Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on frame rates than its minimalist aesthetic suggests. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of obliterating the 60 FPS barrier at every resolution and settings combination tested, making it a prime candidate for high-refresh-rate displays. The core takeaway is that this game, despite its age, scales aggressively with both CPU and GPU capabilities, and this specific combo has the headroom to exploit that scaling fully.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D brings a potent mix of modern architecture and a massive cache to the table. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, running on the Zen 3 architecture. Its base clock is 3.00 GHz, and it boosts up to 4.00 GHz. The defining feature here is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, a hallmark of the X3D lineup that is particularly effective in gaming scenarios where data locality is high. The CPU sits on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with a 105 W TDP, and its PassMark single-thread score is 2941, with a multithread score of 20363.

In the context of Inside, the CPU’s role is foundational but not necessarily the primary bottleneck. This game’s physics and logic are not heavily threaded, so the 6-core/12-thread configuration provides ample parallel resources. The high single-thread performance ensures that the main game loop runs smoothly, preventing frame hitches that can occur when a single core is saturated. The benchmark data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 268 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it reaches 240 FPS. These numbers are so high that they indicate the CPU is comfortably feeding the GPU with enough draw calls and game state updates to keep the render pipeline full.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the 5500X3D’s average benchmark score is 37018. This puts it in a tight cluster with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (avg score 36945), which it edges out by 0.2%. It also matches the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938, +0.2% delta) and sits slightly behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.2%) and the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.3%). The deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning that in purely CPU-bound scenarios, this chip is functionally equivalent to those alternatives. The 5500X3D’s massive L3 cache is its secret weapon, though, as it can alleviate memory latency in games that have large working sets, which often yields better real-world gaming FPS than the synthetic average score suggests. The CPU’s percentile ranking against all CPUs is 85, placing it in the top tier of desktop processors for gaming workloads.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the other half of this equation, and in Inside, it proves to be a powerhouse. It is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process. The GPU has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Inside, which is not a texture-heavy game by modern standards, but the high bandwidth ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the scene complexity spikes.

The RTX 3070’s compute capabilities are significant, with 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units. The FP32 performance is rated at 20.31 TFLOPS. In the context of this puzzle platformer, the GPU’s raw fill rate and shader throughput are what allow it to push the frame rates into the stratosphere. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo still manages an average of 81 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. This indicates that the GPU is not being overwhelmed even at the most demanding settings.

The GPU’s benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 22214, and it holds a 61st percentile ranking against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (avg score 17083, delta 0.7%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, +1.0%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, +1.1%). Interestingly, the RTX 3070’s average benchmark score is 17208, which is slightly lower than the Tesla K40c’s 17468 (delta -1.5%). This is a quirk of the synthetic benchmark suite, which often weights compute-heavy workloads that favor the Tesla card. In gaming, the RTX 3070’s architectural advantages, such as dedicated RT cores and Tensor cores, are far more relevant. The launch MSRP of the RTX 3070 is 499 USD.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the GPU as the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 189 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 136 FPS, a reduction of 53 FPS. At 4K High, the average falls further to 85 FPS, a 51 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This linear degradation pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s fill rate and shading throughput become the constraining resource.

This is further confirmed by looking at the Low settings results. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 268 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 240 FPS (a 28 FPS drop), and at 4K Low, it falls to 171 FPS (a 69 FPS drop from 1440p). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is larger on Low (36%) than on High (55%), which is counterintuitive but logical. On Low settings, the GPU is less burdened by shader work, so the frame rate is higher, and the relative impact of the increased pixel count becomes more pronounced. On High settings, the GPU is already working harder, so the absolute FPS is lower, but the scaling is still dominated by the GPU.

The data indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is not a bottleneck at any resolution in this game. The FPS doesn’t plateau at 1080p; it continues to rise as the resolution drops, which is a clear sign that the CPU has more headroom. The RTX 3070 is the component that determines the ceiling at each resolution. This is good news for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, as the combo can easily max out a 240 Hz display at lower settings. For 4K users, the GPU’s limits are apparent, but the game still performs admirably, staying well above playable thresholds.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Inside, this particular pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a strong position. The combo rank is 1288 out of 2887 total combinations. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of the systems that have been benchmarked with this game.

