Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. Measured data shows this combination producing triple-digit average frame rates at every resolution and preset tested, with the sole exception of the 4K Ultra preset, which still holds comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The results indicate a system with massive headroom, making it a reliable choice for high-refresh-rate displays even at maximum settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo produces staggering frame rates. The Low preset yields an average of 367 FPS. Moving up the quality ladder, Medium averages 339 FPS with a minimum of 288 and a maximum of 389. High settings still deliver 230 FPS average, and Ultra remains at 219 FPS. This scaling suggests the game is not taxing the hardware in any meaningful way at 1080p; even the largest drop between Low and Ultra (from 367 to 219) leaves enormous performance reserves.

At 2560x1440, the numbers remain extraordinarily high. The Low preset averages 329 FPS, while Medium posts 264 FPS (minimum 225, maximum 304). High settings produce 165 FPS average, and Ultra settles at 157 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 10-28% depending on the preset, but the absolute frame rates are so far beyond the 60 FPS threshold that this resolution is effectively effortless for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals a more noticeable performance curve. Low settings average 208 FPS, Medium drops to 166 FPS (minimum 141, maximum 191), High averages 104 FPS, and Ultra falls to 99 FPS. Even at the most demanding preset, the minimum recorded frame rate is not listed as a concern, and the average remains nearly 40 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K (208 vs 99) shows a 52% reduction, indicating that resolution scaling has a pronounced effect on this title, though never enough to threaten smooth gameplay.

The only preset with a reported minimum FPS is Medium at each resolution (141 at 4K, 225 at 1440p, 288 at 1080p), which implies that the unspecified minimums for other presets did not dip below the recorded averages in a way that warranted flagging. The data suggests consistent frame delivery across all tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 99 FPS, which is 39 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data lists Ultra as the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average is 367 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is followed by 339 FPS at 1080p Medium and 329 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: Comparing the Ultra preset, the average drops from 219 FPS at 1920x1080 to 99 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 120 FPS or roughly 55%. For the Low preset, the drop is from 367 to 208 FPS, a 43% reduction.

Q: Is the minimum FPS ever below the 60 FPS threshold?

A: The only reported minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset: 288 at 1080p, 225 at 1440p, and 141 at 4K. All of these are well above 60 FPS. No other presets report minimum values, but the averages indicate no risk of dropping below playable levels.

Q: Which preset provides the largest gap between minimum and average FPS?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 288 FPS against an average of 339 FPS, a 51 FPS difference. At 1440p Medium, the gap is 39 FPS (225 min vs 264 avg). At 4K Medium, the gap is 25 FPS (141 min vs 166 avg).

Q: Does the game scale linearly with resolution?

A: No. The data shows diminishing returns at lower resolutions. For Ultra settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs 62 FPS (219 to 157), while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs 58 FPS (157 to 99). The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K (208 to 99) is 109 FPS, which is larger than the resolution-based differences at lower presets.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287. The closest competitor is the Intel Core i5-13600T with a score of 35305, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (-0.2%), the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (-0.3%), and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428 (-0.4%). These deltas are all under one percentage point, meaning any of these processors would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside, given that the game is not CPU-limited at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average score of 37648. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with a score of 37628 (0.1% delta). The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.4% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (-1.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157 (1.3% delta). A user swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these alternatives would see performance shifts of roughly one percent or less on aggregate benchmarks, though the RTX 4080 Mobile's slightly higher score suggests it could post marginally higher FPS in this title.

The practical implication is that this combo sits in a performance cluster where component swaps within these rival groups would not meaningfully alter the gaming experience. The RTX 4080 Mobile, despite being a laptop part, might edge out the desktop 4070 by a small margin, while the RX Vega 56 would trail by a similarly small margin. For Inside specifically, all of these alternatives would still clear the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and preset.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally confirms that this PC can run Inside at all tested settings. The verdictByResolution indicates that every resolution—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—has all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) listed as playable. The best setting at 4K is Ultra with an average of 99 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 39 frames. At 1440p, Ultra averages 157 FPS, and at 1080p, Ultra averages 219 FPS.

This means a user could enable maximum graphical fidelity at any resolution and still enjoy frame rates that are suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum FPS recorded anywhere in the data is 141 FPS (4K Medium), which is more than double the playable threshold. There is no scenario in the measured data where this hardware falls below 60 FPS, making it a definitive pass for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS scaling reveals that the GPU is the primary performance driver in Inside, but the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial (e.g., Ultra goes from 219 to 99 FPS), which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload where pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p, the average FPS of 367 on Low settings approaches the kind of numbers typically associated with CPU-side limits, suggesting that the i7-12700K is doing the necessary work to feed the GPU effectively.

Comparing resolutions, the 1440p results (Ultra at 157 FPS) are 29% lower than 1080p (219 FPS), and the 4K results (99 FPS) are 55% lower than 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities are being taxed progressively as resolution increases, while the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery. The CPU's benchmark scores—a Cinebench R23 multicore of 19784 and a single-core of 1850.5—place it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, which is more than adequate for a game that does not appear to require extreme multi-threaded performance.

The role of the CPU becomes more apparent when looking at the Low preset at 4K, which averages 208 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K (208 to 166) is 42 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High (166 to 104) is 62 FPS, and High to Ultra (104 to 99) is just 5 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is handling the increased shader and texture loads, while the CPU's contribution is relatively constant. In a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with limited on-screen entities, the CPU workload is likely modest, freeing the i7-12700K to focus on frame pacing and physics.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 219 FPS. This is the best possible setting, and the frame rate is still nearly four times the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best setting, averaging 157 FPS. This represents a 28% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result but remains far above any playability concern.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best setting with an average of 99 FPS. This is the only resolution where the average dips below 100 FPS, but it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by 39 frames. For users seeking higher frame rates at 4K, dropping to High (104 FPS) or Medium (166 FPS) would provide additional headroom, but the data shows it is unnecessary for basic playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 691st out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations. This percentile positioning is consistent with the component-level benchmarks: the CPU is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. The combo rank is slightly lower than the individual component percentiles, which suggests that there are other combos with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs that achieve higher frame rates in this game, likely at 4K Ultra where the 99 FPS result leaves room for improvement.

Given that 3716 combos were tested, a rank of 691 means roughly 3025 other combinations performed better. However, the absolute performance is so high that this rank reflects diminishing returns—pushing beyond 99 FPS at 4K Ultra would require significantly more expensive hardware. The data implies that this combo is positioned well above the median tested system, and for a game as undemanding as Inside, the practical difference between rank 691 and rank 100 is likely imperceptible to most users.