Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a decisive performance outcome for Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. Measured data shows this combination not only meets but vastly exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and preset. From 1080p to 4K, the system demonstrates overwhelming headroom, with even the most demanding settings producing frame rates nearly 40 FPS above the target at maximum resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a clear picture of performance scaling across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 411 FPS, Medium drops to 353 FPS, High settles at 220.2 FPS, and Ultra maintains a robust 211.8 FPS average. Even the most demanding setting at 1080p runs at more than three times the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains substantial but shows the expected impact of increased pixel count. Low settings produce a 316.1 FPS average, Medium delivers 255 FPS, High reaches 157.9 FPS, and Ultra stays comfortably above playability at 151 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows from roughly 200 FPS at 1080p to about 165 FPS at 1440p, indicating a growing GPU workload.

At 3840x2160, the system still excels. Low settings generate a 201.7 FPS average, Medium drops to 160.9 FPS, High averages 98.5 FPS, and Ultra holds at 97.5 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly notable: it remains 37.5 FPS above the playable threshold, proving the combination handles maximum resolution without compromise. Interestingly, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, just 1 FPS, whereas at 1080p the gap is 8.4 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions suggests diminishing returns from the Ultra preset as resolution scales.

Across all settings, the data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, only averages. The absence of frame time variance data means the analysis relies solely on sustained throughput, which is uniformly excellent.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling behavior between resolutions and presets reveals where each component exerts influence. At 1080p, the gap between Low (411 FPS) and Medium (353 FPS) is 58 FPS, while the jump from High (220.2 FPS) to Ultra (211.8 FPS) is a mere 8.4 FPS. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, has ample capacity to feed the GPU, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings approach Ultra. The Intel Core i7-14700K’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 4472 Passmark single-thread score, keeps the pipeline full even at extreme frame rates.

At 1440p, the story shifts slightly. Low (316.1 FPS) to Medium (255 FPS) represents a 61.1 FPS drop, similar to 1080p. However, High (157.9 FPS) to Ultra (151 FPS) narrows to a 6.9 FPS difference. The GPU’s role grows as pixel count rises, with the GeForce RTX 3080’s 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 throughput becoming more relevant. The RTX 3080, which ranks in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, clearly dominates the rendering workload at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the primary constraint. Low (201.7 FPS) to Medium (160.9 FPS) shows a 40.8 FPS drop, but High (98.5 FPS) to Ultra (97.5 FPS) is nearly identical, with only a 1 FPS difference. This convergence indicates that the RTX 3080 is saturated by the 3840x2160 pixel count, regardless of whether High or Ultra settings are applied. The CPU’s role diminishes further; its 33440.5 Cinebench R23 multi-core score ensures it never bottlenecks, but the GPU’s raw fill rate dictates the ceiling. The data strongly suggests that for Inside, the GPU is the dominant factor at all resolutions above 1080p, while the CPU only matters for avoiding frame rate dips at lower settings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K Ultra settings with acceptable performance?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 97.5 FPS, which is 37.5 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict by resolution lists Ultra as the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: How does the frame rate change from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 220.2 at 1920x1080 to 157.9 at 2560x1440, a decrease of 62.3 FPS. This represents a 28.3% reduction in frame rate when moving to a higher resolution.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra presets at any resolution?

A: The largest difference occurs at 1080p, where Ultra (211.8 FPS) is 8.4 FPS lower than High (220.2 FPS). At 1440p, the gap narrows to 6.9 FPS (151 vs 157.9), and at 4K it shrinks to just 1 FPS (97.5 vs 98.5), suggesting Ultra adds minimal cost at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest recorded frame rate across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest average FPS is 97.5, achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. No min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, but the lowest average remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

*Q: How does this combination rank against other tested hardware for Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 719th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 19.4% of all configurations. This indicates a high-performing setup relative to the full database of results.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have more influence on performance at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary factor at 4K. The RTX 3080’s performance ceiling is evident in the minimal difference between High (98.5 FPS) and Ultra (97.5 FPS), while the CPU’s robust multi-threaded capabilities (33440.5 Cinebench R23 score) are not the limiting factor.

The Verdict

This system can absolutely run Inside, and it does so with exceptional margin. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every tested resolution. At 1920x1080, the best settings achieve 211.8 FPS, which is more than three times the 60 FPS target. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 151 FPS, comfortably above threshold. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding scenario, Ultra settings deliver 97.5 FPS, leaving 37.5 FPS of headroom.

The data shows no configuration falls below 60 FPS. The lowest average across all twelve tested combinations is the 4K Ultra result of 97.5 FPS. This means the system never approaches the playability boundary, regardless of user preferences. For a game released in 2016, this hardware combination is vastly overqualified, but the measured results confirm it handles maximum settings at maximum resolution without compromise. The only conclusion is that this PC runs Inside flawlessly under any configuration.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with a measured average of 211.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and it runs at over 200 FPS, leaving enormous headroom. Users could theoretically cap the frame rate or enable additional features without concern.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best visual quality while maintaining 151 FPS average. The gap from Ultra to High is only 6.9 FPS, but Ultra still delivers more than double the playable threshold. There is no reason to choose lower settings for performance reasons.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the optimal choice, averaging 97.5 FPS. While this is the lowest average across all tested points, it still exceeds 60 FPS by a substantial margin. The difference between High (98.5 FPS) and Ultra (97.5 FPS) is negligible, making Ultra the clear recommendation since it offers improved visuals at nearly identical performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 719th out of 3716 total configurations. This places the system in the top 19.4% of all tested hardware, indicating a strong overall standing. The rank reflects the combination’s ability to handle the game’s demands, though the sheer number of higher-ranked combos suggests that many more powerful systems exist in the database.

The CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 69355. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9115 (deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct -0.7), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (deltaPct -0.9). These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the i7-14700K’s processing power is effectively interchangeable with those models for this game. The GPU, however, ranks in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, which is notably lower, suggesting the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals provide nearly identical benchmark performance. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a mere 0.1% below the i7-14700K’s 69355 average. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F follow at 69875 (0.7% higher) and 69996 (0.9% higher), respectively. Any of these processors would deliver virtually the same frame rates in Inside, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are notably less powerful in name but show similar average scores. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, just 0.3% below the RTX 3080’s 23172 average. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M both score around 23250, also 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, 0.4% lower. These deltas are surprisingly small, suggesting that in the benchmark database’s scoring, these very different GPUs cluster closely. However, in real-world gaming, the RTX 3080’s 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus width would likely provide superior sustained performance in most titles, even if the aggregate scores are similar. For Inside specifically, any of these alternatives would likely maintain playable frame rates given the game’s modest requirements, but the RTX 3080 remains the stronger choice for higher resolutions and future titles.