This rank is notable because it is achieved with a mid-range CPU and a previous-generation GPU. The fact that this combo ranks in the top half of all tested systems, including those with newer and more expensive hardware, underscores the efficiency of this pairing for Inside. The game is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, but the rank suggests that many systems with more powerful components still fail to reach the same frame rates, likely due to driver overhead or CPU limitations. The 5500X3D’s large cache and the RTX 3070’s raw power form a balanced duo that extracts high performance from this game.

The rank also implies that there are 1599 combos that perform better, likely comprising top-tier CPUs like the Ryzen 9 series and flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090. However, for the majority of users, the performance of this combo is more than sufficient. It sits comfortably in the upper-middle echelon, providing a high-quality experience without requiring extreme hardware. Given that the game is a 2D side-scroller, the absolute frame rate is often more important than raw graphical fidelity, and this combo excels in that regard.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the user’s display refresh rate and resolution. The data provides a clear hierarchy across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets at three resolutions. The objective is to maintain a frame rate that is either at or above the monitor’s refresh rate, or at least above 60 FPS for a smooth experience.

For 4K (3840x2160) displays, the Ultra preset averages 81 FPS, which is excellent for a 60 Hz or even a 120 Hz display. The High preset averages 85 FPS, offering a marginal 4 FPS improvement over Ultra. The Medium preset jumps to 136 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 171 FPS. For a 4K 144 Hz monitor, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it provides a substantial frame rate increase while likely maintaining most of the visual fidelity that makes Inside’s art style shine. The High and Ultra presets are better suited for 60 Hz displays, where the extra visual detail is worth the lower frame rate.

For 1440p (2560x1440) displays, the Ultra preset averages 129 FPS, which is excellent for a 144 Hz monitor. The High preset averages 136 FPS, and the Medium preset jumps to 217 FPS. The Low preset is nearly unnecessary here, as the Medium preset already provides a massive frame rate advantage. For a 240 Hz 1440p display, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it achieves 217 FPS and comes close to saturating the refresh rate. The High and Ultra presets are perfect for 144 Hz and 165 Hz displays, respectively.

For 1080p (1920x1080) displays, the Ultra preset averages 180 FPS, which is sufficient for a 165 Hz monitor. The High preset averages 189 FPS, and the Medium preset hits 247 FPS. The Low preset reaches 268 FPS. For a 240 Hz 1080p display, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a great visual experience while still hitting 189 FPS. The Medium preset is the best for pushing higher frame rates, achieving 247 FPS, which is close to the 240 Hz ceiling. The Low preset is only necessary for esports-level frame rates, but the visual downgrade is unlikely to be worth it in a game like Inside.

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

The following is the complete measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination in Inside.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 268 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, indicating a purely GPU-light scenario where the CPU is still not the bottleneck.
• Medium: Average 247 FPS, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 285 FPS. The frame variance is notable, but the average is still exceptionally high.
• High: Average 189 FPS. This is a significant drop from Medium (58 FPS), showing the impact of increased shading and texture work.
• Ultra: Average 180 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 9 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds minimal extra load at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 240 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low is 28 FPS, which is a modest penalty for the higher pixel count.
• Medium: Average 217 FPS, with a minimum of 185 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS. The frame pacing is consistent, with a 35 FPS range between min and max.
• High: Average 136 FPS. This is a substantial drop from the Medium preset (81 FPS), indicating that the High preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.
• Ultra: Average 129 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS, which is a minor difference, making High the better choice if frame rate is a priority.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 171 FPS. The drop from 1440p Low is 69 FPS, which is a larger absolute penalty than the 1080p to 1440p transition, confirming GPU scaling pressure.
• Medium: Average 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. This is the only 4K setting with min/max data, showing a 41 FPS range.
• High: Average 85 FPS. The drop from Medium is 51 FPS, which is a steep cliff, highlighting the High preset’s heavy shader usage.
• Ultra: Average 81 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 4 FPS at this resolution, making the Ultra preset a viable option for 60 Hz displays.