Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than its minimalist art style suggests. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of high refresh rates even at demanding resolutions, though the gap between low and ultra settings reveals where the hardware’s limits lie. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU roles, resolution scaling, and optimal settings based strictly on the measured frame rates.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on TSMC’s 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.20 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and a max-thread score of 6165. Cinebench R23 results show a single-core score of 2943 and a multi-core score of 20851. These numbers place the 8400F at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25064.

In Inside, the CPU’s role is largely secondary due to the game’s relatively simple physics and logic. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, which typically does not tax multi-core processors heavily. The 8400F’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and PassMark single-thread score of 3684, ensures that the game’s main thread has ample headroom. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 255.4 FPS, which is far beyond what the game’s visual complexity would suggest, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The processor’s 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation for feeding the GPU. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 8400F’s average score of 25064 is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099), with a deltaPct of 0 and -0.1 respectively. It is also only 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993). This means that while the 8400F is a modern chip, its raw compute performance in this class is on par with several other processors, and it is more than sufficient for Inside’s demands.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the primary driver of performance in Inside. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The GPU is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS.

In benchmark tests, the RX 6600 scores 15096 in PassMark G3D, placing it at the 69th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 25235. While this score is modest by modern standards, the GPU’s performance in Inside is heavily influenced by the game’s rendering style. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU scales well with resolution and settings, but the VRAM capacity is the key factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 56.3, which is below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM and the GPU’s compute power are being pushed to their limits.

The RX 6600’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M (average score 25246, deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (25287, -0.2%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180, 0.2%). Interestingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is also a close rival with a score of 25120, which is 0.5% lower than the RX 6600’s average. This suggests that the RX 6600 is a solid performer for its class, but its main strength in Inside comes from its ability to handle the game’s specific shader and lighting effects without introducing stutter, as seen in the consistent FPS numbers across different settings.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 255.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 187.4, and at 4K Low, it falls to 117. This represents a 54% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is substantial but still results in a very playable frame rate. At High settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 125.9 FPS at 1080p, 90.1 FPS at 1440p, and 60.2 FPS at 4K. This is a 52% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance does not change with resolution, yet the FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, confirming that the RX 6600 is being pushed harder. For example, at 4K Ultra, the FPS falls to 56.3, which is only 45% of the 1080p Ultra result of 123.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is also telling: 117 FPS vs 56.3 FPS, a 51% reduction. This suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is being saturated at 4K with higher settings, causing a more significant performance hit than the raw compute difference would suggest.

Looking at the 1440p data, the system holds up well. At 1440p High, it achieves 90.1 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it gets 90.3 FPS, which is nearly identical. This is unusual because Ultra settings typically impose a larger penalty. The fact that 1440p High and Ultra produce the same average FPS suggests that the game is not fully utilizing the GPU at these settings, or that the CPU is providing enough headroom to keep the frame rate stable regardless of the minor graphical differences. However, at 4K, the gap widens significantly (60.2 FPS High vs 56.3 FPS Ultra), indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this hardware depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the clear winner. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 123.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. The difference between High (125.9 FPS) and Ultra (123.9 FPS) is negligible, so there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality. Even at 1080p Medium (206.9 FPS) and Low (255.4 FPS), the frame rates are extremely high, but they are unnecessary unless targeting a 240 Hz display.

For 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance. The measured data shows 90.1 FPS at High and 90.3 FPS at Ultra, which are virtually identical. Since there is no performance penalty for Ultra at 1440p, players can opt for Ultra to get the best visual fidelity without any FPS loss. However, if the goal is to maintain a solid 60 FPS with headroom, High is sufficient. At 1440p Low (187.4 FPS) and Medium (147.9 FPS), the frame rates are higher but the visual quality suffers, and there is no need for such high FPS in a puzzle platformer like Inside.

For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience. At 4K Low, the system hits 117 FPS, which is excellent for 4K. Medium (95.8 FPS) is also playable if a 60 FPS target is acceptable, but High (60.2 FPS) and Ultra (56.3 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS line, which can lead to noticeable judder in a game that relies on precise timing and atmosphere. The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, and dropping to Low settings is the best way to maintain a high refresh rate.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F sufficient for playing Inside?

A: Yes. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 951) and 6-core/12-thread design provide ample power. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system achieves 255.4 FPS, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck.

Q: Can the AMD Radeon RX 6600 handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: It can, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the system achieves 117 FPS, which is excellent. At 4K High, the FPS drops to 60.2, and at Ultra, it falls to 56.3, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 1440p?

A: The data shows that High (90.1 FPS) and Ultra (90.3 FPS) produce nearly identical results. There is no FPS penalty for using Ultra, so it is recommended for the best visual quality.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this context?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RX 6600 (25235) is 0.5% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti (25120). In Inside, the RX 6600’s performance is strong, though the RTX 3060 Ti was not measured in this data.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM enough for this game?

A: Yes, at most settings. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all presets, as seen in the high FPS numbers. At 4K Ultra, the drop to 56.3 FPS suggests the VRAM is a limiting factor, but at 4K Low, it performs well at 117 FPS.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Medium?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Medium is 206.9 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor and provides a very smooth experience.

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

The following table summarizes the exact average FPS measurements for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 in Inside.

1080p (1920x1080)

• Low: 255.4 FPS
• Medium: 206.9 FPS
• High: 125.9 FPS
• Ultra: 123.9 FPS

1440p (2560x1440)

• Low: 187.4 FPS
• Medium: 147.9 FPS
• High: 90.1 FPS
• Ultra: 90.3 FPS

4K (3840x2160)

• Low: 117 FPS
• Medium: 95.8 FPS
• High: 60.2 FPS
• Ultra: 56.3 FPS

The data shows a consistent trend: the frame rate decreases as resolution and settings increase, with the most significant drops occurring at 4K. At 1080p, the system is capable of well over 120 FPS at any setting, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 1440p, the system maintains over 90 FPS at High and Ultra, which is excellent for a smooth experience. At 4K, only Low and Medium settings provide a frame rate above 90 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS line. This breakdown confirms that the RX 6600 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides consistent support across all settings. The combo ranks 1321 out of 1671 tested combinations in this game, indicating that while it is not the top-tier setup, it is more than capable of delivering a satisfying experience.