Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on this AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination, delivers a remarkably smooth experience across nearly all settings, with the data showing that the GPU becomes the decisive bottleneck only at 4K Ultra. The measured frame rates indicate that this pairing is overwhelmingly capable of handling the game’s demands, with performance scaling predictably from resolution to resolution and setting to setting. The strongest conclusion from the dataset is that the system is overqualified for 1080p and 1440p play, but requires a modest settings adjustment to lock in a flawless 4K experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title like Inside. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 257 FPS, which drops to 185 FPS at 1440p and further to 116 FPS at 4K. This represents a 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 37% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At Medium settings, the same trend holds: 206 FPS at 1080p falls to 148 FPS at 1440p and then to 93 FPS at 4K, with the 1440p to 4K drop being 37% again, indicating a consistent resolution penalty across presets.

The scaling behavior suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, but the CPU retains sufficient headroom to keep pace. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS figure is so high that it implies the frame rate is likely capped by the game engine or the CPU’s single-thread performance, not the RX 6600’s raw throughput. However, as resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU’s workload increases proportionally, and the average FPS at High settings drops to 58, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is stark: 116 FPS versus 55 FPS, a 53% performance swing, which underscores how much the GPU is stressed by the highest quality settings at this resolution.

For a game that is primarily a 2D side-scroller with lighting effects, these numbers indicate that the RX 6600 is the limiting factor at 4K, but not at 1080p or 1440p. At 1440p Ultra, the system still manages 88 FPS, which is perfectly playable, while 1080p Ultra hits 122 FPS, showing no signs of CPU bottlenecking. The data points to a system that can handle a wide range of display configurations, but the largest performance gap occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings where the average FPS drops by 37% and 38% respectively. This resolution scaling analysis suggests that users with 4K displays should target Medium settings to maintain a comfortable frame rate, while those on 1080p or 1440p panels can maximize quality without concern.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, plays a central role in determining the frame rates observed in Inside. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s textures and effects at all measured settings, as evidenced by the lack of any severe frame time spikes in the data. The core clocks, with a base of 1626 MHz and a boost of 2491 MHz, allow the GPU to scale its performance dynamically, and the game clock of 2044 MHz represents the typical sustained frequency during gaming workloads. The 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are more than adequate for a game of this visual complexity, which is reflected in the high average FPS figures even at 4K.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19036. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, which scores 19030 with a 0% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, which scores 19049 with a -0.1% delta, indicating that the RX 6600 sits in a competitive mid-range tier. In the context of Inside, the GPU’s compute capabilities are more than sufficient, as the game does not heavily utilize ray tracing or advanced DX12 features—the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the game’s release in 2016 predates widespread adoption of such features. The 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in any of the measured configurations, as even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at 55 FPS, suggesting that memory capacity is not causing bottlenecks, though the performance drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K (93 to 55 FPS) indicates that the GPU’s compute units are the limiting factor rather than memory bandwidth.

The data shows that the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at 4K, where the average FPS at High settings (58) is only 2 FPS below the 60 FPS target, while at Ultra it falls to 55 FPS. This suggests that the RX 6600 is just barely insufficient for 4K Ultra, but the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 3 FPS, which is marginal. At 1440p and below, the GPU is never the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 185 FPS at 1440p Low and 257 FPS at 1080p Low, which are far beyond what any display can showcase. The GPU’s texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s are more than adequate for Inside’s 2D environments, and the FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS ensures that even the most complex lighting scenes render without issue.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, provides ample processing power for Inside, which is a game that does not heavily tax multi-core CPUs. The CPU’s base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance is excellent, which is crucial for a game that relies on physics calculations and game logic. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache reduce memory latency, allowing for smooth frame pacing, as seen in the consistent average FPS numbers across all resolutions. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4691 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is among the top tier for single-threaded workloads, which is directly relevant to Inside’s engine.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 69996 puts it in close competition with several high-end rivals. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 with a 0.2% delta, while the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163 with a -0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 with a 0.7% delta. This means the 9700F is effectively neck-and-neck with these processors in overall performance, though the differences are negligible for gaming. In Inside, the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and GPU load. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS figure is likely near the game’s engine limit, but the CPU’s 16 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game’s logic, physics, and audio processing without bottlenecking the GPU.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node ensure that it runs efficiently, but more importantly, its high boost clock of 5.50 GHz allows it to deliver snappy response times in scenes with many interactive elements. The data shows that there is no significant frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings beyond what the GPU would cause, confirming that the CPU maintains its headroom. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is strained, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, and the 55 FPS average suggests that the CPU is not holding back performance. The Ryzen 7 9700F’s support for DDR5 memory with a dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth also contributes to overall system responsiveness, though this is not a direct factor in the measured FPS for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the user can select Ultra settings and still achieve an average of 122 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS refresh rate and even sufficient for 120 Hz displays. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p only costs 7 FPS (129 to 122), so there is no reason to compromise on quality. At 1440p, Ultra settings provide 88 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium settings offer a significant 68% improvement to 148 FPS, making Medium the better choice for users with high refresh rate monitors. The data shows that High settings at 1440p (92 FPS) are nearly identical to Ultra (88 FPS), so users should either stick with Ultra for maximum quality or drop to Medium for a substantial FPS boost.

