Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a performance profile in Inside that is defined by extreme headroom, placing the combination in the 71st percentile of all tested system configurations. With a combo rank of 835 out of 2887 tested combos, this pairing sits comfortably ahead of the median system, though the data suggests that the game's modest graphical demands mean the CPU is often operating well below its potential. The benchmark results indicate a platform that is not merely capable of running the title, but one that obliterates standard refresh rate targets at nearly every setting and resolution, making it a particularly strong match for high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 835 out of 2887 tested combinations places it in the top 29% of all systems evaluated, a strong showing that underscores the synergy between the Zen 4 processor and the RDNA 3 graphics card. This position is not surprising given the individual component strengths; the CPU holds an 89th percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 51st percentile among all graphics cards. The disparity between these percentile scores is telling—the processor is a top-tier part, while the GPU is decidedly mid-range—yet the final combination still achieves a high overall ranking because Inside is not a graphically intensive title. The data shows that the limiting factor in this system is almost always the GPU, but at 1080p and even 1440p, the RX 7800 XT is so far ahead of the game's requirements that the CPU's strength becomes the primary driver of the exceptionally high frame rates. Compared to other combos, this pairing is likely outperforming systems with stronger GPUs but weaker CPUs, as the game’s physics and scene complexity respond well to the 7500X3D's large cache and high single-thread performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the designated renderer in this combo, and its specifications are more than sufficient for Inside. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which eliminates any possibility of VRAM capacity or bandwidth bottlenecks at any of the tested resolutions, including 4K. The graphics card operates with a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2124 MHz. These clocks, combined with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs, allow for a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. In the context of Inside, these specs translate to raw power that is largely underutilized. At 1080p with Low settings, the GPU is producing 320 FPS, which indicates that the rendering workload is trivial for the card. The GPU's role becomes more defined at higher resolutions and settings, where the average frame rate predictably scales down. For instance, moving from 1080p High (208 FPS) to 4K High (94 FPS) shows a 54% reduction in performance, highlighting the GPU's increasing workload at higher pixel counts. However, even at its most stressed point—4K Ultra at 89 FPS—the card remains well above the 60 FPS standard, proving that it is a capable air cooler for this game's needs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 208 FPS at 1080p to 149 FPS at 1440p, a 28% decrease, and then further to 94 FPS at 4K, a 37% decrease from the 1440p figure. This trend is consistent across all settings presets. For example, at Medium settings, the transition from 1080p (296 FPS) to 1440p (239 FPS) results in a 19% drop, and then to 4K (150 FPS) results in a 37% drop. This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a system that is CPU-bound at lower resolutions and becomes progressively GPU-bound as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it instructions, resulting in the relatively small performance gap between Low (320 FPS) and Ultra (198 FPS) settings. As resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities become the bottleneck, making the performance gap between settings much more pronounced. The data shows that at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 99 FPS (188 vs 89), while at 1080p, that same difference is 122 FPS (320 vs 198). This indicates that while the CPU's performance ceiling is reached at 1080p, the GPU's performance ceiling is only approached at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends almost entirely on the target display's refresh rate. For users with a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, the Ultra preset is the best choice at 1440p and 4K, as it delivers 142 FPS and 89 FPS respectively, both of which are above 60 FPS and the 1440p figure is close to 144 Hz. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 198 FPS, which is sufficient for even the fastest 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays. The High preset offers a marginal performance uplift over Ultra, but the visual fidelity difference is minimal in a game like Inside, which uses a stark, minimalist art style. The Medium preset offers a significant performance boost—for instance, 296 FPS at 1080p versus 198 FPS on Ultra—but this comes at the cost of visual effects that may be more noticeable in motion. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (320 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended for general use, as it likely disables shadows and lighting effects that are integral to the game's atmosphere. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Ultra preset at 1440p is recommended, as it provides a smooth, high-fidelity experience with an average frame rate of 142 FPS. For 4K users, the High preset (94 FPS) is a better choice than Ultra (89 FPS) if they prefer a higher frame rate buffer, but both are playable.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average frame rate of 89 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 142 FPS, which nearly saturates a 144 Hz display. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 198 FPS, providing headroom above the 144 Hz target. For 4K, the High preset (94 FPS) is the highest quality option that stays above 60 FPS, but it falls short of 144 Hz.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 320 FPS on Low to 198 FPS on Ultra, a 38% reduction. At 4K, the drop is from 188 FPS to 89 FPS, a 53% reduction, indicating the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as frame rates are extremely high and the difference between settings is relatively small. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the larger performance drops between settings presets.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 320 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the game support high refresh rates well with this hardware?

A: Yes. The combo produces frame rates well above 144 Hz at 1080p and 1440p on most presets, and it can also exceed 144 Hz at 4K with the Low preset (188 FPS), making it an excellent match for high-refresh-rate gaming.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, and its defining feature is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is critical for gaming performance. The CPU's memory bandwidth is rated at 83.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface. In Inside, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and scene management. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is exceptionally capable in this regard. The PassMark single-thread score of 3494 and the multithread score of 25047 place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-13950HX and the Intel Core i5-14600. The large L3 cache is particularly beneficial for Inside, which likely involves repetitive data access patterns. The data shows that the CPU's performance ceiling is high enough that it is rarely the bottleneck, except in the lowest resolution and settings scenarios. For instance, at 1080p Low, the GPU is producing 320 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still able to keep up with the GPU's output. The processor's 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node ensure efficient operation, and its support for PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes allows for high-bandwidth communication with the GPU and other devices, though this is not a limiting factor in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its highest performance ceiling. The Low preset achieves an average of 320 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 296 FPS, with a minimum frame rate of 251 FPS and a maximum of 340 FPS. The High preset reduces the average to 208 FPS. The Ultra preset, while the most visually demanding, still maintains an average of 198 FPS. The performance spread from Low to Ultra is 122 FPS, indicating that the CPU is able to maintain high throughput even as GPU load increases.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset records an average of 287 FPS. The Medium preset averages 239 FPS, with a minimum of 203 FPS and a maximum of 275 FPS. The High preset delivers 149 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 142 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 145 FPS, which is slightly larger than at 1080p, showing the GPU's increasing role in determining performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, but the combo still delivers playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 188 FPS. The Medium preset averages 150 FPS, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS. The High preset delivers 94 FPS. The Ultra preset records an average of 89 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 99 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across all resolutions, but the relative drop is the largest, confirming that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor here.

Across all data points, the combo never drops below an average of 89 FPS, which is the minimum recorded at 4K Ultra. This indicates that the system can provide a smooth experience at any resolution and settings combination, making it a versatile choice for Inside. The minimum frame rates recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution (251 FPS at 1080p, 203 FPS at 1440p, 128 FPS at 4K) also show that frame pacing remains consistent, with no severe dips that would cause stuttering. The combination of the 7500X3D's high IPC and the RX 7800 XT's substantial memory bandwidth and compute resources results in a system that is well-balanced for this title, offering far more performance than the game's 2016 release date would suggest is necessary.