Inside

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 1462nd out of 1671 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the bottom 13% of systems. This is a low ranking for a game that is not graphically demanding by modern standards, suggesting that the pairing is held back by the GPU's age and limited VRAM, despite the CPU being a modern, high-performance part. The data indicates that this combo is not optimized for this title, and users should expect to adjust settings to achieve smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1462 out of 1671 tested combinations places it in the 12.5th percentile, meaning that 87.5% of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in Inside. This is a notably poor result for a game of this type. The primary cause is the GTX 1660 SUPER, which, while a capable 1080p card in its era, is now an end-of-life product. Its performance metrics place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, -0.2%) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, -0.2%). This indicates that the GPU is a mid-tier part that struggles to push high frame rates at higher resolutions.

In contrast, the CPU is a powerhouse. The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. It is nearly tied with the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173, deltaPct 0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164, deltaPct 0.3%). This shows that the processor is more than capable of handling the game's logic, but its potential is wasted because the GPU cannot keep up. The data suggests that this pairing is severely unbalanced for Inside, with the GPU acting as a clear bottleneck in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component in this configuration. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1530 MHz, with a boost clock of 1785 MHz. Memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specifications are modest by current standards.

The GPU's performance in this game is directly tied to its memory and clock speeds. At 4K resolution with High settings, the combo produces 51.3 FPS. Dropping to Low settings at the same resolution yields 97.7 FPS, showing a massive 46.4 FPS swing based on settings alone. This indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being stressed at higher resolutions. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is also a concern; at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 50.1, suggesting that memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for the game's highest fidelity textures at that resolution. The GPU's compute capabilities, such as 5.027 TFLOPS FP32, are adequate for the game's rendering, but the overall package is not designed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Inside at 4K?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 97.7 FPS. However, at High settings, this drops to 51.3 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 50.1 FPS. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, you would need to use Medium settings, which yield 81.1 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13490F and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 230. It is also 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS. This shows it is a top-tier performer.

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the optimal resolution. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo achieves 172.8 FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains 101.1 FPS. At 1440p, performance drops significantly, with Ultra averaging 75.1 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: Yes. The GPU's average benchmark score is 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 85th percentile. The GPU is the weaker link, and this is evident in the FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU's performance headroom is not utilized.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER comparable to any other GPUs?

A: Yes, its benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, deltaPct -0.2%) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, deltaPct -0.2%). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, deltaPct -0.7%).

Q: What are the GPU's memory specifications?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, which equates to 14 Gbps effective.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1080p, the combo is highly capable. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 217 FPS. Medium settings yield 172.8 FPS, and High settings produce 111.1 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, the average FPS remains above 100, at 101.1 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the combo can handle the game at high refresh rates on most presets.

Moving to 1440p, performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 152.4 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings yield 125.2 FPS, and High settings drop to 80 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce an average of 75.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the GPU begins to struggle significantly. Low settings produce an average of 97.7 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings yield 81.1 FPS. High settings drop to 51.3 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 50.1 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the higher the resolution, the more the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with high and ultra presets at 4K failing to maintain 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 217 at 1080p to 152.4 at 1440p (a 29.8% decrease) and then to 97.7 at 4K (a 55% decrease from 1080p). This shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is heavily taxed by the increase in pixel count.

At Ultra settings, the drop is less steep in absolute terms but still significant. The average FPS goes from 101.1 at 1080p to 75.1 at 1440p (a 25.7% decrease) and then to 50.1 at 4K (a 50.4% decrease from 1080p). This pattern indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth (336.0 GB/s) and fill rate are being saturated at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance does not change with resolution, so the FPS drop is entirely attributable to the GPU's inability to render more pixels. The data confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a high-end processor that is not a limiting factor in this game. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4570.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is to handle game logic and physics, which it does with ease. The data shows that the CPU's performance is far superior to the GPU's, with an average benchmark score of 28246 (85th percentile) versus the GPU's 14286 (55th percentile). The CPU is also a recent release (2024-08-07) and is built on a modern 4 nm process. Despite this, the combo's low rank in the game is due to the GPU. The CPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound tasks. The CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that it can feed the GPU enough frames, but the GPU cannot render them fast enough at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p. For a high-refresh-rate experience, Medium settings at 1080p provide a strong 172.8 FPS average. If visual fidelity is a priority, High settings at 1080p still deliver a smooth 111.1 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain 101.1 FPS.

At 1440p, Medium settings are recommended for a balanced experience, yielding 125.2 FPS. High settings at 1440p produce 80 FPS, which is acceptable for most users. However, Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 75.1 FPS, which may not be ideal for competitive play.

At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor. Low settings are necessary for a playable experience, yielding 97.7 FPS. Medium settings at 4K produce 81.1 FPS, which is playable. High and Ultra settings at 4K should be avoided, as they drop below 60 FPS (51.3 FPS and 50.1 FPS, respectively). For the best overall experience, the data suggests using 1080p with High or Ultra settings to balance visual quality and frame rate, or 1440p with Medium settings for a higher resolution.