Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The data shows that this combination is far beyond what the game requires, making the choice of settings primarily about balancing maximum visual fidelity against the desire for extremely high refresh rates. All measured presets at every resolution produce average FPS well above 100, so the experience is smooth in all scenarios. The optimal approach is to select the highest preset that matches the refresh rate of the display, as the hardware has ample headroom.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data clearly indicates that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, while the Low preset yields the highest performance. However, for a game like Inside, the visual differences between Medium and Ultra can be significant, and the performance cost is minimal relative to the raw speed on hand.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 184 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 224 FPS. The 40 FPS difference is noticeable, but both are exceptionally high. For a standard 60Hz or 144Hz display, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual quality without dropping below the refresh rate. The 184 FPS average is well above 144Hz, ensuring a completely fluid experience.

At 2560x1440, the pattern holds. The Ultra preset averages 165 FPS, which is still above the 144Hz threshold. The Medium preset averages 201 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is the ideal setting here for most users, as it provides a 165 FPS average, which is perfect for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 218 FPS and Medium at 201 FPS offer diminishing returns in smoothness for a significant loss in visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes slightly. The Ultra preset averages 107 FPS, which is below the 144Hz mark but still excellent for a 60Hz display. The High preset averages 112 FPS, a marginal improvement. The Medium preset averages 172 FPS, which is a substantial jump and would be the preferred choice for users with a 144Hz 4K display. The data shows that at 4K, the Medium preset offers the best balance, providing a 172 FPS average that is 65 FPS higher than Ultra. This allows for full utilization of high-refresh-rate 4K monitors while maintaining a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset, which averages 187 FPS.

The benchmark results indicate that the Medium preset at 4K is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, while Ultra is only recommended for users prioritizing visuals over frame rate on a 60Hz display. For 1080p and 1440p, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as the performance remains above 165 FPS, ensuring that the GPU is not the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is ranked 1479 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The ranking is a direct reflection of the high average FPS achieved across all tested resolutions and settings. The data shows that the combo is not the fastest possible, but it is comfortably in the top portion of the field, outperforming the median system by a wide margin.

This ranking is particularly notable given the age of the CPU. The Ryzen 7 3700X, released in 2019, is still capable of keeping up with the RX 7900 XT in this specific title. The benchmark results indicate that the game is not heavily CPU-bound, as the FPS scales well with resolution changes, a sign that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting. The combo's position in the rankings suggests that it delivers a high-end experience, with the GPU providing the bulk of the performance. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and the Intel Core i5-13450HX, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, but the overall system ranking is determined by the GPU's contribution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary driver of performance in this combination. The GPU features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Inside, a game with a relatively simple art style and low texture requirements. The benchmark results confirm that the GPU has no trouble maintaining high frame rates, even at 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor. The base clock is 1387 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. These high clocks, combined with the RDNA 3.0 architecture, allow the RX 7900 XT to produce a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to the high average FPS numbers seen in the measured data. For instance, the 4K Medium preset hits 172 FPS, which is a direct result of the GPU's raw compute power.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is another indicator of its capability. While Inside is not a graphically intensive title, the sheer power of the RX 7900 XT means it is never the bottleneck. The data shows that the GPU is consistently able to push frame rates above 100 at all settings and resolutions, with the only exception being the Ultra preset at 4K, which still maintains a respectable 107 FPS. The GPU's percentile ranking of 55th among all GPUs seems low, but this is due to the benchmark suite including many older and less powerful cards. In this specific game, the RX 7900 XT performs admirably, as evidenced by the measured FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 184 to 243. The Low preset averages 243 FPS, Medium averages 224 FPS, High averages 187 FPS, and Ultra averages 184 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 191 and a maximum of 258, showing a tight frame time distribution. The Low preset has no min or max data, but the average is the highest of all settings.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 165 to 218. The Low preset averages 218 FPS, Medium averages 201 FPS, High averages 168 FPS, and Ultra averages 165 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 171 FPS and a maximum of 231 FPS, indicating excellent consistency. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical in performance, with only a 3 FPS difference between them.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 107 to 187. The Low preset averages 187 FPS, Medium averages 172 FPS, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 107 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 146 FPS and a maximum of 198 FPS. The significant drop between Medium and High at 4K (from 172 to 112 FPS) suggests that the High preset introduces a graphics feature that is particularly demanding on the GPU. The Ultra preset is only slightly slower than High, averaging 107 FPS.

