Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The measured data indicates this combination is far beyond what the game requires, producing triple-digit frame rates at every tested setting and resolution. This pairing is not about merely achieving playability; it is about obliterating the performance ceiling of this title, making it a prime example of high-end hardware applied to an older, less demanding game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the most sensible recommendation is to run Inside at the Ultra preset, regardless of your target resolution. The data shows that the performance cost of moving from High to Ultra is minimal, while the visual fidelity gain is the maximum the game offers. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 242 FPS, which is only 4 FPS less than the High preset's 246 FPS. This negligible 1.6% performance drop is a small price for the highest graphical fidelity.

The trend continues at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, Ultra produces an average of 200 FPS, a mere 10 FPS below the High preset's 210 FPS. Even at the demanding 4K resolution of 3840x2160, the Ultra preset maintains an average of 126 FPS, only 6 FPS behind the High preset's 132 FPS. This consistent pattern across all resolutions proves that the Ultra preset is not a performance burden for this hardware combination. The GPU and CPU have ample headroom to run the game at its maximum settings without compromising the smoothness of the experience.

The Medium preset, while offering a middle ground, does not provide a compelling reason to choose it over Ultra. At 1080p, Medium yields 296 FPS, and at 4K it yields 211 FPS. While these numbers are higher, the visual difference between Medium and Ultra is more significant than the already small difference between High and Ultra. For a game like Inside, where atmosphere and lighting are crucial, the Ultra preset is the definitive way to play. The Low preset is essentially for those seeking the absolute maximum frame rate possible, hitting 320 FPS at 1080p and 246 FPS at 4K, but it sacrifices the game's core visual identity for a performance gain that is largely imperceptible on most displays. The data strongly suggests that the Ultra preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary driver of the exceptional frame rates seen in these results. Its role is characterized by massive headroom, as the game's demands are easily met by its specifications. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This vast memory pool is far more than Inside requires, ensuring that texture loading and memory allocation are never a bottleneck. The high bandwidth and large memory size are overkill for this title, but they guarantee that the GPU can process frames with minimal latency and no stuttering.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, the RTX 4080 SUPER operates at high frequencies, allowing it to process the game's rendering commands quickly. The data shows that the GPU is not being fully utilized at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are so high that they are likely approaching the limits of what the CPU can feed to the GPU, a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck at high frame rates. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the frame rates scale accordingly, showing the GPU's ability to handle the higher pixel count.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's performance in this game is in line with its overall standing. Its average benchmark score of 54209 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals show a very tight grouping. The data shows it is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. This indicates that for Inside, the 4080 SUPER's performance is not an outlier but rather a representative example of top-tier graphics hardware. The game's low graphical complexity means the GPU's advanced features, such as its 10240 shading units and 320 texture mapping units, are not fully stressed, allowing it to deliver frame rates that are multiples of what is needed for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the shape of that curve reveals important information about the system's balance. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at the Ultra preset drops from 242 to 200, a decrease of 17.4%. This is a relatively modest drop, suggesting that at these resolutions, the system is not fully bound by the GPU. The performance is likely being limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic at such high frame rates.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced. The average FPS at Ultra drops from 200 to 126, a 37% decrease. This significant drop clearly indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The RTX 4080 SUPER must work harder to fill the 3840x2160 pixel buffer, and the data shows this workload is where the GPU's performance truly comes into play. At 4K, the system transitions from a CPU-limited state to a more GPU-bound state, which is a typical and healthy sign of balanced hardware.

Looking at the Low preset highlights this dynamic even further. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 320 FPS, but this drops to 287 FPS at 1440p and then to 246 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 10.3%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 14.3%. The fact that even at Low settings, the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution indicates that the CPU is a significant partner in this system, especially at lower resolutions. The system is so powerful that even at 4K, it maintains an average of 246 FPS on Low settings, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. This overall pattern confirms that while the GPU is a monster, the CPU is more than capable of keeping up, and the system's performance is a result of their combined strength.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 353rd out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 12% of all systems tested, a strong showing that puts it in the upper echelon of performance for this game. While it is not the absolute top performer, the rank is remarkably high, reflecting the immense power of both components.

The rank is a measure of the combined potential of the CPU and GPU. The CPU itself, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, has an average benchmark score of 44573, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rivals are all within a 0.7% performance delta, showing that it is at the very peak of processor performance. The GPU, similarly, sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. When two components in the top 15% of their respective categories are paired, a top 12% ranking in a specific game like Inside is a logical outcome.

This high rank is not just a number; it signifies that the system will never struggle with this game. The data shows that the combination is 353rd, but the sheer frame rates it produces in the measured FPS section suggest that the ranking is not due to any weakness in the components, but rather the presence of other systems with even more extreme hardware, such as newer generation top-tier parts. For the user, this rank is a confirmation that they have a very fast system by any standard. The performance gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely small in terms of actual FPS, especially in a game that is not graphically demanding, making this a top-tier experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D plays a crucial supporting role in achieving these impressive results. While the GPU does the heavy lifting in terms of rendering, the CPU's job is to feed the GPU with data and process the game's logic. This processor, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, is more than capable of handling Inside's demands. The game is not heavily multithreaded, so the CPU's single-thread performance, which is excellent, is what matters most. Its benchmark scores show a single-thread score of 3494, which is a top-tier result.

The CPU's cache configuration is a key feature. It has a large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, a hallmark of the X3D series, which is designed to improve gaming performance. This large cache helps reduce memory latency, allowing the CPU to access frequently used data faster. While this is a significant advantage in modern, complex games, its effect in Inside is less pronounced. However, it still contributes to the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates by minimizing any potential stutters.

The CPU's clock speeds, with a base of 4.00 GHz and a boost of 4.50 GHz, are moderate for a high-end chip. However, the data shows that even with these clocks, the CPU is not a bottleneck at standard resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's processing power is the limiting factor, not the GPU. This is evidenced by the small difference in FPS between High and Ultra settings at that resolution. The CPU's performance reflects its architecture, as it is able to process the game's instructions fast enough to keep up with the RTX 4080 SUPER's immense rendering speed. In this pairing, the CPU is the perfect partner, ensuring that the GPU is never starved for data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured FPS data, showing the performance at each setting and resolution combination.

1920x1080

• Low: The average FPS is 320. This is the absolute peak performance of this combo, demonstrating a massive amount of headroom.
• Medium: The average FPS is 296, with a minimum of 251 and a maximum of 340. This shows a slight decrease from Low but still an incredibly high frame rate.
• High: The average FPS is 246. This is the first significant step down, but still far beyond what any standard 1080p monitor displays.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 242. The cost of enabling the highest settings is minimal, just a 4 FPS drop from the High preset.

2560x1440

• Low: The average FPS is 287. The performance drop from 1080p is noticeable but still results in a very high frame rate.
• Medium: The average FPS is 265, with a minimum of 225 and a maximum of 305. This preset offers a good balance of speed and visual quality.
• High: The average FPS is 210. The gap between Low and High is larger here than at 1080p, showing the GPU is starting to work harder.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 200. The difference between High and Ultra remains small, reinforcing the recommendation to use Ultra.

3840x2160

• Low: The average FPS is 246. Even at 4K, the Low preset delivers a frame rate that is suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming.
• Medium: The average FPS is 211, with a minimum of 180 and a maximum of 243. This is a solid performance for 4K, with no significant frame drops.
• High: The average FPS is 132. This is a substantial drop from 1440p High, indicating that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 126. The Ultra preset at 4K is still very playable and smooth, and it is the recommended way to experience the game at this resolution.