Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should be trivial for modern hardware, yet the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7600 reveals a title that scales dramatically with resolution and settings. The combination of a 6-core Zen 3 processor with 96 MB of L3 cache and a RDNA 3.0 graphics card produces frame rates ranging from a highly playable 64 FPS at 4K High to a blistering 268 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that this game is far more demanding than its visual simplicity suggests.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, though the magnitude of the drop is steep. At 1080p High, the system produces an average of 141 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces that to 101 FPS, a 28% decrease. The jump to 2160p High yields 64 FPS, which is a 55% reduction from the 1080p result and a 37% drop from the 1440p figure. This indicates that the rendering load grows super-linearly with pixel count, placing increasing strain on the RX 7600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the system achieves 268 FPS at 1080p, 203 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows 226 FPS at 1080p, 162 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, drops from 134 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 61 FPS at 4K. This consistency across presets confirms that the limiting factor is the resolution itself, not the specific graphics features enabled.

The fact that 4K Ultra produces 61 FPS while 4K High produces 64 FPS is noteworthy. The delta between High and Ultra at the same resolution is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not the primary bottleneck; rather, the sheer pixel fill rate required at 3840x2160 is what drives the frame rate down. At 1080p, the difference between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS (141 vs 134), reinforcing that the GPU is not fully saturated until the resolution climbs.

What this scaling says about the limiting component is clear: the RX 7600 is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with its Passmark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 268 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game's engine. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the constraining factors, resulting in the dramatic FPS drops observed.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 64 FPS average at 4K High and 61 FPS at 4K Ultra. While not reaching the 144 FPS heights of lower resolutions, these figures are smooth for a puzzle platformer.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum smoothness?

A: At 1080p, all presets deliver at least 134 FPS, with Low reaching 268 FPS. This is the resolution where the hardware is least stressed and frame rates are highest.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Medium preset is significantly faster. At 1440p, Medium delivers 162 FPS compared to High's 101 FPS, a 60% improvement. At 4K, Medium hits 102 FPS versus High's 64 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p. The data shows FPS dropping from 141 to 101 to 64 as resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, which is classic GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's high single-thread score of 2941 ensures it is not the bottleneck.

Q: Does the Ultra preset offer any performance advantage over High?

A: No, Ultra is slightly slower. At 4K, Ultra averages 61 FPS versus High's 64 FPS. At 1080p, the difference is 134 FPS vs 141 FPS. The visual upgrade is not quantified in the data, but the performance cost is minor.

Q: How does the measured performance compare to the hardware's synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 has a Passmark G3D score of 16634, placing it in the 57th percentile of all GPUs. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The game's performance at 1080p High (141 FPS) is consistent with a high-end CPU and mid-range GPU pairing.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the central component dictating frame rates in Inside, particularly as resolution scales. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's art style but becomes strained at higher pixel counts. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game's distinctive monochromatic environments and lighting effects.

The clock speeds of the RX 7600 are worth noting in context. The base clock is 1720 MHz, but the GPU boosts to 2655 MHz in practice. The game clock is listed at 2250 MHz, which suggests the card runs at a middle ground between base and boost during typical gameplay. The measured FPS results indicate that the card is not thermally or power limited, as it consistently delivers higher frame rates at lower resolutions without artificial cap.

The GPU's memory configuration is likely the primary constraint at 4K. At 3840x2160, the frame buffer demands more capacity and bandwidth. The 8 GB capacity is not exhausted by Inside, but the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is pushed harder as the pixel count increases. This explains why the scaling from 1440p to 4K is more severe than from 1080p to 1440p. The medium preset at 4K delivers 102 FPS, which is a 37% drop from the 1440p medium result of 162 FPS.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 32 ray accelerators are not likely to be heavily utilized by a 2016 puzzle platformer, but the card's raw rasterization performance is what matters here. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 58 and DirectX 11 score of 172 give a sense of the card's API-specific performance, though these synthetic numbers do not directly translate to the measured FPS in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 2887 tested combinations in the database, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2041st for Inside. This places it in the bottom third of all tested systems, which is surprising given the hardware's capabilities. The percentile ranking of 2041/2887 means that roughly 29% of tested combos perform better in this specific game, while 71% perform worse.

The CPU's benchmark rivals provide context for the processor's contribution. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average score of 37018, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938). It is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093) and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112). These negligible differences suggest the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this game's performance.

The GPU's rivals tell a similar story. The RX 7600 has an average score of 15171, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199) and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon 680M (15270). It is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082) and 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (15063). The RX 7600's percentile rank of 57 among all GPUs indicates it is a mid-range performer, which aligns with its 2041st combo rank.

The low rank is not a condemnation of the hardware but rather a reflection of the game's nature. Inside is a puzzle platformer with a specific rendering style that may not benefit from the high core counts and cache sizes of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. The 96 MB of L3 cache, which is a hallmark of the X3D series, does not provide a measurable advantage in this title, as the game's engine is not cache-sensitive.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. For a standard 60 FPS target, the 4K Medium preset (102 FPS average) is the optimal choice, as it provides a significant margin above the target while maintaining visual fidelity. The 4K High preset (64 FPS) is also acceptable, but it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset (162 FPS) is the sweet spot. It delivers more than double the frame rate of the Ultra preset (97 FPS) while likely offering a visually similar experience. The High preset (101 FPS) is also viable, but the 60% improvement from Medium makes it the better value in terms of performance.

At 1080p, the choice is more flexible. The Medium preset (226 FPS) and High preset (141 FPS) both provide excellent experiences. The Low preset (268 FPS) is overkill for most displays, but it would be suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset (134 FPS) is the most demanding but still delivers a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the best overall recommendation across all resolutions. It provides the highest frame rates among the visually meaningful presets (excluding Low) and maintains a consistent experience. The High preset is a reasonable alternative for those who prioritize visual effects, but the performance cost is substantial at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. The Low preset averages 268 FPS, representing the absolute ceiling for this hardware. The Medium preset averages 226 FPS with a minimum of 192 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS, indicating strong frame pacing. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 134 FPS. The narrow spread between High and Ultra (7 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset's added effects are minimally taxing at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but the system remains capable. The Low preset averages 203 FPS, a 24% decrease from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS. The High preset averages 101 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 97 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 4 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RX 7600 is clearly working hard. The Low preset averages 127 FPS, which is still highly playable. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. The High preset averages 64 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 61 FPS. The 4K results show that even a mid-range GPU can handle this game, but the frame rates are no longer in the high-refresh-rate territory seen at lower resolutions.

The only preset with complete min/max data is Medium, which appears in all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 192-259 FPS. At 1440p, it is 138-186 FPS. At 4K, it is 87-117 FPS. These ranges indicate that the Medium preset maintains a stable frame rate with no significant stutters, as the minimum values are within 15% of the averages.