Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on the surface, does not demand advanced hardware. However, the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination reveals a fascinating performance curve that scales aggressively with settings and resolution. This pairing is clearly overkill for the game's visual style, but the benchmark results indicate a system that is almost entirely GPU-limited at high settings, transitioning to a more balanced profile as graphics options are lowered. The data shows that this hardware can push frame rates far beyond standard display refresh rates, making the experience exceptionally smooth, though the vast headroom suggests that users may be better served by higher-fidelity settings or alternative configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate behavior across resolutions is telling. At 4K (3840x2160) with High settings, the system produces an average of 145.2 FPS. Dropping to 1440p (2560x1440) at the same settings yields a significant jump to 234 FPS, and at 1080p (1920x1080) it reaches 295.6 FPS. This scaling pattern—a 61% increase from 4K to 1440p and a further 26% increase from 1440p to 1080p—indicates that at High settings, the rendering load is heavily influenced by pixel count, which points squarely at the GPU as the primary limiting factor.

However, the scaling behavior changes dramatically when settings are lowered. At Low settings, the 4K average is 291.7 FPS, while 1440p reaches 344.4 FPS and 1080p hits 383.1 FPS. The differences between resolutions shrink considerably here, with only an 18% jump from 4K to 1440p and an 11% jump from 1440p to 1080p. This compressed scaling suggests that the CPU begins to take on a more significant role as the GPU load decreases, capping the maximum achievable frame rate. The fact that 1080p Low produces 383.1 FPS versus 4K Low's 291.7 FPS shows that even with a top-tier GPU, the Ryzen 7 7700X's processing power becomes the next bottleneck in the chain.

The most extreme case is at Ultra settings. Here, 4K averages 138 FPS, 1440p averages 221.7 FPS, and 1080p averages 290.6 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1080p is a massive 110% increase, which is the largest relative jump across all settings. This indicates that Ultra settings place an enormous load on the GPU, and reducing resolution provides outsized gains. In contrast, the Medium preset shows a more moderate scaling, with 235 FPS at 4K, 318.6 FPS at 1440p, and 354.5 FPS at 1080p. The data suggests that for users targeting maximum visual fidelity, 4K Ultra is still highly playable, but for those chasing extreme refresh rates, dropping to 1080p yields nearly double the performance at the cost of resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30325 and a single-core score of 4281. The processor sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34313. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13500, which scores 34175 (a 0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i7-12800HX at 34136 (a 0.5% delta). This places the 7700X in a tightly competitive field, though its high boost clock and 32 MB of shared L3 cache are notable assets.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is most visible at lower settings and resolutions where the GPU is not saturated. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 383.1 FPS, which is likely approaching the practical ceiling for this processor in this game. The 3DMark scores provide context: the single-thread score is 1090, while the 2-thread score is 2112, and the 4-thread score is 4074. This scaling suggests that the game benefits from multiple threads but does not heavily utilize all 16 threads, as the max-thread score of 8852 is only slightly higher than the 8-thread score of 7057. Inside is a relatively simple 2D-style game, so it likely relies on a few primary threads for game logic and physics, making the 7700X's strong single-core performance more relevant than its multicore capabilities.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at 4K or at high settings, where frame rates are governed by the GPU. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the 383.1 FPS result suggests the CPU is nearing its limit. This is a scenario where the 7700X's 5.40 GHz boost clock and efficient Zen 4 architecture shine, but it also implies that users with even faster CPUs might squeeze out a few more frames at the lowest settings, though the practical benefit is minimal given the already extreme frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware combination?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 383.1 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed closely by 354.5 FPS at 1080p Medium and 344.4 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, placing it at the 91st percentile. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla T4 with a score of 66733, which is 0.4% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 at 66127, which is 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 are 0.9% and 1.3% behind, respectively.

Q: Does the game perform better at High or Ultra settings?

A: At every resolution, High settings outperform Ultra. The difference is most pronounced at 4K, where High averages 145.2 FPS versus Ultra's 138 FPS, a 5.2% advantage. At 1080p, the gap narrows to 1.7%, with High at 295.6 FPS and Ultra at 290.6 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 354.5 at 1080p to 235 at 4K, representing a 33.7% reduction. This is the largest proportional drop among all settings, indicating that Medium settings are more sensitive to resolution scaling.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: At high settings and 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as shown by the large frame rate drops when resolution increases. At low settings and 1080p, the CPU becomes more significant, with the 383.1 FPS result suggesting a CPU ceiling, though the RTX 4090 still has ample headroom.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 7700X's single-core performance impact gameplay?

