Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a formidable combination for running Inside, a Puzzle Platformer released on 2016-07-06. The measured data shows this system delivers exceptional frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, making it a clear overachiever for this title. The benchmark results indicate that the combo ranks 2370 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of all systems, while the CPU itself sits in the 85th percentile and the GPU in the 60th percentile of their respective categories.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 63.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes Ultra the best settings choice for 4K, as it is the most demanding preset that still stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1920x1080 Low preset delivers an average of 295.1 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 63.6 FPS seen at 3840x2160 Ultra. This represents a performance scaling factor of roughly 4.6 times when dropping from 4K Ultra to 1080p Low.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. While the CPU scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4071 in single-core, the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 17132 shows it is a mid-range performer. The frame rate drops from 295.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 63.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, a 78% reduction that aligns with GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What is the closest CPU rival to the i7-12700KF?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700T has an average benchmark score of 35403, which is only 0.1% higher than the i7-12700KF's score of 35365. The Intel Core i5-13600T is also very close, scoring 35305, just 0.2% lower.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT more comparable to the RTX 3070 or the GTX 690?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 17083. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208, which is 0.7% higher, making it the closest rival. The GTX 690 scores 17037, which is 0.3% lower, so both are extremely close in overall performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 102.2 FPS. Since this is well above the 60 FPS threshold and is the most demanding preset, Ultra is the recommended setting for 1440p.

Best Settings per Resolution

The benchmark data for Inside reveals that this system has enough headroom to run the game at maximum visual fidelity on every resolution tested. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset produces an average of 137.4 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches 234.9 FPS, while Low hits 295.1 FPS, showing that lower settings provide diminishing returns due to the already high baseline performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still delivers a strong 102.2 FPS average, comfortably clearing the playable threshold. The High preset at 1440p achieves 103.4 FPS, which is nearly identical to Ultra, suggesting that the extra visual details in Ultra come at a minimal performance cost. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 63.6 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but with less margin. The High preset at 4K averages 64 FPS, making it a slightly safer choice for maintaining consistent performance, though both are technically playable.

For the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, the recommendation is Ultra at all three resolutions: 137.4 FPS at 1080p, 102.2 FPS at 1440p, and 63.6 FPS at 4K. Even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a playable frame rate, which is notable given the GPU's mid-range standing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in Inside's performance. At 1080p Low, the system produces 295.1 FPS, which drops to 211.7 FPS at 1440p Low and 132.6 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for GPU-bound workloads where pixel count directly impacts frame rate. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 4071, is sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The gap between settings at a given resolution further confirms GPU dominance. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 157.7 FPS (295.1 vs 137.4), while at 4K the same difference is only 69 FPS (132.6 vs 63.6). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly saturated, leaving less headroom for setting changes to impact performance. The CPU's role is to maintain a high enough frame ceiling, which it does easily given its 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983.

Interestingly, the High and Ultra presets show very similar performance at 1440p (103.4 vs 102.2 FPS) and 4K (64 vs 63.6 FPS). This indicates that the game's Ultra preset adds minimal additional GPU load over High, making the Ultra setting a free upgrade in visual quality. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are not a limiting factor here, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra scenario only requires enough single-thread speed to process game logic, which the i7-12700KF provides in abundance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearestRivals data, the CPU and GPU each have close competitors that would behave similarly in Inside. For the Intel Core i7-12700KF, the Intel Core i7-13700T is the closest match with an average benchmark score of 35403, just 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287 (0.2% lower). Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Inside, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded and all four processors have strong single-core performance.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 versus 17083, a 0.7% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 (0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019 (0.4% lower). In practice, swapping the RX 7600 XT for an RTX 3070 would result in a negligible frame rate difference in Inside, likely less than 2 FPS at any given setting. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older architectures, but their similar benchmark scores suggest they would also handle this game well, though they may lack modern feature support.

These alternatives highlight that the i7-12700KF is well-matched with the RX 7600 XT, as both sit near the same percentile in their respective categories (85th for CPU, 60th for GPU). The system's performance in Inside is not sensitive to small benchmark variations, so any of these near-identical rivals would produce comparable results.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field shows this system ranks 2370 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the 36th percentile of all combos (calculated from the rank). This might seem modest, but it reflects the fact that Inside is an older game that does not heavily stress modern hardware, so many high-end systems achieve similar frame rates. The ranking is more indicative of the CPU and GPU's overall benchmark scores than their actual performance in this specific title.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus all CPUs and the GPU's 60th percentile ranking versus all GPUs suggest this is a solidly mid-to-high-end combination. The fact that it still achieves 63.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, despite the GPU being in the 60th percentile, demonstrates that Inside is well-optimized for a wide range of hardware. The rank of 2370 means there are 1346 combinations that score higher, but most of those likely feature top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which would provide diminishing returns in a game that caps out at around 295 FPS at 1080p Low.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can definitively run Inside at playable frame rates across all tested configurations. The verdictByResolution data shows that every resolution and settings combination in the measured FPS table exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the worst-case Ultra preset still averages 137.4 FPS, which is more than double the threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 102.2 FPS, providing a comfortable margin. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding scenario, Ultra maintains 63.6 FPS, just above the 60 FPS line.

The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, as this preset offers the highest visual quality while remaining playable. At 4K, the margin is slim (3.6 FPS over the threshold), but the data shows it is achievable. For users who prefer extra headroom, the High preset at 4K provides 64 FPS, which is essentially identical to Ultra. This system is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience in Inside, making it a strong choice for this game and likely similar puzzle platformers from the same era.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset averages 295.1 FPS, Medium averages 234.9 FPS, High averages 144.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 137.4 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 6.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional visual effects have a minimal performance impact. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 53% reduction in frame rate, which is modest given the large graphical uplift.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high. Low averages 211.7 FPS, Medium averages 167 FPS, High averages 103.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 102.2 FPS. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1.2 FPS, making Ultra the clear choice. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings ranges from 28% (Low) to 26% (Ultra), consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

At 3840x2160, performance is still playable but with less headroom. Low averages 132.6 FPS, Medium averages 106.4 FPS, High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.6 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical, differing by only 0.4 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 37% reduction at Low (211.7 to 132.6 FPS) and a 38% reduction at Ultra (102.2 to 63.6 FPS), confirming that resolution is the primary performance driver. Across all resolutions, the system never drops below 63.6 FPS, making it a reliable performer for Inside at any settings combination.