Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer with modest graphical demands. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the average FPS never drops below the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating that this hardware is significantly overqualified for the game. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: performance degrades predictably as resolution and graphical preset increase, but the absolute lowest recorded average, 72.2 FPS at 4K Ultra, remains comfortably above the playability benchmark.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces staggering frame rates. The Low preset averages 348 FPS, while Medium reaches 274.4 FPS. High settings still yield 176 FPS, and the most demanding Ultra preset averages 163 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU-GPU pairing is heavily underutilized at 1080p, with the game likely becoming limited by engine-level frame pacing rather than hardware throughput. The gap between Low and Ultra is 185 FPS, representing a 53% reduction in performance, yet even the Ultra result is 103 FPS above the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440 introduces a noticeable but not severe performance penalty. The Low preset averages 251.3 FPS, which is a 28% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 198.3 FPS, High delivers 123.7 FPS, and Ultra settles at 118.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of approximately 28-30% depending on the settings level. The Ultra preset at 1440p still maintains nearly double the 60 FPS threshold, indicating ample headroom for high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the full 4K resolution, the performance curve flattens considerably. Low settings average 156.8 FPS, Medium drops to 128.1 FPS, High produces 81 FPS, and Ultra yields 72.2 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a more pronounced impact on higher presets: High loses 42.7 FPS (34.5% drop) while Low loses 94.5 FPS (37.6% drop). Interestingly, the Ultra preset at 4K is only 8.8 FPS slower than High at 4K, suggesting that the game's Ultra settings add diminishing visual complexity beyond High. The data indicates that 4K Ultra is the first configuration where the frame rate approaches the 60 FPS threshold, but it still clears it by 12.2 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163 in the average benchmark score, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with an average score of 69,996, representing a 0.2% deficit. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX follows at 69,875 (0.4% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X trails by 0.9% with a score of 69,515. On the other side, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K leads the i7-14700KF by 1% with a score of 70,879. For Inside, these differences are negligible; any of these CPUs would deliver statistically identical frame rates given the game's low CPU demands. The 20-core, 28-thread configuration of the i7-14700KF is far beyond what this title requires.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16,129, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16,014 and is 0.7% slower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16,351, representing a 1.4% advantage, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT also scores 16,351 for the same 1.4% lead. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15,862, which is 1.7% behind. In the context of Inside, these tiny percentage differences translate to single-digit FPS variations. For instance, the 1.4% performance gap between the RTX 3060 Ti and the RX 5700 XT would account for roughly 1 FPS at 4K Ultra (72.2 FPS vs. approximately 71 FPS), which is imperceptible in actual gameplay. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for this title's texture and shading requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1,671st out of 3,716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 55th percentile of all configurations benchmarked. This rank reflects the fact that while the hardware is capable of running the game at maximum settings, many other tested combos feature more powerful GPUs that achieve even higher frame rates. The rank is primarily driven by the RTX 3060 Ti's mid-range positioning (59th percentile of GPUs) rather than the CPU, since the i7-14700KF sits in the 94th percentile. The data suggests that swapping the RTX 3060 Ti for a higher-tier GPU would substantially improve the rank, whereas upgrading the CPU would yield minimal gains, as the game does not heavily utilize multi-threaded processing. The combination's rank of 1,671 indicates that roughly 56% of tested systems outperform it, but the actual performance gap in Inside is small because the game is not demanding enough to stress the hardware meaningfully.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Inside at every resolution and preset tested. The verdict data confirms that all four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at all three resolutions, with the 60 FPS threshold being met or exceeded in every scenario. At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 163 FPS, which represents the highest preset and maximum frame rate combination. At 2560x1440, Ultra also remains the best choice, delivering 118.1 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, Ultra is achievable at 72.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS target by 20%. The verdict categorically states that there is no resolution or preset combination where the frame rate falls below playable levels. For users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the 1080p Low preset at 348 FPS or even 1440p Low at 251.3 FPS would be suitable, while those prioritizing visual fidelity should opt for 4K Ultra at 72.2 FPS. The hardware is effectively overkill for this title, and the only limitation is the display's refresh rate, not the GPU or CPU.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 60 FPS on 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 72.2 FPS, which is 12.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding configuration tested, and it still passes comfortably.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 348 FPS, which is the highest frame rate across all test configurations. The Medium preset follows at 274.4 FPS, while High and Ultra deliver 176 FPS and 163 FPS respectively.

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

A: Across all presets, the frame rate drops by roughly 28-30% when scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440. For example, Ultra drops from 163 FPS to 118.1 FPS, a 27.5% reduction, while Low drops from 348 FPS to 251.3 FPS, a 27.8% reduction.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Inside?*

A: The GPU is the more significant factor. The RTX 3060 Ti ranks in the 59th percentile of GPUs, while the i7-14700KF ranks in the 94th percentile of CPUs. The game's low computational demands mean that the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are largely idle, while the GPU's rendering workload scales directly with resolution and preset.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 123.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and would be suitable for 120Hz displays.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a meaningful frame rate benefit over High at 4K?

A: The difference is minimal. At 3840x2160, High averages 81 FPS while Ultra averages 72.2 FPS, a reduction of 8.8 FPS (10.9%). Both remain playable, but the visual difference between these presets may be difficult to discern in a 2D platformer.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which achieves an average of 163 FPS. This is the highest preset available and remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the optimal choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The frame rate is high enough to support 144Hz displays.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the recommended settings, delivering an average of 118.1 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS target by 58.1 FPS, providing excellent headroom for high refresh rate gaming. Even with the increased resolution, the hardware maintains a substantial performance buffer.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains the best settings with an average of 72.2 FPS. While this is the lowest frame rate of any tested configuration, it still exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 12.2 FPS. Users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity could choose High settings for an 81 FPS average, but Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, so it is the recommended choice for this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Inside. The i7-14700KF's benchmark scores—including a multi-core score of 44,167 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 6,235—far exceed what the game requires. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are effectively unused, as Inside is a 2D puzzle platformer with minimal physics or AI workloads. This is evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and preset, which are GPU-bound parameters.

The GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 3060 Ti is heavily underutilized, producing 348 FPS at Low settings. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent 28-30% performance drop, which aligns with the GPU's rendering load increasing by roughly 78% (pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.69 million). However, the actual FPS drop is less than the pixel increase suggests, indicating that the game's rendering complexity does not scale linearly with pixel count. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a similar pattern, with a 37-38% FPS reduction across presets, despite the pixel count increasing by 125%. This suggests that Inside's rendering pipeline becomes less GPU-bound at higher resolutions, possibly due to the simplicity of the visual effects.

At 4K, the GPU's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the limiting factors, but only marginally. The difference between High (81 FPS) and Ultra (72.2 FPS) at 4K is 8.8 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset adds only a small amount of additional GPU work. In contrast, the CPU's contribution to frame rate is effectively constant across all resolutions, as evidenced by the identical performance scaling patterns at each resolution. The data conclusively shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is the component that determines performance in Inside, while the i7-14700KF provides ample headroom that remains untapped.