Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that rarely stresses modern hardware, yet the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveal a fascinating bottleneck shift. The data shows this pairing is anything but uniform across resolutions, with the CPU's 3D V-Cache and the GPU's raw throughput trading places as the limiting factor. This analysis digs into the measured FPS rows, the component benchmark scores, and the ranking position to explain what actually happens when this combo runs the game.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for Inside?

A: The combination ranks 511th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all systems. This rank reflects a strong but not top-tier position, likely because the game is older and many higher-end combos exist.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X3D has an average benchmark score of 24673, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1360P (24627) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D (24605). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (24811) by 0.6%, making the differences negligible.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653, a 0.2% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE is 0.3% behind at 42723.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 274.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 4K Ultra result of 110.7 FPS, showing a wide performance envelope.

Q: Does raising settings from High to Ultra always reduce FPS?

A: Yes, at every resolution, Ultra settings produce lower average FPS than High. At 2560x1440, High yields 185.3 FPS while Ultra yields 176.5 FPS, a difference of 8.8 FPS. The same pattern holds at 4K, where High hits 116.4 FPS and Ultra drops to 110.7 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how might it affect Inside?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth across a 192-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, this bandwidth is more than sufficient, likely explaining why even 4K High maintains over 100 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER’s role in Inside is defined by its Ada Lovelace architecture and high memory throughput. With a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the GPU has ample headroom for a game that is not graphically intensive. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s, which ensures that texture streaming and frame buffering at 4K resolutions are not constrained by bandwidth. This is evident in the measured FPS: at 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo still averages 116.4 FPS, indicating the GPU is far from saturated.

The GPU's benchmark data reinforces its capability. It scores 29995 in Passmark G3D and 17108 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX A6000, is only 0.2% faster in average score, which is a negligible gap. For Inside, the GPU’s shading units (7168) and texture units (224) are likely overkill, as the game’s 2D side-scrolling perspective relies more on fill rate than complex geometry. The pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s suggest the GPU can handle even the most demanding scenes without breaking a sweat.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: the GPU’s performance scales almost linearly with resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 274.2 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 110.7 FPS. This 63% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher settings, but the absolute numbers remain high enough to suggest the GPU is never the limiting factor at lower resolutions. Instead, the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes relevant, as discussed in the CPU Role section.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 511 out of 1671 tested systems places it in the 69th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested combinations. This is a strong result, but not exceptional, given that the CPU and GPU individually sit in the 82nd and 84th percentiles, respectively. The rank suggests that while both components are above average, the pairing does not synergize to push into the top echelon for Inside specifically. This is likely because the game is CPU-bound at lower resolutions, where the Ryzen 7 5700X3D’s 8 cores and 16 threads are not fully utilized, and GPU-bound at 4K, where the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB VRAM is adequate but not exceptional.

Compared to other combos, the rank implies that there are 1660 combinations that either have a faster CPU, a faster GPU, or a better balance for this title. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s rivals are all within 0.6%, indicating that the 5700X3D is not a standout choice for Inside. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals are within 1.6% in average score, so the RTX 4070 SUPER does not provide a decisive advantage. The rank thus reflects a middle-of-the-pack position for a system that is clearly capable of high frame rates, but not optimized for this specific game’s demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 274.2 FPS on Low, 253.5 FPS on Medium, 210.7 FPS on High, and 205.4 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 68.8 FPS, showing that settings have a moderate impact at 1080p. Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 241.3 FPS on Low, 225.4 FPS on Medium, 185.3 FPS on High, and 176.5 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 64.8 FPS, a similar absolute reduction, but the percentage drop is slightly larger (26.9% vs 25.1%).

At 3840x2160, the performance scales down further: 211.5 FPS on Low, 186.4 FPS on Medium, 116.4 FPS on High, and 110.7 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 100.8 FPS, a 47.6% reduction, indicating that resolution has a more significant impact than settings at 4K. Notably, the jump from Medium to High at 4K is steep, with a 70 FPS drop (from 186.4 to 116.4), while the jump from High to Ultra is only 5.7 FPS. This suggests that High settings at 4K hit a performance cliff, likely due to a specific rendering feature that the GPU cannot accelerate as efficiently.

Across all resolutions, Low settings provide the highest FPS, but even Ultra at 4K maintains 110.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for most displays. The data indicates that this combo can handle Inside at maximum settings on any resolution, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra is the most demanding configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target refresh rate. For 1080p displays, High settings at 210.7 FPS offer a balanced experience, as Ultra only adds 5.3 FPS over High (205.4 vs 210.7) while potentially increasing input latency. For 1440p, High at 185.3 FPS is again the sweet spot, as it is only 8.8 FPS behind Ultra (176.5) but provides a more stable frame time. At 4K, High at 116.4 FPS is the best choice for a smooth experience, as Ultra drops to 110.7 FPS, a marginal gain that does not justify the extra GPU load.

The data suggests that Medium settings are rarely worth using, as they only provide a 42.8 FPS boost over High at 1080p (253.5 vs 210.7) but with a visible quality reduction. Low settings are only recommended for competitive play or if the user has a 240 Hz monitor, as they hit 274.2 FPS at 1080p but sacrifice visual fidelity. For most users, High settings across all resolutions offer the best balance of frame rate and image quality, particularly since the game’s art style benefits from higher shadow and texture details.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a Zen 3 (Vermeer) processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its key feature is the 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is designed to reduce memory latency in gaming. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22366 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 26318. However, its single-thread score of 3157 in Cinebench R23 and 804 in 3DMark single-thread is less impressive, ranking it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs.

In Inside, the CPU’s role is likely limited, given that the game is a physics-based platformer with minimal AI or simulation. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (274.2) is significantly higher than at 4K Low (211.5), suggesting that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, since the GPU is still capable of higher frame rates. However, the CPU’s 8 cores are underutilized, as the game likely only uses a few threads. The 96 MB L3 cache may help with loading level data, but the benchmark data does not show a clear advantage over the CPU’s rivals, which are all within 0.6% in average score.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4 is adequate, but not a differentiator. The fact that the combo ranks 511th suggests that the CPU’s single-thread performance, while decent, does not push it ahead of systems with faster cores like the Intel Core i7-1360P, which has a 0.2% higher average score. For Inside, the CPU is sufficient but not a major factor, as the game’s frame rates are more dependent on the GPU’s ability to render at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern in resolution scaling. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 12-15% across all settings. For example, at High settings, 1080p yields 210.7 FPS, while 1440p yields 185.3 FPS, a 12.1% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced: at High settings, 4K yields 116.4 FPS, a 37.2% reduction from 1440p. This indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, since the CPU’s workload does not change significantly.

The scaling is not linear, however. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 12.0% (274.2 to 241.3), and from 1440p to 4K is 12.3% (241.3 to 211.5). This suggests that at Low settings, the system is still CPU-bound, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14.1% (205.4 to 176.5), and from 1440p to 4K is 37.3% (176.5 to 110.7), showing a more significant GPU impact. This implies that the limiting component shifts from CPU at 1080p Low to GPU at 4K Ultra, with the crossover occurring somewhere around 1440p High.

The data also shows that the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 44.7% (210.7 to 116.4), while at Low settings it is 22.9% (274.2 to 211.5). This asymmetric scaling indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are strained at 4K High, but not at 4K Low. For users with a 4K display, the recommendation is to stick with High settings, as the 5.7 FPS gain from Ultra is not worth the additional GPU load, and the 70 FPS drop from Medium to High suggests that High is the optimal balance for visual quality and performance.