Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The data shows this pairing handles the game with significant headroom, maintaining high frame rates even at maximum settings and 4K resolution. The results indicate a well-balanced system where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample single-thread headroom for the game's logic.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and built on a 4 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and can boost up to 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. For a game like Inside, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the single-thread performance is the dominant factor. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and PassMark single-thread score of 4654 demonstrate strong per-core capability, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a 2D side-scrolling title.

The processor’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core provide low-latency access to game assets, reducing potential stutter. Benchmark data places this CPU in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14500HX, which scores 35940 (a 0.2% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores 35802 (0.6% difference). These margins are negligible, indicating that the 9700X is competitively positioned within its performance class. In Inside, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU efficiently; at 1080p Low settings, the 380.7 FPS average suggests the processor is far from being a bottleneck, as the game’s physics and entity updates are not demanding enough to stress the 8-core design.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1435 MHz, a game clock of 2171 MHz, and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. With 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, this card is designed for high-throughput rasterization, which is directly applicable to Inside's stylized 2.5D rendering.

The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 22547 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3316 place it in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 30097 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which scores 30109 (0.0% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX 570, which scores 30158 (-0.2% difference). This indicates the RX 7700 XT is a solid mid-range performer. In Inside, the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s is more than sufficient for the game’s textures and post-processing effects. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 83.4, which is still playable, but the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at this resolution. The 245 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU indicate a power-hungry component, but performance scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU is the dominant variable in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves 190.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 138.9 FPS, a 27% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 87.3 FPS, which is a 54% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling is expected for a game that relies more on fill rate than complex geometry; the GPU’s 96 ROPs and 244.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are taxed more heavily as the pixel count increases.

Interestingly, the scaling is not linear across settings. From Low to Ultra at 1080p, the FPS drops from 380.7 to 185.9, a 51% reduction. At 4K, the drop from Low (172.6 FPS) to Ultra (83.4 FPS) is also 52%. This consistency indicates that the game scales uniformly with both resolution and settings, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher loads. The CPU’s influence is minimal; even at 4K Low, the 172.6 FPS average shows that the processor can still push enough frames to keep the GPU busy. The limiting component shifts decisively to the GPU as resolution climbs, while the Ryzen 7 9700X has ample headroom to handle the game's logic without becoming a constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows remarkable performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 380.7 FPS, Medium yields 306.9 FPS, High delivers 190.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 185.9 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is narrow at just 4.7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual effects that are not heavily taxing on the RX 7700 XT.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 274 FPS at Low, 219.2 FPS at Medium, 138.9 FPS at High, and 129.6 FPS at Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 28% reduction at Low settings and a 30% reduction at Ultra, indicating that the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the increased pixel load without a disproportionate performance hit.

At 3840x2160, the results are 172.6 FPS at Low, 140.9 FPS at Medium, 87.3 FPS at High, and 83.4 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure of 83.4 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable resolution for this game. However, the drop from 4K Medium to 4K High is 38%, which is steeper than the 27% drop seen from 1080p High to 1440p High. This suggests that at 4K, the pixel fill rate becomes a critical factor, and the GPU’s 244.2 GPixel/s pixel rate is being pushed to its limits. The combo ranks 587th out of 1671 combinations for this game, placing it in the top 35% of tested systems, which is a strong showing for a puzzle platformer that is not graphically intensive.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 190.6, while at 4K High, it drops to 87.3. This represents a 54% reduction in frame rate, clearly indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36029, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802). These differences are minimal, showing close performance parity.

*Q: Is the RX 7700 XT capable of running Inside at 4K Ultra?*

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 83.4 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. While this is the lowest recorded result, it remains well above the standard 60 FPS target, making 4K Ultra playable.

Q: What is the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings yield 274 FPS, Medium yields 219.2 FPS, High yields 138.9 FPS, and Ultra yields 129.6 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 53%, indicating a significant but expected performance cost for maximum visual quality.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 380.7 suggests the processor has substantial headroom, and the frame rate drops consistently with GPU load, not CPU load.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to the GeForce RTX 5060 in average score?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30097, while the RTX 5060 scores 30109. The delta is 0.0%, indicating that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests.