Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer that proves remarkably scalable on modern hardware. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond standard display refresh rates, even at demanding 4K resolutions, making it a potent choice for this title.

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

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher settings, but with surprising headroom at lower presets. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 230 FPS at 1920x1080 to 165 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 28%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields 104 FPS on average, which represents a 55% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling curve is steep, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint when graphical fidelity is prioritized, even for a game as old as Inside.

However, the picture changes dramatically when considering the Low preset. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves a staggering 431 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 330 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, the average is still a blistering 207 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is roughly 52%, which is proportionally similar to the High preset. This suggests that even when the visual workload is drastically reduced, the scaling pattern remains consistent, pointing towards a well-balanced system where neither component becomes a complete bottleneck, though the GPU’s rendering load still dictates the overall throughput.

The data implies that the Ryzen 7 9700F’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the RX 9070 XT at these frame rates. The gap between the 1440p and 4K results at Medium settings (264 FPS vs 166 FPS) shows a 37% performance hit, while the jump from 1080p Medium (367 FPS) to 1440p Medium (264 FPS) is a 28% reduction. This non-linear scaling, where the cost of pixels increases disproportionately at higher resolutions, is a hallmark of GPU-limited scenarios. The system is clearly not CPU-bound in this title, as the massive frame rates at 1080p would likely expose a weaker processor’s limits.

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

The Radeon RX 9070 XT brings formidable specifications to the table, including 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. For a game like Inside, which is not known for requiring massive texture pools, this VRAM capacity is exceptionally generous. The data suggests that memory capacity is a non-issue, as even the 4K Ultra preset, the most demanding configuration tested, still yields an average of 99 FPS. The GPU’s 128 ROPs and 256 TMUs are likely the key contributors to the high pixel and texture fill rates observed in the results.

The GPU’s clock behavior, with a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz, is critical to understanding the performance. The boost clock represents the maximum potential, but the sustained game clock is more indicative of real-world performance. The fact that the system achieves 104 FPS at 4K High and 99 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that the GPU is being pushed to its limits at these settings, likely sustaining clocks near its boost ceiling. The performance delta between Medium and Ultra at 4K (166 FPS vs 99 FPS) is a 40% difference, which aligns with the increased shading and texture work required by the higher preset.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, rated at 48.66 TFLOPS for FP32, are more than adequate for this title’s graphical demands. The benchmark results from Passmark (a G3D score of 26795) and 3DMark (Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260) provide synthetic context, but the measured FPS in Inside is what truly matters here. The GPU’s performance percentile versus all GPUs is 55, but this is based on a broad average of synthetic tests, which may not perfectly translate to older titles. In Inside, the RX 9070 XT demonstrates that its raw architectural power is sufficient to overcome any lack of game-specific optimization, delivering smooth, high-refresh-rate gameplay even at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT holds a combo rank of 390 out of 2887 total combos. This places it in the top 13.5% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The ranking implies that while there are many faster combos, this one sits comfortably in the upper echelon, offering performance that would be considered high-end for most users. The rank is a holistic measure, considering all resolutions and settings tested for this game, and it reflects the system’s consistency across the board.

The data suggests that the combination’s rank is driven more by the GPU’s raw power than the CPU’s processing might. The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996 and a percentile of 94 against all CPUs, placing it near the top of the processor charts. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster). These are all flagship or near-flagship processors, which shows that the 9700F is in elite company. However, the combo’s rank of 390 suggests that in Inside, the CPU is not the limiting factor; otherwise, the combo would likely rank higher given the CPU’s strong standing.

The GPU, on the other hand, has a lower percentile of 55 versus all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are older, less powerful cards like the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. This discrepancy is significant. The RX 9070 XT’s synthetic average score of 13543 is brought down by these comparisons, but its real-world performance in Inside is clearly far superior to those older cards. The combo rank therefore reflects the actual gaming performance, which is high, rather than the synthetic benchmark percentile, which is misleading for this specific, older title. The 390th rank out of 2887 confirms the RX 9070 XT’s ability to brute-force its way through a game from a previous hardware generation.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

This section details the exact measured average frame rates for every configuration tested. The data is presented as captured, showing the performance of the Ryzen 7 9700F and RX 9070 XT across the board.

