Inside

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700K sits in a tight cluster of high-end processors based on aggregate benchmark scores. The database places it at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are separated by less than one percent in average score. The AMD EPYC 9115 trails by 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.2% ahead, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX leads by 0.7%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% ahead. In practical terms, anyone moving between these chips would see essentially identical CPU-bound behavior in Inside, a game that does not stress modern processors heavily.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a different story. It ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are remarkably close in average score. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 matches it exactly with a 0% delta, the AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is 0.8% behind. This means the RTX 2060 delivers frame rates nearly identical to a legacy GTX 580 in this title, and users with any of these four GPUs should expect similar performance. The RTX 2060 does bring modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate and ray tracing cores, but for Inside specifically, the raw throughput is what matters, and that throughput is closely matched across this group.

For the full system, the bottleneck is clearly the GPU. The i7-14700K is overkill for Inside, while the RTX 2060 determines the playable settings at each resolution. Any of the rival CPUs listed above would pair with this GPU to produce nearly the same result, and any of the rival GPUs would also land within a few frames per second of the measured values.

CPU and GPU Roles

Inside is a puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands, and the data shows the GPU becomes the limiting factor only at the highest resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU has no trouble feeding the GPU: frame rates range from 122.4 FPS at Ultra to 255.5 FPS at Low. The gap between Low and Ultra is 133.1 FPS, which indicates the GPU is doing more work as settings rise, but even the heaviest preset clears 120 FPS comfortably.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Low settings produce 185.9 FPS, Medium reaches 150 FPS, High drops to 89.6 FPS, and Ultra lands at 89.9 FPS. The interesting detail here is that High and Ultra are nearly identical, differing by only 0.3 FPS. This suggests the game's Ultra preset adds little additional GPU load over High at this resolution, or that the RTX 2060 hits a similar ceiling regardless of which of those two presets is selected.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings still manage 118.6 FPS, but Medium falls to 91.3 FPS, High drops to 55.5 FPS, and Ultra sits at 55.7 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 35.8 FPS, a steep cliff that shows the RTX 2060 cannot sustain 60 FPS when the game pushes more pixels with higher quality settings. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is never the limiting factor at any resolution; the scaling between presets tracks GPU load, not CPU capability.

Resolution scaling reinforces this conclusion. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 28% to 37% depending on preset. Moving from 1440p to 4K reduces frame rates by roughly 38% to 49%. These reductions align with the increased pixel count, which is GPU work. The CPU's role is to prepare frames, and it does so far faster than the RTX 2060 can render them, so the recorded numbers reflect GPU performance almost exclusively.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Inside at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, the system averages 122.4 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at this resolution clear 60 FPS, with Low at 255.5 FPS, Medium at 203.6 FPS, and High at 130.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: Medium is the best playable setting at 4K, producing 91.3 FPS on average. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS, with 55.5 FPS and 55.7 FPS respectively. Low is also playable at 118.6 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual experience while still clearing the threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The loss varies by preset. At Low, frame rate drops from 255.5 FPS to 185.9 FPS, a 27% reduction. At Medium, it drops from 203.6 FPS to 150 FPS, a 26% reduction. At High, it drops from 130.9 FPS to 89.6 FPS, a 32% reduction. At Ultra, it drops from 122.4 FPS to 89.9 FPS, a 27% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is far more important. The Intel Core i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile for CPUs and produces benchmark scores over 69,000, while the RTX 2060 ranks in the 58th percentile for GPUs. The frame rate scaling across resolutions and presets tracks GPU workload, and the CPU never becomes the limiting factor even at 4K Low where the GPU still delivers 118.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2060 performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, and AMD Radeon RX 7600. The average benchmark scores differ by less than 1% among all five GPUs, so users with any of these cards should expect similar frame rates in Inside.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 1440p provide any benefit over High?

A: No measurable benefit in frame rate. At 2560x1440, High averages 89.6 FPS and Ultra averages 89.9 FPS, a difference of only 0.3 FPS. Both presets are well above the 60 FPS threshold, so the choice comes down to visual preference, not performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Inside, and it can do so at 60 FPS or higher in most configurations. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the threshold, with Ultra delivering 122.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, every preset also clears the threshold, with Ultra delivering 89.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best choice at 91.3 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K fall short of 60 FPS, averaging 55.5 FPS and 55.7 FPS respectively.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at any settings, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or lower. The 60 FPS playable threshold is met with substantial headroom in most cases, so users who prefer higher refresh rates will find the system capable at 1080p and 1440p, but should stick to Medium or Low at 4K to stay above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings average 255.5 FPS, Medium averages 203.6 FPS, High averages 130.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 122.4 FPS. All presets are far above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the heaviest preset leaves nearly double the required headroom.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low averages 185.9 FPS, Medium averages 150 FPS, High averages 89.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 89.9 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively tied with High, differing by only 0.3 FPS, and both comfortably exceed 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with higher presets. Low averages 118.6 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium averages 91.3 FPS, also above the threshold. High averages 55.5 FPS and Ultra averages 55.7 FPS, both below 60 FPS. The minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded in the database, so only average values are available for analysis.

The full recorded dataset shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 2060 delivers playable frame rates up to Medium at 4K, and up to Ultra at 1440p and 1080p. The CPU never appears as a limiting factor, as even the lowest GPU-bound result of 55.5 FPS at 4K High is far below what the i7-14700K can produce in CPU-bound scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations in the database for Inside, this pairing ranks 2897 out of 3716. That places it in the lower portion of tested configurations, which is expected given the RTX 2060's position at the 58th percentile for GPUs. The i7-14700K is a top-tier processor, but the GPU holds the system back in the overall ranking.

The rank does not tell the full story, however. Inside is not a demanding game, and this combo still clears 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p with any preset, and at 4K with Medium or Low. The low rank reflects the GPU's modest standing relative to modern hardware, not an inability to run the game well. Users with this combo will get smooth performance in Inside, but the database shows that many other tested combinations achieve higher frame rates, particularly those with stronger GPUs.

The gap between the CPU's 94th percentile ranking and the GPU's 58th percentile ranking is the defining characteristic of this system. The i7-14700K is ready for far more demanding games, while the RTX 2060 limits what this particular build can do. For Inside specifically, that limitation only appears at 4K with High or Ultra settings, where the system falls just short of 60 FPS.