Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT combination delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. With the CPU’s six Zen 4 cores running at a base of 4.20 GHz and a boost of 4.70 GHz, the processor comfortably exceeds the demands of a game that renders relatively simple scenes. The 8400F’s single-thread performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, ensures that game logic, physics, and draw call submissions never become a bottleneck. The 12 threads handle the game’s background tasks with ease, while the 16 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample fast storage for level data. This CPU is not the limiting factor here; the data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 338 FPS, indicating the GPU is doing the heavy lifting to keep up with the processor’s output.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 8400F is built on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, and manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its six cores and 12 threads are clocked at a base of 4.20 GHz and a boost of 4.70 GHz, which is more than sufficient for a title like Inside. The game’s side-scrolling perspective and limited number of on-screen dynamic objects mean that it rarely stresses a modern processor. In multi-threaded synthetic tests, the 8400F scores 20851 in Cinebench R23, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, scores 24964, a negligible 0.2% difference. This indicates that the 8400F is a well-balanced chip that offers no meaningful performance penalty for gaming workloads.

The processor’s memory bandwidth, at 83.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5, is another asset. While Inside does not require massive data throughput, the high bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and asset loading are instantaneous, preventing any stutter during level transitions. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 951 further confirms its strength in lightly threaded tasks. The data shows that the game’s frame rate does not drop when moving from 4K Ultra (76 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (168 FPS), which would be the case if the CPU were the limiting factor. Instead, the frame rate scales directly with resolution and settings, pointing to the GPU as the primary performance driver. The 8400F’s role is to provide a stable foundation, and it does so without breaking a sweat.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its nearest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24964, which is a 0.2% higher score than the 8400F’s average of 25005. In practical terms, this difference is imperceptible in gaming, and the 8400F’s performance in Inside is effectively identical.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 6750 XT powerful enough for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 80 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, it maintains 76 FPS, which is smooth for a puzzle platformer. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than enough for this game’s textures.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: For a 144Hz display, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 203 FPS, with a minimum of 173 FPS. This ensures the frame rate stays above the refresh rate, providing a perfectly fluid experience. High settings also work, averaging 127 FPS, but Medium offers more headroom.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU’s high boost clock?

A: Yes, the 4.70 GHz boost clock is reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943. Since Inside relies heavily on a single main thread for game logic, this high frequency ensures that the CPU can always supply frames to the GPU, preventing any stalls.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT compare to the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 26011, which is 1.1% higher than the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s score of 25740. In this specific game, the RX 6750 XT performs identically to what you would expect from that mobile flagship, despite being a desktop card.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the high frame rates?

A: The GPU is the primary driver. The performance scaling from 1080p Low (338 FPS) to 4K Low (160 FPS) shows a clear GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s performance is consistent across resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how different presets impact performance. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 168 FPS, which is excellent, but the Medium preset jumps to an average of 283 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS. Given that Inside is a slow-paced puzzle game, the visual difference between Medium and Ultra is minimal, while the frame rate headroom is substantial. Therefore, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance, ensuring the frame rate never dips below 240 FPS. This is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, as it provides a massive cushion against any potential frame time spikes.

Moving to 1440p, the Medium preset again stands out, averaging 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS. This keeps the experience above 144Hz, making it the optimal choice for gamers with high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 1440p averages 127 FPS, which is still smooth for a game like this, but Medium is superior for competitive or high-refresh play. At 4K, the High preset averages 80 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS. This makes Medium the recommended setting for 4K, as it provides a consistently smooth frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra dips to 76 FPS, which is less stable. The data clearly shows that Medium is the sweet spot across all resolutions, offering a significant performance boost over High and Ultra with a negligible visual penalty in this art style.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1615 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 43% of all systems, which is a solid result for a mid-range pairing. The rank reflects the GPU’s strong performance, as the CPU is more than capable of feeding it. The RX 6750 XT’s average benchmark score of 26011 puts it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M395X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, with the RX 6750 XT leading the latter by 1.1%. This ranking suggests that while the combo is not at the very top, it is significantly ahead of the majority of systems tested.

The fact that this combo achieves such high frame rates in Inside reflects the GPU’s raw power. The RX 6750 XT’s 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 2600 MHz, provide ample fill rate for a game with simple 2D graphics. The CPU’s rank of 77th percentile ensures that it does not hold the system back. The delta between the CPU’s score and its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9474F, is -0.4%, showing that the 8400F is within a rounding error of much more expensive server silicon in synthetic tests. For this game, the combo’s rank is more than adequate, delivering a flawless experience that is only beaten by systems with significantly more expensive components.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions is a textbook example of a GPU-bound workload. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 338 FPS at 1080p to 254 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops to 160 FPS, a further 37% reduction. This pattern of diminishing returns is expected, as the number of pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the primary constraints. The RX 6750 XT’s 432.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 166.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully utilized at higher resolutions.

The scaling at Medium settings follows a similar trend: 283 FPS at 1080p, 203 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 128 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop). This consistency indicates that the game’s rendering complexity is directly tied to resolution, with no CPU-related bottlenecks appearing. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect the 1080p results to be capped at a lower frame rate, or the scaling from 1080p to 1440p to be less dramatic. The data shows a smooth, predictable curve that is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the sole bottleneck. This is an ideal scenario, as it means the CPU has a virtually unlimited frame budget to work with, ensuring that frame times are consistent and stutter-free.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset averages 338 FPS, while Medium averages 283 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS. High settings average 177 FPS, and Ultra averages 168 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the highest settings, the frame rate never drops below 168 FPS, providing a buttery-smooth experience on any standard monitor. The minimum FPS of 240 FPS on Medium confirms that there are no significant frame drops, making it the most stable option.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar. The Low preset averages 254 FPS, Medium averages 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS, High averages 127 FPS, and Ultra averages 121 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal, but the jump from High to Medium is substantial, offering a 60% increase in average frame rate. This makes Medium the clear choice for 1440p gaming, as it ensures the frame rate stays well above 144Hz. At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates. Low averages 160 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, High averages 80 FPS, and Ultra averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K provides an excellent experience, with a minimum FPS that is still well above 60, ensuring no stutter on a 4K display.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the dominant component in this pairing. Built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, it features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2600 MHz and game clock of 2495 MHz allow it to process the simple geometry of Inside with incredible speed. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game’s textures and effects. The GPU’s pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics that drive performance in this title, and they are clearly not being taxed to their limits.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 26011 places it in the 71st percentile, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, scores 25891, a 0.5% difference. This shows that the RX 6750 XT is a powerful card that offers performance comparable to much newer mobile parts. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 40 ray tracing cores are future-proofing features, but they are irrelevant for this game. In Inside, the GPU’s raw fill rate is what matters, and the data confirms that it can handle 4K at High settings with ease, averaging 80 FPS. The GPU is the primary reason this combo ranks so highly, as its sheer power ensures that the CPU is never the bottleneck, even at the highest resolutions and settings.