Inside

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-12700K sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 35287 places it within 0.4% of several comparable processors. The closest match is the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305, a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i7-12700KF (score 35365) trails the i7-12700K by only 0.2%, while the Intel Core i7-13700T (score 35403) is 0.3% ahead. The Intel Core 5 213PE (score 35428) completes this cluster at 0.4% higher. In practical terms, any of these four alternatives would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Inside, since their aggregate benchmark deltas fall well within run-to-run variance.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 records an average benchmark score of 15290, placing it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a score of 15283, a 0.0% difference. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171 (0.8% lower). All four GPUs essentially tie in aggregate compute performance, though the RTX 2060's architectural advantages in specific workloads may shift real-world results. For Inside, a system with any of these GPUs paired with a similarly performing CPU would produce frame rates within a few percent of the measured results.

The Verdict

This combination of Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 runs Inside with substantial headroom at all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset delivers 122.2 FPS on average, more than double the minimum requirement. At 2560x1440, the same holds true: Ultra averages 87.9 FPS, High reaches 90.4 FPS, Medium hits 147.1 FPS, and Low peaks at 185.1 FPS. All four settings remain comfortably above 60 FPS.

The only resolution where the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS is 3840x2160. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 56.3 FPS, slightly under the playable threshold. However, 4K High averages 58.7 FPS, which is also technically below 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 93.6 FPS, and Low reaches 113.9 FPS. Therefore, the verdict is clear: this system delivers 60+ FPS at 1080p and 1440p with any preset, while at 4K the user must select Medium or Low to stay fluid. The database records playable settings for 4K as Low and Medium, with Medium being the best option at 93.6 FPS.

In summary, this PC runs Inside without compromise at mainstream resolutions. The 4K Ultra setting is the sole exception, but the gap is small (56.3 FPS versus the 60 FPS threshold) and easily bridged by dropping to Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured frame rates show that Inside is not a demanding title for this hardware combination, and the scaling patterns reveal which component dominates at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low (258.2 FPS) to Medium (202.7 FPS) represents a 21.5% reduction, while High (129 FPS) and Ultra (122.2 FPS) show much smaller drops. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads, combined with its strong single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 1043, Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5), keep the system well ahead of any potential CPU bottleneck at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low delivers 185.1 FPS, Medium 147.1 FPS, High 90.4 FPS, and Ultra 87.9 FPS. The relative differences between presets shrink compared to 1080p, indicating that the GPU begins to exert more influence as resolution increases. The RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to maintain high throughput, but the rendering load at 1440p starts to show in the High to Ultra transition, which only drops from 90.4 to 87.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low (113.9 FPS) to Medium (93.6 FPS) drops by 17.8%, but Medium to High falls to 58.7 FPS, a 37.3% reduction. High to Ultra then declines to 56.3 FPS, only a 4.1% difference. This pattern indicates that at 4K, the pixel throughput demands of the RTX 2060 (80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate) dominate the performance curve. The CPU's contribution, while still strong, becomes secondary because the GPU is working near its fill-rate limits.

The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the i7-12700K provides enough compute headroom that even the most demanding preset fails to stress the CPU meaningfully. At 4K, the GPU's raw rendering capacity determines playability, and the CPU's role diminishes further. For users upgrading from a weaker CPU, the frame rate gains would be minimal at 4K but more noticeable at 1080p where CPU-bound scenarios can arise.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 58.7 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 93.6 FPS and is the highest playable setting.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra is the best preset at 2560x1440, averaging 87.9 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS at this resolution, so users can enable maximum quality without concern.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283 (0.0% difference), the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171 (0.8% lower). Performance is effectively identical across these four.

Q: Is the i7-12700K a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the system reaches 122.2 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra it hits 87.9 FPS. The CPU's 3dmark 16-thread score of 9276 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 indicate ample headroom. The GPU becomes the limiting factor only at 4K.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average is 202.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This is far above the 60 FPS threshold, making the game extremely smooth at this configuration.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?

A: The combination ranks 2910 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. Despite the rank, it achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with all presets, and at 4K with Medium or Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Inside, this Intel Core i7-12700K plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing ranks 2910 out of 3716 combos. That places it at approximately the 78th percentile from the bottom, meaning about 78% of tested systems outperform it. This rank reflects the aggregate of both components' benchmark scores: the CPU sits at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU rests at the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The discrepancy between the CPU's strong percentile and the GPU's mid-range percentile explains the overall rank. The i7-12700K is a high-end processor, but the RTX 2060 is a mid-range graphics card from 2019. In Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands, the GPU still plays a decisive role at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates confirm this: at 1080p, the system outperforms many higher-ranked combos due to the CPU's strength, but at 4K, the GPU's limitations pull the average down.

Systems ranked higher than 2910 likely pair stronger GPUs with similar or weaker CPUs. Since Inside does not heavily stress the CPU, a faster GPU would yield larger frame rate gains than a faster CPU would. Conversely, systems ranked lower than 2910 might have comparable GPUs but significantly weaker processors, which would become bottlenecks at 1080p where the CPU matters more.

The rank also indicates that this combo is not at the extreme low end. It sits above the 806 lowest-ranked combinations, which likely include older integrated graphics or entry-level discrete GPUs that cannot maintain 60 FPS even at 1080p Low. For a game like Inside, the rank is acceptable, but users seeking maximum performance at 4K would need to step up to a higher-tier GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for each resolution, based on measured average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, which averages 122.2 FPS. This is the maximum quality preset available, and it more than doubles the 60 FPS playability threshold. The High preset averages 129 FPS, Medium reaches 202.7 FPS, and Low peaks at 258.2 FPS, but Ultra offers the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best setting, averaging 87.9 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS, with a 27.9 FPS margin. High averages 90.4 FPS, Medium 147.1 FPS, and Low 185.1 FPS, but there is no reason to drop below Ultra given the measured performance.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is Medium, which averages 93.6 FPS. This provides a substantial buffer over the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset averages 58.7 FPS, which misses the threshold by 1.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56.3 FPS. Low averages 113.9 FPS but sacrifices visual fidelity. Therefore, Medium is the optimal 4K configuration, delivering high quality while maintaining fluid gameplay.

For users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rates, the 4K High setting at 58.7 FPS is close to playable, but the database threshold requires at least 60 FPS for a setting to be classified as playable. The Medium preset at 4K is the safest choice, offering both quality and performance.