Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer with deceptively modest graphical demands, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing reflects this. The measured results show a system that is heavily overqualified for the task, delivering playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings. The data indicates that this combination is consistently GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the headroom becomes so vast that the frame rates border on the absurd for the game's visual style. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the performance against other tested combinations, and provides concrete recommendations based on the recorded data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low settings preset, the average FPS drops from 310 at 1080p to 223 at 1440p, a reduction of 87 FPS, and then to 140 at 4K, a further reduction of 83 FPS. This halving of frame rate from 1080p to 4K is a strong indicator that the rendering workload is scaling directly with pixel count, which points to the GPU being the primary limiting component in this configuration.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when examining the High preset. At 1080p, the average is 155 FPS, which drops to 111 FPS at 1440p and then to 70 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 28%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 37%. This non-linear degradation is typical of a GPU that is approaching its fill-rate limits; the jump to 4K requires rendering four times the pixels of 1080p, and the RTX 2070 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 113.3 GPixel/s pixel rate become the bottlenecks.

The Medium preset data reinforces this analysis. The average FPS at 1080p is 248, with a minimum frame rate of 210 and a maximum of 285. At 1440p, the average drops to 178, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 205. At 4K, the average is 112, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129. The minimum frame rate at 4K Medium (95 FPS) is still above 60, suggesting that even with occasional dips, the experience remains fluid. The consistent scaling across all three presets confirms that resolution is the dominant variable, and the CPU's role in this game is largely static regardless of the pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, is the central component driving these frame rates. The GPU's 1605 MHz base clock and 1770 MHz boost clock, combined with 2560 shading units, provide the raw computational power needed for Inside's rendering. The measured data shows that the GPU is never the cause of a sub-60 FPS experience, even at the Ultra preset at 4K, where the average is 67 FPS.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the data shows no anomalous performance cliffs or stutters that would typically indicate memory swapping. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient to feed the GPU's processing units, as evidenced by the smooth scaling across resolutions. The GPU's performance percentile of 65 versus all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 20282 place it in the mid-range of the tested hardware pool, but its nearest rivals in the PassMark G3D test include the Intel Arc B570 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with delta percentages of -1.3 and -1.2 respectively, indicating a very tight cluster of performance.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with the game's rendering pipeline. The data suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable air cooler for this load, as the frame times remain consistent across all settings, with no thermal throttling implied by the benchmark results. The GPU's 215 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU are adequate for the system's needs, but the benchmark numbers indicate that the card is never pushed to its absolute breaking point in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 1587 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 55th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the high absolute frame rates, but it is a reflection of the game's low system requirements; many modern CPUs with high single-thread performance can achieve similar results when paired with a mid-range GPU. The combo's rank is more proof of the game's optimization than to the hardware's absolute power.

The CPU itself holds an 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44573. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H with a delta of 0.2%, and the Intel Core i9-13950HX with a delta of 0.5%. This places the Ryzen 5 7500X3D in a performance tier where the CPU is never a bottleneck, which is corroborated by the game's frame rates that scale purely with GPU load. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking is lower than the CPU's, which confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The fact that the combo ranks at 1587 of 2887, despite the CPU being in the top 11% and the GPU being in the top 35%, indicates that the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU. The measured data shows that the frame rates are consistently high, but the rank is pulled down by the sheer number of combos with faster GPUs that can push even higher frame rates at 1080p. In a game like Inside, where the visual fidelity is simple, the difference between a 150 FPS and a 300 FPS average is largely academic, but it moves the needle in the ranking.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination are the Medium preset at any resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 248 FPS, with a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 285. This provides a massive cushion above the refresh rate of any standard monitor, ensuring no frame drops are perceptible. The High preset at 1080p delivers a still-excellent 155 FPS average, but the jump from Medium to High yields a 93 FPS average reduction, which suggests diminishing returns for the visual upgrade.

For users targeting 1440p, the Medium preset is again the sweet spot, with an average of 178 FPS and a minimum of 151 FPS. This is more than sufficient for a high-refresh-rate experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to an average of 111 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame time consistency could become an issue on a 144 Hz monitor. At 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, ensuring that the experience stays above 60 FPS at all times.

The Ultra preset, while visually the most demanding, offers the worst performance-to-frame-rate ratio. At 1080p, Ultra averages 147 FPS, which is only 8 FPS lower than High but 101 FPS lower than Medium. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 106 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 67 FPS. The data suggests that the visual difference between Medium and Ultra in this game is not worth the performance cost, especially when the Medium preset at 4K maintains a 95 FPS minimum. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (310 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended as it likely sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a marginal gain over Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the system's behavior across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 310 FPS, the Medium preset an average of 248 FPS with a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 285, the High preset an average of 155 FPS, and the Ultra preset an average of 147 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 163 FPS, which shows the significant impact of settings on the GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 223 FPS, the Medium preset averages 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 205, the High preset averages 111 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 117 FPS, which is a narrower gap than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 140 FPS, the Medium preset averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129, the High preset averages 70 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is now only 73 FPS, which confirms that at 4K, the GPU is the sole bottleneck, and settings changes have a reduced relative impact.

The minimum frame rate data is only available for the Medium preset across all resolutions, with values of 210 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all well above 60 FPS, indicating that the system never experiences severe frame pacing issues. The maximum frame rates for the Medium preset, which are 285 FPS at 1080p, 205 FPS at 1440p, and 129 FPS at 4K, show the upper bound of the system's capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in Inside?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 at the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 178 FPS and a minimum of 151 FPS. This provides high frame rates with no risk of drops below 144 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K at high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 70 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is playable, but the Medium preset at 4K offers a more comfortable 112 FPS average and a 95 FPS minimum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings changes, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and high benchmark scores suggest it has ample headroom.

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

A: This combo ranks 1587 out of 2887 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is expected given the game's low system requirements and the fact that many other GPUs can achieve high frame rates.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset for the best experience?

A: No, the Ultra preset offers the lowest frame rates, with a 4K average of 67 FPS. The Medium preset provides significantly higher frame rates, with a 4K average of 112 FPS, and the visual difference is likely negligible in a game like this.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2070 SUPER sufficient for Inside?

A: Yes, the measured data shows no performance anomalies or frame rate drops that would indicate VRAM limitations. The game's simple visuals do not require a large frame buffer, and the 8 GB capacity is more than enough.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture using a 5 nm process. Its base clock is 4.00 GHz with a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, and it features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. In Inside, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game's physics and logic. The measured data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are primarily determined by the GPU's rendering speed.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a PassMark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H with a delta of 0.2% and the Intel Core i9-13950HX with a delta of 0.5%, show that the 7500X3D is competitive with high-end mobile and desktop parts. In a game like Inside, which is not heavily multithreaded, the single-thread performance is more critical, and the 3494 score is more than adequate to sustain high frame rates.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, but the game's low complexity means this is not a demanding task. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU's 12 threads are never fully utilized, and the processor's high boost clock ensures that any single-threaded tasks are completed with minimal latency. The 96 MB L3 cache also helps to reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial in games with complex scene graphs, but for Inside, it is simply excess capacity. The CPU's performance in this pairing is best described as invisible; it does its job without ever becoming a limiting factor, allowing the RTX 2070 SUPER to operate at its own pace.