Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers an extraordinary performance profile in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer that is anything but demanding on modern hardware. The measured data shows this combination reaching frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of typical displays, placing it in the 99th percentile of tested systems with a rank of 7 out of 2887 combos. This analysis breaks down how the system scales across resolutions, what the GPU and CPU each contribute, and which settings offer the most sensible experience for players.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 331 FPS, while at 1440p High it drops to 255 FPS, and at 4K High it falls further to 160 FPS. This represents a 51.7% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is substantial but leaves the system with headroom even at the highest resolution.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. The system hits 431 FPS at 1080p, 386 FPS at 1440p, and 321 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 25.5%, which is smaller in percentage terms than the High preset drop, but still indicates that resolution is a significant factor. This pattern suggests that at lower settings, the system is less constrained by the GPU, allowing the CPU to play a larger role in maintaining high frame rates.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend with 398 FPS at 1080p, 356 FPS at 1440p, and 256 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, yields 326 FPS at 1080p, 243 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 37%, which is the largest single-step reduction in the entire dataset. This indicates that 4K Ultra is where the RTX 5090 D begins to feel the pressure, though 153 FPS is still exceptionally smooth for any display.

The limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the differences between settings are relatively small—from 326 FPS at Ultra to 431 FPS at Low—suggesting that the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly regardless of settings. At 4K, the spread widens significantly, from 153 FPS at Ultra to 321 FPS at Low, which indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and more demanding presets. The data shows that this system is balanced enough to avoid severe bottlenecks at any tested configuration, but the 4K Ultra results reveal the first signs of GPU saturation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a powerhouse with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This memory configuration is far beyond what Inside requires, as the game is not memory-intensive by modern standards. The 32 GB capacity ensures that VRAM is never a constraint, even at 4K with Ultra settings, where the game's textures and effects are trivial compared to modern AAA titles.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. These clocks, combined with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and 21760 shading units, produce a theoretical FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. In practice, the benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 44065, which places the GPU in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the benchmark data include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a score of 78940 (1.6% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with 76904 (1.1% lower), indicating that the RTX 5090 D sits in a competitive but not dominant position in synthetic tests.

In Inside, the GPU's role is primarily to push high frame rates at high resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized, as evidenced by the small performance gap between Low (431 FPS) and Ultra (326 FPS) settings—a difference of just 24.4%. This suggests that the GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p, and the CPU is likely limiting performance. At 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the gap between Low (321 FPS) and Ultra (153 FPS) widens to 52.3%, showing that the GPU's processing power becomes more relevant. The RTX 5090 D's 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs are more than sufficient for this game's rendering demands, and the data confirms that the GPU handles even the most demanding preset at 4K with playable, if not overkill, frame rates.

The GPU's power envelope is substantial—a TDP of 575 W with a suggested PSU of 950 W—but the measured FPS in Inside does not reflect any thermal or power throttling, as the game is light enough to keep the GPU well within its operating range. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is a key asset, as it allows the GPU to feed its 21760 shading units without delay, which is particularly beneficial at 4K where memory bandwidth can be a limiting factor in other games. For Inside, however, the GPU's massive memory bandwidth is overkill, as the game's data footprint is small, and the measured results show that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor except at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 7 out of 2887 tested combinations in Inside. This places the system in the top 0.2% of all tested combos, which is an exceptional result for a game that is not graphically intensive. The rank reflects the system's ability to maintain extremely high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, with even the lowest measured average FPS (153 at 4K Ultra) being well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

The rank is likely influenced by the CPU's strong single-threaded performance, as Inside is a puzzle platformer that relies more on CPU-bound logic than GPU-heavy rendering. The Ryzen 7 9700F has a Passmark single-thread score of 4691, which is strong for a desktop processor, and its multithread score of 36470 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest CPU rivals in the benchmark data are the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower), indicating that the 9700F is well-matched to its competition in synthetic tests.

The combo rank of 7 suggests that only six other combinations outperform this setup in Inside, which is remarkable given the game's age and low system requirements. The data implies that this combo is not constrained by either component, and the rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads and the GPU's massive compute resources. For players with high-refresh-rate displays, this rank indicates that the system can deliver maximum performance without compromise, though the practical benefit over a mid-range combo is minimal given the game's low demands.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience in Inside. The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for most users, as it delivers 398 FPS at 1080p, 356 FPS at 1440p, and 256 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are all well above the 144 Hz threshold, and the Medium preset likely offers a better balance of visual quality and performance than Low, which sacrifices visual fidelity for marginal FPS gains.

