Inside

# Inside on AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The recorded data for Inside with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER shows a puzzle platformer that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions but CPU-capable enough to push very high frame rates at 1080p. The game, released in 2016, runs on a modern 8-core Zen 5 processor with a Turing-based graphics card, and the measured results reveal a clear performance hierarchy across settings and resolutions. The combo ranks 2556 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is notable given the CPU's strong synthetic scores but the GPU's mid-range standing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 225 FPS at 1920x1080 to 162 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 102 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 37% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a rendering-bound workload where pixel count directly impacts performance.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 141 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 38%. The Low settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 281 FPS at 1080p, 202 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K. Here the 1080p to 1440p drop is 28%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 37%.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions: 134 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is 28%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 37.5%. This consistent percentage drop across settings strongly indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering throughput is the bottleneck, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, does not appear to constrain performance at any resolution, as even the 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS aligns with what the GPU can deliver under maximum load.

The data implies that for 4K gaming, only Low settings provide a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while Medium (102 FPS) and High (63 FPS) are playable but with less headroom. At 1440p, all settings except Ultra exceed 100 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for quality and smoothness. The 1080p results are uniformly high, suggesting the CPU could support even higher frame rates if the GPU were faster.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, a base clock of 3.80 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its synthetic benchmarks place it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. The nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core i9-14901E (avg score 37911, delta 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, delta 0.1%), the Intel Core 5 211E (37829, delta 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804, delta 0.4%). These deltas are all under half a percent, meaning the 9700X performs essentially identically to its closest competitors in aggregate CPU tests.

For Inside, a puzzle platformer with modest threading requirements, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely more relevant than its multi-thread capability. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1280, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2211. The Geekbench single-core score is 3023. These numbers indicate strong per-core performance, which helps maintain high frame rates even when the GPU is not fully saturated.

The measured FPS data supports the conclusion that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 281 FPS average, which is well above typical display refresh rates and suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2525 and 4-thread score of 4869 show that even with limited thread usage, the processor delivers substantial throughput. The Passmark single-thread score of 4654 further confirms this.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, combined with PCIe Gen 5 lanes, provides a modern platform foundation. However, for this specific game, the data indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700X's capabilities are underutilized, as the frame rates scale with resolution in a way that points solely to GPU workload. The 3DMark max-thread score of 9771 versus the 16-thread score of 9824 shows minimal scaling beyond 8 threads, which is expected for a game that does not heavily use multi-threading.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 134 FPS, so the choice depends on visual fidelity versus extra headroom. Medium delivers 225 FPS average with a minimum of 191 FPS and maximum of 259 FPS, while High offers 141 FPS and Ultra 134 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS, suggesting Ultra is viable for those wanting maximum quality without a significant frame rate penalty.

At 2560x1440, Medium provides 162 FPS average (min 137, max 186), which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. High drops to 101 FPS, still smooth for 60 Hz displays, while Ultra sits at 96 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra here is only 5 FPS, making Ultra the better choice for 1440p if the display can handle it. Low is unnecessarily fast at 202 FPS, offering no practical benefit over Medium given the visual quality loss.

At 3840x2160, the options narrow. Ultra produces 60 FPS exactly, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays. High is slightly better at 63 FPS, and Medium reaches 102 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS. Low jumps to 127 FPS. For 4K, Medium appears to be the optimal balance, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining better visual quality than Low. High is also acceptable if the user prioritizes quality, but the 63 FPS average leaves little room for frame time spikes.

The data does not include minimum FPS for High and Ultra at any resolution, so the Medium preset's recorded minimums (191 at 1080p, 137 at 1440p, 86 at 4K) provide the only frame time consistency information. These minimums are all well above 60 FPS, indicating that Medium delivers smooth performance even during demanding scenes. Overall, the measurements suggest that Medium is the safest recommendation for 1440p and 4K, while Ultra is viable at 1080p and 1440p for users who accept slightly lower frame rates for maximum visual settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER bottleneck the Ryzen 7 9700X in this game?

