Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination confirm this, showing triple-digit averages across nearly every setting and resolution tested. The data indicates a system capable of running the game at high refresh rates even at 4K, with the primary performance dynamics shifting from raw GPU throughput at lower resolutions to a more balanced load as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but steep scaling curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 339 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 286.9 FPS, a reduction of approximately 15%. Jumping to 3840x2160 Low yields 177.8 FPS, which is a further 38% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is becoming a more significant limiting factor at higher resolutions.

For the High preset, the scaling is less severe in absolute terms but still substantial. The average FPS goes from 198.2 at 1080p, to 140.4 at 1440p, and finally to 92.1 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 53%, which is a larger relative decline than the Low preset's 47% drop over the same range. This suggests that the higher-detail settings amplify the GPU's workload per pixel, making the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and its compute capabilities the dominant factor at 4K.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant sensitivity to resolution. It starts at 187.5 FPS at 1080p, falls to 136.2 FPS at 1440p, and then drops sharply to 87.1 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K here is over 100 FPS, a 53% reduction. This steep curve implies that the most demanding settings, likely involving advanced lighting and post-processing effects, place a heavy load on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth, which are rated at 21.75 TFLOPS and 608.3 GB/s respectively.

Interestingly, the gap between Medium and High settings shrinks as resolution increases. At 1080p, Medium (313.9 FPS) is 115.7 FPS faster than High (198.2 FPS). At 4K, that gap narrows to 54.8 FPS (146.9 vs 92.1). This convergence suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU can feed frames fast enough to expose inefficiencies in the High preset, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, making the difference between these two presets less pronounced. The data overall points to a system where 1080p and 1440p are firmly CPU-bound in lighter settings, while 4K, particularly on High and Ultra, is clearly GPU-limited.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 951 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943. This is critical for a puzzle platformer like Inside, which often relies on a single main thread for game logic and physics.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 339 FPS. This extreme frame rate is far beyond what the GPU would typically render in a demanding title, indicating that the CPU's processing power is the primary enabler. The Ryzen 5 8400F's 12 threads and high boost clock allow it to handle the game's object updates and collision detection with minimal bottleneck, even when frame times are under 3 milliseconds. The processor's passmark_multithread score of 24530 and its 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs support its capability to handle this workload.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra (87.1 FPS), the GPU is undeniably the limiting component. The CPU is still providing solid performance, but it is no longer the determining factor. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 8400F is never the cause of a frame rate collapse in this game; even the lowest 4K average of 87.1 FPS is well above standard display refresh rates. The processor's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide ample bandwidth for the game's data streaming needs.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, its average benchmark score of 25064 is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X at 25057, with a deltaPct of 0. It is also on par with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099, -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, 0.3%). This indicates that while the 8400F is not a performance outlier in synthetic tests, its Zen 4 architecture and high clocks are more than sufficient for Inside's modest CPU demands. The benchmark results confirm that the CPU is a stable foundation, allowing the GPU to take the lead in visual fidelity without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1770 MHz, and it has 6144 shading units. These specifications are substantial for a game released in 2016, and the measured FPS reflects this headroom.

The GPU's role is most clearly defined at 4K resolution. At 4K High, the average FPS is 92.1, while at 4K Ultra it is 87.1. The difference of 5 FPS is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not causing a significant proportional increase in rendering time. This could be due to the game engine's optimization or the GPU's ability to handle the extra load without hitting a memory or compute ceiling. The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient, as there is no evidence of a catastrophic frame rate drop that would indicate memory swapping.

Conversely, the GPU is underutilized at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 339 FPS average is likely near the CPU's maximum output, meaning the RTX 3070 Ti is spending most of its time waiting for data. The GPU's passmark_g3d score of 23356 and its 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate strong overall performance, but in Inside, it is the resolution scaling that reveals its true capability. The transition from 1080p Medium (313.9 FPS) to 1440p Medium (227.4 FPS) shows a 27.5% drop, which is directly attributable to the increased pixel count requiring more fragment shader work.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (avgScore 31112, deltaPct -0.8) and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (31142, -0.9%), but the RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 30849 places it just below these in synthetic tests. In real gaming scenarios, however, the data shows its strength. At 4K High, the 92.1 FPS average is particularly noteworthy for a game of this era, indicating that the GPU is not just capable but has significant overhead for higher refresh rate displays or future titles with heavier demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and frame rate is the High preset. At 1920x1080, it delivers 198.2 FPS, which is sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. At 2560x1440, it maintains a smooth 140.4 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it still achieves 92.1 FPS. This preset offers a substantial improvement over Medium in terms of visual fidelity, likely including better shadows and texture filtering, without the performance penalty seen in Ultra.

The Ultra preset, while providing the highest image quality, offers diminishing returns. At 1080p, it is 10.7 FPS slower than High (187.5 vs 198.2). At 1440p, the gap widens to 4.2 FPS (136.2 vs 140.4). The most significant deficit is at 4K, where Ultra drops to 87.1 FPS, which is still playable but misses the 90 FPS mark that High achieves. For users with G-Sync or FreeSync displays, this difference is negligible, but for those targeting a locked 90 FPS, High is the safer choice.

For maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear winner, with 339 FPS at 1080p and 286.9 FPS at 1440p. However, the visual compromise is severe, likely removing ambient occlusion and reducing shadow quality. Given that the Medium preset at 1080p produces 313.9 FPS, which is only 25.1 FPS lower than Low, it is a better choice for competitive play or if the user prioritizes responsiveness over visuals. At 4K, the Medium preset's 146.9 FPS is a strong option, providing a 54.8 FPS advantage over High while still looking acceptable.

The data suggests that High is the "sweet spot" preset, as it maintains a minimum average of 92.1 FPS across all tested resolutions. This is a robust frame rate for a puzzle platformer, ensuring smooth camera panning and precise input response. Ultra is only recommended for users with 4K displays who prioritize absolute visual fidelity and are comfortable with frame rates in the high 80s.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved with this hardware in Inside?

A: The highest measured average is 339 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K resolution smoothly?

A: Yes. The lowest 4K average frame rate is 87.1 FPS on the Ultra preset. The High preset at 4K achieves 92.1 FPS, which is above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 198.2 FPS at 1080p to 92.1 FPS at 4K, representing a reduction of approximately 53.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p resolution?

A: At 1440p with the Medium preset, the system produces 227.4 FPS. This high number indicates a balanced load, but the significant drop from 1080p Medium (313.9 FPS) suggests the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Ultra and High settings at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset averages 136.2 FPS, while the High preset averages 140.4 FPS. The difference is only 4.2 FPS, making High a more efficient choice for near-identical performance.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 3070 Ti cause any issues in this game?

A: No. The measured frame rates show no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or severe frame rate drops, even at 4K Ultra. The 8 GB capacity appears sufficient for Inside's texture and geometry data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 339.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 313.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 198.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 187.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 286.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 227.4 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 140.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 136.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 177.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 146.9 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 92.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 87.1 |

The data shows a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra at every resolution. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is largest at 1080p (151.5 FPS) and narrows to 90.7 FPS at 4K. This demonstrates that the GPU's workload scales more predictably with resolution than with settings, and that the CPU's influence is strongest at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. The combo rank of 563 out of 1671 tested combinations places this hardware configuration in the upper third for this game, confirming its strong overall performance.