Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a telling performance profile in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. The data reveals a system where CPU headroom is vast, while the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality settings. This combination ranks 1589th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of systems, yet the measured frame rates show it remains playable at several configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly demonstrates where the performance ceiling lies. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 70 at 1920x1080 to 46.8 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately one-third. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 32.5 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads, as the pixel throughput demand increases dramatically with resolution.

The Low settings run provides the clearest view of this bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 132.9 FPS, but this collapses to 95.6 FPS at 1440p and 61.5 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest quality preset, the 4K frame rate is less than half of what the system produces at 1080p. This indicates that the graphics card’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth — 53.28 GPixel/s and 128.1 GB/s respectively — are the limiting factors, not the CPU.

Ultra settings exacerbate the issue further. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 63.9 FPS, which drops to 47.1 FPS at 1440p and 30 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is exactly at the threshold of playability. The scaling from Medium to Ultra at the same resolution shows a consistent pattern: at 1080p, Medium yields 108.7 FPS versus 63.9 FPS on Ultra, a 41% reduction. This suggests that the GTX 1650’s 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are fully saturated by increased shader complexity and texture loads.

What is most revealing is the comparison between Low and High at 4K: 61.5 FPS versus 32.5 FPS. The gap of 29 FPS shows that even modest graphical fidelity increases at 4K have outsized performance costs. The data strongly indicates that this combo is suited for 1080p gaming, where even Ultra settings remain above 60 FPS, but 1440p and 4K require significant settings compromises to maintain smooth frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D provides substantial processing power that goes largely underutilized in Inside. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 Vermeer architecture, this processor has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The 96 MB shared L3 cache is a defining feature of the X3D series, designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency.

Synthetic benchmarks confirm the CPU’s capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 22,366 in multicore and 3,157 in single-core tests. Geekbench results show 10,108 in multicore and 1,922 in single-core. These scores place the CPU in the 82nd percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor. Its average benchmark score of 24,673 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1360P, which scores 24,627 with a deltaPct of 0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D at 24,605 with a 0.3% deltaPct.

In Inside, the CPU’s role appears minimal. The game is a puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and AI, so the 8-core/16-thread configuration is unlikely to be stressed. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,764 and max-thread score of 6,755 show strong multithreaded performance, but such workloads are not typical for this genre. The single-thread score of 804 in 3DMark and 1,325 in Cinebench R20 indicate that even single-core performance is more than sufficient for the game’s logic.

The fact that frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution and settings, rather than remaining constant regardless of GPU load, confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the 132.9 FPS average is likely near the game’s engine limit or the GPU’s maximum output, not a CPU constraint. The processor’s 105W TDP and DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for this title. The data suggests that even a significantly weaker CPU would deliver similar frame rates in Inside when paired with this GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this pairing. Based on the TU117 chip on a 12 nm process, this GPU features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, delivering 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 75W TDP and lack of power connectors make it a low-power solution, but this comes at a cost in raw performance.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it modestly. Its average benchmark score of 8,713 puts it in the 43rd percentile against all GPUs. In Passmark G3D, it scores 7,880, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 305. These figures are clustered tightly with its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 8,746 with a -0.4% deltaPct, and the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8,749 with a -0.4% deltaPct. The NVIDIA Quadro P2200 is slightly lower at 8,671 with a 0.5% deltaPct, showing this GPU is firmly in the entry-level segment.

In Inside, the GPU’s limitations are exposed by the resolution scaling data. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely a constraint at 4K, where texture data exceeds available memory, causing the frame rate to drop to 30 FPS on Ultra. The 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution pixel pushing. The 32 ROPs are particularly limiting at 4K, as rasterization demands increase quadratically with pixel count.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_1) is adequate for Inside, which launched in 2016 and uses older rendering techniques. However, the low fill rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s mean that even moderate settings at high resolutions overwhelm the hardware. The performance gap between Low and High settings at any resolution shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate. At 1080p, the GPU can maintain playable frame rates across all settings, but at 4K, only Low settings (61.5 FPS) approach smoothness, while Ultra (30 FPS) is borderline.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1589th out of 1,671 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 5% of all systems tested with this game. This low rank is primarily attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 82nd percentile. The disparity between these two components is stark: the processor is a high-end part, while the graphics card is firmly entry-level.

Despite the low overall rank, the measured FPS data shows that the combo is not unusable. At 1080p, it achieves 63.9 FPS on Ultra and 70 FPS on High, which are playable for a puzzle platformer. The rank reflects performance against all combos, many of which include much more powerful GPUs. For a game like Inside, which does not demand modern graphics, this rank is less concerning than it would be for a AAA shooter.

The combo’s position relative to other tested systems suggests it is balanced toward CPU-heavy workloads. In games that leverage multiple threads and large caches, this CPU would excel, but the GPU would still cap frame rates. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,764 demonstrates the CPU’s capability, yet the GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 7,880 is the limiting factor in gaming scenarios. This pairing is akin to placing a high-performance engine in a lightweight chassis; the CPU has plenty of power, but the GPU restricts overall output.

The data shows that this rank is not a reflection of poor engineering but of component mismatch. The CPU is designed for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p with powerful GPUs, while the GTX 1650 is meant for 1080p at medium settings. In Inside, this works adequately, but the combo would severely underperform in more demanding titles. The rank of 1589/1671 is a statistical outlier for the CPU’s capabilities, confirming that the GPU is the weak link.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this combo?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the optimal choice. At this resolution, even Ultra settings achieve 63.9 FPS, while Low settings reach 132.9 FPS. At 1440p, High settings drop to 46.8 FPS, and at 4K, only Low settings (61.5 FPS) provide a smooth experience.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so sharply at 4K?

A: The drop is due to the GPU’s limited resources. The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of VRAM and 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which are insufficient for 4K textures and pixel loads. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 30, while at 4K Low it is 61.5 FPS, showing the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The CPU, with 8 cores and 16 threads, scores in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 43rd percentile. Frame rates scale with resolution and settings, which is a GPU-bound characteristic, not a CPU one.

Q: How does this combo compare to other CPU+GPU pairings?

A: It ranks 1589th out of 1,671 tested combos. This low rank is driven by the GPU, which has an average benchmark score of 8,713, similar to the RTX 3050 A Mobile (8,746) and Radeon 550X (8,749). The CPU’s average score of 24,673 is much higher, but the GPU caps overall gaming performance.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows 63.9 FPS average at 1080p Ultra. This is playable, though not high-refresh-rate territory. For a puzzle platformer, this is more than sufficient for a smooth experience.

Q: What does the 43rd percentile GPU ranking mean for this game?

A: It indicates the GPU is below average compared to all GPUs. For Inside, this is acceptable because the game is not graphically intense. However, the GPU’s 2.984 TFLOPS and 53.28 GPixel/s fill rate limit performance at higher resolutions, as shown by the 4K results.