Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, does not demand the kind of hardware found in this benchmark configuration. Yet the measured data reveals a fascinating scaling curve that highlights the balance between the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The game’s simple geometry and side-scrolling perspective mean that raw polygon counts are low, but the frame rate behavior across resolutions and settings provides a clear window into where each component’s workload begins and ends. This analysis walks through the CPU and GPU roles, resolution scaling, and the exact measured FPS figures to determine which preset offers the best experience for this specific pairing.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It also carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a substantial pool for a game like Inside, where level streaming and physics calculations can benefit from fast access to frequently used data. The CPU’s benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15045 and a PassMark multithread score of 17700. However, its single-thread score of 2124 in Cinebench R23 and 696 in 3dmark_single_thread indicates that while it is no slouch, it is not a top-tier single-core performer either.

In the context of Inside, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain a consistent frame pacing. The game is not heavily threaded, but the Ryzen 5 3600’s 12 threads ensure that background tasks and the game’s logic do not create bottlenecks. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS reaches 236.8, which is a high enough number to suggest that the CPU is keeping up without becoming the limiting factor. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 100.5, a value that is more likely constrained by the GPU’s pixel throughput. The CPU’s percentile rank of 76 (vs. all CPUs) and an average benchmark score of 18129 places it right alongside the Intel Core i5-11400 (deltaPct -0.1) and AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (deltaPct 0.2). This proximity to rivals means that the Ryzen 5 3600 is a balanced mid-range part, and in a game like Inside, it has ample headroom to feed the RTX 4070 even at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its base clock is 1920 MHz, boosting to 2475 MHz, and it houses 5888 shading units. For a puzzle platformer, the GPU’s primary job is to render the game’s distinctive silhouetted art style, which relies on high contrast and volumetric lighting effects. The 12 GB VRAM is far more than Inside requires, but it ensures that even at 4K with Ultra settings, there is no memory pressure or texture swapping.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 26927 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 168006 are impressive, and its percentile rank of 81 (vs. all GPUs) confirms that it sits above the majority of graphics cards. However, the nearest rivals for the RTX 4070 are somewhat unexpected: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (deltaPct -0.6) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (deltaPct -1.9). These deltas are small, suggesting that in synthetic workloads, the RTX 4070’s advantage is not as large as one might expect from a modern card. In Inside, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the RTX 4070 is likely idling, pushing out 236.8 FPS without breaking a sweat. But at 4K Ultra, it is working harder, evidenced by the drop to 100.5 FPS. The GPU’s memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and its bandwidth are more than sufficient for this game’s data requirements, but the pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s begins to show its limits at 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS data across resolutions shows a clear pattern of scaling that points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 179.6, which drops to 162.7 at 1440p High, and further to 105.4 at 4K High. This represents a 41.3% drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings. On Low settings, the drop is even more pronounced: from 236.8 at 1080p to 211.7 at 1440p to 178.4 at 4K, a 24.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The fact that Low settings show a smaller percentage drop suggests that the CPU is more involved at lower graphics loads, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as the resolution increases.

Breaking it down further, at Medium settings, the FPS goes from 218.2 at 1080p to 194.2 at 1440p to 169.1 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 22.5%, which is less than the High preset’s drop. This indicates that Medium settings are less GPU-intensive, allowing the CPU to maintain higher frame rates even at 4K. At Ultra settings, the pattern reverses slightly: 179.9 at 1080p, 159.1 at 1440p, and 100.5 at 4K, a 44.1% drop from 1080p to 4K. This is the largest drop of any preset, confirming that Ultra settings place the heaviest load on the GPU, and the RTX 4070 struggles to keep up at 4K. The data strongly suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the Ryzen 5 3600 is sufficient to keep the GPU fed, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the clear limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance for this combination. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average FPS of 236.8, which is the highest recorded for any resolution and settings combination. Medium at 1080p produces 218.2 FPS, while High and Ultra are nearly identical at 179.6 and 179.9 FPS, respectively. This near-parity between High and Ultra at 1080p suggests that the visual differences between these presets do not translate into a significant performance cost at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 211.7 FPS, which is still very high. Medium drops to 194.2 FPS, High to 162.7 FPS, and Ultra to 159.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 3.6 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are not heavily taxing the GPU at 1440p. At 3840x2160, the Low preset manages 178.4 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K. Medium drops to 169.1 FPS, High to 105.4 FPS, and Ultra to 100.5 FPS. The drop from Medium to High at 4K is substantial, at 63.7 FPS, which suggests that High settings introduce a significant increase in GPU workload, likely from higher-resolution textures or more complex shaders.

Overall, the data shows that this system is capable of delivering over 100 FPS at 4K on every preset, and over 150 FPS at 1440p on every preset. At 1080p, all presets exceed 175 FPS, with Low reaching nearly 237 FPS. The combination of the Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 4070 proves to be very capable for this game, with the only notable performance dip occurring at 4K with High and Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in Inside?

A: The data shows no significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 236.8 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it hits 211.7 FPS. These high frame rates indicate that the CPU is delivering enough data to the GPU. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 18129 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, showing it is a capable mid-range part for this game.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4070 use in Inside?

A: The RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Inside. The game’s simple visuals do not require large amounts of VRAM, so memory capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution or settings preset.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p with High settings offers a strong balance, averaging 162.7 FPS. At 4K, the High preset drops to 105.4 FPS, which is still playable but shows a noticeable performance hit. For maximum smoothness, 1080p with any preset exceeds 175 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37283, placing it 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and 1.9% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A. It is 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M. These deltas are small, but in Inside, the RTX 4070’s actual performance is strong across all resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU’s 6-core, 12-thread configuration help in Inside?

A: While Inside is not a heavily threaded game, the 12 threads provide overhead for background processes. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15045 and PassMark multithread score of 17700 indicate strong multi-threaded capability, which helps maintain stable frame rates even when other system tasks are running.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: Yes. At 4K, High averages 105.4 FPS, while Ultra averages 100.5 FPS, a difference of 4.9 FPS. This is a minor drop, but it shows that Ultra settings are slightly more demanding. At 1080p, the difference is negligible, with High at 179.6 FPS and Ultra at 179.9 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this hardware is at 1440p with High settings. This preset delivers an average of 162.7 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, while also providing a good balance of visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1440p offers 159.1 FPS, which is only 3.6 FPS lower, so if the user prefers the extra visual effects, it is a viable choice without a significant performance penalty.

For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is recommended, as it achieves 169.1 FPS, which is higher than both High (105.4 FPS) and Ultra (100.5 FPS). The jump from Medium to High at 4K is substantial, costing 63.7 FPS, so Medium provides a much smoother experience while still maintaining a decent visual presentation. At 1080p, any preset is viable, but the Medium preset at 218.2 FPS offers a good compromise between visual fidelity and performance, especially for high-refresh-rate monitors.

The Low preset should be avoided unless the user is targeting the absolute highest frame rates, as it does not offer a significant advantage over Medium at 1440p or 4K, and the visual downgrade is noticeable. In summary, the data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combination, with 4K Medium as a strong alternative for those prioritizing resolution over visual polish.