Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not challenge modern hardware. Yet, the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination reveals a fascinating story about frame pacing, resolution scaling, and the sheer headroom available in this title. The results show a system capable of triple-digit frame rates at every setting, but the distribution of those frames across resolutions offers a clear view of where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combo for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 1135 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top third of all systems tested for this specific game.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600F compare to its nearest rivals in general CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600F's average benchmark score is 36945, which is essentially tied with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%) and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%) by less than a single percentage point.

Q: What are the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 257 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 194 FPS. This represents a 63 FPS drop when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its memory clock operates at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the game hit its highest average frame rate?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 257 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the frame rate scale when moving from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: On the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 197 FPS at 1920x1080 to 151 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a decrease of 46 FPS, or roughly 23%, when quadrupling the pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are key characteristics for its performance profile.

For a game like Inside, which is largely a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the CPU's role is often less about raw multi-threaded throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The benchmark data suggests this CPU is more than sufficient for the task. The PassMark single-thread score of 2872 and multi-thread score of 19236 are solid figures, placing the CPU in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Inside, the CPU is likely not the limiting factor at lower resolutions, where the system achieves 257 FPS on Low settings.

However, the data reveals an interesting interaction. The Ryzen 5 5600F's nearest rivals in general benchmarks are all within a 0.5% delta of its average score of 36945. This indicates a performance plateau among these mid-range processors. For Inside, this means that any of these CPUs would likely deliver a nearly identical experience, as the game's logic and physics are not demanding enough to differentiate between them. The CPU's headroom is evident; it is the GPU that dictates the frame rate ceiling as resolution and settings increase.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a behemoth of a graphics card. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 21,760 shading units, 176 ROPs, and 170 RT cores. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus offers a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, and its boost clock reaches 2407 MHz. The GPU's raw compute power is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

Given this specification, it is no surprise that the RTX 5090 D can handle Inside with ease. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 44065 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. In the measured data, the GPU is clearly the dominant component, but its performance is so high that it appears to be underutilized in many scenarios. The closest rivals in the data pack are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904, 1.1% delta) and RX 6850M XT (78940, -1.6% delta), which are mobile GPUs, highlighting the desktop RTX 5090 D's superior standing.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are still high, but the performance gap between settings narrows. For instance, the difference between Low (197 FPS) and Ultra (149 FPS) at 4K is 48 FPS. This suggests that even with this massive GPU, the higher pixel count begins to tax the render pipeline, making the GPU the clear bottleneck at that resolution. The 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what Inside requires, but it ensures that memory capacity is never a concern.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600F and RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 1135 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 69th percentile of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The rank is likely held back by the CPU, as the GPU is a top-tier component, but the pairing still delivers excellent results.

This ranking suggests that while the combo is not in the absolute top tier, it offers a level of performance that far exceeds the requirements of Inside. The data shows that the system is capable of averaging over 150 FPS at 4K Ultra settings, which is a performance level that most other combinations cannot reach. The rank also implies that there are 1,134 other combos that perform better, but these are likely to feature even more powerful CPUs, such as newer high-core-count processors, which would have a marginal impact on a game like Inside.

The gap between this combo and the top performers is likely due to the CPU's single-thread performance in a game that may be sensitive to it, or simply the fact that the game is so easy to run that even high-end systems are limited by other factors. The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for this game, with neither component completely overshadowing the other at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU taking the lead at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions. The most significant observation is that the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is not as severe as one might expect, given the four-fold increase in pixels. For the High preset, the average FPS goes from 197 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p, and finally to 151 at 4K. This is a total drop of 46 FPS, or 23%.

This relatively modest decline suggests that the system is not fully GPU-bound at 1080p. If it were, we would expect a more dramatic falloff as resolution increases. Instead, the data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. The 257 FPS Low preset at 1080p confirms this, as it shows the GPU's capability, but the CPU's instruction throughput may be capping the maximum achievable FPS.

As the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The frame rate scaling between 1440p and 4K on the High preset shows a drop from 177 to 151 FPS, which is a 15% decrease for a 2.25x increase in pixels. This is a more expected scaling pattern, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are now the deciding factors. The system's performance profile shows that it is incredibly fast at all resolutions, but the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of average frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 257 FPS on Low, 237 FPS on Medium, 197 FPS on High, and 194 FPS on Ultra. The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium is 201, with a maximum of 272.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease across the board. The Low preset averages 230 FPS, Medium averages 212 FPS, High averages 177 FPS, and Ultra averages 174 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 244 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain impressively high. The Low preset averages 197 FPS, Medium averages 182 FPS, High averages 151 FPS, and Ultra averages 149 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 154 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS.

One notable pattern is the small difference between the High and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is only 3 FPS (197 vs 194). At 1440p, it is also 3 FPS (177 vs 174). At 4K, the difference is a mere 2 FPS (151 vs 149). This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional graphical effects have a negligible impact on performance, making it a viable option for maximizing visual quality.

Settings Recommendations

For a game like Inside, where the art direction and atmosphere are crucial, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The data shows that the performance cost of moving from High to Ultra is minimal, with a maximum drop of only 3 FPS at 1080p and 2 FPS at 4K. This makes the Ultra preset the best option for experiencing the game as intended, without sacrificing meaningful performance.

If the goal is to achieve the highest possible frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p offers an average of 257 FPS. However, for a puzzle platformer, such high frame rates are not necessary for a good experience. The Medium preset provides a good balance, with an average of 237 FPS at 1080p and a minimum of 201 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay.

At 4K, the Ultra preset's 149 FPS average is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate displays. The data suggests that players should prioritize the Ultra preset at any resolution, as the performance headroom of the RTX 5090 D is so vast that there is no need to compromise on visual fidelity. The High preset offers a negligible performance gain over Ultra, making it a less attractive option. The Medium preset could be used if a player wants to push frame rates above 200 FPS at 1080p, but the visual trade-off is likely not worth it for this title. The measured rows indicate that the system is so powerful that the game's settings can be maxed out without any concern for playability.