Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. Measured data shows this combination clears 60 FPS at every tested resolution and preset, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra setting averaging 95 FPS. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results, settings recommendations, and how this hardware combo compares to other tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable settings preset at 3840x2160?

A: Ultra settings are playable, with an average FPS of 95. This is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings average 99 FPS, Medium 159 FPS, and Low 199 FPS.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium settings average 352 FPS. At 2560x1440, that drops to 253 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 159 FPS. The scaling shows a roughly 55% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at this preset.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 a bottleneck for this CPU at 4K?

A: The data suggests not, given that 4K Ultra still produces 95 FPS. However, the gap between Low (199 FPS) and Ultra (95 FPS) at 4K is 104 FPS, indicating the GPU is more taxed at higher settings. At 1080p, Low averages 425 FPS versus 210 FPS on Ultra, a 215 FPS spread that shows the CPU can feed the GPU well.

Q: What is the frame time variance at 2560x1440 on Medium?

A: The measured min FPS is 215 and max is 291, with an average of 253 FPS. This represents a narrow range of 76 FPS between minimum and maximum, indicating stable frame pacing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested hardware combinations?

A: It ranks 712 out of 3716 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations. This is driven by the CPU's 91st percentile score among all CPUs and the GPU's 68th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between High and Ultra at 1920x1080?

A: High averages 220 FPS, while Ultra averages 210 FPS. The difference is only 10 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings provide a meaningful visual upgrade without a substantial performance penalty at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra. The benchmark data shows this combination is never below the playable threshold, even at maximum settings.

3840x2160 (4K): Ultra settings produce an average of 95 FPS. This is 35 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving headroom for demanding scenes. High settings provide 99 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice since it still clears the threshold comfortably.

2560x1440 (1440p): Ultra settings average 151 FPS. This is 91 FPS above the threshold, making this resolution highly fluid. Medium settings hit 253 FPS, but the visual quality of Ultra is worth the 102 FPS drop.

1920x1080 (1080p): Ultra settings average 210 FPS. This is 150 FPS above the playable floor. Low settings reach 425 FPS, but Ultra remains the optimal pick given the massive headroom.

The data consistently shows that Ultra is viable at every resolution. The lowest margin is at 4K, where 95 FPS still offers a comfortable buffer. No settings preset at any resolution falls below 60 FPS, making this an exceptionally smooth experience.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the RTX 3080.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is dominant. Low settings average 425 FPS, while Ultra drops to 210 FPS. This 215 FPS gap at 1080p shows that even at lower graphical loads, the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, provide enough throughput to sustain over 400 FPS. The CPU's single-thread score of 6739 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance that prevents bottlenecks in this puzzle platformer.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to exert more control. Low settings drop to 317 FPS, a 108 FPS reduction from 1080p. Ultra at 1440p averages 151 FPS, compared to 210 FPS at 1080p. This 59 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra shows the GPU's pixel throughput matters, but the CPU still provides enough headroom to keep frame rates high.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. Low settings fall to 199 FPS, a 118 FPS drop from 1440p. Ultra averages 95 FPS, a 56 FPS drop from 1440p. The RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the 4K pixel count demands more from the GPU's 8704 shading units. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 104 FPS, versus 215 FPS at 1080p, confirming that GPU load increases proportionally with resolution.

The CPU's role is most visible at lower resolutions and settings. With a passmark multithread score of 56154 and a 91st percentile ranking, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D ensures that the GPU is never starved for data. At 1080p Low, the 425 FPS result indicates the CPU can handle high draw call rates. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors, but the CPU still maintains enough throughput to avoid frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 712 out of 3716 tested configurations for Inside, placing it in the top 19% of all hardware pairings. This is a strong result for a game that is not particularly demanding, but the ranking reflects the high-end nature of both components.

The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 91, meaning it outperforms 91% of all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 54762 places it slightly below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093, a delta of -0.6%. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D also edges out the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053, +1.3%) and the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, +2.0%).

The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 68, outperforming 68% of tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 23172 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3%) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, -0.3%). The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273 (-0.4%) and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276 (-0.4%), all within a narrow performance band.

The combo rank of 712 is influenced more by the CPU's high percentile than the GPU's moderate one. The CPU's strong single-thread and multithread scores (6739 and 47737 in Cinebench R23) contribute to the high ranking, while the GPU's 68th percentile keeps it from breaking into the top tier. In a game like Inside, which has relatively simple graphics, the CPU's performance is disproportionately important, which explains the favorable rank.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals offer nearly identical average benchmark scores. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55093, which is only 0.6% higher than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 54762. A system with this Intel chip would behave virtually identically in Inside. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, a 1.3% deficit, while the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, a 2.0% deficit. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, a 2.1% deficit. Any of these CPUs paired with the RTX 3080 would produce frame rates within a few percent of the measured results.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are surprisingly close in average score. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, just 0.3% above the RTX 3080's 23172. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, also 0.3% above. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, a 0.4% difference, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, also 0.4% above. These GPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Inside, despite their different architectures and specifications. The RTX 3080's 10 GB memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are not the limiting factor here, as the game's low graphical complexity means even older GPUs can match its output.

A combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D with any of these rival GPUs would likely produce frame rates within 1-2 FPS of the measured results. Similarly, pairing the RTX 3080 with a rival CPU would maintain the same playable settings at each resolution, since the bottleneck shifts to the GPU at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside with complete confidence. The verdictByResolution data lists all four settings presets—High, Low, Medium, and Ultra—as playable at every resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 95 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by 35 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 151 FPS, 91 FPS above the floor. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 210 FPS, 150 FPS above the floor.

The data confirms that no resolution or preset combination falls below 60 FPS. Even the most demanding scenario—4K Ultra—maintains a 95 FPS average. The minimum recorded FPS across all tested scenarios is 135 at 4K Medium, which is still more than double the playable threshold. This system has substantial headroom, and users can enable Ultra settings at any resolution without concern for frame rate drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 99 FPS average
• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 159 FPS average, 135 FPS min, 183 FPS max
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 158 FPS average
• Low: 317 FPS average
• Medium: 253 FPS average, 215 FPS min, 291 FPS max
• Ultra: 151 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 220 FPS average
• Low: 425 FPS average
• Medium: 352 FPS average, 299 FPS min, 405 FPS max
• Ultra: 210 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max values. At 4K, the spread is 48 FPS between min and max, at 1440p it is 76 FPS, and at 1080p it is 106 FPS. This widening spread at lower resolutions indicates more frame time variance as the GPU becomes less stressed, though all values remain well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset shows no min/max data, but its averages are consistently high across all resolutions.