Inside

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X combined with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti occupies rank 3201 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places the pairing in the lower 14% of all tested configurations, indicating that while the combination is fully capable of running the game, it does not compete with higher-end pairings in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's age and position in the overall hierarchy more than the CPU's capability, as the GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 41st percentile among all GPUs while the Ryzen 7 9700X sits at the 86th percentile among all CPUs. This substantial gap between component percentiles suggests a pairing where the graphics card is the primary constraint on overall performance in this title, a pattern that becomes evident throughout the measured frame rate data.

The combo's position near the bottom of the tested combinations is consistent with the GPU's standing among its peers. The GTX 1660 Ti's average benchmark score of 7723 places it narrowly ahead of the AMD Radeon 540, which scores 7673, a delta of 0.7%. It also leads the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 by 1.9% and the AMD Radeon R7 250 by 2.2%, while the Intel Arc A310 trails by 2.3%. These are all modest margins, indicating that the GTX 1660 Ti is clustered with entry-level and older discrete graphics solutions rather than competing with modern mid-range hardware. In the context of a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer like Inside, this lower-tier GPU placement does not translate to poor playability, but it does define the ceiling for what the combo can achieve at higher resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti brings 6 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory operates at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective transfer, while the core runs at a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The GPU is built on the Turing architecture using the TU116 chip at a 12 nm process node, with 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. These specifications place the card in a position where it can handle Inside's modest graphical demands at 1080p and 1440p with ease, but the 4K results show where the hardware begins to strain.

The GPU's pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s are relevant to how Inside renders its distinctive silhouette-based art style. The game's use of lighting and shadow effects relies on fill-rate performance, and the data indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti manages these effects well at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 108 FPS average, which climbs to 216 FPS at Low settings. At 2560x1440, the High preset still produces 78 FPS, showing that the GPU has sufficient headroom for the game's visuals at these resolutions. The 4K results, however, drop to 49 FPS at High and 46 FPS at Ultra, revealing that the 6 GB frame buffer and the GPU's compute capabilities become limiting factors when pixel counts quadruple from 1080p.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support at feature level 12_1, along with Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6, ensures compatibility with modern rendering paths. The benchmark scores for the GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 12871 and a Passmark DirectX 11 score of 103, which are modest figures reflecting its entry-level positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 5827 further confirm that this card is not designed for high-end gaming workloads, yet Inside's low geometric complexity and limited texture memory requirements allow the GPU to perform adequately in most scenarios tested.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X contributes 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. The processor runs at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosts up to 5.50 GHz, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, and it connects to the system via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes from the CPU. This is a high-end desktop processor with a launch MSRP of $359, and its benchmark results place it at the 86th percentile among all CPUs.

