Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 134th out of 1,671 tested combos for Inside, placing it within the top 8% of all configurations. This is a strong result for a puzzle platformer, where the combination of a high-end GPU and a modern 8-core CPU delivers frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate requirements at every tested resolution. The measured data shows this combo is never below 104.6 FPS even at 4K Ultra, which is remarkable for a game of this genre.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 134 out of 1,671 tested combinations indicates that this pairing sits comfortably in the upper echelon of systems tested for Inside. Given that the game is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively modest graphical demands, the ranking reflects both the raw capability of the RX 7900 XT and the efficiency of the Ryzen 7 9700X in maintaining high frame rates without bottlenecking.

The GPU alone holds an 82nd percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 38,358. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, scores 38,349 — a delta of 0.0%, meaning the RX 7900 XT is effectively tied with that mobile flagship in synthetic benchmarks. The gap to the NVIDIA CMP 70HX is just 0.3% (38,225), while the RX 7900 XT leads the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 by 0.4% (38,494) and the RTX 4080 Mobile by 0.6% (38,135). These narrow margins suggest that within the tested GPU pool, the RX 7900 XT occupies a well-defined performance tier.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 7 9700X ranks in the 89th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 36,029. Its closest competitor, the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, scores 36,165, putting the AMD chip 0.4% behind. The Ryzen 7 9700X leads the Intel Core i5-14500HX by 0.2% (35,940) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by 0.6% (35,802), while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H by 0.8% (36,328). These figures place the CPU in a tightly contested mid-to-high range, but for Inside, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU's output.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Inside?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 426.1 FPS, which is the highest measured average. Even at 3840x2160 Ultra, it maintains 104.6 FPS, so all resolutions are playable.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT compare to its closest GPU rival?

A: The RX 7900 XT scores 38,358 on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile scores 38,349, a delta of 0.0%. This indicates near-identical synthetic performance between the two.

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

A: The data shows no bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo hits 426.1 FPS, and at 4K High it still delivers 110.3 FPS, suggesting the Ryzen 7 9700X's 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient for Inside's demands.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: Low settings produce 352.5 FPS, while Ultra produces 171 FPS. The gap of 181.5 FPS highlights how much headroom the GPU has at this resolution, even at maximum quality.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB VRAM useful for this game?

A: Inside is not VRAM-intensive, so the 20 GB GDDR6 memory is far more than required. The 800 GB/s bandwidth ensures no memory-related frame drops, even at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does the combo rank overall among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 134th out of 1,671 combos, placing it in the top 8% of all configurations tested for Inside.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary driver of frame rates in this pairing. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, it features 5,376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1387 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. Its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2500 MHz with a 320-bit bus, yielding 800 GB/s of bandwidth.

These specifications translate directly into the measured FPS results. At 4K Ultra, the GPU sustains 104.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Dropping to High settings at the same resolution raises the average to 110.3 FPS, a modest 5.7 FPS increase. The larger jump occurs when moving to Medium (177.3 FPS) and Low (222.7 FPS) at 4K, showing that the GPU has significant headroom once texture and shading loads are reduced.

The RX 7900 XT's synthetic benchmark scores corroborate its gaming performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 29,009 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,623 indicate a high-end part. The 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 38,358, places it just ahead of the RTX 5080 Mobile (38,349) and the CMP 70HX (38,225). This positioning is consistent with the FPS numbers, which show the card handling Inside with ease at all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 426.1 FPS, Medium 395.4 FPS, High 248 FPS, and Ultra 234.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is only 30.7 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 147.4 FPS, indicating that High settings introduce a substantial increase in rendering complexity. Ultra is only 13.1 FPS slower than High, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clearer separation. Low settings yield 352.5 FPS, Medium 284.8 FPS, High 180.5 FPS, and Ultra 171 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 67.7 FPS, while Medium to High is 104.3 FPS. Ultra is just 9.5 FPS behind High, again showing minimal difference between the two highest presets. The 171 FPS at Ultra is still far above what any current display can show, making this resolution a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become more apparent but remain impressive. Low settings hit 222.7 FPS, Medium 177.3 FPS, High 110.3 FPS, and Ultra 104.6 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs 45.4 FPS, while Medium to High costs 67 FPS. The gap from High to Ultra is just 5.7 FPS, reinforcing the pattern that Ultra offers little over High. Even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains over 100 FPS, which is exceptional for a game with this art style.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the High preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 4K High, the combo delivers 110.3 FPS, which is 5.7 FPS higher than Ultra while providing nearly identical visual quality in a puzzle platformer. The data shows that Ultra settings consistently produce only marginal gains over High — at 1080p the difference is 13.1 FPS, at 1440p it is 9.5 FPS, and at 4K it is 5.7 FPS. These small deltas do not justify the additional GPU load.

For users with high-refresh-rate displays, Medium at 4K (177.3 FPS) or High at 1440p (180.5 FPS) are excellent choices. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 284.8 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. Low settings are only necessary if targeting maximum frame rates for competitive play, where 426.1 FPS at 1080p is available. However, given that Inside is a single-player puzzle platformer, the visual benefits of High or Ultra are likely more valuable than the extra frames.

The data suggests that High is the default recommendation, with Ultra reserved for those who want absolute maximum quality and have a display capable of showing the difference. The 104.6 FPS floor at 4K Ultra ensures that even the most demanding configuration remains smooth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X provides the computational foundation for this combo. It features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU without creating a bottleneck.

In Inside, the CPU's role is modest but not negligible. The game's 2D rendering and physics calculations benefit from the 9700X's strong single-thread performance, which scores 4,459 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1,280 in 3DMark single-thread. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls efficiently, even at high frame rates where the GPU is producing over 400 FPS.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31,588 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17,002, provide headroom for background tasks or streaming while gaming. The 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average score of 36,029, places it near the top of the tested pool. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, is only 0.4% faster, while it leads the Core i5-14500HX by 0.2%. This tight grouping means the 9700X is competitive but not class-leading, which is sufficient for a game like Inside that does not heavily tax the processor.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, though the measured FPS data does not directly reflect power consumption. The key takeaway is that the Ryzen 7 9700X provides ample computational resources to keep the RX 7900 XT fully utilized, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all resolutions and settings.