Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 7 7700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 7 7700X with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a fascinating dataset for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding than its minimalist aesthetic suggests. The measured results show this combo ranks 2556th out of 3716 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database — a position that seems modest given the CPU's strength, but the FPS numbers tell a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to heavily GPU-bound at higher ones. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 281 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 127 FPS — a reduction of 154 FPS, or roughly 55%. This massive scaling factor indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component once pixel count rises, as the Ryzen 7 7700X's 8 cores and 16 threads have ample headroom to feed frames at 1080p.

Looking at High settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 141 FPS at 1080p falls to 101 FPS at 1440p, then plummets to 63 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High is about 55%, nearly identical to the Low setting's scaling. This consistency across settings suggests the GPU's rendering pipeline — not memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity — is the primary constraint at 4K. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB GDDR6 memory are being pushed to their limits at this resolution.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 225 FPS at 1080p, 162 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a measured minimum of 86 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance at this resolution. Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium is a 28% drop, while 1440p to 4K is a 37% drop — suggesting the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as resolution increases, which is expected for a mid-range card from 2019 handling a 2016 title's higher preset.

Ultra settings reveal the most constrained scenario: 134 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and just 60 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is exactly 60 FPS, which could indicate a frame cap or simply the natural performance limit of this combination. The data implies that at 4K Ultra, this system is right at the edge of playable frame rates, whereas at 1080p Ultra it maintains 134 FPS — a 55% improvement that showcases how resolution, not settings, is the dominant factor in this game's performance scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 2556 out of 3716 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the 31st percentile of all tested systems for Inside. This ranking might seem low given the hardware, but context is crucial: the database includes numerous high-end modern GPUs that naturally dominate a 2016 title. The RTX 2060 SUPER's percentile vs all GPUs is 62, while the Ryzen 7 7700X's percentile vs all CPUs is 85 — a gap that highlights how the GPU holds this combo back in absolute ranking terms.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide useful context for understanding its contribution. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719 (0.5% higher). These deltas are tiny, meaning the 7700X's processing power is essentially equivalent to these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is 0.7% ahead with 35670. None of these rivals would meaningfully change the Inside FPS results, reinforcing that the GPU is the bottleneck.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a tighter clustering: the RTX 3060 Mobile is 0.4% ahead (18159), the Radeon Pro 5700 is 0.5% ahead (18189), and the Radeon RX 460 is 1.5% ahead (18373). The Intel Arc A770M leads by 1.6% (18383). These small deltas suggest the RTX 2060 SUPER is performing as expected for its class — not an outlier, but also not a standout. The combo's rank of 2556/3716 places it in the lower third, which aligns with a mid-range GPU from 2019 being paired with a high-end CPU from 2022.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the defining component in this pairing, and its specifications explain much of the measured behavior. Based on the TU106 chip with Turing architecture, this GPU operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. Its 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs are complemented by 34 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores, though Inside likely doesn't exercise these specialized units given its 2016 release date.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth — a figure that proves adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes strained at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (60 FPS) versus 4K Low (127 FPS) shows a 67 FPS spread, which is substantial but not as large as the resolution scaling suggests. This indicates that while VRAM capacity isn't exhausted (8 GB is sufficient for a game this visually simple), the GPU's compute throughput — rated at 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 — is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The GPU's percentile rank of 62 vs all GPUs, combined with an average benchmark score of 18093, places it in the upper-mid range of the database. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile, is only 0.4% ahead, which suggests the desktop RTX 2060 SUPER remains competitive even against newer mobile parts. The 175 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate this is a power-hungry card for its class, but the measured FPS data shows it delivers consistent performance without thermal throttling indications — the 4K Medium minimum of 86 FPS versus average of 102 FPS represents a 16% variance that's within normal bounds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low produces 281 FPS, Medium averages 225 FPS (with a minimum of 191 and maximum of 259), High reaches 141 FPS, and Ultra manages 134 FPS. The gap between Medium and High (84 FPS) is larger than the gap between High and Ultra (7 FPS), suggesting that the High preset introduces a significant rendering cost that Ultra builds upon only marginally. This pattern implies that High settings enable certain effects that are already maxed out in Ultra, making the step from High to Ultra less demanding than the step from Medium to High.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable: Low hits 202 FPS, Medium averages 162 FPS (minimum 137, maximum 186), High delivers 101 FPS, and Ultra drops to 96 FPS. The Medium results at 1440p are particularly interesting — the 137 FPS minimum is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating smooth performance even during demanding scenes. The 1440p High result of 101 FPS is exactly half of the 1080p Low result of 202 FPS, a coincidence that underscores the combined effects of resolution scaling and settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become evident. Low still achieves 127 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 102 FPS (minimum 86, maximum 117). High falls to 63 FPS, and Ultra hits exactly 60 FPS. The 4K Ultra result being precisely 60 FPS suggests either a frame limiter or that this is the natural performance ceiling. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 67 FPS, compared to 147 FPS at 1080p and 106 FPS at 1440p — the diminishing returns of settings adjustments at higher resolutions are clear. The data indicates that at 4K, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck, and lowering settings from Ultra to Low only recovers about 53% of the performance lost compared to the 1080p Low baseline.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Inside at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 127 FPS. At Medium, it averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, while High and Ultra drop to 63 and 60 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 1440p provides an excellent balance — even at Ultra, the combo maintains 96 FPS, and at High it delivers 101 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold while offering higher visual fidelity than 1080p.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909 on average, which is 0.3% ahead of the Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802), 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core 7 250H (35728) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719), and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (35670).

