Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that places minimal demands on modern hardware, and the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 reflect this clearly. The data shows a configuration that can comfortably handle the game at high frame rates, though the performance ceiling and scaling behavior reveal a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to interpret what it means for the overall experience, the role of each component, and how this specific combination ranks against other tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 134 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 97 FPS, a reduction of approximately 27.6%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields an average of 61 FPS, a further drop of about 37.1% from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1080p to 4K indicates that the graphics card is being saturated, as the pixel count increase directly translates into a nearly proportional reduction in frame rate.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the higher quality presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 67 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p, a 28.4% decrease, and then to 30 FPS at 4K, a 37.5% drop from the 1440p result. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory, with averages of 64 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings suggests that the GPU's compute and memory throughput are the limiting factors, as the CPU has enough headroom to maintain performance regardless of resolution.

What is particularly telling is the difference between the Low and Ultra settings at 4K. The Low preset achieves 61 FPS, while Ultra drops to 29 FPS, a 52.5% reduction. This wide gap indicates that the game's visual effects at higher presets are heavily taxing the GTX 1650's limited resources, particularly its 4 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is not the constraint here; if it were, the frame rates would be more uniform across resolutions. Instead, the consistent scaling pattern points to the GPU as the definitive bottleneck, with the CPU having ample capacity to feed the graphics card even at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture part built on a 12 nm process, featuring 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its memory configuration consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These specifications place the card in the 40th percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark data, with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, Intel UHD Graphics 750, and AMD Radeon R7 350, all of which score within 0.6% of the GTX 1650, while the Intel Arc A310 is 1% faster.

In the context of Inside, the GTX 1650's role is to render a game that is not visually demanding by modern standards. However, the data shows that the 4 GB VRAM capacity and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's assets at lower settings, but become strained at higher presets. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra is 64 FPS, which is only slightly lower than the 67 FPS at High, suggesting that the game's Ultra preset does not introduce a massive additional load compared to High. Yet, at 4K, the difference between High (30 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) is negligible, indicating that the GPU is already at its performance ceiling.

The GPU's compute performance is modest, with an FP32 throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s. These figures are adequate for a puzzle platformer like Inside, which likely relies more on fill rate and memory bandwidth than raw shader compute. The pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the sheer number of pixels to fill overwhelms the 32 ROPs. The data confirms that the GTX 1650 is the component that determines the playable settings and resolutions, as the CPU can clearly sustain higher frame rates than the GPU can deliver.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 2780 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the bottom 3.7% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU, which sits in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the CPU is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The disparity between the two components' performance percentiles highlights a significant imbalance, where a high-end CPU is paired with a low-end GPU, resulting in a system that is heavily GPU-limited in this game.

The combo's rank suggests that the vast majority of tested systems outperform it in Inside, which is expected given the GTX 1650's age and entry-level positioning. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (which is an integrated solution) and the AMD Radeon R7 350, indicate that the GTX 1650 is competing at a level that is only marginally better than some integrated graphics. Despite this, the measured FPS shows that the combo can still achieve playable frame rates at 1080p with most settings, which confirms the game's optimization rather than the hardware's strength.

The CPU's performance, while not the limiting factor here, is still relevant to the overall ranking. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a multithreaded score of 20363 and a single-thread score of 2941 in Passmark tests, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Intel Core Ultra 5 225, and Intel Core i9-12900T, all of which have average scores within 0.3% of the 5500X3D. This CPU performance is far beyond what Inside requires, but the combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to keep pace with the CPU's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 134 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, still providing an excellent experience with a minimal frame time variance (min 91 FPS, max 124 FPS). The High preset at 67 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra preset at 64 FPS offers only a marginal improvement in visual quality over High while sacrificing a few frames. For competitive or fast-paced play, Low or Medium at 1080p is recommended, as both provide frame rates that far exceed the display refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is still very smooth and recommended for those who prioritize frame rate. The Medium preset at 77 FPS (min 66, max 89) provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, making it the best choice for a high-refresh experience. The High preset at 48 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 46 FPS is similar, but both fall below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable to some users. For 1440p, Medium is the sweet spot, as it maintains a comfortable frame rate while offering better visuals than Low.

At 3840x2160, the options are more limited. The Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target and is the only 4K setting that achieves playable frame rates. The Medium preset drops to 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), which is playable but may feel less smooth. High at 30 FPS and Ultra at 29 FPS are effectively unplayable for a smooth experience, as they fall well below the 60 FPS standard. For 4K, the Low preset is the only recommended option, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. Users with 4K displays should consider dropping to 1440p for a better experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low settings produce an average of 134 FPS, Medium averages 107 FPS with a min of 91 and max of 124, High averages 67 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low averages 97 FPS, Medium averages 77 FPS (min 66, max 89), High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 61 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS.

The data reveals a clear pattern where the Medium preset consistently provides a significant boost over High and Ultra, while only sacrificing a modest amount compared to Low. For example, at 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium is a 27 FPS reduction (134 to 107), but the jump from Medium to High is a 40 FPS reduction (107 to 67). This suggests that the High and Ultra presets introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive on the GTX 1650. The min and max FPS values for the Medium preset show a narrow range (e.g., 91-124 at 1080p), indicating stable frame pacing, which is important for a game like Inside that relies on precise platforming.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 67 FPS.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with the Low settings preset, which produces an average of 61 FPS at 3840x2160. All other settings at 4K fall below 60 FPS, with Medium at 49 FPS, High at 30 FPS, and Ultra at 29 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has an average benchmark score of 7550, which is 1% higher than the GTX 1650's average score of 7472. This indicates the Arc A310 is slightly faster in general compute benchmarks.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37018.

Q: What is the best setting for a smooth 1440p experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides the best balance, with an average of 77 FPS and a min of 66 FPS, ensuring a stable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?

A: It ranks 2780 out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. The CPU features a unique cache configuration with 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a large 96 MB shared L3 cache. This substantial L3 cache is a hallmark of the X3D series, designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency. The processor supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is largely secondary to the GPU, as the game is not computationally demanding. The benchmark data shows the CPU has a Passmark multithreaded score of 20363 and a single-thread score of 2941, which places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% higher score), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% higher), and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (0.2% lower), indicating that the 5500X3D is well within the performance envelope of modern mid-range processors. The CPU's physical benchmarks, such as floating-point math (34511) and integer math (60033), are far beyond what a puzzle platformer requires.

Given that the measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 134 FPS, the CPU is clearly capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The data shows no indication of CPU limitation, as the frame rates scale purely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound factors. The CPU's high single-thread performance (2941) is beneficial for games that rely on a single main thread, but Inside's engine appears to be well-optimized, as the 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient. In this system, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is overqualified for the task, providing a stable platform that allows the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance.