Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Radeon RX 9070 combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding than its minimalist art style suggests. The measured results show that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound, with the CPU providing ample headroom to push frame rates to extreme levels. The data indicates that players should prioritize the High preset, as it offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all tested resolutions, with the 4K Ultra setting being the only configuration that dips below the 100 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the High preset is the clear winner. At 1920x1080, this settings row produces an average of 214.6 FPS, which is only 3.4% lower than the 207.6 FPS seen at Ultra, yet it typically comes with reduced input latency and lower GPU load. Moving up to 1440p, High delivers 156.2 FPS, a figure that remains comfortably above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. Even at 4K, the High preset holds strong at 96 FPS, which is only 5.9% slower than the Ultra setting’s 90.4 FPS, but with a much smaller performance cost.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative, especially for 4K users. It boosts frame rates to 155.3 FPS at 4K, which is a 61.7% improvement over High (96 FPS). However, the visual downgrade from High to Medium is significant in a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow detail. The Low preset is unnecessary with this hardware; at 1080p it hits 279.6 FPS, but the visual sacrifices are not worth the extra 65 FPS over High. The data strongly suggests skipping Low unless the user has a 240Hz or higher refresh rate display and prioritizes competitive responsiveness over visual quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has more than enough memory bandwidth to handle Inside’s texture streaming and post-processing effects. The card’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are the primary drivers of the high frame rates observed; the 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than sufficient for a game of this visual complexity.

The GPU’s 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780, places it in the upper tier, but its nearest rivals show how close the field is. The NVIDIA A2 is only 0.2% behind, while the Quadro GV100 lags by 0.3%. This tight grouping means the RX 9070’s real-world advantage comes from its 16 GB VRAM, which prevents any potential stuttering at 4K Ultra, where the game might otherwise exceed 8 GB of usage. The 90.4 FPS at 4K Ultra confirms the GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates without memory-related bottlenecks, a scenario that would likely cripple a card with less VRAM.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than adequate for this title. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 836. In Inside, a game that relies on physics interactions and puzzle logic, this single-thread capability is critical. The CPU’s 79th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 20875, puts it in the same league as the Intel Core i5-12500, which is only 0.1% faster.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p High, the combination achieves 214.6 FPS, but the CPU’s 12 threads are never saturated, as evidenced by the fact that the 4K Ultra score of 90.4 FPS is 57.9% lower than the 1080p High score. This drop is entirely due to the GPU’s workload, not the CPU. The 5500’s 16 MB of L3 cache is sufficient for the game’s level data, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth does not introduce a bottleneck. In short, the CPU is a reliable foundation that never holds the GPU back.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing ranks 605th out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the 63.8th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairs. This is a strong result, considering that the rank includes far more expensive and newer hardware. The ranking suggests that while this combo is not at the top tier, it delivers performance that exceeds what the individual component percentiles (both at 79th) might suggest, because the CPU and GPU complement each other well.

The 605th rank is particularly impressive because Inside is a 2016 game, and the benchmark data shows that this modern hardware combination is overkill for the title’s demands. The fact that the combo easily clears 90 FPS at 4K Ultra, while many combos struggle to maintain 60 FPS in the same settings, indicates that this pairing is in the top 36% of all systems tested. The rank is not a reflection of any weakness in the hardware but rather of the sheer number of newer, high-end combos that also dominate this game. For a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, this combination punches well above its weight.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU bottleneck. At 1080p High, the system produces 214.6 FPS, which drops to 156.2 FPS at 1440p (a 27.2% decrease), and then to 96 FPS at 4K (a further 38.5% decrease). This pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at Ultra, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28.0% (from 207.6 to 149.4 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K is 39.5% (from 149.4 to 90.4 FPS).

The percentage drops align almost perfectly with the increase in pixel count. Moving from 1080p to 1440p increases the pixel count by 77.8%, and the frame rate drops by roughly 27%, which is less than the pixel increase. This indicates that the GPU is still able to fill pixels efficiently, but the load is clearly shifting to the GPU’s shading units and ROPs. From 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 125%, and the frame rate drops by ~38%, showing that the GPU’s fill rate is becoming the limiting factor. The CPU’s role remains constant; the 5500’s performance is sufficient at all resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p Low score of 279.6 FPS is the ceiling, and the GPU is the only reason scores decrease at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset is optimal. It delivers 156.2 FPS at 2560x1440, which is more than enough for a 144Hz monitor. Ultra is only 4.5% slower at 149.4 FPS, but High offers the same visual experience with lower GPU load and less fan noise.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, it produces 96 FPS, which is excellent. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 90.4 FPS. Both are above 60 FPS, making it fully playable, but the Medium preset at 155.3 FPS is the better choice for 60Hz displays or for maintaining high refresh rates.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RX 9070?

A: No. The benchmark data shows that the CPU’s single-thread score of 836 is more than sufficient. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are proportional to the pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The CPU has 12 threads and never saturates in this game.

Q: How does this combo compare to the average system?

A: It ranks 605th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the top 36.2%. This is a strong result, particularly because the game is older, and the combo’s performance is well above the median.

Q: What is the difference between the Low and High presets at 1080p?

A: The Low preset achieves 279.6 FPS, while High drops to 214.6 FPS, a 23.2% performance gap. However, the visual difference in Inside is significant, with High offering better lighting and shadow quality. The 65 FPS difference is irrelevant for most monitors, as both are far above standard refresh rates.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset for the best experience?

A: If you have a 144Hz or higher monitor, Ultra is fine at 1080p (207.6 FPS) and 1440p (149.4 FPS). At 4K, Ultra drops to 90.4 FPS, which is still smooth but may cause minor stutters on a 120Hz display. The data suggests High is the better balance, as it is nearly identical in performance to Ultra at 1080p and 1440p.