Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers an exceptional performance envelope for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that places minimal strain on modern hardware. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this combination never dips below an average of 81.3 FPS, which is over 35% above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data indicates that this system is not merely capable of running the game; it does so with massive headroom, making it a definitive choice for high-refresh-rate displays even at 4K. The measured FPS results show a linear scaling that is almost entirely dictated by resolution, with the GPU being the primary performance differentiator, while the CPU provides ample single-threaded strength to avoid bottlenecks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for this combination reveals a performance profile that scales predictably and impressively across the three standard resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system produces frame rates that are almost absurdly high for the game’s visual complexity. The Low preset delivers an average of 320.3 FPS, while the Medium preset maintains an average of 293 FPS. The High preset drops slightly to an average of 195 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding setting tested, still manages an average of 183.3 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings, but the GPU still has enough raw power to push the Ultra preset well beyond the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the resolution increase places more load on the Radeon RX 7700 XT, but the results remain stellar. The Low preset averages 278.1 FPS, and the Medium preset hits 221.2 FPS. High settings produce an average of 136.2 FPS, while Ultra settings retain a robust 128.7 FPS average. The delta between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 7.5 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset is not significantly more demanding than High for this specific title. The drop from 1080p to 1440p on the Ultra preset is 54.6 FPS (from 183.3 to 128.7), which represents a 29.8% reduction, a clear indicator that pixel throughput is becoming the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers a completely playable experience, which is remarkable for a mid-range GPU. The Low preset averages 176 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 141.2 FPS. High settings produce an average of 85.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset, while the lowest result in the entire dataset, still achieves a solid 81.3 FPS average. The transition from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra represents a 47.4 FPS drop (from 128.7 to 81.3), a 36.8% reduction. This data shows that even at the highest resolution, the system is not struggling, as the 4K Ultra result is still 35.5% above the 60 FPS threshold. The absence of min and max FPS data in the pack means the analysis is based solely on averages, but those averages are consistently high enough to suggest smooth frame pacing across the board.

Best Settings per Resolution

Given the overwhelming performance headroom, the best settings for each resolution are the highest presets tested, as all of them clear the 60 FPS target with substantial margin. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 183.3 FPS. This is the only preset that should be considered for a 1080p display, as even the most demanding visual configuration leaves more than 120 FPS of headroom above the playability threshold. The data shows no reason to compromise on visual fidelity at this resolution.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again stands as the optimal selection, with an average of 128.7 FPS. This result is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring that any 1440p monitor operating at up to 120Hz will be fully utilized. While the High preset also performs admirably at 136.2 FPS, the marginal 7.5 FPS gain from dropping to High is not worth the reduction in visual quality, especially since the Ultra preset still maintains such a high average. The system has enough GPU headroom to run the game at its highest fidelity without any risk of dropping below the target.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset remains the best choice, delivering an average of 81.3 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system is not providing extreme headroom, but it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by 21.3 FPS. For a 60Hz 4K display, this is a perfect match, as the average FPS exceeds the refresh rate, allowing for a locked 60 FPS experience with no frame drops. The High preset offers a slightly higher 85.5 FPS average, but the difference is negligible, and the Ultra preset provides the best visual experience while remaining comfortably playable. In summary, the verdict is consistent across all resolutions: select Ultra settings for maximum visual quality, as the hardware is never constrained in this title.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling in Inside demonstrates a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-12400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. At 1920x1080, the data suggests that the CPU is the primary limiter at lower presets. The jump from Low (320.3 FPS) to Medium (293 FPS) is a modest 9.3% decrease, and the jump to High (195 FPS) is a significant 33.5% decrease. However, the fact that the Low preset produces over 320 FPS indicates that the six-core, twelve-thread processor is perfectly capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU is not being fully utilized at such high frame rates due to the minimal graphical workload.