A: Yes, the resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 281 FPS, but this drops to 127 FPS at 4K Low, a 55% reduction that aligns with pixel count increases rather than CPU limitations.

Q: How does the 9700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904). The differences are negligible.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: Medium provides 102 FPS average with a minimum of 86 FPS, which is the highest preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. High offers 63 FPS and Ultra 60 FPS, both with no recorded minimums.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The game runs at all tested resolutions and settings without VRAM-related issues, as evidenced by the measured FPS. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for Inside's visual demands.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2556 out of 3716 combos in the database for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, based on the TU106 chip with Turing architecture, is the primary determinant of frame rates in Inside. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game's textures and effects at all tested settings. The GPU has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with base and boost clocks of 1470 MHz and 1650 MHz respectively. Its FP32 performance is 7.181 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 105.6 GPixel/s.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 18093. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, delta -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, delta -1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, delta -1.6%). The negative deltas mean the RTX 2060 SUPER scores slightly lower than these rivals, though the differences are small, under 2%.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the measured FPS at each resolution. The 4K results are particularly telling: at Ultra, the average is exactly 60 FPS, and at High it is 63 FPS. These numbers suggest the GPU is working near its maximum capacity at 4K with higher settings. The jump to 102 FPS at Medium indicates that reducing certain effects significantly lightens the load, allowing the GPU to render frames faster.

The 1440p results show a similar pattern but with more headroom. Ultra averages 96 FPS, High 101 FPS, Medium 162 FPS, and Low 202 FPS. The large gap between High and Medium (61 FPS) suggests that Medium disables some computationally expensive features that the GPU struggles with at this resolution. At 1080p, even Ultra achieves 134 FPS, meaning the GPU is not fully saturated at lower pixel counts.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s appears adequate, as there are no anomalies in the FPS data that would indicate memory throttling. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed on GDDR6 modules supports the frame rates observed. The RTX 2060 SUPER's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are not directly tested in this game's measurements, but they ensure modern rendering paths are available.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides exact FPS averages for four settings presets across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 281 FPS, Medium averages 225 FPS (min 191, max 259), High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 134 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 147 FPS, showing a wide range of performance depending on visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 202 FPS, Medium 162 FPS (min 137, max 186), High 101 FPS, and Ultra 96 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with Low dropping by 79 FPS (28%), Medium by 63 FPS (28%), High by 40 FPS (28%), and Ultra by 38 FPS (28%). This uniformity reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 127 FPS, Medium 102 FPS (min 86, max 117), High 63 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is larger in absolute terms: Low by 75 FPS (37%), Medium by 60 FPS (37%), High by 38 FPS (38%), and Ultra by 36 FPS (37.5%). The near-identical percentage drops across all settings at each resolution step confirm that resolution is the dominant factor, with settings adding a consistent offset.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 191 FPS and maximum of 259 FPS indicate a stable frame time distribution with a 68 FPS range. At 1440p, the range is 49 FPS (137 to 186), and at 4K, it is 31 FPS (86 to 117). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing variance as it approaches its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2556 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 31st percentile of all configurations. This rank is below the midpoint, indicating that most tested combos achieve higher frame rates in this game. Given the GPU's 62nd percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU's 86th percentile, the combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range performance relative to other graphics cards in the database.

The rank suggests that while the CPU is highly capable, the RTX 2060 SUPER limits the overall result in this game. Many combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would likely outrank this configuration, as Inside is clearly GPU-bound based on the resolution scaling analysis. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159 avg score) and Radeon Pro 5700 (18189), would likely produce similar or slightly better frame rates, given their marginally higher benchmark scores.

The combo's rank of 2556 out of 3716 means that approximately 1160 combos perform worse. This places the system in the lower third of tested configurations for this specific game. The data indicates that users with this hardware should focus on resolution and settings optimization rather than CPU upgrades, as the Ryzen 7 9700X provides ample headroom that the RTX 2060 SUPER cannot fully utilize at higher resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings produce 127 FPS, show that the GPU is the binding constraint, and the rank reflects this imbalance.