Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing delivers a fascinatingly bifurcated performance profile in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The benchmark data reveals a system that can effortlessly push hundreds of frames at lower settings but struggles to maintain a smooth 60 FPS at the highest visual fidelity in 4K. This analysis digs into the measured frame rates to understand whether the CPU or GPU is the primary bottleneck, and what the results mean for a player aiming for the ideal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the data is how drastically average frame rates collapse as resolution climbs, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited workload. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 151.2 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p Low drops that figure to 109.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 27.6%. Moving further to 4K Low yields 66.9 FPS, which is only 44.2% of the 1080p performance. This steep decline indicates that the RX 580's rendering throughput is the decisive factor; the CPU is not the constraint at these lower settings.

The pattern holds, but with a different magnitude, when looking at the High preset. At 1080p High, the average is 77.9 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 53.7 FPS, and at 4K High, it bottoms out at 33.6 FPS. The performance loss from 1080p to 1440p is 31.1%, and from 1440p to 4K is another 37.4%. This suggests that the GPU's pixel fillrate and memory bandwidth are being saturated, as the load on the shading units increases exponentially with resolution. The data implies that for a 60 FPS target, the RX 580 is only comfortable up to 1080p with High settings, and even then, it has a slim margin.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, appears to be far ahead of what Inside requires, based on the frame rates observed. The CPU's base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 4.40 GHz, providing substantial single-thread performance. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and a single-core score of 2694, place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a high level of general processing power.

The evidence for a CPU surplus is that the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at a fixed resolution is not uniform. At 1080p, the difference between Low (151.2 FPS) and Ultra (70.1 FPS) is a massive 81.1 FPS swing. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat regardless of GPU load. Instead, the frame rate drops as settings increase, which means the GPU is doing more work and becoming the bottleneck. The CPU is likely feeding frames well above 151 FPS in many scenarios, as its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, has a similar average benchmark score with a deltaPct of -0.1, suggesting parity in compute tasks. The Ryzen's high multi-threaded performance is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer's physics and logic, making it a non-issue in this specific title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K resolution in Inside?*

A: No, not at the higher presets. The measured data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 33.6, and at Ultra, it is 30.5. Even dropping to Medium settings at 4K only yields an average of 54.9 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high refresh rate?

A: The data suggests 1080p is the sweet spot for high refresh rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 151.2, and even with Medium settings, it achieves 118.2 FPS. These frame rates are suitable for displays with 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rates.

Q: How much performance is gained by moving from High to Low settings at 1440p?

A: The performance gain is substantial. The average FPS increases from 53.7 at High to 109.5 at Low. This represents a doubling of the frame rate, which is a significant improvement for gameplay fluidity.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rate differences between presets?

A: The GPU is the primary factor. The frame rates change significantly when settings are adjusted at a constant resolution, which indicates that the rendering load on the RX 580 is the main bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 3700X's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 70.1. This is a playable frame rate, but it is lower than what is achievable with the Medium preset.

Q: Is there a preset at 4K that provides a playable experience above 30 FPS?

A: Yes, the Low preset at 4K provides an average FPS of 66.9, which is well above 30 FPS. The Medium preset is also playable, with an average of 54.9 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 3700X and the RX 580 is ranked 1553 out of 1671 tested combos in this game, placing it in the bottom 7% of all configurations. This is a surprisingly low rank for a system with a CPU in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The low rank is almost certainly dragged down by the GPU, which sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score is 13559, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, has a nearly identical score with a deltaPct of 0. This indicates that while the CPU is a high-end part from its generation, the GPU is a mid-range component that struggles with the high-resolution, high-detail demands of modern game presets.

This ranking reveals that the system is heavily unbalanced for a title like Inside. The CPU's immense headroom is not being utilized, while the GPU is working at its limit to produce the measured frame rates. The combo rank suggests that for this specific game, a user would see a far more significant performance gain from upgrading the GPU than the CPU, as the latter is not a bottleneck. The data implies that the system is not well-suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming, but it is more than adequate for esports or older titles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across different configurations.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 151.2 FPS
• Medium: 118.2 FPS
• High: 77.9 FPS
• Ultra: 70.1 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 109.5 FPS
• Medium: 86.8 FPS
• High: 53.7 FPS
• Ultra: 49.7 FPS

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 66.9 FPS
• Medium: 54.9 FPS
• High: 33.6 FPS
• Ultra: 30.5 FPS

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The 1080p Low and Medium presets are the only configurations that break the 100 FPS barrier. The 1440p Low preset is also respectable, staying above 100 FPS. However, any attempt to use High or Ultra settings at 1440p or higher results in frame rates below 60 FPS, with the 4K High and Ultra presets falling into the low 30s, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the best experience for a player prioritizing a smooth, responsive frame rate would be to use the Medium preset at 1080p. This setting delivers an average of 118.2 FPS, which is a significant jump from the High preset's 77.9 FPS. The difference between Medium and High in visual quality for a game like Inside is often subtle, but the performance gain is substantial. This ensures the game runs well above 60 FPS, providing a fluid experience.

For players with a 1440p monitor who are willing to compromise on visual fidelity, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees a high frame rate, with an average of 109.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is also viable, with an average of 86.8 FPS, which is still very playable. However, using the High preset at 1440p will cause the frame rate to dip below 60 FPS, which might be noticeable in a game that requires precise timing.

At 4K, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it is the only one that provides an average FPS above 60 (66.9 FPS). While it won't look as polished as High or Ultra, it offers a playable experience. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 54.9 FPS, is a reasonable alternative for those who prefer higher visual detail over a perfect 60 FPS lock, as it is still quite smooth. The High and Ultra presets at 4K should be avoided for a comfortable experience, as their average frame rates in the low 30s can lead to a stuttering feel.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration for Inside. Its architecture, GCN 4.0, is based on the Polaris 20 chip, and it operates with a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. While this was a solid mid-range specification for its time, the benchmark data shows it struggles with the higher presets. The 4K High and Ultra results, averaging 33.6 and 30.5 FPS respectively, indicate that the GPU's shading units (2304) are overwhelmed by the pixel workload.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is telling. Its average benchmark score of 13559 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, is within a 0.1% deltaPct. This suggests that while it is a capable card for 1080p gaming, it is not designed for high-resolution, high-detail rendering in more demanding titles. The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU's performance degrades rapidly as resolution increases, confirming that its 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and processing power are insufficient for 4K Ultra settings in this game. The 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to push those pixels at a high frame rate.