Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a measured performance profile in Inside that is heavily influenced by resolution and preset. The CPU, with a launch MSRP of $359, and the GPU, with a launch MSRP of 229 USD, together rank 1490 out of 1671 tested combos for this game, placing them in the lower portion of the performance spectrum. The data shows that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU’s strong single-thread capabilities keep frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values across resolutions reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p, the average frame rate ranges from 216 FPS on Low to 102.5 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the same presets yield 152.5, 126.4, 77.4, and 75.2 FPS respectively. At 4K, the numbers drop to 96.6, 77.4, 51.9, and 46.7 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p reduces the Low preset from 216 to 152.5 FPS, a substantial decline, while the High preset falls from 105.5 to 77.4 FPS. The transition to 4K further compresses performance: even the Low preset cannot maintain a 100 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 46.7 FPS.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU’s rendering capacity is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4459 suggest it can easily feed the GPU at 1080p, but as pixel count rises, the GPU’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s becomes the bottleneck. The consistent drop across all presets—not just the demanding ones—confirms that resolution, not settings, drives the frame rate decline.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that at 1080p, all presets exceed 100 FPS, with Low reaching 216 FPS. At 1440p, High and Ultra still deliver 77.4 and 75.2 FPS, while at 4K, High drops to 51.9 FPS. For a smooth experience, 1080p or 1440p are preferable, while 4K is playable but with lower frame rates.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile. It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and 0.2% behind the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 11. Its performance is closely matched to these integrated and entry-level discrete solutions.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has a high single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4459. Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer, the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions align with GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints.

Q: What preset should I use at 4K?

A: At 4K, the High preset yields 51.9 FPS, while Ultra yields 46.7 FPS. Medium yields 77.4 FPS and Low yields 96.6 FPS. If visual quality is a priority, High offers a better frame rate than Ultra. For higher frame rates, Medium or Low are options.

Q: How does this combo rank overall for Inside?

A: The combo ranks 1490 out of 1671 tested configurations, indicating that it is in the lower portion of the performance spectrum for this game. This is consistent with the GPU’s mid-range percentile of 55.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1530 MHz and boost clock is 1785 MHz. The GPU’s pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s. In Inside, the measured FPS at 4K High is 51.9, which suggests that the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are adequate for this game’s demands, but the rendering load at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile, and its nearest rivals are within 0.7% of its score, indicating a tightly clustered performance tier. The GPU does not include dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, as its specification lists none, which is consistent with its focus on traditional rasterization. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra (46.7 FPS). The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s supports the high pixel throughput required at 4K, though the GPU’s overall compute capability (5.027 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear basis for preset selection. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 216 FPS, Medium 170.5, High 105.5, and Ultra 102.5. The difference between High and Ultra is only 3 FPS, while High provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium. At 1440p, High and Ultra are 77.4 and 75.2 FPS, again a small gap. At 4K, High is 51.9 and Ultra is 46.7, a 5.2 FPS difference. The data indicates that the High preset provides a higher average FPS than Ultra at every resolution, with a smaller performance cost than the step from Medium to High. For players prioritizing frame rate, Low or Medium are viable, especially at 4K where Low reaches 96.6 FPS. However, given that High consistently outperforms Ultra by a small margin while offering better visual quality than Medium, High is the recommended preset for a balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, High’s 105.5 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and at 1440p it remains at 77.4 FPS, making High the most versatile choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 51.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 96.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 77.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 46.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 77.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 152.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 126.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 75.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 105.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 216 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 170.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 102.5 |

The table shows that the Low preset at 1080p reaches 216 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 46.7 FPS. The spread between the fastest and slowest measured configurations is 169.3 FPS, highlighting the wide performance range this combo can deliver depending on resolution and settings.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU’s benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459, as well as a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280. Its average benchmark score is 36029, placing it in the 89th percentile. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.4% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. In Inside, the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that it is not a limiting factor at any resolution; the frame rate scaling with resolution is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate for a puzzle platformer, and its boost clock of 5.50 GHz provides the responsiveness needed for high frame rates at 1080p. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is not heavily stressed, the CPU can sustain 216 FPS, indicating that the processor’s capabilities are not a bottleneck in this title.