Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that is extremely forgiving on modern hardware, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 confirms this. This combination is ranked 1271 out of 2887 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper half of systems, but the frame rates suggest that the game's modest demands mean even this mid-range pairing delivers exceptional performance across all tested resolutions and settings. The measured results show a system that never struggles, with the primary question being how high a user can push the settings before the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but still maintains playable performance even at the most demanding settings. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 177 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 50 FPS or roughly 28%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 80 FPS, which represents a 55% drop from the 1440p result and a 55% drop from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 7700's compute and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily as pixel count increases, which is expected given the GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the game becomes almost entirely GPU-limited. At 1080p Low, the system produces 310 FPS, a figure that drops to 254 FPS at 1440p and 160 FPS at 4K. The 150 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K Low settings represents a 48% performance loss, demonstrating that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain its 1080p throughput when pixel count quadruples. At Medium settings, the data shows a similar trend: 282 FPS at 1080p, 203 FPS at 1440p, and 128 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result including a minimum frame rate of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, indicating some variance but no stutter-inducing dips.

What this scaling data reveals is that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low the system reaches 310 FPS, which would stress most CPUs. The fact that frame rates continue to scale downward as resolution increases points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component once settings are lowered or resolution is raised. The game's puzzle platformer nature means it does not rely on complex physics or AI that would burden the processor, so the 5700X's single-thread score of 921 in 3DMark and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499 are more than sufficient for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo achieves in Inside?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 310 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a clear indicator that the system has substantial performance headroom for this game.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Inside?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system produces an average of 76 FPS. While this is the lowest average frame rate in the dataset, it remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K High preset performs slightly better with 80 FPS average.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700X compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The 5700X's average benchmark score of 27578 is exactly equal to the Intel Core i5-12600K, which scores 27578 with a 0% delta. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, while being 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.

Q: What is the difference in frame rates between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS and maximum of 234 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 121 FPS at the same resolution, representing a 40% performance drop for the higher visual quality.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 7700 a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The RX 7700 sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862 with a -0.1% delta, meaning the two are essentially tied. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% faster in this metric.

Q: Does the game show any signs of CPU limitation at lower resolutions?

A: No, the data does not indicate CPU bottlenecking. Even at 1080p Low, which is the most CPU-stressing scenario in the dataset, the system achieves 310 FPS. The Ryzen 7 5700X's multi-threaded performance, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184 and 3DMark max threads score of 6850, is far beyond what this game requires.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, and its specifications show a card designed for 1440p gaming with 4K capability in lighter titles. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer that does not demand large texture pools or high-resolution assets. The game's release in 2016 predates many modern VRAM-hungry features, so the 16 GB allocation is unlikely to ever become a limiting factor.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. These figures, combined with 2560 shading units and 96 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS indicates a capable compute unit, though Inside's simple rendering pipeline does not tax this heavily. The benchmark results support this characterization: the GPU scores 20974 in Passmark G3D, 106028 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 2865 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

The RX 7700's 58th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 15852 place it in the lower half of the 58th percentile, but its nearest rivals reveal an interesting competitive landscape. The AMD Radeon R9 370X, an older card, scores 15862, which is effectively identical with a -0.1% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 1% faster, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% faster. This means the RX 7700 is competing with a mix of previous-generation and professional cards, suggesting it occupies a specific performance tier rather than a clear-cut segment.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is straightforward: it must render a 2D scene with minimal geometric complexity but potentially high resolution. The measured FPS data shows that the RX 7700 handles this task with ease. At 4K High, the card averages 80 FPS, and at 4K Medium it averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS. The 4K Low setting produces 160 FPS, demonstrating that even at the highest resolution, the GPU has enough headroom to deliver high refresh rates. The only scenario where the GPU shows strain is at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 76 FPS, but this is still a playable frame rate for a puzzle platformer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of how the Ryzen 7 5700X and Radeon RX 7700 perform across twelve different configurations, covering three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all settings. The Low preset averages 310 FPS, the Medium preset averages 282 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS and maximum of 325 FPS, the High preset averages 177 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 168 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 142 FPS, a 46% reduction, but even the lowest 1080p result of 168 FPS is far beyond what any display at this resolution would require.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows the expected scaling. The Low preset averages 254 FPS, the Medium preset averages 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS and maximum of 234 FPS, the High preset averages 127 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 133 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p, but the Ultra preset still delivers 121 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset's minimum of 173 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding scenes within that setting, the system maintains a very high frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results show the most significant performance drop, but the system remains playable in all configurations. The Low preset averages 160 FPS, the Medium preset averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and maximum of 147 FPS, the High preset averages 80 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 84 FPS, a 52% reduction, which is the largest relative drop across all resolutions. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 108 FPS is worth noting, as it shows the system can maintain a stable frame rate above 100 FPS even with some graphical fidelity.

