Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a performance profile in Inside that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphical preset. The measured data shows a combination capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, with a clear transition to GPU-bound behavior as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the specific FPS figures, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic scaling pattern where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 268 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 240 FPS, a reduction of 28 FPS (approximately 10.4%). At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 160 FPS, representing a significant 80 FPS drop from the 1080p result.

This scaling indicates that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, as the massive jump from Low to Ultra settings only reduces performance from 268 FPS to 168 FPS. The 100 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p shows that the GPU still has headroom when settings are lowered, but the CPU is not the sole bottleneck. Conversely, at 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 84 FPS (160 FPS vs. 76 FPS), suggesting the GPU is being pushed much harder.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data set, including minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 FPS and maximum of 285 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 203 FPS (minimum 173, maximum 234). At 4K Medium, the average is 128 FPS, with a minimum of 108 FPS and maximum of 147 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows a 119 FPS drop from 1080p Medium, highlighting that 4K demands substantially more GPU resources.

The data suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combination, as it maintains high frame rates while the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less drastic (e.g., High settings drop from 177 FPS to 127 FPS). The 4K results, while playable, show a more pronounced performance penalty, indicating the RX 7700 is the limiting component at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for Inside, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks at position 1449 out of 2887 total combos. This places the system in the 50th percentile overall, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all tested configurations for this game.

The rank reflects a balanced pairing. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs (based on its average benchmark score of 37018) is significantly higher than the GPU's 58th percentile ranking (with an average benchmark score of 15852). This disparity indicates that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, which is consistent with the resolution scaling data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, while scoring 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-12900T. These are negligible differences, placing the CPU in a tightly contested performance tier.

For the GPU, the RX 7700's average benchmark score is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X, 1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060, 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, and 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The proximity of these scores suggests that the RX 7700 performs in a similar class to these cards, with the RTX 3060 Ti holding a slight edge.

The combo rank of 1449, combined with the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's mid-range percentile, indicates that while the CPU is a strong performer, the overall gaming experience in Inside is capped by the GPU's capabilities, especially at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Its memory operates at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective).

These specifications directly influence the measured FPS. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for Inside, a game from 2016, ensuring that memory capacity is not a limiting factor even at 4K Ultra settings. The high memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s supports the texture-heavy scenes without causing stuttering, as evidenced by the stable minimum frame rates at Medium settings (e.g., 108 FPS at 4K Medium).

The GPU's shading units (2560), texture mapping units (160), and render output units (96) contribute to its raw compute power. Its FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s provide the processing headroom needed for the game's physics-based puzzles and lighting effects. The pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s is particularly relevant for higher resolutions, as it determines how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with rendered pixels.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 20974 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 106028 illustrate its compute capabilities. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 indicates its DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for a modern API title like Inside. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that it is a capable but not top-tier part, which aligns with the observed frame rate drops at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance:

• Low: 268 FPS average
• Medium: 247 FPS average (min 210, max 285)
• High: 177 FPS average
• Ultra: 168 FPS average

The 1080p results show that the system can easily drive high refresh rate monitors, with even Ultra settings exceeding 165 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 100 FPS, indicating that the CPU and GPU have enough headroom to handle the graphical load without significant drops.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows a clear step down:

• Low: 240 FPS average
• Medium: 203 FPS average (min 173, max 234)
• High: 127 FPS average
• Ultra: 121 FPS average

The 1440p results demonstrate a 37 FPS drop from 1080p at Low settings, and a 50 FPS drop at Ultra settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 173 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 6 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little graphical benefit for the performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck:

• Low: 160 FPS average
• Medium: 128 FPS average (min 108, max 147)
• High: 80 FPS average
• Ultra: 76 FPS average

The 4K results show a substantial performance hit. The drop from Low to High is 80 FPS, and from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 108 FPS indicates that even at 4K, the system can maintain playable frame rates, but the High and Ultra presets push the GPU to its limits, resulting in sub-100 FPS averages.

The data reveals that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is moderate (e.g., High settings drop from 177 to 127 FPS), while the scaling to 4K is severe (High settings drop from 127 to 80 FPS). This indicates that the RX 7700's performance decreases disproportionately as pixel count increases, which is typical for a mid-range GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename), manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The CPU features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a key characteristic of the X3D series, designed to improve gaming performance.

The CPU's benchmark scores illustrate its capabilities. Its Passmark multithread score of 20363 and single-thread score of 2941 place it in a strong position for gaming. The high L3 cache is particularly beneficial for games like Inside that may have data sets that fit within the cache, reducing memory latency. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that it is a high-performing part for its generation.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p with low settings, where the frame rate of 268 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high performance. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game's threading model, which is not heavily multi-threaded given its 2016 release. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s via dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for the game's data requirements.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is competitively positioned. Its average benchmark score of 37018 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938), with a 0.2% difference. It trails the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093) and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112) by 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. These negligible differences suggest that the CPU is not the differentiating factor in this combo's performance.

The CPU's 105W TDP and Socket AM4 compatibility are relevant for system builders, but its performance is more directly tied to its cache hierarchy and clock speeds. The boost clock of 4.00 GHz is modest compared to higher-end parts, but the 96 MB L3 cache compensates by improving data access speeds, which is critical for gaming workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 168 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 128 FPS, with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F's score of 36945.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has a percentile ranking of 58 among all GPUs.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 173 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Low?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 268 FPS, while at 4K Low it is 160 FPS, representing a 108 FPS difference.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and refresh rate preferences. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it delivers an average of 168 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold. The 16 GB VRAM and GPU compute power are sufficient to handle the Ultra preset without significant performance degradation.

For 1440p users, the High preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 127 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 121 FPS, only 6 FPS lower, but the High preset is a safer choice to maintain frame times, especially in scenes with complex physics. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 203 FPS average, which is ideal for users with high refresh rate 240Hz monitors, but it compromises on visual fidelity.

For 4K users, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, offering an average of 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS. This ensures smooth, stutter-free gameplay while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The High preset at 4K drops to 80 FPS average, which may be acceptable for 60Hz displays but not for higher refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 76 FPS average, is best avoided unless the user prioritizes maximum visual detail over frame rate consistency.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the most versatile option across all resolutions, providing strong performance with a minimum FPS that always exceeds 100. For users with 60Hz displays, the High preset at 4K is viable, but for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Medium at 4K or High at 1440p are the most appropriate choices. The Low preset, while achieving high frame rates, is not recommended as it sacrifices too much visual quality for performance that exceeds typical display capabilities.