Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer that proves to be far less demanding than modern AAA titles. The data shows this pairing is capable of maxing out high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p and 1440p, with the 4K experience remaining highly playable. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU roles, resolution scaling behavior, and how to optimize settings for the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The processor features a substantial cache hierarchy: 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places it in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance headroom.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 7700 shows balanced scaling from single-threaded to fully multithreaded workloads. Its 3DMark scores progress from 1049 in single-thread to 8484 in 16-thread tests, with the max-thread score of 8479 nearly matching the 16-thread result. Cinebench R23 scores of 1930 single-core and 18760 multi-core reinforce this pattern. The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.1% faster), Intel Core 5 221E (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 270 (0.4% slower), and Intel Core i9-13905H (0.6% slower) — all within a narrow 1% band, showing the 7700 sits at a competitive performance tier.

For Inside, the CPU's role is relatively modest given the game's 2D side-scrolling nature and 2016 release date. The game does not stress multithreaded performance heavily, so the Ryzen 7 7700's 8 physical cores provide ample processing power. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 337 FPS, which is likely where the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1049) helps maintain high frame pacing. The processor's boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that even the most demanding physics or logic calculations in the game's puzzle mechanics are handled with minimal latency. Data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck here; even at 4K Ultra where the GPU is more stressed, the average FPS remains above 60, suggesting the processor can feed frames efficiently across all tested settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It comes equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are notably high: a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. Memory runs at an effective 16 Gbps. The card carries 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 40 ray accelerators supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards. Its PassMark G3D score of 19786 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2435 show solid DirectX 12 performance. The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0.0% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (0.5% slower), NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell (1.1% faster), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (1.5% slower). The RX 6700 XT's compute performance is strong, with a PassMark GPU compute score of 9336.

In Inside, the GPU is the primary performance driver, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The 12 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, but the card's raw throughput determines frame rates. At 1080p Low, the GPU pushes 337 FPS, and scaling to 1440p Low drops to 242 FPS, while 4K Low yields 152 FPS. The card's 2581 MHz boost clock and 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth keep texture streaming and rendering efficient in this stylized game. The GPU's 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than sufficient for Inside's visual effects, which include dynamic lighting and water physics. The data confirms the RX 6700 XT handles even 4K Ultra at 72 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings — but still well within playable territory.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At Low settings, performance drops from 337 FPS at 1080p to 242 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction), then to 152 FPS at 4K (a 37% further reduction). This steep decline indicates the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count increases. Medium settings show a similar trend: 269 FPS at 1080p, 194 FPS at 1440p (28% lower), and 122 FPS at 4K (37% lower). High settings follow: 168 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p (28% lower), and 76 FPS at 4K (37% lower). Ultra settings drop from 160 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p (28% lower) and 72 FPS at 4K (37% lower).

The consistent ~28% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~37% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings points to the GPU as the primary limiting component. The pixel count increases by 1.78x from 1080p to 1440p and by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K, but the FPS drops are less severe, suggesting some headroom in the GPU's rendering pipeline. The Ryzen 7 7700's role becomes less significant at higher resolutions, as the frame rate is increasingly bound by the RX 6700 XT's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The fact that even at 4K Low the combo maintains 152 FPS shows the CPU can feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The data indicates this pairing is balanced for 1440p gaming, where the performance differential between settings is most pronounced — from 242 FPS on Low to 115 FPS on Ultra, offering flexibility for different refresh-rate targets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1806th out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top half of all configurations. This ranking reflects the mid-to-high-end nature of both components: the CPU is in the 87th percentile, and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile. The rank of 1806 suggests there are many combos with faster GPUs that pull ahead, but also a large number of lower-tier pairings that fall behind.

Given the game's modest requirements, the ranking is more indicative of raw hardware capability than actual gameplay necessity. Many combos ranked higher likely feature more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3090 (which the RX 6700 XT trails by only 0.5% in average benchmark score) or newer cards, but for Inside, the 1806th rank out of 3716 means this combo outperforms roughly 51% of tested systems. The narrow performance gap between the RX 6700 XT and its nearest rivals — all within 1.5% — means the ranking could shift significantly with minor driver or test variations. The data shows this combo is a solid mid-pack performer, offering frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most standard monitors at 1080p and 1440p, which is what ultimately matters for gameplay smoothness.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates: Low at 337 FPS, Medium at 269 FPS, High at 168 FPS, and Ultra at 160 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs only 8 FPS (from 168 to 160), making Ultra the obvious choice for 1080p users with high-refresh-rate displays, as it still exceeds 144 Hz. For 1440p, the situation is similar: Ultra runs at 115 FPS, which is above 60 and suitable for most monitors. The transition from High (121 FPS) to Ultra (115 FPS) is minimal, so Ultra remains the recommended preset.

At 4K, the choice becomes more nuanced. Ultra runs at 72 FPS, which is smooth for a puzzle platformer, but High runs at 76 FPS — a marginal 5% improvement. Medium offers 122 FPS, more than 60% faster than Ultra, with the only measured frame time data in the pack: a minimum of 103 FPS and maximum of 140 FPS. For 4K users prioritizing smoothness, Medium is the sweet spot, offering a 50 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining a minimum FPS above 100. Low at 152 FPS is overkill for most 4K displays. The best all-around recommendation is Ultra at 1080p or 1440p, and Medium at 4K, balancing visual fidelity with high frame rates. The data shows High preset provides no meaningful benefit over Ultra at any resolution, making it the least useful setting tier.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes. The measured data shows the Ryzen 7 7700 and RX 6700 XT achieve 72 FPS at 4K Ultra and 152 FPS at 4K Low. Even at the highest settings, the game remains fully playable above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p Ultra, the combo delivers 115 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS mark for smooth gameplay, while 1080p Ultra runs at 160 FPS and 4K Ultra at 72 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6700 XT's average benchmark score of 27425 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0.0% delta) and trails the RTX 3090 by 0.5%. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 1.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% slower.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 337 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it maintains 72 FPS. The consistent ~28% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What settings preset should I use at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset is recommended. It runs at 115 FPS, only 6 FPS slower than High (121 FPS), and provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. Low runs at 242 FPS but offers reduced visual fidelity.

*Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM on the RX 6700 XT sufficient for Inside?*

A: The game's requirements are modest, and the measured frame rates — 160 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 72 FPS at 4K Ultra — confirm that 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than adequate. The GPU's 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures smooth texture streaming at all tested settings.