Q: How does the GPU compare to similar cards in the database?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, placing it 0.4% behind the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159), 0.5% behind the Radeon Pro 5700 (18189), 1.5% behind the Radeon RX 460 (18373), and 1.6% behind the Intel Arc A770M (18383).

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 134 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded in the data. This is identical to the 4K High result of 63 FPS being doubled, suggesting a consistent scaling relationship.

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

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 281 FPS, but this drops to 127 FPS at 4K Low — a 55% reduction that aligns with the GPU's rendering limits rather than CPU constraints, given the 7700X's strong synthetic scores.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a formidable processor that arguably exceeds the requirements of Inside. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 4 architecture (Raphael codename), this 5 nm chip from TSMC runs at a base clock of 4.50 GHz and boosts to 5.40 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 KB L1 per core provide ample fast storage for game data. The CPU's DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration delivers 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer of this era.

The 7700X's benchmark results are impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 19088, while singlecore reaches 1987. Geekbench multicore hits 12451 and singlecore 2289. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 1090 (single thread) to 8859 (16 threads), indicating excellent multi-threaded performance. PassMark multithread scores 35686, with integer math at 112601 and floating point at 68986. These figures place the CPU in the 85th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35909.

The nearest rivals' deltas — all within 0.7% — confirm that the 7700X is not an outlier but sits comfortably within the expected performance envelope for a high-end desktop CPU. In Inside, the CPU's role is to feed frames to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. Given that the game is from 2016 and the CPU is from 2022, the 7700X has massive headroom. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 281 FPS — likely near the game's engine limits — suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor in this combo. Even at 4K Ultra with 60 FPS, the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to complete rendering.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 62nd percentile creates a clear hierarchy: the RTX 2060 SUPER is the performance ceiling. Upgrading the GPU would yield immediate FPS gains, while upgrading the CPU would provide no measurable improvement in this title. The 7700X's 105 W TDP and AM5 socket with PCIe Gen 5 support (24 lanes) make it a future-proof platform, but for Inside specifically, the CPU's role is simply to stay out of the way — which it does with authority.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience with this combo. At 1080p, every settings level delivers playable frame rates, but the Medium preset stands out: 225 FPS average with a 191 FPS minimum and 259 FPS maximum. This represents the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom. High (141 FPS) and Ultra (134 FPS) offer diminishing returns — the 7 FPS difference between them is negligible, while the 84 FPS drop from Medium to High is substantial. For 1080p, Medium is the recommended default, with High or Ultra acceptable for users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rates.

At 1440p, Medium again proves optimal: 162 FPS average with a 137 FPS minimum and 186 FPS maximum. The High preset at 101 FPS is still smooth, and Ultra at 96 FPS remains playable. The data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this resolution — it maintains triple-digit frame rates while providing better image quality than Medium. Ultra's 96 FPS is close enough to High's 101 FPS that the visual upgrade may be worth the slight performance cost, but the minimum FPS data is only available for Medium, making it the safest choice for consistent frame pacing.

At 4K, the recommendations shift dramatically. Low at 127 FPS is the only preset that provides substantial headroom above 60 FPS. Medium at 102 FPS (minimum 86) is viable for most users, offering a 39 FPS improvement over High's 63 FPS. High and Ultra at 63 and 60 FPS respectively are at the edge of playability — they technically meet the 60 FPS threshold but leave no room for frame-time spikes. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset: it delivers 102 FPS average, maintains an 86 FPS minimum, and provides 117 FPS maximum, indicating stable performance without the risk of dropping below 60 FPS. Low remains the choice for users with high refresh rate 4K displays, while High and Ultra should be avoided unless the user accepts the risk of occasional dips below 60 FPS.

The overall recommendation across all resolutions: Medium settings provide the most consistent performance with the best documented frame times (the only preset with both minimum and maximum values recorded at every resolution). For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, High is a reasonable upgrade that sacrifices 30-40% performance for better visuals. At 4K, stick with Medium or Low to maintain a comfortable safety margin above the 60 FPS threshold.