Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination delivers a compelling experience in Inside, a game that heavily favors GPU throughput at higher resolutions. The data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates even at 4K, though the scaling patterns reveal where each component's workload begins and ends. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and how this specific combo stacks up against the broader test pool.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking for Inside?*

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination ranks 2831 out of 3716 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K resolution smoothly?*

A: Yes, benchmark results indicate it can. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 66, and at Medium settings it averages 106 FPS. Even at the demanding Ultra preset, it maintains an average of 63 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. It is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which is only 0.2% ahead, and the Intel Core i9-11900H, which is 0.5% ahead. It also slightly outperforms the Intel Xeon D-1746TER by 0.7% and the AMD EPYC 9454 by 1.2%.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT falls in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it outperforms a majority of the database entries. Its average benchmark score is 19765.

Q: How much of a performance gap is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1440p, the Low preset achieves an average of 183 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 100 FPS, a difference of 83 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the gap narrows. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 205, which is a high frame rate that begins to tax the CPU's single-thread performance. However, the GPU is still the bottleneck in most scenarios, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game's art style and particle effects. The GPU's clock speeds are high, with a base clock of 2055 MHz and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. This high boost clock is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a game that often has sudden visual changes.

The GPU's performance is clearly the driving force behind the frame rates. The data shows a clear correlation between settings adjustments and FPS. At 1080p, moving from High to Ultra settings results in a drop from 146 FPS to 139 FPS, a modest 7 FPS decline. However, moving from High to Medium yields a significant jump to 189 FPS. This indicates the GPU has substantial headroom and is not being fully utilized at lower settings. The 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are more than enough to handle the pixel throughput required by Inside's 2D side-scrolling perspective, which is why we see such high frame rates even at 4K. The GPU's 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides the raw compute power needed to sustain these high averages without dipping into unplayable territory. The fact that it runs at 4K Ultra with an average of 63 FPS proves the GPU is the primary workhorse in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3716 tested combos, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 5 2600 and RX 6650 XT holds the 2831st position for Inside. This rank places it in the bottom quarter of all tested configurations, which is a bit surprising given the strong absolute frame rates. The ranking is relative to all other CPU-GPU pairings, and many of those combos feature newer, higher-end processors and graphics cards that push frame rates much higher, particularly at 1080p where the CPU can become a factor.

The combo's rank of 2831 suggests that while the experience is smooth and playable, it is not in the top tier of performance. Many combos with newer CPUs will achieve higher average FPS, especially in the Low and Medium presets where the frame rate ceiling is higher. The CPU's benchmark percentile (75th) is higher than the GPU's (65th), but the combination still lands in a lower percentile due to the sheer number of more powerful pairings. This doesn't mean the combo is weak; it simply means the competitive field is fierce. For a game like Inside, which is not graphically intensive, the bottleneck often shifts to the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. This combo, while capable, is outpaced by newer processors with higher single-thread performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally fast. The Low preset yields an average of 205 FPS. The Medium preset averages 189 FPS, with a minimum of 161 FPS and a maximum of 217 FPS. High settings average 146 FPS, and Ultra settings average 139 FPS. This demonstrates that at 1080p, the system is well beyond the territory of smooth gameplay, even at the highest quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 183 FPS. The Medium preset averages 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 105 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 100 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but does not hinder playability, as the lowest average (100 FPS at Ultra) is still very fluid.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limits but remains playable. The Low preset averages 132 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset averages 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 66 FPS, and Ultra settings average 63 FPS. This shows that the GPU can still handle 4K, but the margin for error narrows significantly at the higher quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern of GPU dependency. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 139 at 1080p to 100 at 1440p (a 28% decrease) and then to 63 at 4K (a 55% decrease from 1080p). This steep drop-off is typical for a GPU-bound scenario; as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, the rendering load on the GPU increases dramatically, and the frame rate falls accordingly.

The scaling is less severe at lower settings. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 205 at 1080p to 183 at 1440p (an 11% decrease) and then to 132 at 4K (a 36% decrease from 1080p). The smaller drop between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests that the CPU is starting to become a limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rate of 205 FPS is high, and the CPU's single-thread performance (a single-core score of 1154 in Geekbench) may not be able to push much higher. This is why the drop from 1080p to 1440p is smaller at Low settings—the GPU is being relieved of some work, but the CPU is already near its limit.

Conversely, the massive drop at Ultra settings from 1440p to 4K (100 to 63 FPS) is a pure GPU bottleneck. The CPU has no trouble keeping up at these lower frame rates, but the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are fully saturated. The data indicates that the GPU is the main limiting component at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p with lower quality presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a solid foundation for this gaming setup. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for Inside. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, which does not heavily utilize multi-threading. The CPU's performance in single-threaded tasks is more critical, and its Geekbench single-core score of 1154 shows it is capable, but not exceptional.

The CPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS data at 1080p. At Low settings, the average FPS is 205. This is a high number, but it is not as high as what newer CPUs could achieve with the same GPU. The 205 FPS figure is likely near the ceiling for this processor's single-thread performance. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 2239 and its find prime numbers score of 37 are indicative of its computational speed. In a game like Inside, which has simple physics and AI, the CPU has to process game logic and draw calls, and the Ryzen 5 2600 handles this without becoming a serious problem.

The CPU's multi-threading capabilities, evidenced by a Passmark multithread score of 13160, are less relevant here. The game does not scale well with additional cores, so the 12 threads are mostly idle. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache is beneficial for keeping game data close at hand, reducing latency. The CPU's 65W TDP also means it runs cool and leaves thermal headroom for the GPU. In summary, the Ryzen 5 2600 does its job in this combo. It does not hold the GPU back at 1440p or 4K, and it only begins to show its age at 1080p when frame rates exceed 200 FPS. For the vast majority of gameplay, the CPU is a capable partner, ensuring that the GPU is the primary driver of performance.