As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The difference between 1080p Ultra (183.3 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (128.7 FPS) is a 29.8% drop, which is directly proportional to the increase in pixel count (1.78x more pixels). This indicates that the RX 7700 XT is now the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has enough remaining single-thread performance to handle the increased draw calls. The 4K Ultra result (81.3 FPS) further confirms this trend, showing a 36.8% drop from 1440p Ultra, again aligning with the 2.25x pixel increase. For a game like Inside, which has relatively simple geometry and physics, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the determining factors at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s role is somewhat limited by the game’s age, but its strong single-core performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 3481, ensures it never becomes a bottleneck even at 320 FPS. The data shows that at 1080p, the system is likely rendering frames faster than the display can show them, which is a CPU-bound scenario. However, at 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops to a level that is more typical of the GPU’s performance class. The scaling between presets at each resolution also highlights this: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 137 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is only 94.7 FPS. This tighter range at 4K confirms that the GPU is working harder, compressing the performance gap between settings.

The Verdict

This combination can absolutely run Inside, and the data shows it does so with exceptional authority. The verdict by resolution is unanimous: all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at all three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 183.3 FPS, which is over three times the playable threshold of 60 FPS. This means the system is not just capable of running the game; it is capable of running it at extremely high refresh rates, making it ideal for 144Hz or even 240Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset maintains an average of 128.7 FPS, which is more than double the threshold. This ensures that any 1440p display, including high-refresh-rate models, will see a fluid and responsive experience. The system has enough headroom that users could enable additional supersampling or other demanding features without falling below 60 FPS, although the data does not test those scenarios. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset’s 81.3 FPS average is the only result that is remotely close to the threshold, but it still clears it by a comfortable 35.5%. This makes the system fully capable of a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K with all settings maxed out.

The benchmark results indicate that this PC is a high-end solution for Inside, regardless of the display resolution. The system is never below the playable threshold, and the lowest recorded average FPS (81.3 at 4K Ultra) is still significantly higher than what many other combinations achieve at 1080p. The performance is so robust that the only limitation is the user’s display refresh rate, not the hardware. This is a definitive pass for all resolutions and presets.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12400F sits in a performance tier that is closely matched by several other processors. The nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which has a comparable average benchmark score of 19047, a delta of 0% against the i5-12400F’s 19039. This means users with the Ryzen 5 7535HS would see nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Inside, particularly at 1080p where the CPU is more relevant. Another close alternative is the Intel Core 3 201E, with a score of 19056 and a delta of -0.1%, making it statistically indistinguishable in this workload. The Intel Core i5-1335U (18982, delta 0.3%) and the AMD EPYC 7773X (18979, delta 0.3%) also fall within a 0.3% margin, indicating that any of these processors would provide the same level of support for the RX 7700 XT in this game.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 22549, placing it among a cluster of capable graphics cards. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the closest rival, with a score of 22435 and a delta of 0.5%, meaning it would perform nearly identically in Inside. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, delta -0.8%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, delta -1.5%) are also extremely close, with performance deltas under 2%. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170, delta 1.7%) is slightly slower but still within a 2% margin, ensuring that any of these GPUs would deliver a nearly identical frame rate experience at all resolutions. For the purposes of Inside, swapping the RX 7700 XT for any of these rivals would produce negligible differences in the average FPS, as the game is not particularly demanding on GPU compute resources.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks at 1381 out of 3716 total combinations. This places it in the top 37.2% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the mid-range positioning of both the CPU and GPU. The rank is likely held back by the CPU, which, while having a percentile of 73 against all CPUs, is not a top-tier processor. However, the GPU’s percentile of 67 against all GPUs, combined with the game’s low requirements, ensures that this combo performs far above the median system.

The rank of 1381 indicates that there are 1380 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in Inside, but many of those will feature flagship CPUs and GPUs that cost significantly more. Given the game’s simplicity, the performance difference between this combo and those ranked higher is likely to be in the high-refresh-rate territory above 200 FPS, which is irrelevant for most displays. The data shows that this combo is capable of maxing out the game at 4K with a comfortable margin, a feat that many higher-ranked combinations may not achieve due to being paired with weaker CPUs. The ranking confirms the balanced nature of this system, as it avoids the bottlenecks that can plague other mid-range pairings. The 60 FPS threshold is not just met but exceeded by a wide margin at every preset, making this a highly effective combination for the game.