Inside

# Inside — CPU/GPU Combo Analysis: AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional frame rates in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. Benchmark results show this combination never drops below 140 FPS average at any tested resolution or settings preset, making it far beyond what the game requires. The data indicates a system that is completely unconstrained by either component at 1080p and 1440p, with even 4K Ultra producing an average of 140 FPS. This analysis walks through resolution scaling, component roles, and settings recommendations based on the measured FPS data provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how Inside scales across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 206 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops this to 185 FPS, a reduction of 21 FPS or roughly 10.2%. Stepping up to 3840x2160 High yields 147 FPS, which is 59 FPS below the 1080p figure — a 28.6% decrease from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is notably gentle compared to most modern titles, reflecting the game's age and relatively modest graphical demands.

The Low settings preset shows a similar but slightly different pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 268 FPS. At 1440p Low, it reaches 240 FPS — a drop of 28 FPS (10.4%). At 4K Low, it produces 206 FPS, which is 62 FPS below the 1080p result (23.1% lower). Interestingly, the 1080p Low score of 268 FPS is identical to the 4K Low score of 206 FPS being exactly the same as the 1080p High score — suggesting that at these extreme performance levels, the limiting factor shifts between CPU and GPU depending on settings.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 and maximum of 285. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 222 FPS (min 188, max 255). At 4K Medium, the average falls to 190 FPS (min 161, max 218). The delta between 1080p and 4K Medium is 57 FPS, or 23.1%. The Ultra preset shows the tightest scaling: 203 FPS at 1080p, 182 FPS at 1440p, and 140 FPS at 4K — a 63 FPS gap between 1080p and 4K, representing a 31% reduction.

These scaling figures indicate that the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of performance differences across resolutions. The GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are never stressed by Inside's requirements, yet the frame rate still declines as pixel count increases. This is expected behavior — more pixels mean more work for the GPU's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, regardless of how simple the scene geometry might be. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to have ample headroom even at 1080p where the 268 FPS Low result suggests the processor is not the bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best FPS this combo achieves in Inside?*

A: The highest recorded average is 268 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum frame rate observed in any test is 285 FPS, which occurs at 1080p Medium.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 bottleneck the Ryzen 5 5500X3D in this game?

A: No. The data shows the combo ranks 751st out of 2,887 tested combinations in Inside, which is in the top 26% of all combos. Given the game's age and the extreme performance levels measured, neither component appears to be a limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326 (a 0% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% lower), while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher). The AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails at 58,657 (2.9% lower).

Q: What is the slowest settings preset at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces the lowest average FPS of 140. The High preset at 4K is slightly better at 147 FPS, while Medium reaches 190 FPS and Low hits 206 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500X3D a competitive processor compared to its peers?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 37,018, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, scores 37,093 (0.2% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36,945 (0.2% lower). The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37,112 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 (0.2% lower).

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 185 FPS at 2560x1440 High. This is 21 FPS lower than the 1080p High result of 206 FPS, showing only a modest penalty for the resolution increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for Inside places this configuration at 751 out of 2,887 tested combinations. This percentile position — roughly the top 26% — might seem modest given the hardware involved, but context is important. Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 with relatively simple graphics. Many combinations, including those with far weaker GPUs, can achieve high frame rates in this title. The rank reflects that the RTX 4090's massive compute resources (82.58 TFLOPS FP32, 16,384 shading units) are largely underutilized by a game that does not stress modern GPUs.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 37,018. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36,945 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37,093 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 (0.2% lower). This tight grouping shows the 5500X3D is performance-competitive with its peers, though not a standout leader. The 96 MB of shared L3 cache from the 3D V-Cache design likely helps in games, but Inside may not benefit significantly from large cache sizes given its simple data structures.

The RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60,347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, is statistically identical at 60,326 (0% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, which is 2.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails at 58,657 (2.9% lower). The 4090's position is interesting — it is not the absolute top GPU in this database's scoring, but it is firmly in the upper tier. In Inside, however, the GPU's rank matters less because the game's demands are so low that even mid-range GPUs can produce high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 268 FPS average, Medium reaches 247 FPS (min 210, max 285), High hits 206 FPS, and Ultra achieves 203 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 65 FPS, showing that settings have a meaningful impact even at 1080p. The Medium preset's min of 210 FPS is higher than the High preset's average of 206 FPS, indicating that the jump from Medium to High costs more performance than the jump from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down predictably. Low produces 240 FPS, Medium averages 222 FPS (min 188, max 255), High reaches 185 FPS, and Ultra hits 182 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 58 FPS. Notably, the 1440p Ultra result of 182 FPS is identical to the 1440p High result of 185 FPS within a 3 FPS margin, suggesting that the High to Ultra transition has minimal cost at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains high but shows the largest resolution penalty. Low averages 206 FPS, Medium reaches 190 FPS (min 161, max 218), High drops to 147 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 140 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 66 FPS. The 4K Medium min of 161 FPS is still well above 144 Hz, meaning even the most demanding preset at 4K maintains a high frame rate.

The min FPS data is only available for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the min is 210 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it's 188 FPS; at 4K Medium, it's 161 FPS. These minimums are all above 160 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery without significant drops. The max FPS values follow a similar pattern: 285 at 1080p, 255 at 1440p, and 218 at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings substantial specifications to Inside: 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2,235 MHz with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, and memory runs at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU has 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. Its compute capabilities include 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate.

For a game like Inside, these specifications are massively overkill. The 24 GB VRAM is never approached by the game's texture requirements, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is far beyond what the game's simple scenes demand. The GPU's role in the measured results is primarily visible in the resolution scaling — as pixel count increases from 1080p to 4K, the FPS drops consistently across all settings presets. This is the classic signature of GPU-bound performance, where the render resolution directly impacts the workload on the GPU's rasterization pipeline.

The 4090's percentile rank of 88 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347, places it in the upper tier but not the absolute top. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896, 2.5% higher). In Inside, the GPU's raw power translates to frame rates that are far higher than the game's 2016-era visuals require. The 4K Ultra result of 140 FPS is particularly telling — even the most demanding setting at the highest resolution still produces a frame rate that exceeds most display refresh rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename) built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB shared L3 cache — the signature feature of the X3D line. It supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth, and uses the AMD Socket AM4.

In Inside, the CPU's role is less pronounced than the GPU's. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 268 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor even at high frame rates. The 96 MB L3 cache may help with game logic and physics calculations, but Inside's puzzle platformer design likely uses modest CPU resources. The processor's PassMark scores show balanced performance: 20,363 multithread, 2,941 single-thread, and 60,033 in integer math. These figures place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals are tightly clustered, with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scoring just 0.2% higher and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scoring 0.2% lower. This indicates the 5500X3D is competitively positioned within its performance class. For Inside, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient — the game's simple update logic and limited entity counts do not stress multi-threaded performance. The boost clock of 4.00 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance for the game's physics and input handling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 247 FPS average with a minimum of 210 FPS — the highest minimum among all presets at that resolution. At 1440p Medium, it delivers 222 FPS (min 188), and at 4K Medium, it achieves 190 FPS (min 161). The Medium preset's min FPS values are consistently higher than the High and Ultra presets' averages at the same resolutions, indicating more consistent frame delivery.

For players targeting 144 Hz displays, the 4K Medium result of 190 FPS exceeds this threshold with room to spare. The 4K High preset at 147 FPS is also above 144 Hz, but its lower margin means occasional dips could approach the refresh rate limit. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 140 FPS, which falls below 144 Hz and would require a 120 Hz display to fully utilize.

The Low preset offers the highest frame rates — 268 FPS at 1080p, 240 FPS at 1440p, and 206 FPS at 4K — but sacrifices visual quality that modern displays may reveal. Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer with stylized visuals, the difference between Low and Medium may be noticeable in lighting and shadow quality. The Medium preset provides a 19 FPS improvement over High at 4K (190 vs 147 FPS) and a 16 FPS improvement at 1440p (222 vs 185 FPS), making it the clear sweet spot.

The Ultra preset offers minimal gains over High — only 3 FPS at 1080p (203 vs 206, actually lower) and 3 FPS at 1440p (182 vs 185, again lower) — while costing 7 FPS at 4K (140 vs 147). The data suggests Ultra provides no meaningful benefit in Inside and actually performs slightly worse than High in some cases, likely due to additional effects that tax the GPU without improving the experience. For the best experience, Medium at any resolution provides the highest minimum frame rates and consistent performance, while High remains a viable option for those prioritizing visual fidelity over the last few FPS.