contribute to Inside’s performance. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 375.6 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 170.3 FPS—a 2.2x reduction for a 4x increase in pixel count. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, the frame rate would fall to roughly one-quarter (about 94 FPS). The fact that it remains at 170 FPS suggests the CPU is helping to keep the frame rate higher than a pure pixel-bound scaling would predict. This pattern holds across all presets: at High, 1080p yields 190.8 FPS and 4K yields 83.2 FPS (a 2.3x drop); at Medium, 304 FPS to 136.9 FPS (2.2x); at Ultra, 178 FPS to 83 FPS (2.1x). The consistent ~2.2x scaling indicates that the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1286, Passmark single-thread 4672) sustains higher frame rates as resolution increases, meaning the GPU is not the only factor.

Settings changes, by contrast, have a similar relative impact at every resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 375.6 to 178 (a 2.1x drop); at 4K, the same change reduces from 170.3 to 83 (a 2.05x drop). This consistency suggests the GPU handles the majority of preset-related workload, while the CPU’s contribution remains stable across resolutions. For a puzzle platformer with modest graphics, the RTX 3070’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient, and the Ryzen 9 9900X’s 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom even though the game likely uses only a few threads.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3716 hardware combinations tested for Inside, the Ryzen 9 9900X + RTX 3070 sits at rank 1341. That places it in the upper 36% of all systems—a strong showing, but not a top-tier configuration. The rank reflects the combination’s overall capability, and given that the game is not demanding, the absolute frame rates are high enough that the rank is more a measure of the hardware’s raw potential than its suitability for this specific title. The CPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs (avg benchmark score 57498) and the GPU’s 61st percentile (avg 17208) together produce a balanced system that excels in CPU-heavy tasks while remaining competent for gaming. For Inside, the combo is overkill in most scenarios, as even the most demanding preset at 4K stays well above 60 FPS.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Inside without issue. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with the best being Ultra at 83 FPS average. At 2560x1440, all presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 130 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers 178 FPS. Since the playable threshold is 60 FPS, every resolution and every preset clears it by a substantial margin. The lowest average FPS recorded across all 12 test scenarios is 83 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 38% above the threshold. In practical terms, a user can enable the highest quality settings at any resolution and expect a smooth, fluid experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra. The measured averages are:

• 3840x2160 (4K): Ultra at 83 FPS
• 2560x1440 (1440p): Ultra at 130 FPS
• 1920x1080 (1080p): Ultra at 178 FPS

Because all settings exceed 60 FPS at every resolution, there is no reason to lower quality for performance. The data shows that even the heaviest preset at the highest resolution remains comfortably playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists the average FPS for each resolution and preset combination. Minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded in the dataset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 83.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 170.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 136.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 83.0 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 135.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 269.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 215.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 130.0 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 190.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 375.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 304.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 178.0 |

The pattern is clear: even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 83 is well above the 60 FPS target. The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X’s high single-thread performance and the RTX 3070’s solid rasterization capabilities ensures that Inside runs flawlessly, leaving ample headroom for future titles or higher refresh-rate displays.