Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on the surface, does not appear demanding, yet the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination reveals a nuanced performance profile that shifts dramatically across resolutions and settings. The benchmark results, derived from a 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 test matrix, show that this pairing is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the balance between the CPU and GPU roles changes significantly depending on the workload. The data indicates a system that can easily exceed 60 FPS at 4K with the right settings, but also exposes the limits of the graphics card when pushed to maximum quality presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to understand where the bottlenecks lie and what the optimal configuration is for this specific hardware combination.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This modern desktop chip, released in August 2024, features a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested by the database. Its synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603, suggest a high level of general processing power. However, for a game like Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the demands on the CPU are typically focused on single-thread performance and ensuring a stable frame pipeline rather than multi-core rendering.

The measured FPS data suggests that the Ryzen 5 9600X is rarely the limiting factor in this title. Even at the lowest tested resolution of 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 278.5 FPS. This high number indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data far beyond what is necessary for standard display refresh rates. The processor's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4570, ensures that the game's logic and physics calculations are handled quickly. The data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops, which is a classic sign that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, not the CPU. The 9600X provides ample headroom, and its 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for a title of this genre, even when compared to its nearest rivals like the Intel Core i5-13490F, which has a similar average benchmark score with a deltaPct of 0.3.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is an Ampere-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is listed at 1665 MHz. The card sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120, putting it in direct competition with cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and the RX 6600, from which it is separated by a deltaPct of -0.2 and -0.5, respectively. The GPU's 4864 shading units and 80 ROPs are key to its rasterization performance. In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is to handle the game's lighting, shadows, and post-processing effects, which are central to its atmospheric presentation.

The data clearly shows the GPU's impact when moving between settings presets. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (278.5 FPS) and Ultra (134.5 FPS) is a substantial 144 FPS drop, demonstrating that the higher presets request significantly more graphical work. The most telling data point is at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the average FPS falls to 59.7. This is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB VRAM and processing power are fully saturated at 4K with maximum quality. The card's performance at 4K High (63.6 FPS) is just above playable, but the data suggests that the GPU is the definitive limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU has already been shown to have significant headroom.

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

Examining the FPS scaling across resolutions with a fixed setting provides a clear picture of the system's dynamics. At High settings, the average frame rate moves from 139.7 FPS at 1920x1080, to 104.1 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 63.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 54.5% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K. This is a significant reduction and is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU's workload stays roughly the same. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with the pixel count, confirming that the RTX 3060 Ti is working progressively harder to fill those pixels.

This trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The FPS drops from 134.5 at 1080p to 97.3 at 1440p, and then plummets to 59.7 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K here represents a 55.6% reduction in performance. The fact that the 4K Ultra result is the only one below 60 FPS in the entire dataset underscores the GPU's limits. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the user must lower the settings from Ultra to High, which yields a 63.6 FPS average. Conversely, at 1080p, the system is so far from being GPU-bound that the user can enable any preset and still achieve frame rates well above 100 FPS, freeing the CPU to handle any other background tasks without issue.

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

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset is highly dependent on the target resolution. For 3840x2160, the High preset is the only one that delivers an average FPS above 60, at 63.6. The Medium preset achieves 101.3 FPS, but the jump from High to Medium is a significant visual downgrade in a game that relies on its art style. The Ultra preset, at 59.7 FPS, just misses the 60 FPS mark, and the Low preset, while achieving 124.7 FPS, is not recommended as it would compromise the game's visual identity. Therefore, for 4K, High is the most balanced choice, providing a stable frame rate without sacrificing the core visual features.

For 2560x1440, the data shows a comfortable margin. The High preset delivers 104.1 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p monitor. The Medium preset at 164.2 FPS and Low at 200.2 FPS are also viable, but High offers a good balance between fidelity and speed. The Ultra preset at 97.3 FPS is also perfectly playable and offers the best image quality. At 1920x1080, the choice is purely about visual preference, as even Ultra settings deliver an average of 134.5 FPS. The Low preset's 278.5 FPS is only relevant for extremely high refresh rate displays. The recommendation is to use Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and High at 4K, as these presets provide the best combination of visual quality and measured performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this system in Inside?

A: The highest average frame rate is 278.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of running Inside at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 59.7 FPS. This is the only tested configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, placing it in the 85th percentile. It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and the AMD Ryzen 5 230, and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS based on deltaPct values.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 139.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 63.6 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 54.5% reduction in performance, indicating a GPU bottleneck.

Q: Which settings preset is recommended for a 1440p monitor?

A: Both High and Ultra presets are viable at 2560x1440, delivering 104.1 FPS and 97.3 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset is recommended for maximum visual quality, while High can be used for higher frame rates.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and what does it mean?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. This places it just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M in the database's performance rankings.

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

The following data represents the measured average frames per second (FPS) for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination in Inside. All values are directly from the benchmark results.

1920x1080:

• Low: 278.5 FPS
• Medium: 227.9 FPS
• High: 139.7 FPS
• Ultra: 134.5 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 200.2 FPS
• Medium: 164.2 FPS
• High: 104.1 FPS
• Ultra: 97.3 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 124.7 FPS
• Medium: 101.3 FPS
• High: 63.6 FPS
• Ultra: 59.7 FPS

At 1080p, all settings provide a high-performance experience, with the Low preset showing the system's peak capability. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a performance cost of 144 FPS. At 1440p, the system remains highly capable, with all presets staying above 97 FPS, showing that the CPU and GPU combination is well-balanced for this resolution. The 4K results are the most demanding, and the data reveals a clear gradient where only the Low and Medium presets offer significantly high frame rates, while High is the only preset to achieve a playable 60 FPS, and Ultra falls just short. This breakdown confirms that while the system is powerful, the RTX 3060 Ti's limits are most apparent at 4K with maximum settings.