The data reveals an interesting pattern: the gap between High and Ultra settings is relatively small across all resolutions. At 1080p, High averages 177 FPS and Ultra averages 168 FPS, a difference of only 9 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 6 FPS (127 vs 121), and at 4K, the difference is 4 FPS (80 vs 76). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds minimal visual improvements over High for this game, while the Medium preset offers a significant performance boost over High, with 105 FPS more at 1080p, 76 FPS more at 1440p, and 48 FPS more at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a 5000 series processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, and manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP, which is modest for an 8-core part, and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor also supports ECC memory and has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

For a game like Inside, the CPU requirements are minimal, and the 5700X's benchmark scores confirm it is more than capable. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 921, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1499, and a Geekbench single-core score of 2016. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game's logic and rendering commands without becoming a bottleneck. The multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a 3DMark max threads score of 6850, a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184, and a Geekbench multi-core score of 10779.

The 5700X's overall average benchmark score of 27578 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong showing for a processor that is not the top of its generation. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12600K with an identical score of 27578, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 with 27535 (0.2% slower), the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X with 27636 (0.2% faster), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H with 27507 (0.3% slower). These close margins indicate that the 5700X sits at a performance parity point with several modern mid-range and high-end CPUs.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game state updates, neither of which are demanding for this title. The fact that the system achieves 310 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is not limiting the frame rate even in the most CPU-heavy scenario. The 5700X's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallel processing capability, though the game likely uses only a fraction of them. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB is more than sufficient for the game's data footprint, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth is not a constraint for a 2D platformer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for different display configurations and refresh rates. For users with a 1080p 60 Hz display, any preset from Low to Ultra will provide a smooth experience, with even the lowest Ultra average of 168 FPS being more than double the display's refresh rate. For 1080p 144 Hz displays, the Low and Medium presets are the best choices, with 310 FPS and 282 FPS respectively, ensuring that the frame rate never drops below the 240 FPS minimum seen in the Medium preset. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p, with 177 FPS and 168 FPS, also exceed 144 Hz but with less headroom.

At 1440p, the recommendation depends on the refresh rate of the monitor. For 1440p 60 Hz displays, the Ultra preset at 121 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still offering more than double the required frame rate. For 1440p 144 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 203 FPS is the optimal balance, as it maintains a minimum of 173 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold, while offering better visual fidelity than the Low preset at 254 FPS. The High preset at 127 FPS is borderline for 144 Hz displays, as it falls below the refresh rate in some scenes, and the Ultra preset at 121 FPS is not suitable for 144 Hz.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 128 FPS is the clear recommendation for 60 Hz panels, as it provides the best visual quality while maintaining a minimum of 108 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS requirement. The Low preset at 160 FPS is also viable but offers reduced visual fidelity. The High preset at 80 FPS and Ultra preset at 76 FPS are suitable for 60 Hz displays, but they do not provide enough headroom for 120 Hz or 144 Hz panels. For 4K 120 Hz displays, only the Low preset at 160 FPS would be appropriate, but this sacrifices visual quality significantly.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best overall value in terms of performance per visual quality investment. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides a substantial performance boost over High and Ultra while maintaining a minimum frame rate above 100 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset's minimum of 108 FPS at 4K, 173 FPS at 1440p, and 240 FPS at 1080p indicates that it is the safest choice for maintaining high frame rates without compromising too much on visual detail. For users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rates, the High preset is a good middle ground, as it offers nearly identical performance to Ultra but with the same visual quality at a lower cost.