Inside

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at high settings. The measured data shows this combination produces extremely high frame rates across all tested resolutions and presets, with the lowest average being 126 FPS at 4K Ultra. This places the combo in the 272nd position out of 3716 tested configurations, putting it in the top 8% of all systems. The benchmark results indicate that this hardware pairing is massively overqualified for the game's requirements, as even the most demanding settings at 4K resolution maintain frame rates more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern across presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 265 FPS, which is the highest score at this resolution. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 212 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 244 FPS. The High preset delivers 133 FPS average, while the Ultra preset produces 126 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 139 FPS, indicating that the preset scaling has a significant impact on performance at this resolution. The gap between Medium and High is particularly steep at 79 FPS, suggesting that the High preset introduces substantially more rendering work than Medium.

The 2560x1440 (1440p) results follow a similar pattern but with higher absolute numbers. The Low preset averages 321 FPS, while Medium achieves 297 FPS with a minimum of 252 FPS and maximum of 341 FPS. High settings produce 211 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 201 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 120 FPS, slightly less than at 4K, which shows that the resolution increase amplifies the performance cost of higher presets. The Medium preset's minimum of 252 FPS still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, and even the lowest recorded frame in any preset at this resolution remains far above playable levels.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the frame rates become extraordinarily high. The Low preset reaches 359 FPS average, while Medium achieves 331 FPS with a minimum of 281 FPS and maximum of 381 FPS. High settings produce 276 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 271 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 88 FPS, which is smaller than at higher resolutions, indicating that the CPU becomes more of a limiting factor at 1080p despite the i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and Geekbench single-core score of 2157 from the FACT PACK support this interpretation, as the game's rendering workload at low resolution cannot fully utilize the GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 compute capacity.

Similar Performance Alternatives

According to the nearestRivals data for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to several other processors. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, which is 0.3% higher, making it essentially indistinguishable in performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, also 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887 with the same 0.3% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, which is 0.3% lower. These deltas are all within 0.3%, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside when paired with the same GPU. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is a strong performer, but not an outlier.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 places it very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209 and is 0.1% faster. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 at 2.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 at 2.7% higher. These deltas are all relatively small, meaning that swapping the RTX 4080 for any of these GPUs would result in frame rate differences of only a few percent in Inside. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking shows it sits well above average, and the measured FPS data confirms that even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate remains above 120 FPS, so any of these near-equivalent GPUs would still deliver a fully playable experience.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the dominant component in Inside, particularly at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rate drops from 265 FPS at Low to 126 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 52.5%. This dramatic scaling with preset quality indicates that the rendering workload is GPU-bound. The RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the key factors driving these numbers. At 1440p, the same preset scaling produces a 37.4% reduction from Low to Ultra (321 FPS to 201 FPS), showing that the GPU still carries most of the load but with less pressure than at 4K.

At 1080p, the preset scaling from Low to Ultra only reduces performance by 24.5% (359 FPS to 271 FPS). This smaller delta indicates that the CPU begins to play a more significant role at this resolution. The i5-12600KF's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1995 and 4-thread score of 3806 show strong multi-threading capability, but the game's engine appears to be limited by single-thread performance at low resolutions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw call processing, but it cannot feed the GPU fast enough to reach its full potential at 1080p Low. The fact that 1080p Ultra (271 FPS) is nearly identical to 1080p High (276 FPS) further confirms that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU has spare capacity that cannot be utilized.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 272 out of 3716 tested combinations places this system in the top 7.3% of all configurations in the database. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's strong performance, as the RTX 4080's 86th percentile ranking is higher than the CPU's 79th percentile. The measured FPS data supports this ranking: at 4K Ultra, the system still achieves 126 FPS average, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1440p Ultra, the 201 FPS average is more than three times the threshold, and at 1080p Ultra, the 271 FPS average is more than four times the threshold.

The ranking becomes more impressive when considering that Inside is a puzzle platformer, a genre that typically does not demand extreme hardware. The fact that this combo ranks 272nd out of 3716 suggests that most other configurations in the database are less capable, and many would struggle to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus width provide ample bandwidth for the game's textures and effects at 4K, while the CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support ensure that data can be fed to the GPU without bottlenecking. The system's position in the top 8% is well justified by the measured data.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: this system can run Inside at 60 FPS or higher at every tested resolution and preset. At 3840x2160, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the lowest average being 126 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, all presets are playable, with the lowest average being 201 FPS at Ultra. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with the lowest average being 271 FPS at Ultra. The playable threshold of 60 FPS is exceeded by a wide margin in every scenario, and even the minimum recorded frame rates (181 FPS at 4K Medium, 252 FPS at 1440p Medium, 281 FPS at 1080p Medium) are far above the threshold.

The data shows that this system does not merely clear the 60 FPS bar; it demolishes it. At 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 126 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p and 1080p, the frame rates exceed 200 FPS, making this combination ideal for 240 Hz monitors. The only consideration is that the system is overkill for this game, as even a much weaker GPU would likely achieve 60 FPS at 1080p. However, for users who want to maximize frame rates or run the game at 4K with the highest settings, this combo delivers exceptional performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, which achieves an average of 126 FPS. This is the most demanding preset, and it still maintains a frame rate more than double the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS for Ultra at 4K is not recorded in the data, but the average of 126 FPS provides a comfortable margin. For users seeking the highest visual quality at 4K, Ultra is the recommended choice.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 201 FPS. This provides a massive margin above the 60 FPS threshold and is suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming. The 1440p Ultra preset delivers nearly identical frame rates to 1080p High (201 FPS vs 276 FPS), showing that the resolution upgrade is essentially free in terms of playability.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 271 FPS. This is the highest frame rate of any Ultra preset across all resolutions, and it is more than four times the playable threshold. The 1080p Ultra preset is the best choice for competitive play or for users with 240 Hz or faster displays, as the 271 FPS average can fully utilize such monitors.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K Ultra?*

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 126 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 181 FPS at 3840x2160 Medium. All other minimums are higher, with 252 FPS at 2560x1440 Medium and 281 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 4K?

A: The GPU is more important, as evidenced by the 52.5% performance drop from 4K Low (265 FPS) to 4K Ultra (126 FPS), which is driven by the GPU's rendering workload.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 272nd out of 3716 tested configurations, placing it in the top 7.3% of all systems.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves 201 FPS average, making it the best choice for visual quality while maintaining a frame rate over three times the playable threshold.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 have any near-equivalent rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% faster, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% faster, so all would produce similar frame rates in Inside.