Inside

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a modern 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, which are significant figures for a game like Inside, a puzzle platformer that does not typically stress multi-threaded workloads. With a TDP of 65 W and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, this CPU provides substantial single-thread headroom, which is often the primary driver for frame pacing in physics-based indie titles.

Benchmark results for the 9700X show a single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark and 4459 in Cinebench R23, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, its multi-threaded scores—9824 in 3DMark's 16-thread test and 31588 in Cinebench R23—are strong but less relevant for Inside's gameplay. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing; even at Low settings at 1080p, the system achieves 136.9 FPS average, which indicates the processor can feed frames far beyond what the GPU can render in most scenarios.

The 9700X's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i5-14500HX (0.2% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.6% behind). These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU's performance is tightly clustered with those parts. For Inside, the practical takeaway is that the 9700X's 8 physical cores and high boost clock ensure that any performance ceiling in this test comes from elsewhere—specifically, the graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is an older Turing-architecture GPU (TU117 chip) with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost of 1665 MHz, and it offers 896 shading units. The card sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon 550X (0.4% higher), showing that the GTX 1650 is near the bottom of modern desktop GPUs.

In Inside, the GTX 1650's limitations are evident. At 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 70.1, which is playable but far from the 136.9 FPS seen at Low settings. The 4 GB VRAM is a critical constraint here; Inside's art style uses high-contrast, dark scenes with detailed textures, and at Ultra settings, the card drops to 62.3 FPS at 1080p. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is 74.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary factors limiting performance.

The GTX 1650's 32 ROPs and 56 TMUs are modest, and its FP32 throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS is low by modern standards. The data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck in this combo: even with a top-tier CPU, the average FPS scales directly with GPU settings rather than CPU headroom. At 4K Ultra, the card manages only 31.4 FPS, which is below the 32.8 FPS at 4K High—suggesting that the extra texture detail at Ultra strains the 4 GB VRAM beyond its comfort zone.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep drop as resolution increases, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this combo. From 1080p High (70.1 FPS) to 1440p High (47.4 FPS), the frame rate falls by 32.4%. Moving to 4K High (32.8 FPS) represents a 53.2% drop from 1080p High. This pattern is typical for a low-end GPU paired with a high-end CPU: the CPU's performance remains constant, but the GTX 1650's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 9700X + GTX 1650 combo delivers 136.9 FPS at 1080p Low, but this collapses to 97.7 FPS at 1440p Low and 63.6 FPS at 4K Low. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 53.5%, almost identical to the drop at High settings (53.2%). This consistency indicates that resolution, not graphical complexity, is the dominant variable. The GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is the hard ceiling; every pixel increase directly taxes that resource.

The data also shows that Medium settings at 4K (50.6 FPS) outperform High at 4K (32.8 FPS) by 54.3%, which is an unusual jump. This suggests that High settings introduce a specific shader or texture load that disproportionately impacts the 4 GB VRAM. At 1440p, the gap between Medium (79.8 FPS) and High (47.4 FPS) is 68.4%, further reinforcing that the GTX 1650's memory capacity is the limiting factor rather than raw shader throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1567 out of 1671 combos. That places it in the bottom 6.2% of all tested systems, which is a stark contrast to the CPU's own 89th percentile standing. The discrepancy highlights a severe imbalance: the processor is overqualified for the graphics card, and the combo's rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU.

The combo rank of 1567 means that 104 other combinations perform worse, but the vast majority of systems—including those with mid-range CPUs and older GPUs—surpass this pairing. For context, the GTX 1650's nearest GPU rivals (RTX 3050 A Mobile, Radeon 550X) all have similar average scores, yet their combinations with other CPUs likely achieve higher ranks due to better balance. The data implies that swapping the 9700X for a cheaper CPU would have minimal impact on Inside's performance, as the GPU bottleneck dominates.

This ranking also reflects the age gap between components. The 9700X launched in 2024, while the GTX 1650 is end-of-life (released in 2019). The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (62.3 FPS) is respectable for a puzzle platformer, but the combo's percentile rank shows that most modern mid-range GPUs would deliver smoother gameplay. For anyone analyzing this pairing, the conclusion is clear: the CPU is not the limiting factor, and the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and low pixel rate cap the system's potential.

FAQ

*Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X bottlenecking the GTX 1650 in Inside?*

A: No. The data shows the CPU is far ahead of the GPU's needs. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 136.9 FPS average, and the CPU's single-thread score (1280 in 3DMark) is in the 89th percentile. The bottleneck is entirely the GPU, as seen in the steep FPS drops when raising resolution or settings.

*Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for this combo in Inside?*

A: For smooth 60+ FPS, 1080p Medium (104.3 FPS) or 1440p Low (97.7 FPS) are viable. At 4K, only Low (63.6 FPS) stays above 60 FPS. High or Ultra at 1440p and above will drop below 50 FPS, making them less ideal for consistent frame pacing.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark score?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average score of 8713. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is 0.4% higher (8746), and the AMD Radeon 550X is also 0.4% higher (8749). The AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 is 0.5% higher (8761). These differences are negligible, meaning performance is nearly identical.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. At 1080p High, the card produces 70.1 FPS, but at 4K High, it falls to 32.8 FPS—a 53.2% drop. This is due to the GPU's limited pixel rate (53.28 GPixel/s) and memory bandwidth being saturated at higher resolutions.

Q: What does the combo rank of 1567 out of 1671 mean?

A: It places this pairing in the bottom 6.2% of all tested combos for Inside. The CPU is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is in the 43rd percentile. The low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GTX 1650, which holds back the 9700X's potential.

*Q: Is this combo suitable for playing Inside at 4K?*

A: At 4K Low, the average FPS is 63.6, which is playable. However, at 4K Medium (50.6 FPS), High (32.8 FPS), or Ultra (31.4 FPS), the experience becomes less smooth. The 4 GB VRAM is the limiting factor, as higher settings require more memory than the card can efficiently handle at 4K.