At 1920x1080 (Full HD), the system delivers exceptional performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 431. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 367 FPS, with a minimum of 312 FPS and a maximum of 422 FPS. High settings yield 230 FPS on average, and Ultra settings produce 219 FPS. The variation between Low and Ultra is 212 FPS, showing a significant, but not crippling, performance cost for higher fidelity.

At 2560x1440 (Quad HD), the results remain highly playable. The Low preset averages 330 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 264 FPS, with a minimum of 224 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS. High settings average 165 FPS, while Ultra settings average 157 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 65 FPS, indicating a substantial increase in rendering load.

At 3840x2160 (4K Ultra HD), the system still maintains high frame rates, though the demand is evident. The Low preset averages 207 FPS. The Medium preset averages 166 FPS, with a minimum of 141 FPS and a maximum of 191 FPS. High settings produce 104 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset delivers 99 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is 62 FPS, which is the largest single-settings jump in the 4K data, suggesting a significant shift in the visual effects or shadow quality being rendered.

The consistency of the data, particularly the min/max range for Medium settings, shows stable frame times. At 1080p Medium, the spread is 110 FPS (312-422), while at 1440p Medium, it is 80 FPS (224-304), and at 4K Medium, it is 50 FPS (141-191). This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming more consistently busy, reducing the chances of sudden hitches.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Inside. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the Ultra preset at 219 FPS is the obvious choice. The 11 FPS difference between Ultra and High (219 vs 230) is negligible, so selecting Ultra provides the best visual quality without a meaningful performance penalty. The frame rates are so high that any of the presets would be silky smooth, but Ultra is the most sensible default for maximum fidelity.

For 2560x1440 users, the Ultra preset at 157 FPS is still exceptionally smooth, especially on displays with refresh rates up to 144Hz. The High preset at 165 FPS is nearly identical, with a mere 8 FPS difference. Given the minimal performance gap, the Ultra preset is again recommended, as it will provide the best visual experience while still being far above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 264 FPS is overkill for most displays, and the visual downgrade would be more noticeable than the frame rate increase.

At 3840x2160, the decision becomes slightly more nuanced. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is perfectly playable on a 60Hz display and is the best-looking option. For users with a 120Hz or 144Hz 4K display, the High preset at 104 FPS offers a modest 5 FPS increase, which is unlikely to be perceptible. The Medium preset at 166 FPS would be the choice for those prioritizing high refresh rates, but it comes at a significant visual cost. The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for 4K, offering a balance between the fidelity of Ultra and the performance headroom of Medium, with the added benefit of being the highest setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 100 FPS.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 99 FPS.

Q: How does the 1080p Low preset compare to the 4K Low preset?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 Low is 431 FPS, while at 3840x2160 Low it is 207 FPS. This represents a 52% reduction in performance when scaling up to 4K.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 431 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, especially considering the CPU’s high percentile rank of 94.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 224 and the maximum FPS is 304, with an average of 264 FPS.

Q: How many total combos were tested for this game, and where does this one rank?

A: This combo ranks 390th out of a total of 2887 tested combinations for Inside.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on a 4 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. These specifications, combined with a 32 MB shared L3 cache, make it a highly capable processor for gaming. The high boost clock is particularly relevant for older games like Inside that may rely more on single-threaded performance. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score is 4691, which is a strong indicator of its ability to handle the primary game logic thread efficiently.

The CPU’s role in this game’s results appears to be that of a stable foundation, rather than a performance limiter. The measured FPS data shows that the system is capable of exceeding 400 FPS at 1080p Low, which places a massive demand on the CPU to process game state updates and issue draw calls. The fact that the system achieves this without apparent stuttering (based on the average FPS data) suggests that the 9700F’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate for the task. The 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded tasks are handled with minimal latency.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks shows it is exceptionally well-matched to top-tier processors. The data shows it is within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-14700K and 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while being 0.2% faster than the Ryzen 9 7940HX. This level of parity means that swapping the 9700F for any of these CPUs would likely result in negligible frame rate differences in Inside, further confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s for DDR5 is also sufficient to feed the GPU’s data requests without becoming a limiting factor, especially given the 16 GB frame buffer on the RX 9070 XT. The processor’s performance in this game is best described as robust and unobtrusive, providing all the necessary computational power to allow the GPU to perform at its full potential.