Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a surprisingly robust experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding at 4K than its minimalist aesthetic might suggest. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, yet maintains a clear 60 FPS headroom at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra sits just below the playability threshold. This combination offers a fascinating case study in how a high-end CPU can anchor a mid-range GPU, particularly in a title that appears to stress the graphics pipeline unevenly across presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the RX 6600 is the limiting factor only at the most extreme settings. The Low preset produces an average of 260.1 FPS, which is dramatically higher than the Medium preset’s 209.2 FPS. High settings drop further to 128.4 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 122.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 50.9 FPS, suggesting that Medium introduces a substantial increase in shading or texture work. Interestingly, the difference between High and Ultra is a mere 6.3 FPS, implying that the Ultra preset’s additional features are relatively light on the GPU. All 1080p averages are far beyond the 60 FPS target, leaving massive headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts but remains strong. The Low preset averages 187 FPS, while Medium drops to 150.5 FPS. High settings produce 90.5 FPS, and Ultra lands at 88.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is notable: at High, the frame rate drops by 37.9 FPS (from 128.4 to 90.5), which is a 29.5% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is 33.6 FPS (from 122.1 to 88.5), a 27.5% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count rises, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance prevents any major bottleneck. The 1440p Ultra average of 88.5 FPS is still comfortably above 60 FPS, showing that this resolution is entirely playable with maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the RX 6600 begins to show its limits. The Low preset averages 115.6 FPS, which is excellent for 4K, but Medium drops to 94.8 FPS. High settings fall to 56.6 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra produces 57.8 FPS, also slightly under. The jump from Medium to High at 4K is a severe 38.2 FPS loss, indicating that High preset’s shader complexity or texture resolution is disproportionately expensive at this resolution. Conversely, the difference between High and Ultra is only 1.2 FPS, reinforcing that Ultra adds minimal overhead beyond High. The data suggests that 4K is only playable at Low or Medium settings, with Medium being the highest preset that clears 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 9115, which is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is 0.2% slower. The data also shows the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 0.7% slower and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 0.9% slower. These deltas are negligible, meaning that swapping the i7-14700K for any of these alternatives would produce virtually identical frame rates in Inside, as the game is unlikely to be CPU-bound at the tested resolutions. The i7-14700K’s percentile rank of 94 versus all CPUs confirms it sits in the top tier, but its performance headroom is largely irrelevant here since the GPU is the primary constraint.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6600’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (0.1% slower), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (0.3% slower), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (0.4% faster). These scores suggest that the RX 6600’s raw compute performance is closely matched by older workstation cards and a mobile laptop part. In practice, a system with an RTX 4050 Mobile would likely produce similar FPS numbers in Inside, though desktop power limits and driver optimizations could cause minor deviations. The Quadro K6000, despite being older, has a nearly identical average score, meaning it would also perform similarly, though its lack of modern feature support could affect specific settings. The data implies that any of these GPUs would place the system in the same performance tier, with differences of less than 1% being imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 122.1 FPS. This is the clear choice for maximum visual quality, and the data shows no reason to compromise. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best option, with an average of 88.5 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Ultra and High at 1440p is only 2 FPS, so players can confidently select Ultra without worrying about frame rate stability. At 3840x2160, the story changes. The highest preset that maintains 60 FPS is Medium, averaging 94.8 FPS. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 56.6 and 57.8 FPS, respectively. This means 4K users must sacrifice visual fidelity to High or Ultra, or accept Medium as the maximum playable setting. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is a reasonable trade-off, as it delivers nearly 95 FPS, leaving headroom for dips in complex scenes.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Inside with excellent performance at most settings. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with Ultra providing 122.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra averaging 88.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best at 94.8 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K, with averages of 56.6 and 57.8 FPS, respectively, fall short of the 60 FPS threshold, though they are close enough that some players might tolerate the slight dip. The data shows that the system is overwhelmingly capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and even at 4K, it offers playable performance at medium settings. The only compromise is at 4K High/Ultra, where the RX 6600’s 8 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the limiting factors, rather than the CPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Radeon RX 6600. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (260.1 FPS at Low) that the CPU’s strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160, ensures no bottleneck. The GPU is the sole determinant of scaling between presets. For instance, the drop from 260.1 to 209.2 FPS when moving from Low to Medium at 1080p is purely a GPU workload increase. The CPU, with 20 cores and 28 threads, is barely utilized in a game like Inside, which is not heavily multithreaded.

At 1440p, the GPU’s role becomes more prominent. The frame rate at Ultra drops to 88.5 FPS, which is a 27.5% reduction from 1080p Ultra. This scaling indicates that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count, while the CPU continues to provide consistent frame pacing. The CPU’s performance is effectively static across resolutions, as evidenced by the minimal changes in frame rate deltas between presets. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Low preset’s 115.6 FPS drops to 56.6 FPS at High, a 51% reduction, which is a severe penalty that would not occur if the CPU were the limiting factor. The i7-14700K’s high memory bandwidth support (DDR4 and DDR5) and large L3 cache (33 MB shared) help mitigate any potential CPU stalls, but the data shows that the RX 6600’s compute units (1792 shading units) are overwhelmed at 4K High/Ultra.

The scaling between resolutions also highlights the GPU’s VRAM constraints. At 4K High, the average FPS of 56.6 is below the 60 FPS target, suggesting that the 8 GB frame buffer may be causing texture thrashing. The CPU’s role remains secondary, as its performance is consistent across all resolutions, with the GPU’s workload increasing disproportionately with resolution. In summary, the i7-14700K is more than sufficient for Inside, and the RX 6600 is the component that determines playability at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.8, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is Medium, averaging 94.8 FPS.

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

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 88.5 FPS, which is the highest preset and remains well above 60 FPS. This is the recommended setting for maximum visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700K’s average benchmark score is 69355, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 9115 and 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. These differences are negligible in gaming.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080, the lowest preset averages 260.1 FPS, and even Ultra averages 122.1 FPS. The CPU is not limiting, as the GPU handles all preset scaling.

Q: What is the playable threshold for this game?

A: The playable threshold is 60 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, all presets exceed this, but at 4K, only Low and Medium presets clear it.

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

A: This combination ranks 2844 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle percentile of all systems tested for Inside.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination ranks 2844 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 23rd percentile of all systems. This rank is surprisingly low given the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but it is likely dragged down by the 4K performance, where the GPU struggles. The CPU’s percentile rank of 94 versus all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier processor, while the GPU’s percentile rank of 63 versus all GPUs shows it is above average but not exceptional. The low combo rank suggests that many other systems with more powerful GPUs achieve higher 4K frame rates, even if their CPUs are weaker. The data implies that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it performs admirably, but it is not competitive at 4K with higher-end configurations. The rank also reflects that the RX 6600, while capable, is outclassed by more modern or higher-tier GPUs in this specific title’s most demanding settings.