Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a robust performance profile in Inside, a game that is evidently far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at higher resolutions. The measured data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, with frame rates that range from exceptionally high at lower settings to just barely playable at the maximum preset in 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain the bottleneck characteristics, the combo's standing among other tested systems, and the specific roles played by the CPU and GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly indicating that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 243 FPS at 1920x1080 to 195 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 48 FPS (approximately 20%). Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 123 FPS, which is roughly 37% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern suggests that while the GPU is powerful enough to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, the increased pixel count at 4K begins to saturate its rendering capabilities.

The Medium settings row provides a more detailed view of this scaling. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 217 FPS, which falls to 156 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 98 FPS at 3840x2160. The frame time data at Medium settings shows a similar trend, with the minimum FPS dropping from 185 at 1080p to 133 at 1440p, and finally to 83 at 4K. The gap between minimum and maximum FPS widens at higher resolutions, from a 65 FPS spread at 1080p to a 30 FPS spread at 4K, indicating that frame pacing becomes less consistent as the GPU load increases.

High and Ultra settings show the most dramatic resolution penalties. At High, the average FPS drops from 136 at 1080p to 98 at 1440p, and then to 61 at 4K. The transition from 1440p to 4K alone costs 37 FPS, which is a 38% performance hit. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with averages of 129 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Ultra result is just below 60 FPS suggests that this configuration is only marginally suitable for 4K gaming at the highest visual quality.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, appears to provide ample headroom, as the FPS scaling is almost entirely governed by the GPU's workload. The relatively small performance difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (48 FPS) compared to the larger drop at higher settings reinforces this, as the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B580 ranks at 2829 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places the pairing in the lower 24% of all tested configurations, which is a surprising result given the high frame rates measured. The rank suggests that while this combo delivers excellent raw performance in absolute terms, there are many other CPU-GPU pairings that achieve even higher frame rates in this game.

The relatively low rank is likely due to the fact that Inside is not a particularly demanding title for modern high-end hardware. Many combos with more powerful GPUs or CPUs can achieve frame rates well above 300 FPS at 1080p, which would push them higher in the rankings. This combo's 243 FPS at 1080p Low is certainly respectable, but it is not enough to compete with the top-tier configurations that dominate the upper echelons of the ranking list.

The CPU's own benchmark percentile highlights its mid-range standing. The Ryzen 7 3700X sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34260. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (with a delta of 0.1%) and the Intel Core i5-13450HX (with a delta of -0.2%), showing that it is competitive with newer mobile and desktop parts. However, the GPU's percentile is lower, at 68th for all GPUs, with an average score of 23021. This suggests that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis.

The combination's rank of 2829 out of 3716 is not a reflection of poor playability, but rather a measure of how it stacks up against the entire field of tested hardware. For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, the high frame rates measured here are more than sufficient for a smooth experience, even if the rank is not in the top tier.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a 7 nm processor from the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has a 32 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. These specifications are more than adequate for Inside, which is a relatively lightweight title in terms of CPU demand.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R15, it scores 2092 in multi-core and 204 in single-core. Geekbench results show 8899 multi-core and 1593 single-core scores. PassMark tests further illustrate its capabilities, with a multi-thread score of 22458 and a single-thread score of 2656. These scores indicate that the CPU is well-balanced and can handle the game's logic and physics without becoming a limiting factor.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is to maintain a steady frame delivery, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully stressed. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 243 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that depends on the CPU being able to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game state updates. The 3.60 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks provide sufficient single-thread performance for this task, and the 16 threads ensure that background tasks do not interfere with the game's primary thread.

The CPU's percentile of 84th place versus all CPUs suggests that it is a solid mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4244P and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, have very similar average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.5% respectively. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 3700X is neither a performance outlier nor a weak link in this system, but rather a dependable component that allows the GPU to operate at its full potential.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average frame rate is 243 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 58, which is just below the 60 FPS target.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i5-13450HX.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 195 on Low settings to 93 on Ultra settings, a difference of 102 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops significantly at 4K while the CPU's performance appears to have ample headroom.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2829 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the clear performance driver in this pairing, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. This GPU features the Xe2-HPG architecture on a 5 nm process, with a chip designated as BMG-G21. It has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz and is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with a FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s. These specifications explain why the GPU can handle the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully saturated, allowing it to output 243 FPS at Low settings and 217 FPS at Medium settings. The performance at 1440p remains strong, with 195 FPS at Low and 156 FPS at Medium.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant for higher resolutions. With 12 GB of VRAM, the Arc B580 has sufficient capacity for Inside at 4K, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is also ample for this title. The bottleneck at 4K is more likely the raw shader throughput, as the frame rate drops to 123 FPS at Low and 98 FPS at Medium, showing that the GPU is being pushed harder.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. Its PassMark G3D score is 15748, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 109672. However, its percentile versus all GPUs is 68th, with an average score of 23021. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (with a delta of -0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (with a delta of 0.6%). This places the Arc B580 in a competitive position against previous-generation high-end cards, but it is not at the top of the performance stack.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo balances high frame rates with visual fidelity. For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, the Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p and 1440p, with averages of 129 and 93 FPS respectively. At 4K, Ultra settings fall just short of the 60 FPS target, so it is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

The Medium settings present the most balanced option across all resolutions. At 1080p, the combo achieves 217 FPS, which is more than enough for any display. At 1440p, the average of 156 FPS still provides a highly fluid experience. Even at 4K, the Medium preset delivers 98 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual improvement over Low settings. The frame time data for Medium settings shows a minimum of 83 FPS at 4K, ensuring that dips are unlikely to be noticeable.

For players with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p, the Low settings provide the maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the 243 FPS average is ideal for a 240 Hz display, while at 1440p, the 195 FPS average is suitable for a 165 Hz or 180 Hz panel. However, the visual quality trade-off may not be worth it for a game like Inside, which has a distinct atmosphere that benefits from higher graphical detail.

The High settings offer a middle ground, with 136 FPS at 1080p and 98 FPS at 1440p. At 4K, the High preset's 61 FPS is just above the 60 FPS target, making it a viable option for players who prioritize visual quality over a large FPS buffer. Ultimately, the Medium preset at 1440p is the most versatile recommendation, as it provides a high frame rate (156 FPS) with good visual fidelity, and it scales well if the player decides to move to a 4K display.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 136 FPS on High, 243 FPS on Low, 217 FPS on Medium, and 129 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has the most detailed data, with a minimum FPS of 185 and a maximum of 250.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 98 on High, 195 on Low, 156 on Medium, and 93 on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic, with the largest absolute decrease occurring at the Low setting, which loses 48 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 61 on High, 123 on Low, 98 on Medium, and 58 on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully utilized. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with the Low setting losing 72 FPS and the High setting losing 37 FPS.

The data shows that the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 114 FPS (243 vs 129), at 1440p it is 102 FPS (195 vs 93), and at 4K it is 65 FPS (123 vs 58). This pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the settings have a larger relative impact on performance because the GPU is not the sole bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings from Ultra to Low only yields a 65 FPS improvement, highlighting the GPU-bound nature of the game at that resolution.