Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a combo that ranks 2065th out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places the pairing in the 44.4th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while the GPU is a high-end component, the overall configuration is held back significantly by the older CPU, resulting in a mid-pack standing rather than a top-tier one. The rank is a direct reflection of the system's holistic capability in this specific title, where the substantial generational gap between the two primary components creates a bottleneck that prevents the hardware from achieving its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2065 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside places this configuration slightly below the median of all tested systems. This is a notable result when considering the individual components' standings; the RTX 4080 alone sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 2600 sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests that the pairing's overall rank is dragged down by the CPU's relative age, preventing the system from reaching the upper echelons of the benchmark database.

In the context of the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 is virtually identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the 4080 is performing exactly as expected for its class, and the sub-optimal combo ranking is not due to a defective or underperforming graphics card. Instead, the system's placement in the rankings is a direct consequence of the CPU's limitations in feeding the GPU with enough data to fully utilize its rendering capabilities at lower resolutions.

The CPU's own benchmark data reinforces this narrative. With an average benchmark score of 21484, the Ryzen 5 2600 is a capable processor, but its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V and the Intel Core i9-11900H, with deltas of 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. While these are close scores, the absolute performance level is what matters; when paired with a top-tier GPU like the RTX 4080, the CPU becomes the limiting factor, which is clearly reflected in the combined rank.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications are well-suited for rendering the stylized world of Inside. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This substantial memory allocation is more than sufficient for the game's art assets and ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering do not encounter memory-related stutters at any tested setting.

Clock speeds for the RTX 4080 are set at a base of 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The boost clock is the more relevant figure for sustained gaming performance, as the GPU will dynamically raise its clock speed under load to maximize frame throughput. In the measured results, the GPU demonstrates its capability by delivering high average frame rates across all resolutions. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 205, which is a clear indication that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, as it is capable of far exceeding the demands of the game.

The GPU's performance headroom is also evident when examining the frame time consistency. At 1440p Medium settings, the average FPS is 169, with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195. This 51 FPS spread suggests that the GPU can produce highly variable frame times in less demanding scenes, which is typical for a powerful card running a relatively light game. The RTX 4080's raw compute power, with 9728 shading units and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, ensures that it is never the limiting factor in this title, even at the highest settings.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 4080 provide a smooth experience at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average FPS of 119 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the GPU can handle the game at maximum settings in 4K without significant performance issues.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 158. This is a very high frame rate, suggesting that the system is well beyond the requirements for a fluid experience at this resolution and preset, and is likely limited by the CPU rather than the GPU.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS with Low settings is 183, while with Ultra settings it is 139. This represents a 44 FPS difference, or a 24% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound in this game?

A: The data suggests the system is CPU-bound at lower resolutions. For example, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 205. This is a very high frame rate, but the Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance likely caps the system before the RTX 4080 can reach its full potential. The gap between resolutions narrows at higher settings, indicating the GPU takes on more load.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this system?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 205, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data where the system exceeds the 200 FPS mark.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this system?

A: The lowest recorded average FPS is 119, achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is still a very playable frame rate, demonstrating that the system can handle the game's maximum visual demands without dropping below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average FPS of 205 at Low, 189 at Medium, 158 at High, and 155 at Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum FPS of 161 and a maximum of 217, indicating a wide variance in frame delivery. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is not linear; the drop from Low to Medium is 16 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 31 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 3 FPS, suggesting a plateau in performance demands at higher settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 183 at Low, 169 at Medium, 141 at High, and 139 at Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195, a spread of 51 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with an average reduction of approximately 22 FPS. This indicates that the resolution increase places a moderate additional load on the GPU, but the system still maintains high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 157 at Low, 145 at Medium, 121 at High, and 119 at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 123 and a maximum of 167. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a more significant average FPS drop of around 26 FPS, which is expected as pixel count nearly doubles. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, with only a 2 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset adds negligible overhead over High at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this system depends on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset offers an average FPS of 158, which is an excellent balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset provides only a 3 FPS reduction compared to High, so users with high refresh rate monitors may prefer it, but the marginal difference suggests High is the most efficient choice.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers an average of 141 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 169 FPS, which could be beneficial for competitive play, but the visual quality difference is substantial. The Ultra preset at 141 FPS is nearly identical to High, so there is no performance penalty for selecting Ultra, making it the recommended choice for maximum visual quality at this resolution.

For 4K gaming, the High preset at 121 FPS is the recommended setting, as it provides a high frame rate that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin. The Ultra preset at 119 FPS is essentially the same performance, so users can freely select Ultra without worrying about a performance hit. The Medium preset at 145 FPS is an option for those seeking higher frame rates, but the visual differences between Medium and High are more pronounced at this resolution, making High the better overall choice for a premium experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 157.3 in single-core, indicate a solid mid-range performance level. However, in the context of Inside, a game that is not heavily multi-threaded, the CPU's single-thread performance is the critical factor. The single-core Cinebench score of 157.3 is modest by modern standards, which explains why the system's frame rates at lower resolutions are not as high as the GPU alone could achieve.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 75th versus all CPUs indicates it is a competent processor, but its nearest rivals, like the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V with a delta of 0.2%, are also not top-tier performers. This suggests that the CPU is a limiting factor in high-FPS scenarios. The measured data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 205 FPS, but this is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability for this game. As resolution increases, the GPU takes on more of the workload, and the CPU's limitation becomes less pronounced, which is why the frame rate drops are more gradual at higher settings.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s is another factor. While not a bottleneck for this game, the older memory architecture does not provide the same bandwidth as newer platforms, which can affect minimum frame times in CPU-intensive scenes. The data shows that at 1440p Medium, the minimum FPS is 144, while the maximum is 195, a 51 FPS variance that could be partly attributable to CPU frame pacing limitations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear trend about the system's limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 205 at 1080p to 183 at 1440p and then to 157 at 4K. This represents a 23.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. In contrast, at Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 155 at 1080p to 139 at 1440p and then to 119 at 4K, a 23.2% reduction. The similarity in percentage drops across settings suggests that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's rendering load, which increases with pixel count.

However, the absolute frame rates tell a different story. At 1080p Low, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. This is evidenced by the relatively small FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (22 FPS), which is less than the drop from 1440p to 4K (26 FPS). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, and the GPU has headroom to spare. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes more utilized, and the system transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound.

The data from the Medium preset provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 189 FPS, dropping to 169 at 1440p and 145 at 4K. The consistent reduction of roughly 20-24 FPS per resolution step indicates a balanced scaling profile. This is characteristic of a system where neither component is a severe bottleneck, but both are working near their limits. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings also scale predictably, from 161 at 1080p to 144 at 1440p and 123 at 4K, showing that frame consistency is maintained across resolutions.