Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that scales gracefully across hardware, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a surprisingly consistent experience at 1080p and 1440p, though it begins to strain at 4K Ultra. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 3050 4 GB is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, while the 7700X’s strong single-threaded performance ensures the game never becomes CPU-bound at the tested configurations. This pairing ranks in the 3242nd position out of 3716 tested combos for this game, a placement that reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing rather than any deficiency in the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is severe and reveals where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 99 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 28%, and then plummets further to 45 at 4K, which is a 55% decline from the 1080p figure. This steep curve indicates that the RTX 3050 4 GB’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are being saturated as resolution increases; the GPU’s 192.0 GB/s bandwidth and 32 ROPs are simply not enough to maintain higher frame rates at 4K.

The scaling pattern across all settings tells the same story. At Low settings, the average jumps from 199 FPS at 1080p to 143 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and then to 90 FPS at 4K (a 55% drop from 1080p). This consistent ~28% and ~55% reduction at each resolution step, regardless of settings, is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario—the CPU is not the constraint. If the Ryzen 7 7700X were the limiting factor, we would expect the 4K performance to be closer to the 1440p results, as higher resolutions typically offload work from the processor.

At Medium settings, the measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS values, offering more insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 and a maximum of 183. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 83. The spread between minimum and maximum is consistent at roughly 30% of the average, suggesting stable frame delivery without sudden spikes or hitches, even as the GPU works harder at higher resolutions.

The most telling observation is the performance collapse at Ultra settings. From 1080p Ultra (95 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (68 FPS) and then to 4K Ultra (43 FPS), the drop is steep but linear. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is barely playable for a smooth experience, and it sits below the 45 FPS achieved at 4K High, indicating that the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling. The data strongly suggests that the 4 GB VRAM capacity is not the issue at these settings—the game’s memory footprint is clearly manageable—but rather the raw compute and fill rate of the RTX 3050 4 GB.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is a 2022 release built on the Ampere architecture with 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its boost clock is 1740 MHz, and it offers a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. For Inside, a game not known for demanding textures or heavy VRAM usage, the 4 GB capacity appears sufficient, as the frame rates are consistent and do not show signs of texture thrashing or stuttering that would indicate memory overflow.

The GPU’s position in the 50th percentile of all GPUs is a strong indicator of its mid-range status. This percentile ranking aligns with the measured performance in Inside: it is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p (99 FPS on High, 159 FPS on Medium) but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K High (45 FPS). The data shows that the RTX 3050 4 GB is not a 4K gaming card for this title, but it excels at 1080p and remains competent at 1440p with settings adjustments.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s are the hardware limits that manifest in the resolution scaling. At 4K, the GPU must push four times the pixels of 1080p, and its 32 ROPs become the bottleneck, capping performance at 43-45 FPS on high-quality presets. The 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate for the game’s simple shaders, but it is not sufficient to overcome the fill-rate demands of 4K, explaining the steep drop from 1440p.

The RTX 3050 4 GB’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with modern APIs, but Inside’s engine likely utilizes older DirectX paths, meaning the GPU’s advanced features like ray tracing cores (16 RT cores) and tensor cores (64) are not leveraged. This means performance is purely dependent on rasterization throughput, which is where the GPU’s 2048 shading units must work harder at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 4.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35909. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily multithreaded, the CPU’s single-threaded performance is what matters most, and the data shows it is more than sufficient.

The CPU’s single-threaded benchmark scores are telling: 3DMark single-thread score of 1090, Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1987, and Geekbench single-core score of 2289. These scores place it well above the threshold needed to feed the RTX 3050 4 GB. In the measured FPS data, there is no scenario where the frame rate is limited by the CPU—even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the average FPS reaches 199, which is below the CPU’s theoretical maximum but still high. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would see frame rates plateau at a lower value regardless of resolution, which is not the case.

The 7700X’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of Dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for game logic and asset streaming. The processor’s performance in synthetic tests, such as a PassMark multi-thread score of 35686 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19088, confirms it has headroom for other tasks running concurrently, but for Inside, the game is clearly GPU-bound.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the 7700X’s average benchmark score of 35909 is only 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core 7 250H and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350. This indicates that the CPU selection has almost no bearing on the final FPS in this game, as all these processors would deliver identical results when paired with the same RTX 3050 4 GB. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 3242nd out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the lower 13% of all tested hardware pairings, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s modest standing. The CPU is in the 85th percentile, but the GPU is only in the 50th percentile, meaning the combo’s overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card.

This ranking is not a judgment on playability—the combo delivers smooth 60+ FPS at 1080p High and 1440p Medium—but rather a measure of relative performance against other configurations. Combos that rank higher typically feature more powerful GPUs, as the game’s performance is dictated by the graphics card. The data shows that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly better results, as the 7700X has ample headroom to support much higher frame rates.

The combo’s rank of 3242 out of 3716 means that approximately 87% of tested configurations outperform it in Inside. This is expected for a budget-oriented GPU pairing, but it does not imply a poor experience. At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 99 FPS on High settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and at 1440p, it manages 71 FPS on High. Only at 4K does the combo fall below the 60 FPS target on high-quality presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 45, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth play. At 4K Low settings, it reaches 90 FPS, so a smooth 4K experience is only possible with significant settings reductions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700X or the RTX 3050 4 GB the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data clearly shows the RTX 3050 4 GB is the limiting component. The frame rate drops consistently with resolution increases (e.g., 99 FPS at 1080p High to 45 FPS at 4K High), which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, while the CPU’s high single-threaded scores indicate it has no trouble keeping up.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p with this hardware?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPSholistically. For a stable 60+ FPS, Medium settings are recommended; High settings still achieve 71 FPS, but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the 4 GB VRAM affect performance in Inside?

A: The 4 GB VRAM does not appear to be a limiting factor in this game. The frame rates are consistent without stuttering or texture pop-in, suggesting the game’s memory usage fits within 4 GB. The performance ceiling is instead set by the GPU’s compute and fill rate.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700X overkill for the RTX 3050 4 GB in this title?

A: Yes, the CPU’s performance is far beyond what Inside requires. Its 85th percentile ranking and high single-threaded scores (e.g., 1987 in Cinebench R23) mean it would not bottleneck even a much faster GPU, making it a future-proof choice for this build.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS on Low is 199, while on Ultra it drops to 95. This represents a 52% reduction in performance, showing that Ultra settings nearly halve the frame rate, though the game remains playable at both ends.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table outlines the exact measured average FPS (with minimum and maximum where available) for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combination in Inside:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 90 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average (min 61, max 83)
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 43 FPS average

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 143 FPS average
• Medium: 114 FPS average (min 97, max 131)
• High: 71 FPS average
• Ultra: 68 FPS average

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 159 FPS average (min 135, max 183)
• High: 99 FPS average
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

The data indicates that for 60 FPS gameplay, the user can run 4K Low, 1440p High, or 1080p Ultra. For 144 FPS (high refresh rate) gameplay, 1080p Low is the only option that exceeds this threshold, while 1080p Medium falls short at 159 FPS average. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings show that the combo maintains a floor above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, ensuring a consistent experience without major drops.