A: The 7700X's single-core score of 4281 in Cinebench R23 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4190 indicate strong per-core performance. This is beneficial for Inside, which likely relies on a few threads for core game logic, ensuring high frame rates even when the GPU is not fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings average 383.1 FPS, Medium averages 354.5 FPS, High averages 295.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 290.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 92.5 FPS, or 24.1%, which is significant but not overwhelming. The progression from Low to Medium shows a 7.5% drop, while the drop from Medium to High is 16.6%, and from High to Ultra is just 1.7%. This suggests that the visual upgrade from High to Ultra is minimal in performance cost, making Ultra a viable option for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 344.4 FPS, Medium averages 318.6 FPS, High averages 234 FPS, and Ultra averages 221.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 7.5%, similar to 1080p, but the drop from Medium to High is a substantial 26.6%. This indicates that High settings introduce a more demanding rendering load at this resolution. The difference between High and Ultra is 5.3%, which is slightly larger than at 1080p, suggesting that Ultra settings have a more pronounced effect at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are still high but show the largest variation. Low settings average 291.7 FPS, Medium averages 235 FPS, High averages 145.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 138 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 19.4%, from Medium to High is 38.2%, and from High to Ultra is 5.0%. The steep decline from Medium to High at 4K indicates that this is where the GPU workload becomes particularly heavy. Even at Ultra, the 138 FPS average is above standard 120Hz refresh rates, making the game playable at maximum settings on 4K displays.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 82.58 TFLOPS. In benchmark scores, it achieves a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 317684, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223. Its average benchmark score is 66473, placing it at the 91st percentile among all GPUs.

The RTX 4090's role in Inside is primarily as a performance ceiling-lifter. At 4K Ultra, it delivers 138 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for most GPUs, but the 4090 handles it with ease. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor at high settings, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when moving from 1080p to 4K. For instance, at High settings, the 4090 delivers 295.6 FPS at 1080p but only 145.2 FPS at 4K, a 50.9% reduction. This is a clear indication that the rendering workload scales with pixel count, and the GPU is fully utilized.

However, the GPU's immense power becomes somewhat redundant at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 383.1 FPS, which is likely beyond the refresh rate of almost any consumer monitor. The 24 GB of VRAM is also far more than Inside requires, but it ensures that memory capacity is never a bottleneck. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals, such as the Tesla T4 and Tesla P40, are data-center cards with different use cases, but their similar average scores suggest that the 4090 is competitively positioned in synthetic benchmarks. In practice, the 4090's combination of high clock speeds and massive memory bandwidth makes it more than capable of handling Inside at any settings combination.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 1080p display, the data suggests that Ultra settings are the best choice. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 290.6 FPS, which is only 1.7% lower than High settings but provides the best visual quality. This frame rate far exceeds standard 240Hz displays, so there is no practical benefit to using lower settings. Medium settings offer 354.5 FPS, but the visual downgrade is not justified when Ultra is already so fast.

At 1440p, High settings provide a balanced experience with 234 FPS, which is well above 144Hz refresh rates. Ultra settings drop to 221.7 FPS, a 5.3% reduction, but still playable on high-refresh-rate monitors. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, Medium settings at 318.6 FPS are an option, but the visual compromise is significant. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot for 1440p, offering nearly 60% more performance than 4K Ultra while maintaining high fidelity.

At 4K, the choice is more nuanced. Ultra settings average 138 FPS, which is perfect for 120Hz displays, while High settings at 145.2 FPS offer a 5.2% improvement with slightly reduced visual quality. Medium settings at 235 FPS are an option for users with 240Hz 4K monitors, but this is an extreme scenario. The data shows that High is the recommended preset for 4K, as it provides a noticeable performance boost over Ultra with minimal visual difference, ensuring a smooth experience on most high-end displays. For those with 120Hz panels, Ultra is still a viable choice, as it stays comfortably above the refresh rate threshold.