Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a decisive performance in Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer that places minimal stress on modern hardware. Benchmark data confirms that this combination not only clears the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution but does so with substantial headroom, allowing for maximum visual settings even at 4K. The following analysis details the measured frame rates, the balance between CPU and GPU loads, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 86.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the data shows it is comfortably playable. The gap between Ultra and High at this resolution is modest (86.8 vs 89.6 FPS), suggesting that the visual upgrade to Ultra comes at a negligible performance cost.

For 2560x1440 (1440p), the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 136.8 FPS. This represents a significant performance buffer over the 60 FPS target, indicating that the system is far from being strained at this resolution. The scaling from 4K to 1440p shows a roughly 58% increase in frame rate at Ultra settings, demonstrating that the GPU has ample headroom to spare.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the best settings remain Ultra, delivering an average of 190.3 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for any preset at this resolution, and it is more than three times the playable threshold. Even the most demanding setting is effectively trivial for this hardware, with the frame rate being limited more by the CPU’s single-thread capabilities than by the GPU’s rendering power. The data indicates that this combo is overkill for 1080p gaming in Inside, as even the most conservative preset (Low) yields 316.1 FPS, which is likely beyond the refresh rate of most displays.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a distinct shift in workload distribution as resolution changes. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. The difference between Low (316.1 FPS) and Ultra (190.3 FPS) is a 66% drop, which indicates that while the GPU is doing more work, the CPU is still the limiting factor in achieving extremely high frame rates. The i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, provides strong single-thread performance (scoring 893 in 3dmark_single_thread), which is sufficient to push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS in this title.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role, but the CPU still holds sway. The average frame rate at Ultra drops from 190.3 to 136.8 FPS, a 28% reduction. This scaling is typical of a system where neither component is fully saturated, but the GPU is starting to become more relevant. The RTX 3070 Ti, with its 6144 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6X memory, is more than capable of handling the increased pixel count, yet the CPU still manages to keep up without becoming a bottleneck.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The average frame rate at Ultra is 86.8 FPS, which is only 36% lower than at 1440p. This scaling is close to what would be expected if the GPU were the sole constraint, given the 2.25x increase in pixel count. The RTX 3070 Ti’s memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is sufficient to feed the 4K frame buffer, but the data clearly shows that the load has shifted from the CPU to the GPU. The fact that Low settings at 4K (182.6 FPS) are still nearly double the Ultra frame rate highlights how much the GPU’s pixel processing and fill rate (169.9 GPixel/s) matter at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Inside, this pairing holds the 1286th position out of 3716 total combos. This places it in the 65th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the configurations in this game. While this might seem modest, it is important to note that Inside is not a demanding title, and many high-end systems with much more expensive hardware will achieve similar frame rates due to the game’s low requirements.

The rank is primarily influenced by the CPU’s overall benchmark standing. The i3-12100F sits at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, scores nearly identically (13492, a 0% delta), while the Intel Core i5-9500 is just 0.3% slower. This suggests that the CPU is a mid-pack performer, but its single-thread strength (scoring 1674 in Cinebench R23) is what matters most for Inside.

The GPU, on the other hand, is a stronger performer relative to its peers. The RTX 3070 Ti sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which is only 0.1% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is 0.5% faster. This indicates that the GPU is well above average, and it is the component that pushes this combo’s rank higher than the CPU alone would suggest.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 86.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 281.7 FPS, while Ultra averages 136.8 FPS. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest quality settings.

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

A: The data indicates the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. The frame rate at Low (316.1 FPS) is only 66% higher than at Ultra (190.3 FPS), suggesting that the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU’s single-thread performance is what caps the maximum frame rate.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1286th out of 3716 combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. This is driven by the GPU’s strong 75th percentile standing, while the CPU sits at the 68th percentile.

Q: What is the worst-case average frame rate across all settings and resolutions?

A: The lowest average frame rate recorded is 86.8 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold.

*Q: Does this system ever drop below 60 FPS in Inside?*

A: No. All measured settings at all three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K) produce average frame rates above 60 FPS. The lowest average is 86.8 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination, as measured by the benchmark suite.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

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

| 3840x2160 | Low | 182.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 145.0 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 89.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 86.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 281.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 228.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 145.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 136.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 316.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 288.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 199.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 190.3 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K results in a predictable frame rate drop, with the most significant relative decline occurring between 1440p and 4K at Ultra settings (136.8 to 86.8 FPS, a 37% reduction). Conversely, the impact of changing settings from Low to Ultra is most pronounced at 4K, where the frame rate drops by 52% (from 182.6 to 86.8 FPS), whereas at 1080p the same settings change only reduces performance by 40% (from 316.1 to 190.3 FPS).

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: this PC can run Inside flawlessly at every resolution and preset combination tested. The `verdictByResolution` data confirms that all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at all three resolutions, with the most demanding option being 4K Ultra, which still averages 86.8 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system is over-provisioned, with the lowest average frame rate (Ultra) being 190.3 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 136.8 FPS, providing a smooth experience on 144Hz displays. Even at 3840x2160, the system maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 86.8 FPS and the High preset at 89.6 FPS. There is no scenario where the player would need to compromise on visual quality to achieve a playable frame rate.

The only caveat is that the minimum frame rates are not recorded in the data, so transient drops cannot be assessed. However, given the extremely high average frame rates and the relatively static nature of Inside (a 2D platformer), it is unlikely that any significant stuttering would occur. The measured data strongly indicates that this combo is more than capable of providing a premium experience in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F’s nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance are nearly identical. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average score of 13492, which is a 0% delta from the i3-12100F’s 13494. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, a 0.3% deficit, meaning it would behave almost identically in Inside. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594 (0.7% faster), and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351 (1.1% slower). For this game, any of these CPUs would produce effectively the same frame rates, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded and the single-thread scores are all within a narrow band.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile is the closest rival, with an average score of 29928 (0.1% faster than the RTX 3070 Ti’s 29945). The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is 0.5% faster (30095), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% slower (29783). The AMD Radeon RX 6700 is 1.6% faster (30433). In the context of Inside, these differences are negligible, as all of these GPUs would easily exceed 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The RTX 3070 Ti’s performance is so far above the game’s requirements that any of these alternatives would yield a nearly identical user experience, with differences of only a few frames per second at most.