Inside

Inside is a modestly demanding puzzle platformer, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a performance profile that is far more dependent on resolution and graphics settings than on raw processing power. Benchmark results indicate that this combination is exceptional for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, excellent for 1440p, and surprisingly playable at 4K, with the Arc B570 acting as the primary performance limiter in most scenarios. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the system crushes the game at lower settings, but frame rates scale down predictably as resolution and visual fidelity increase, making this a versatile build for a title that does not demand top-tier hardware.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a high-end desktop processor built on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This processor is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC, and its specifications place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs according to the benchmark database. With a TDP of 105 W and support for DDR5 memory via a dual-channel interface, the 7700X is designed for heavy multitasking and demanding applications, but for a game like Inside, its role is largely to stay out of the way of the GPU.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates are exceptionally high. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 240 FPS. At this frame rate, the CPU’s single-thread performance, which scores 1090 in 3DMark and 1987 in Cinebench R23 single-core, becomes critical to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The 7700X’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that the game’s logic and physics calculations are processed with minimal latency, allowing the GPU to render frames as fast as possible. The processor’s multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Geekbench multicore score of 12451 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19088, are largely irrelevant for Inside, which is not heavily threaded, but they guarantee that background tasks do not interfere with gameplay.

Comparing the 7700X to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, it sits just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.5% ahead of both the Intel Core 7 250H and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H trails by 0.7%. These small deltas indicate that the 7700X’s raw compute performance is extremely competitive, but in the context of Inside, the differences are negligible. The game’s frame rates are so high that even a significantly weaker CPU would likely produce similar results, as evidenced by the fact that the performance gap between settings at the same resolution is much larger than any CPU-bound variation. The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any tested configuration, as the GPU consistently dictates the overall frame rate.

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

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and codenamed Battlemage, is the clear performance driver in this system. It is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC and features 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, a 10 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 160-bit bus, and a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This hardware configuration places the Arc B570 in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which it trails by a negligible 0.1%, and the Intel Arc A750, which it beats by 0.1%.

For Inside, the GPU’s performance is directly tied to the chosen settings and resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the Arc B570 delivers an average of 240 FPS, which is likely capped by the game’s engine or the display refresh rate rather than the GPU’s raw capability. The GPU’s FP32 compute of 11.52 TFLOPS and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are more than sufficient for this title’s simple 2D side-scrolling visuals. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU’s workload expands significantly. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully utilized and the game becomes heavily GPU-bound.

The 10 GB of VRAM is a notable asset for Inside, as the game does not present a large memory footprint, but the capacity ensures that even at 4K with Ultra settings, there is no risk of texture thrashing. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is also sufficient to keep the GPU fed with pixel data at high resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B570 scales its performance predictably with resolution, and its strongest showing is at 1080p, where it easily maintains triple-digit frame rates across all settings. At 4K, the GPU’s limits are exposed, but the frame rates remain playable, which is impressive for a game that was released in 2016 and is not graphically intensive.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a distinct scaling pattern as resolution increases, which highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves 120 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 86 FPS, a reduction of 34 FPS or roughly 28%. At 4K High, the average falls further to 54 FPS, which is a 55% reduction from the 1080p result. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the Arc B570’s pixel and texture throughput are insufficient to maintain the same frame rate at higher pixel counts.

The same trend is visible across all settings. For Low settings, the frame rate falls from 240 FPS at 1080p to 172 FPS at 1440p and 108 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 68 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 64 FPS. This linear degradation suggests that the GPU is working harder at each step, but the relative performance loss is consistent. For Medium settings, the averages are 192 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. The frame rate drops are 54 FPS and 51 FPS, respectively, again indicating a GPU-bound workload.

The data also shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the frame rate differences between resolutions are far larger than any CPU-related variation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, especially at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the consistent scaling pattern confirms that the Arc B570 is the component that determines performance in Inside. The only exception is at 1080p Low, where the 240 FPS average may be limited by the game’s engine or a frame rate cap, as the GPU’s performance at this setting is likely higher than the measured value.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for achieving a high frame rate with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the most effective resolution for high frame rates, with all settings delivering an average of at least 114 FPS. Low settings reach 240 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 114 FPS, making 1080p the ideal choice for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, the system is playable at 4K, but the performance varies significantly by settings. Low settings achieve an average of 108 FPS, while Medium drops to 87 FPS. High and Ultra settings are more demanding, averaging 54 FPS and 52 FPS respectively, which are still within a playable range for a puzzle platformer.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its closest competitors, with a 0.1% difference from both the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and the Intel Arc A750. In a game like Inside, these score differences would translate to negligible FPS variations, as the GPU is not the limiting factor at most settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X a good match for the Intel Arc B570 in this game?

A: The data indicates that the CPU is more than adequate for the GPU. The 7700X’s single-thread performance is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the Arc B570, even at 1080p Low where the system produces 240 FPS. The CPU’s multi-threaded advantage is not relevant for Inside, but it ensures smooth performance in other workloads.

Q: What is the impact of raising settings from Low to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average frame rate drops from 172 FPS on Low to 82 FPS on Ultra. This represents a 90 FPS reduction, or roughly a 52% performance loss, which shows that the GPU’s workload increases substantially with higher visual fidelity, but the game remains playable at all settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on the user’s priority for frame rate versus visual quality. For a 60 Hz display, the highest quality preset is Ultra, which delivers an average of 114 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, Ultra settings provide a smooth experience, but at 4K, the 52 FPS average is slightly below the 60 FPS threshold, which may result in occasional stutter. For a 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitor, Medium settings are recommended, as they provide averages of 192 FPS at 1080p and 138 FPS at 1440p, comfortably exceeding these refresh rates.

The best balance of quality and performance is High settings, which offer a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining strong frame rates. At 1080p, High averages 120 FPS, which is ideal for most gaming setups. At 1440p, High averages 86 FPS, which is still smooth on a 75 Hz or 90 Hz monitor. At 4K, High averages 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Low settings are only recommended for competitive or high-refresh-rate scenarios, such as a 240 Hz monitor, where the 240 FPS at 1080p and 172 FPS at 1440p fully utilize the display’s capabilities. The data shows that Medium settings at 4K, with an average of 87 FPS and a minimum of 74 FPS, provide the best 4K experience for those who want a balance of quality and smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this system is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across the board. Low settings achieve an average of 240 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the dataset. Medium settings lower the average to 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 120 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 114 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is never CPU-bound, and the GPU has ample headroom to render the game at very high speeds.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a clear decline. Low settings average 172 FPS, while Medium settings average 138 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 159 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 86 FPS, and Ultra settings average 82 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a performance loss of approximately 28-32% across all settings, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. At 3840x2160, the system’s performance is more moderate. Low settings average 108 FPS, while Medium settings average 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. High settings average 54 FPS, and Ultra settings average 52 FPS. The 4K results show that the Arc B570 is reaching its limits, but the game remains playable even at the highest settings.

In summary, the data shows a clear performance hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, 1440p offers a good balance of quality and speed, and 4K is playable but requires lower settings for a smooth experience. The Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiter, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X provides more than enough processing power to support the GPU in this game.