Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that places minimal strain on modern hardware. Benchmark data shows this combo ranks 841st out of 3,716 tested configurations, placing it in the top 23% of all systems evaluated for this title. The measured frame rates are extraordinarily high across every resolution and preset, with the weakest result still hitting 95 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. This is a case where the hardware is dramatically overqualified for the game's demands, yet the data reveals interesting scaling patterns that clarify how each component contributes to the final output.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 841 out of 3,716 tested combinations indicates it sits comfortably in the upper quartile of systems capable of running Inside. This percentile position (roughly the 77th) reflects the raw power of both components, but the rank is more telling when viewed against the game's modest requirements. The CPU achieves an 85th percentile ranking against all processors, while the GPU sits at the 68th percentile against all graphics cards. The gap between these two percentile figures suggests the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card when compared to their respective peer groups, yet the measured FPS shows the GPU is never the limiting factor at any resolution below 4K.

The average benchmark score for the CPU is 35,365, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35,403 (a delta of -0.1%), followed closely by the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35,428 (-0.2%) and the Intel Core i7-12700K at 35,287 (+0.2%). This clustering of scores within a 0.4% band means the i7-12700KF is effectively performance-identical to its three closest competitors in synthetic workloads. For the GPU, the average score is 23,172, with the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23,249 (-0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23,250 (-0.3%), AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23,273 (-0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23,276 (-0.4%) as the nearest rivals. The delta values here are similarly tight, indicating that the RTX 3080's raw compute performance is matched by several older or lower-tier cards in this specific benchmark context.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i7-12700KF and RTX 3080 becomes clear when examining FPS scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 364 FPS, which drops to 220 FPS at High and 210 FPS at Ultra. The shift from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings reduces average FPS from 210 to 151, a 28% decline, while moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra brings another drop from 151 to 95 FPS, a 37% reduction. These scaling factors reveal that the GPU begins to take a more prominent role as resolution increases, but even at 4K Ultra the frame rate remains far above the 60 FPS threshold.

At lower resolutions, the CPU's influence is more apparent. The 1080p Low preset achieves 364 FPS, which is 1.10 times faster than the 1440p Low result of 317 FPS and 1.83 times faster than the 4K Low result of 199 FPS. The relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (364 vs 317) suggests the CPU is nearing its practical limit for feeding frames to the GPU, since the graphics load is minimal at these settings. Conversely, the 4K Low figure of 199 FPS versus 4K Medium at 159 FPS shows that even at 4K, preset changes have a larger impact than resolution scaling, indicating the GPU has ample headroom.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 210 FPS. The data shows all four presets (Low at 364 FPS, Medium at 336 FPS, High at 220 FPS, Ultra at 210 FPS) comfortably exceed the playable threshold. For 2560x1440, Ultra again is the best choice, producing 151 FPS on average, with High at 158 FPS, Medium at 253 FPS, and Low at 317 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra remains playable at 95 FPS average, making it the recommended preset; the other options include High at 99 FPS, Medium at 159 FPS, and Low at 199 FPS. Every resolution and preset combination in the measured data stays above 60 FPS, so the "best" setting is simply the highest quality option available.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403, -0.1%), Intel Core 5 213PE (35,428, -0.2%), Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305, +0.2%), and Intel Core i7-12700K (35,287, +0.2%). These processors would deliver virtually identical frame rates in Inside, as the game's single-threaded nature means even the 0.2% differences in synthetic scores translate to imperceptible FPS changes. The i7-12700K is particularly notable as it shares the same architecture and core configuration, differing only in unlocked multiplier status. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23,249, -0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23,250, -0.3%), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23,273, -0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23,276, -0.4%). These cards offer statistically equivalent PassMark G3D scores, meaning they would produce nearly identical results in Inside despite their architectural differences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides the only complete set of frame data: an average of 159 FPS, minimum of 135 FPS, and maximum of 183 FPS. The Low preset averages 199 FPS, High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 95 FPS, with min/max values unavailable for these settings. The spread between Medium and Low (40 FPS) is larger than the spread between High and Ultra (4 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns at the highest quality levels. At 2560x1440, Medium again provides full data with an average of 253 FPS, minimum of 215 FPS, and maximum of 291 FPS. The Low preset achieves 317 FPS, High reaches 158 FPS, and Ultra delivers 151 FPS. The 1080p results show the highest absolute values: Low at 364 FPS, Medium at 336 FPS (min 286, max 387), High at 220 FPS, and Ultra at 210 FPS. The consistency of min-to-max ranges across resolutions (roughly ±15-18% from average) indicates stable frame pacing with no significant hitches.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Inside at maximum quality across all tested resolutions. The verdict data confirms that every resolution — 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 — supports all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best settings per resolution are Ultra at 95 FPS for 4K, Ultra at 151 FPS for 1440p, and Ultra at 210 FPS for 1080p. The minimum measured frame rate across the entire dataset is 135 FPS (4K Medium), which is still more than double the playable threshold. Even the most demanding configuration — 4K Ultra — maintains a 95 FPS average, leaving substantial headroom for any potential frame drops or background tasks. The i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads are far more than Inside requires, and the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are never taxed by this game's simple visuals.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Ultra settings at 3840x2160 deliver an average of 95 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets at 4K are playable, with Low at 199 FPS, Medium at 159 FPS, and High at 99 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Ultra settings, 1080p produces 210 FPS versus 95 FPS at 4K, making 1080p 2.21 times faster. At Low settings, the gap is smaller: 364 FPS at 1080p versus 199 FPS at 4K, a 1.83x difference.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 bottleneck the i7-12700KF in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at low resolutions and presets. The 1080p Low result of 364 FPS is only 1.15x faster than 1440p Low at 317 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K scaling at Low shows a larger 1.59x drop, indicating the GPU becomes more relevant as resolution climbs.

Q: What are the closest performance alternatives to this CPU?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700T, Intel Core 5 213PE, Intel Core i5-13600T, and Intel Core i7-12700K all have average benchmark scores within 0.2% of the i7-12700KF. Any of these would produce nearly identical frame rates in Inside.

Q: Is the RTX 3080's performance close to any older cards?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and AMD Radeon R9 M290X all have PassMark scores within 0.4% of the RTX 3080. These cards would deliver statistically equivalent results in this game.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest minimum frame rate is 135 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is still over twice the 60 FPS playable threshold, confirming no configuration in the measured data ever dips below playable levels.