Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that is remarkably light on GPU load, and the measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER confirm that this combination is almost entirely CPU-bound at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 296 FPS, which is an extraordinary figure for a game of this visual style but clearly indicates that the rendering workload is trivial for the GPU. The data shows that the limiting factor in this scenario is the processor's ability to feed the frame buffer, not the graphics card's ability to fill it.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern where the GPU begins to take over the workload only at the highest pixel counts. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 155, while at 1440p High it drops to 111 FPS, and at 4K High it falls to 70 FPS. This represents a 55% reduction in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not as severe as what you would see in a graphically intensive AAA title. The reason for this is that the game's visual complexity is low enough that even at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER is not fully saturated until you enable the highest quality settings.

Looking at the Low preset across resolutions, the data shows an even more pronounced CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 296 FPS, which drops to 223 FPS at 1440p Low and 140 FPS at 4K Low. The scaling here is interesting because even at 4K Low, the frame rate is still well above 120 FPS, suggesting that the GPU has significant headroom left on the table. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 156 FPS, which is a 53% decrease, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the experience is fluid regardless.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data set, with min and max FPS recorded for each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 248 FPS with a minimum of 210 and a maximum of 285. Moving to 1440p Medium brings the average down to 178 FPS with a range of 151 to 205. At 4K Medium, the average is 112 FPS with a min of 95 and a max of 129. The min-to-max spread of roughly 30% at each resolution indicates that there is some frame time variance, but nothing that would cause noticeable stuttering in a puzzle platformer.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, as you would expect. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 147 FPS, which drops to 106 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 67 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure is the only one in the entire dataset that falls below 70 FPS, and even that is perfectly playable for a game like Inside. The data suggests that this combo is capable of delivering a smooth experience at any resolution and quality level, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra pushes the GPU to its limits while still maintaining a playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Inside is 2196 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. This percentile position is somewhat surprising given the high absolute frame rates, but it makes sense when you consider that Inside is such a lightweight game that even mid-range hardware can achieve triple-digit FPS. The rank reflects how this specific CPU-GPU pairing performs relative to other combinations, and the data shows that while this combo is far from the top, it is also nowhere near the bottom.

The CPU itself, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, holds an 80th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27896. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U with a score of 27887 (a 0% delta), the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27872 (0.1% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 at 27932 (0.1% behind). This clustering indicates that the 5800X3D is right in the middle of a performance band where several competing processors deliver nearly identical average scores, making the differences negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals show a tight grouping: the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (1.2% higher), and the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (1.3% higher). The fact that the RTX 2070 SUPER scores within 1.5% of these newer or mobile parts suggests that it remains a capable performer in this game, even as newer architectures have been released.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is built on the Zen 3 architecture with the Vermeer codename, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. The processor has a 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a defining characteristic of the X3D variant and is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on large data sets. The CPU's TDP is 105 W, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with dual-channel DDR4 memory support.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's single-threaded performance is the most relevant metric, as puzzle platformers rarely utilize more than a few cores. The 3DMark single-thread score for the 5800X3D is 884, which is respectable but not exceptional. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1452 and the Geekbench single-core score of 2017 both indicate that this processor is more than sufficient for the game's simulation and logic, but the high frame rates at 1080p Low suggest that the CPU is the bottleneck in that scenario.

The multi-threaded scores tell a different story, with the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14317 and the Passmark multithread score of 28309 demonstrating that this chip has substantial compute power for other tasks. However, in Inside, the data indicates that even a single core is enough to push frame rates past 140 FPS at 4K Low, which means the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are largely underutilized in this title. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1746 versus the 8-thread score of 5906 shows that scaling is present but not linear, which is typical for a game that has limited parallel workload.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 67 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The minimum frame rate is not recorded for this setting, but the average suggests a playable experience.

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 248 FPS, which exceeds 144 Hz. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 178 FPS, still above 144 Hz. For 4K, you would need to use Low settings to get 140 FPS, which is just below 144 Hz.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate is 296 FPS, which is far beyond what the GPU can render, indicating a CPU bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 67 FPS, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to the RTX 3070 Mobile in this context?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1.2% lower than the RTX 3070 Mobile's 20534. In practical terms, this difference is negligible for Inside, as both cards are capable of exceeding 140 FPS at 1080p.

Q: What kind of frame rate consistency can I expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows an average of 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 205 FPS at 1440p Medium. This 54 FPS spread indicates good consistency, with no major dips that would cause visible stuttering.

Q: Does the 5800X3D's large L3 cache impact performance in Inside?

A: The 96 MB shared L3 cache likely contributes to the CPU's strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the 884 3DMark single-thread score. However, the game's low computational demands mean that even a less capable CPU would achieve high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and its memory operates at 1750 MHz with a 14 Gbps effective data rate. The card features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

For Inside, the GPU's raw rasterization performance is what matters most, and the data confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is overkill for this title at most settings. The FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS is more than enough to handle the game's simple geometry and lighting. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests that it is a mid-to-high tier part, and its performance in Inside reflects that, with the only sub-70 FPS result occurring at 4K Ultra.

The memory configuration is also not a limiting factor in this game. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is far more than Inside requires, and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the textures and effects used in the game. Even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 67 FPS indicates that the GPU is being pushed, but not because of memory constraints. The pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are both well-suited to the game's visual style, which relies on atmospheric lighting and subtle shadows rather than heavy texture detail.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combo. At 1080p, all presets deliver frame rates well above 144 FPS, with Low at 296 FPS, Medium at 248 FPS, High at 155 FPS, and Ultra at 147 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 8 FPS at 1080p, which suggests that Ultra is the better choice for maximum visual quality without a meaningful performance penalty.

At 1440p, the situation is similar but with lower absolute numbers. Low delivers 223 FPS, Medium hits 178 FPS, High achieves 111 FPS, and Ultra drops to 106 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 5 FPS, making Ultra the obvious choice for the best visual experience at this resolution. The Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 151 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes stay above 144 Hz, but the visual improvements from Ultra are worth the small sacrifice.

At 4K, the recommendations change due to the GPU becoming more of a factor. Low delivers 140 FPS, Medium drops to 112 FPS with a minimum of 95, High falls to 70 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 67 FPS. For a 60 Hz display, Ultra is the best choice, as the 67 FPS average provides a smooth experience with maximum visual fidelity. For a 120 Hz display, Medium is the sweet spot, as the 112 FPS average stays above 100 FPS while still offering improved visuals over Low. The High preset at 4K offers no benefit over Ultra in terms of frame rate, so it should be skipped in favor of Ultra for the best image quality.

For players with high refresh rate monitors, the 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, with a 248 FPS average that leaves plenty of headroom for any frame time spikes. At 1440p, Medium is also the recommended choice, as it maintains an average of 178 FPS while providing better image clarity than Low. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 1440p is nearly identical to High in performance, so there is no reason to choose High over Ultra if you want the best visuals. Ultimately, this combo is so powerful for Inside that the only real decision is whether you prioritize frame rate or visual fidelity, and the measured numbers make it easy to pick the right balance for your display.