The data shows a clear trend: the FPS scales almost linearly with resolution when comparing the same settings. For example, the Low preset goes from 243 FPS at 1080p to 218 FPS at 1440p and 187 FPS at 4K. This scaling is a sign that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the workload increases with pixel count. The only anomaly is the High preset, which shows a disproportionate drop from 168 FPS at 1440p to 112 FPS at 4K, suggesting that the High preset has a specific effect that is more punishing at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 107 FPS. While this is below the 144Hz threshold, it is perfectly playable on a 60Hz display, and the game will run smoothly without any stuttering.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz 4K monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. It averages 172 FPS at 4K, which is well above 144Hz, and it provides a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset, which averages 187 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for 144Hz displays, as they average 112 and 107 FPS, respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver. The FPS scales consistently with resolution, dropping from 243 FPS at 1080p to 187 FPS at 4K on the Low preset. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, meaning the CPU is not holding back performance.

Q: How does the performance vary between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 243 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 184 FPS. The difference is 59 FPS, but both are exceptionally high. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is the better choice, as it provides a much better visual experience with only a 24% reduction in frame rate, which is imperceptible on most displays.

*Q: Does the 20 GB VRAM in the RX 7900 XT matter for Inside?*

A: The 20 GB of VRAM is far more than necessary, as Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with a simple art style. The data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations, as even the 4K Ultra preset maintains a 107 FPS average, indicating that the GPU is not running out of memory.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 146, which occurs at the 4K Medium preset. This is still an extremely high frame rate, ensuring that there are no noticeable hitches or stutters during gameplay. All other presets either have no min FPS data or have a minimum above 171 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X plays a supporting role in this combination. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the CPU has more than enough processing power for Inside, which is not a demanding title on the CPU front. The CPU's base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are sufficient to feed the GPU with data. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092 and a Geekbench multicore score of 8899, show that it is a capable processor.

However, the data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this game. The FPS scales almost perfectly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain similar across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would not increase with pixel count. The fact that the FPS drops from 243 at 1080p to 187 at 4K on the Low preset indicates that the GPU is the limiting component.

The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are also sufficient to prevent any data bottlenecks. The CPU's percentile ranking of 84th among all CPUs is strong, but in this specific game, the GPU dominates the performance profile. The nearest rivals to the 3700X, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and the Intel Core i5-13450HX, have nearly identical benchmark scores, but the RX 7900 XT is what boosts this combo's ranking to 1479 out of 3716.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals how the combo handles increasing pixel counts. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 10-15% across all settings. For example, the Low preset drops from 243 FPS to 218 FPS, and the Medium preset drops from 224 FPS to 201 FPS. This is a relatively small decrease, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at these resolutions.

The scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is more pronounced. The Low preset drops from 218 FPS to 187 FPS, a 14% decrease. The Medium preset drops from 201 FPS to 172 FPS, a similar 14% decrease. However, the High preset drops significantly from 168 FPS to 112 FPS, a 33% decrease. This disproportionate drop suggests that the High preset has specific visual effects that are particularly taxing at 4K, such as advanced post-processing or higher-quality shadows.

The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, dropping from 165 FPS at 1440p to 107 FPS at 4K, a 35% decrease. This indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder at 4K with the highest settings, but it still maintains a playable frame rate. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can easily exceed 160 FPS on Ultra settings. At 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal choice to maintain high refresh rates, as the High and Ultra presets drop to around 110 FPS, which is still smooth but not ideal for competitive play. The scaling pattern confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the FPS drops consistently with the increased pixel workload.