For a game like Inside, the CPU's role is relatively light because the title is not known for demanding physics simulations or complex AI routines. The Ryzen 7 9700X's single-thread performance is exceptional, as evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4654, a Geekbench single-core score of 3023, and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211. These results indicate that the processor can handle the game's main thread with substantial headroom. Multi-threaded performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17906, though Inside likely does not utilize all 16 threads effectively given its age and genre.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core i9-14901E with an average score of 37911 (a delta of 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 37904 (also 0.1% delta), the Intel Core 5 211E at 37829 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 37804 (0.4% delta). These close margins demonstrate that the Ryzen 7 9700X is competitive with other high-end processors, but in the context of Inside, the CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that the combo achieves over 100 FPS at 1080p across all settings except Ultra, and the frame rates at 1440p remain above 74 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor in most configurations rather than the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 216 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tests. The Medium preset produces 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS. High settings yield 108 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 103 FPS average. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo has significant performance headroom, with even the Ultra preset maintaining well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset still achieves 155 FPS average, indicating that the GPU has enough bandwidth to handle the increased pixel count without substantial losses. Medium settings produce 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The High preset drops to 78 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 74 FPS average. These figures demonstrate that 1440p remains highly playable across all settings, with Ultra still clearing the 60 FPS mark by a comfortable margin.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes notably. Low settings produce 98 FPS average, which is still respectable, and Medium yields 78 FPS average with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings drop to 49 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS average. These 4K results indicate that the GPU begins to struggle at higher settings, with High and Ultra falling below the 60 FPS target. The minimum FPS values for 4K Medium at 66 FPS suggest that even the Medium preset can experience occasional dips below the average, though the overall experience remains fluid. The lack of minimum and maximum values for several presets in the data limits the ability to assess frame time consistency, but the averages provide a clear picture of the combo's capabilities at each resolution and settings combination.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals how the system responds to increasing pixel counts and where the bottleneck lies. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at High settings drops from 108 to 78, a reduction of 30 FPS or approximately 28%. At Low settings, the drop from 216 to 155 FPS represents a 28% decrease as well, showing a consistent scaling pattern. The Medium preset falls from 173 to 124 FPS, a 28% reduction, and Ultra drops from 103 to 74 FPS, also a 28% decrease. This consistent ~28% drop across all settings from 1080p to 1440p suggests that the GPU is being scaled uniformly as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a pixel-bound workload.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more dramatic and reveals the GPU's limitations more clearly. At High settings, the FPS drops from 78 to 49, a reduction of 37%. Low settings fall from 155 to 98 FPS, a 37% drop. Medium goes from 124 to 78 FPS, a 37% reduction, and Ultra drops from 74 to 46 FPS, also a 37% decrease. The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU is running into memory bandwidth or fill-rate constraints at 4K. The pixel count increases by 125% from 1080p to 1440p and by 125% from 1440p to 4K, yet the FPS drops are not proportional, with the second transition showing a steeper decline per pixel.

This scaling pattern points to the GPU as the limiting component. The CPU's high single-thread performance and ample core count mean it is unlikely to bottleneck at any resolution tested. The GTX 1660 Ti, with its 6 GB frame buffer and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, begins to show strain at 4K, particularly at High and Ultra presets where the average FPS falls below 60. The fact that Low settings at 4K still achieve 98 FPS suggests that the GPU can handle the resolution when graphical features are reduced, but the higher presets introduce enough additional load to push the card past its comfortable operating range. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests staying with Low or Medium settings to maintain playable frame rates, while 1440p offers a broader range of viable settings options.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with High settings achieving 78 FPS average and Ultra at 74 FPS. At 4K, High and Ultra drop below 50 FPS, making 1440p the highest resolution where all settings remain above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E at 37911 and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 37904. It leads the Intel Core 5 211E by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 by 0.4%.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Inside?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the combo achieves 98 FPS average, and at Medium it reaches 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. High and Ultra settings drop to 49 FPS and 46 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7723. It is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon 540 and 1.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100.

Q: How does the 1080p performance compare across settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 216 FPS, Medium produces 173 FPS, High achieves 108 FPS, and Ultra yields 103 FPS. All presets maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS, making 1080p a comfortable resolution for this combo.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X scores 2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core, with a multi-core score of 20485. The single-thread result places it at the 86th percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong performance for games that rely on a few fast cores.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, any preset provides a smooth experience, with the Ultra preset at 103 FPS average being the highest quality option that still maintains triple-digit frame rates. The Medium preset at 173 FPS offers a significant frame rate increase over Ultra with only a modest reduction in visual quality, making it a strong choice for users with high refresh rate displays. For those seeking maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 216 FPS is the best option, though it sacrifices the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow effects that benefit from higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 74 FPS average is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, remaining above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 78 FPS provides nearly identical performance with a slight reduction in quality, and the Medium preset at 124 FPS offers a substantial frame rate boost for users who prioritize smoothness over visual detail. The Low preset at 155 FPS is available for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but given the game's slower pace, the visual improvements from higher settings are likely worth the frame rate trade-off.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 78 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it maintains playable frame rates while preserving a reasonable level of visual quality. The Low preset at 98 FPS is the safest option for maintaining high frame rates, but the 4K Medium results with a minimum of 66 FPS show that the combo can handle the resolution without dropping below the 60 FPS mark. High and Ultra presets at 49 FPS and 46 FPS respectively are not recommended for 4K, as the frame rates fall below the smoothness threshold and the visual improvements over Medium are unlikely to compensate for the performance loss. Overall, the data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K viable only at reduced settings.