For 4K, the situation is more nuanced. Ultra settings yield 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable judder on standard displays. High settings improve this to 58 FPS, but this is still short of 60 FPS. Medium settings, however, provide 93 FPS, which is a 61% improvement over Ultra and comfortably above 60 FPS. Low settings at 4K push the frame rate to 116 FPS, but this comes at a significant visual cost that is likely unnecessary given the game’s art style. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings for 4K, as this provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with the measured range showing 79 FPS minimum and 107 FPS maximum, ensuring no drops below playable levels.

At 1080p and 1440p, the data suggests that users can prioritize visual quality without fear of performance issues, as even the most demanding settings remain well above 60 FPS. The only setting where the system struggles is 4K Ultra, which is an outlier in the dataset. For users with variable refresh rate displays, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the highest frame rate (148 FPS) with a tight range (126 to 170 FPS), making it the most consistent experience. Overall, the measured rows indicate that the system is best utilized with Ultra settings at 1080p, Medium or Ultra at 1440p depending on refresh rate, and Medium at 4K for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this system in Inside?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 257 at 1080p with Low settings, which indicates the game’s engine or CPU is the limiting factor at this point, as the GPU has ample headroom.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: No, not at the highest settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 55, and at High it is 58, both below 60. However, Medium settings at 4K deliver 93 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile. It is within 0.4% of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954) and within 0.3% of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game at any resolution?

A: No, the data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution or setting. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS average is likely near the game’s engine cap, but the Ryzen 7 9700F’s single-thread score of 4691 ensures it can handle the game’s logic without bottlenecking.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings yield 185 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 88 FPS, representing a 52% performance reduction. Medium settings provide 148 FPS, offering a middle ground.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 6600 cause any issues in this game?

A: No, the measured data shows no indication of VRAM limitations. Even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at 55 FPS, and the performance drops are consistent with GPU compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the system achieves an average of 122 FPS on Ultra, 129 FPS on High, 206 FPS on Medium, and 257 FPS on Low. The Medium preset shows a measured range of 175 FPS minimum to 237 FPS maximum, indicating consistent performance. Moving to 1440p, the averages are 88 FPS on Ultra, 92 FPS on High, 148 FPS on Medium, and 185 FPS on Low. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a range of 126 FPS minimum to 170 FPS maximum, demonstrating a tighter frame time distribution compared to the 1080p results.

At 4K, the system produces 55 FPS on Ultra, 58 FPS on High, 93 FPS on Medium, and 116 FPS on Low. The 4K Medium preset has a range of 79 FPS minimum to 107 FPS maximum, which is the only configuration where the minimum FPS drops below 60, though the average remains well above. The data shows a clear progression: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops by roughly 28% from 1080p to 1440p and another 37% from 1440p to 4K, regardless of the settings preset. This consistent scaling suggests that the performance is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

The most striking data point is the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K, where the frame rate drops from 116 FPS to 55 FPS, a 53% reduction. In contrast, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 3 FPS (58 vs 55), indicating that Ultra settings add minimal visual benefit relative to their performance cost. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 51% (257 to 122 FPS), but both are playable, so users can choose Ultra without concern. The measured FPS breakdown confirms that this system is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring a compromise on settings to achieve a smooth experience.