Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers overwhelming performance for Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at higher settings. Benchmark measurements, taken across three resolutions and four quality presets, show every combination clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold by a substantial margin, with the weakest result still hitting 97.6 FPS. This combination is not about scraping by; it is about headroom, and the data indicates that the RTX 4070’s raw throughput is the primary driver of frame rates, while the i3-12100F’s four cores prove sufficient to avoid bottlenecking even at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows the Ultra preset running at an average of 97.6 FPS. This is the most demanding setting tested, and it remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving room for potential frame drops or future patches. The High preset at this resolution averages 104.6 FPS, Medium hits 163.7 FPS, and Low reaches 208.4 FPS. Since Ultra is both the highest quality and comfortably above 60 FPS, it is the recommended choice for 4K gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 154.9 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 4K result and indicates the GPU is less stressed. High settings at this resolution produce 165.2 FPS, Medium delivers 262.7 FPS, and Low scales up to 284.6 FPS. The recommendation here is again Ultra, as the 154.9 FPS average provides an exceptionally smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, and there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality for additional speed.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 218.7 FPS, while High reaches 231.2 FPS, Medium hits 290.5 FPS, and Low peaks at 315.7 FPS. The 1080p resolution is where the CPU begins to have a more noticeable influence, but the i3-12100F still keeps pace. Ultra is the clear best setting, delivering nearly 3.6 times the 60 FPS requirement. For all three resolutions, the data supports selecting the Ultra preset, as the lowest average FPS recorded across the entire test suite is 97.6 FPS, which is still well above the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At each settings level, reducing the resolution from 3840x2160 to 2560x1440 yields a substantial FPS increase, and dropping further to 1920x1080 yields another large jump. For instance, on the Ultra preset, the average FPS goes from 97.6 at 4K, to 154.9 at 1440p, to 218.7 at 1080p. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4070’s rendering load is the limiting factor; as pixel count decreases, the GPU completes frames faster, and the CPU does not prevent these gains.

The data points to the GPU being the dominant component at all tested resolutions. The RTX 4070’s benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3854, support its capability as the primary performance driver. The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions, where higher frame rates demand more draw calls and physics calculations. The i3-12100F’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860 and single-core score of 1674 suggest it has enough single-thread performance to handle the workload, but the frame rate scaling between 1440p and 1080p is smaller than between 4K and 1440p. For example, at Ultra settings, the jump from 1440p to 1080p is 63.8 FPS, while the jump from 4K to 1440p is 57.3 FPS. This narrowing gap indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to become a more significant factor, though it is not causing a bottleneck that would drop frame rates below the playable threshold.

At 4K, the GPU is almost entirely the limiting factor, as the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 110.8 FPS, showing that the GPU’s fill rate and shader throughput are being taxed. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is only 97 FPS, a smaller delta, which further suggests the CPU is capping the maximum achievable frame rate. The conclusion is that for this game, the RTX 4070 is the component that matters most at 4K and 1440p, while the i3-12100F is sufficient but not the star of the show at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest quality setting that maintains at least 60 FPS at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 97.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All presets, from Low to Ultra, clear 60 FPS at this resolution, so you can choose the maximum quality without concern.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU is becoming more influential. The frame rate difference between 1440p and 1080p on the Ultra preset is 63.8 FPS, which is slightly larger than the 57.3 FPS gain from 4K to 1440p, indicating the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions. However, the i3-12100F still delivers 218.7 FPS at 1080p Ultra, so it is not a practical bottleneck for reaching the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, scores 37628, which is 0.1% slower. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, also 0.4% slower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3% faster. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, 1.3% slower.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 284.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 154.9 FPS. This represents a 45.6% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra, but both values are far above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Based on the data, can this system run the game at 4K with a high refresh rate monitor?

A: The data shows the Ultra preset at 4K averages 97.6 FPS. This is sufficient for a 60 Hz display and is also fast enough for a 90 Hz or 120 Hz monitor, though it will not fully saturate a 144 Hz or 240 Hz panel at maximum settings.

Q: What is the combo's rank among other tested CPU and GPU combinations for this game?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 939th out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 25.3% of all tested systems for Inside.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC can run Inside at a level that far exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold across every resolution and preset tested. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is playable with an average of 97.6 FPS, and the High, Medium, and Low presets all offer even higher frame rates. The same is true at 2560x1440, where Ultra averages 154.9 FPS, and at 1920x1080, where Ultra averages 218.7 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four playable settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are viable at each resolution.

For a gamer targeting a 4K display, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice because it provides the best visual quality while still maintaining an average frame rate that is 62.7% above the 60 FPS minimum. For 1440p users, the Ultra preset at 154.9 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p, the Ultra preset’s 218.7 FPS average makes this combination a top-tier performer, though the data also shows that the CPU is starting to limit the GPU’s maximum output at this resolution. There is no scenario in the data where this system fails to deliver a smooth, playable experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. The Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492, a 0% delta, meaning it would behave nearly identically in terms of CPU-bound workloads. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% slower, and the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% faster. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, 1.1% slower. For Inside, any of these CPUs would likely produce similar results when paired with the RTX 4070, as the game is not heavily CPU-threaded.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 is its closest match, scoring 37628, a 0.1% difference, so it would offer nearly identical frame rates. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, 0.4% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, 1.3% higher. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, 1.3% lower. In practice, swapping the RTX 4070 for the Tesla P4 or RX Vega 56 would yield frame rates within a few FPS of the measured results, while the RTX 4080 Mobile might provide a small but noticeable boost at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 939 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This puts it in the 74.7th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the other combinations in the database. Given the game’s modest requirements and the GPU’s high performance, this rank reflects a system that is heavily optimized for high-resolution, high-refresh-rate play.

The rank is more proof of the RTX 4070’s strength than the i3-12100F’s, as the GPU’s 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs far exceeds the CPU’s 68th percentile among all CPUs. The measured FPS data confirms this, showing that the combination excels at 4K and 1440p, where the GPU’s performance is the deciding factor. At 1080p, the system’s rank might be slightly lower if the CPU were a more significant limitation, but the data shows it still delivers over 200 FPS on the Ultra preset. This is a high-performing combo that is well-suited for Inside, with the only caveat being that its rank is driven by the GPU, so a weaker CPU would not meaningfully change the experience at 4K, but could start to matter at 1080p for users seeking the absolute highest frame rates.