Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside, a game that is far more forgiving on hardware than its atmospheric presentation suggests. The measured frame rates indicate that this combination is not merely playable but often exceeds the refresh rates of standard monitors, with the data showing a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data across the three tested resolutions reveals a predictable yet informative scaling pattern. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates hover in the 147-205 FPS range, indicating that the system is largely unburdened. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to a range of 106-183 FPS, and at 3840x2160, they settle between 66-140 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average performance reduction of roughly 25-30% across the different settings presets, while the jump from 1440p to 4K results in a more substantial reduction of approximately 35-40%.

This scaling behavior is classic evidence of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the RX 9060 is capable of pushing frame rates well above 200 FPS at Low settings. As pixel count increases, the rendering load on the GPU grows exponentially, and the frame rate begins to drop in near-direct proportion to the pixel count increase. The fact that even at 4K Ultra the system maintains an average of 66 FPS demonstrates that the RX 9060 has sufficient headroom for this title's modest graphical demands. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 74 FPS (140 vs 66), which is a significant spread that underscores how much of the GPU's resources are being utilized by the higher fidelity settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary driver of performance in Inside, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth proves ample for this title, as the game's art style does not require massive texture pools. The RDNA 4.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, operates with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. This clock speed is instrumental in achieving the high frame rates observed, as it allows for rapid shader execution.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are reflected in its 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, driven by 1792 shading units. The 64 ROPs handle pixel output effectively, delivering a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s. In the context of Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer with 3D rendering techniques, the GPU's role is to handle the lighting, shadow, and post-processing effects that give the game its distinctive visual atmosphere. The benchmark results show that the RX 9060 is more than capable in this regard, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset maintaining a playable frame rate. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 17631 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3322, place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, indicating solid mid-range performance that aligns well with the observed in-game results.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600, while not the newest processor, provides sufficient computational power to avoid becoming a significant bottleneck in Inside. This 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. For a game like Inside, which primarily relies on a few threads for game logic and physics, the CPU's single-core performance is more critical than its multi-core capabilities. The Ryzen 5 2600 achieves a Geekbench single-core score of 1154 and a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 157.3, which are adequate for this title.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1248 and a Passmark multithread score of 13160, are largely underutilized here. The game's engine does not appear to scale well with multiple cores, meaning the 12 threads are not a major factor in the frame rate. However, the CPU's overall average benchmark score of 21484 places it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable. The data suggests that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 2600 is the limiting component, as frame rates plateau around 205 FPS, likely constrained by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU draw calls. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU takes over as the primary performance limiter, as evidenced by the scaling patterns discussed earlier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings produce an average of 205 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. Medium settings yield 189 FPS with a minimum of 161 FPS and a maximum of 217 FPS, showing excellent frame pacing. High settings average 155 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 147 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 58 FPS, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to render the highest quality settings without dipping below 144 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high. Low settings average 183 FPS, and Medium settings follow closely at 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS. High settings average 111 FPS, and Ultra settings average 106 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-30 FPS across all settings, which is a reasonable penalty for the increase in pixel density. The minimum frame rate of 144 FPS at Medium settings is notable, as it suggests a very stable experience without significant dips.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show the strain of the increased resolution, but still remains highly playable. Low settings average 140 FPS, which is still well above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, which is a very playable range. High settings average 70 FPS, and Ultra settings average 66 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra at 4K is a substantial 74 FPS, highlighting the significant impact of the graphics settings on GPU load. The minimum frame rate of 95 FPS at 4K Medium is particularly impressive, showing that even under load, the frame rate does not plummet.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with high settings?*

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 70 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This indicates a smooth and playable experience at native 4K resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings presets exceed 144 FPS, with Low averaging 205 FPS and Ultra averaging 147 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium settings also exceed 144 FPS (183 and 169 FPS respectively), but High and Ultra fall below at 111 and 106 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rates are very high across all settings, and the scaling between presets is less pronounced, indicating the GPU is not fully saturated and the CPU is likely the ceiling.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low settings?

A: The performance gain varies by resolution. At 1080p, the gain is 58 FPS (from 147 to 205). At 1440p, the gain is 77 FPS (from 106 to 183). At 4K, the gain is 74 FPS (from 66 to 140).

Q: Are the frame rates stable, or are there significant dips?

A: For the settings where minimum FPS was recorded (Medium), the data shows a minimum of 161 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K. These minimums are close to the averages, indicating stable performance.

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this combo for Inside?*

A: This combination of AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 2130 out of 2887 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it delivers an average of 147 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS and sufficient for high-refresh monitors. The visual fidelity improvements from High to Ultra generally outweigh the modest 8 FPS performance cost.

For 1440p, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. It averages 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience on 144Hz displays. The High preset at 111 FPS is also viable for 60Hz monitors, but the Medium preset offers a significant frame rate advantage with likely minimal visual differences in this stylized game.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a 4K display. While High settings at 70 FPS are playable, the Medium preset provides a much larger safety margin against frame dips and is more suitable for maintaining a consistent frame time. The Low preset at 140 FPS is an option for competitive play, but Medium offers a better balance of image quality and speed.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination holds a rank of 2130 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 26th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it performs well in absolute terms, there are a significant number of more powerful combinations in the database. This lower rank is primarily attributable to the CPU, which is an older model, and the GPU, which is a mid-range part. The measured frame rates are respectable, but the rank suggests that many systems with newer or higher-tier components achieve even higher scores.

The GPU itself ranks in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates that the CPU is relatively stronger compared to its peers than the GPU is compared to its peers. The combo rank being lower than both individual component percentile scores suggests that the pairing is not optimized for this specific title, or that the game's engine does not fully utilize the strengths of this hardware. Despite the rank, the actual gameplay experience is excellent, with all tested configurations exceeding the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. The rank is a relative measure against other systems, and in absolute terms, the performance is more than adequate for a game like Inside.