At 1080p, the Medium preset's 398 FPS is only 7.7% lower than Low's 431 FPS, but the visual upgrade is likely significant. At 1440p, Medium's 356 FPS is 7.8% lower than Low's 386 FPS, and at 4K, Medium's 256 FPS is 20.2% lower than Low's 321 FPS. The larger gap at 4K suggests that Medium is more GPU-intensive, but 256 FPS is still far beyond what most displays can show, making the visual improvement worthwhile.

The Ultra preset offers the highest visual quality but at a measurable cost: 326 FPS at 1080p, 243 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are still excellent, the drop from Medium to Ultra is 18.1% at 1080p, 31.7% at 1440p, and 40.2% at 4K. For a game like Inside, which has a distinctive art style that may not benefit greatly from Ultra settings, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. The High preset falls between Medium and Ultra, with 331 FPS at 1080p, 255 FPS at 1440p, and 160 FPS at 4K, but it offers no clear advantage over Medium in terms of frame rate, making it a less compelling option.

For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset at 256 FPS is the best balance of performance and quality, as it allows the game to run at frame rates that fully utilize high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 4K (321 FPS) is only 25.4% faster than Medium, and the visual downgrade is likely not worth the extra FPS for most players. In summary, the Medium preset is the recommended choice across all resolutions, as it provides the best experience per the measured rows, with frame rates that are always above 250 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Inside is comprehensive, covering four settings presets across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 431 FPS on Low, 398 FPS on Medium, 331 FPS on High, and 326 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p has a recorded minimum of 338 FPS and a maximum of 457 FPS, indicating that the frame rate is stable with a relatively tight range. The Low and High presets at 1080p do not have min/max data, but the averages suggest consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 386 FPS on Low, 356 FPS on Medium, 255 FPS on High, and 243 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 303 FPS and a maximum of 410 FPS, which is a wider range than at 1080p but still indicates smooth performance. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Low drops by 10.4%, Medium by 10.6%, High by 23%, and Ultra by 25.5%. The larger drops at High and Ultra suggest that these settings are more sensitive to resolution increases, likely due to increased GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 321 FPS on Low, 256 FPS on Medium, 160 FPS on High, and 153 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS, which is a significant spread of 77 FPS, indicating some frame time variability at this resolution. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: Low drops by 16.8%, Medium by 28.1%, High by 37.3%, and Ultra by 37%. This pattern confirms that 4K is the most demanding resolution, with the Ultra preset showing the largest absolute reduction from its 1440p counterpart.

The data reveals that the system is capable of maintaining frame rates above 150 FPS in all tested configurations, with the lowest measured average being 153 FPS at 4K Ultra. The highest measured average is 431 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far beyond the capabilities of most displays. The Medium preset provides the most consistent performance across resolutions, with averages ranging from 256 FPS at 4K to 398 FPS at 1080p, and the min/max data shows that frame times are acceptable even at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F plays a critical role in this combo's performance in Inside, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. These clocks are high by modern standards, and the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) on a 4 nm TSMC process provides strong single-threaded performance, which is essential for a game like Inside that likely relies on a single main thread for game logic.

The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4691 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its multithread score of 36470 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF. These scores indicate that the 9700F is competitive with top-tier processors from both AMD and Intel, and its 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for Inside's workload. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample storage for frequently accessed data, reducing latency and improving frame pacing.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the FPS differences between Low (431) and Ultra (326) are relatively small, suggesting that the GPU has spare capacity while the CPU is working to feed it. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz is particularly important here, as higher clocks allow the CPU to process game logic faster, which translates to higher frame rates. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but the 9700F still provides enough performance to avoid holding back the RTX 5090 D, as evidenced by the 153 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The CPU's TDP of 65 W is low for a desktop processor, and its multiplier is unlocked, allowing for overclocking, though the data does not indicate whether the tested system used any overclock. The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the system has sufficient memory throughput, though Inside is not memory-intensive. Overall, the Ryzen 7 9700F is a well-balanced processor for this game, providing the single-threaded performance needed for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while its 8 cores ensure that any background tasks do not interfere with gameplay.