Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in Inside, but the data reveals a clear bottleneck: the CPU holds the GPU back at lower resolutions. The 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provides ample single-thread speed, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 974 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218. However, its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 65W TDP indicate a mid-range design, and in a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, the CPU's role is primarily to feed frames to the GPU. The measured results show that at 4K Ultra, the combo produces 139 FPS, but at 1080p Low, it reaches 352.9 FPS, a massive gap that suggests the CPU is nearing its limit in frame generation, rather than the GPU being the constraint.

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

The Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture, using a 5nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz give it strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that relies on consistent physics and update logic. The CPU's benchmark scores are competitive: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22799 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2759, placing it in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-11850H, which scores 0.1% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which scores 0.3% lower, showing that the 7500F sits in a tight performance band.

In Inside, the CPU's influence is most visible when comparing low and high settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 352.9 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 264.9 FPS. The delta between these settings (88 FPS) is larger than the delta between 1080p Ultra and 1440p Ultra (226.1 FPS, a drop of 38.8 FPS), which indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiter at higher settings. The processor's 12 threads handle the game's light threading demands easily, and its 32 MB L3 cache provides enough bandwidth for the game's asset streaming. The data suggests that the 7500F is sufficient to push the RTX 4090 to its limits at 4K, but at 1080p, the CPU's frame rate ceiling becomes apparent, as the GPU is capable of far more than the CPU can supply.

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

The RTX 4090 is a behemoth, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16384 shading units, give it a peak FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS. This GPU is in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (0.4% lower) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (0.9% lower), though these are workstation parts, not gaming cards.

For Inside, the GPU's role is to render the game's monochromatic, atmospheric scenes at high frame rates. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is overkill for this title at 1080p, where it produces 269.8 FPS on High settings. At 4K Ultra, it still manages 139 FPS, which is smooth for a puzzle platformer. The 24 GB VRAM is far more than Inside needs, but it ensures no texture streaming stutters at any resolution. The GPU's performance scaling with settings is linear: going from Low to Ultra at 4K reduces frame rates from 270.2 to 139, a 49% drop, which is consistent with the GPU being the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The RTX 4090's raw power means that even at 4K Ultra, the combo is well above 60 FPS, making the GPU a non-issue for playability.

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

The resolution scaling in Inside reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions. From 1080p High (269.8 FPS) to 1440p High (233.1 FPS), the drop is 36.7 FPS, or 13.6%. From 1440p High to 4K High (146.1 FPS), the drop is 87 FPS, or 37.3%. This accelerating decline as resolution increases indicates that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU's frame-generation limit caps performance. The same pattern holds for Low settings: 1080p Low (352.9 FPS) to 1440p Low (317.1 FPS) is a 10.1% drop, but 1440p Low to 4K Low (270.2 FPS) is a 14.8% drop.

The key insight is that the RTX 4090's performance headroom is only fully utilized at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU's 3dmark 16-thread score of 6376 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 324 suggest that the processor is producing frames as fast as it can, but the GPU is waiting. The data shows that the FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, which is counterintuitive for a GPU-bound game. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 7500F is the limiting component at 1080p, and users with high-refresh monitors may see diminishing returns from the RTX 4090 at that resolution, while at 4K, the GPU's massive compute resources are fully engaged.

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

For Inside, the measured rows show that the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 269.8 FPS, which is 5 FPS higher than Ultra (264.9 FPS) but with a negligible visual penalty in a game with such a distinctive art style. At 1440p High, the frame rate is 233.1 FPS, still far above any refresh rate, and at 4K High, it is 146.1 FPS, which is 7.1 FPS higher than Ultra (139 FPS). The Low preset at 4K (270.2 FPS) is unnecessary, as the game's aesthetic relies on lighting and shadows that Ultra settings enhance.

The Medium preset is a middle ground, but it does not offer a significant advantage over High: at 4K, Medium (236.1 FPS) is 90 FPS faster than High (146.1 FPS), but this comes at the cost of reduced detail. For a game that is a slow-paced puzzle platformer, the visual richness of High is more important than the extra frame rate. The Ultra preset, while playable at all resolutions, provides no real benefit over High in terms of gameplay, as the frame rates are already far above the game's needs. The recommendation is to use High settings at any resolution, as it delivers the highest fidelity without sacrificing the fluidity that the RTX 4090 can provide.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 74th out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This is a top-tier ranking, placing it in the top 4.4% of all tested configurations. The rank reflects the raw power of the RTX 4090, which is the dominant factor in this game, even with a mid-range CPU. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs is lower than the GPU's 91st percentile, which confirms that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

The combo rank is influenced by the fact that Inside is not a demanding game, so even lower-end GPUs can achieve high frame rates. However, the RTX 4090's ability to hit 352.9 FPS at 1080p Low and 270.2 FPS at 4K Low shows that it is among the fastest cards for this title. The rank of 74 suggests that there are 73 combos with higher average FPS, likely featuring faster CPUs (such as the Ryzen 7 series) paired with the RTX 4090, but the 7500F's performance is close enough that the difference is minimal. For a puzzle platformer, this rank is more than sufficient, and the data shows that the combo is overkill for 1080p but well-suited for 4K gaming.

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

The measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

• 1920x1080: Low 352.9, Medium 326.4, High 269.8, Ultra 264.9
• 2560x1440: Low 317.1, Medium 291.1, High 233.1, Ultra 226.1
• 3840x2160: Low 270.2, Medium 236.1, High 146.1, Ultra 139

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings are always the fastest, and Ultra is always the slowest, with Medium and High in between. The largest single drop is from 1440p High (233.1) to 4K High (146.1), a 87 FPS reduction, which underscores the GPU's workload at 4K. The smallest drop is from 1080p High (269.8) to 1080p Ultra (264.9), a mere 4.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset adds little overhead at 1080p. At 4K, the gap between Low (270.2) and Ultra (139) is 131.2 FPS, showing the dramatic impact of settings on the GPU. These numbers confirm that the RTX 4090 is most efficient at 1440p, where it produces over 226 FPS on all settings, while at 4K, the High and Ultra presets are the only ones that balance quality and performance.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 1440p Ultra produces 226.1 FPS, while 4K Ultra produces 139 FPS. For a puzzle platformer, 4K High at 146.1 FPS offers the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness, as it is well above 60 FPS.

Q: Why is the FPS at 1080p Low (352.9) so much higher than at 4K Low (270.2)?

A: The 82 FPS difference is due to the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the CPU limits the frame rate, while at 4K, the RTX 4090's rendering load increases, reducing throughput. The CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 974 shows it can generate frames quickly, but the GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of compute is only fully utilized at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7500F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, where the FPS is capped around 350 regardless of settings. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as seen in the larger FPS drops between resolutions. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22799 is sufficient for this game's light threading.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 74th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.4%. This is driven by the RTX 4090's high percentile (91st) among GPUs, while the CPU's 82nd percentile is slightly lower, but the combo is still elite for this title.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, High produces 146.1 FPS, while Ultra produces 139 FPS, a difference of 7.1 FPS. The visual improvement from Ultra is marginal in Inside's minimalist art style, so High is recommended for the higher frame rate.

*Q: Does the 24 GB VRAM of the RTX 4090 matter for Inside?*

A: The game is not demanding on VRAM, but the 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures zero texture streaming issues at any resolution. The GPU's 91st percentile ranking confirms it is overkill for this title, but it guarantees maximum performance.