Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an overwhelmingly capable combination for Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer that is far more demanding on frame rate headroom than on raw hardware. Benchmark data shows this combo delivers playable performance at every tested resolution and preset, with average frame rates that never dip below 83 FPS even at maximum settings in 4K. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provide massive overkill for this title, making the bottleneck almost entirely irrelevant at standard gaming resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with average frame rates recorded for each configuration. No minimum or maximum frame rate data was captured, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS, which is sufficient given how far above the 60 FPS playability threshold every result sits.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo produces extraordinary numbers. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 380.5, which is more than six times the playable threshold. Medium settings drop this to 303.3 FPS, still a massive margin. High settings yield 188.9 FPS, and even Ultra settings, which typically stress the GPU the most, deliver an average of 182.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 198 FPS, indicating that the GPU is well within its comfort zone and the CPU is not holding back performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings produce an average of 273.6 FPS, while Medium settings drop to 214.8 FPS. High settings deliver 136.6 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage 130.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in performance, roughly a 28% decrease from Low to Low and a 29% decrease from Ultra to Ultra, but the absolute numbers remain far above any playability concern.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the RTX 3070 begins to show some load, but the results are still impressive. Low settings average 171 FPS, Medium settings average 138.5 FPS, and High settings drop to 87.3 FPS. Ultra settings, the most demanding configuration, still maintain an average of 83.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest preset. Even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is 23.3 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving substantial headroom for any potential frame time spikes.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: this combo never comes close to failing the playability test. The lowest recorded average FPS across all 12 configurations is 83.3 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still a comfortable margin. The highest is 380.5 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far beyond what any display can typically show.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The data shows an average FPS of 83.3 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is 23.3 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four settings presets at 4K, including Ultra, are marked as playable in the verdict.

Q: How much performance headroom is there at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the lowest average FPS across all presets is 130.4 FPS on Ultra settings. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, providing enormous headroom for consistent frame delivery even in demanding scenes.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary performance limiter at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 198 FPS, while at 4K, that difference narrows to 87.7 FPS. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235, means it is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU in this title.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 Hz display at 1080p?

A: Any preset will work, but Ultra settings provide 182.5 FPS average, which is over three times the refresh rate of a 60 Hz display. Even the most demanding preset is far beyond what the display can show, so players can max out visuals without concern.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1284 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 65% of all tested combos. This rank is driven by the combination’s strong performance, though the RTX 3070’s 61st percentile among all GPUs is lower than the CPU’s 94th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU’s high core count?

A: Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that is not heavily multithreaded, so the i7-14700KF’s 20 cores are not fully utilized. However, the CPU’s strong single-core performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2578, ensures that any single-threaded bottlenecks are eliminated.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the Intel Core i7-14700KF, the closest competitors in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which scores 69996 and is 0.2% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 69875 and is 0.4% behind. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, 0.9% behind, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% ahead. All four of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Inside, as the game is not CPU-bound at any resolution tested.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17083 and is 0.7% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which scores 17037 and is 1% behind. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, 1.1% behind, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, 1.5% ahead. In practice, the RX 7600 XT would deliver nearly identical FPS in Inside, while the older GTX 690 and HD 7970M would likely show similar performance despite their age, given the game’s low graphical demands. The Tesla K40c, a compute-focused card, would also perform comparably in this title, though its driver support for gaming may vary.

The data shows that swapping the i7-14700KF for any of its listed rivals would change frame rates by less than 1%, making them functionally identical for this game. Similarly, swapping the RTX 3070 for an RX 7600 XT would yield a difference of only 0.7%, which is imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Inside, and it does so with exceptional ease. The verdict by resolution confirms that all settings presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at every resolution tested, from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. The 60 FPS playability threshold is cleared by a wide margin in every configuration.

At 1920x1080, the worst-case scenario is Ultra settings, which averages 182.5 FPS, more than triple the threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 130.4 FPS, still over double the threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 83.3 FPS, which is 23.3 FPS above the threshold. The lowest recorded average across all tests is this 4K Ultra figure, meaning even the most demanding configuration leaves significant headroom.

The combination of the i7-14700KF’s strong single-thread performance and the RTX 3070’s capable rasterization ensures that Inside runs flawlessly. The game’s 2016 release date means it does not utilize modern features like ray tracing or DLSS, which the RTX 3070 supports but are irrelevant here. Players can confidently max out all settings at any resolution and expect a smooth experience, with the only practical limitation being the refresh rate of their display.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, and in every case, the average FPS far exceeds the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which delivers an average of 182.5 FPS. This is the most visually demanding preset, and it still provides over three times the playable frame rate. No compromise is necessary at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best experience, with an average of 130.4 FPS. This is 70.4 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning the GPU has substantial headroom even at maximum quality. Players on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors can still enjoy frame rates above 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings are the best choice, averaging 83.3 FPS. This is 23.3 FPS above the threshold, so while it clears 60 FPS comfortably, it does not leave as much headroom as lower resolutions. For a 60 Hz 4K display, this is ideal; for a 120 Hz 4K display, players might consider dropping to High settings, which average 87.3 FPS, though the difference is marginal.

Across all resolutions, Ultra is the recommended preset because it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates. The only scenario where a lower preset might be considered is on a very high refresh rate 4K monitor, where the difference between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1284 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 65th percentile of all tested systems. This rank is solidly above average, reflecting the combo’s ability to run the game at maximum settings across all resolutions.

The rank is influenced more by the CPU than the GPU. The i7-14700KF sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163, while the RTX 3070 sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Because Inside is not graphically demanding, the CPU’s high percentile helps push the combo’s rank higher than the GPU’s percentile alone would suggest. If the GPU were swapped for a weaker model, the combo would likely still maintain a strong rank due to the CPU’s dominance.

In practical terms, this rank means that among the 3716 tested combos, only 35% would deliver higher average frame rates in Inside. The combo’s performance is limited by the RTX 3070 at 4K, where frame rates drop to the 83-87 FPS range, but at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU and GPU work together to deliver frame rates that are in the top tier of all tested systems. For a game like Inside, this rank confirms that the combo is more than sufficient, and any performance concerns would only arise in far more demanding titles.