Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The measured frame rates for Inside with this combination reveal a puzzle platformer that is surprisingly forgiving at high resolutions, yet the scaling patterns expose distinct bottlenecks depending on the preset and resolution. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads boosting up to 5.50 GHz, pairs with the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory to deliver playable performance even at 4K, but the data shows a clear divide: at Low settings, the GPU is the star; at Ultra, the frame rate collapses in a way that suggests more than just raw pixel pushing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic but not uniform across settings, which tells a nuanced story about what limits this combo. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 333 FPS at 1920x1080 to 239 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28%, and then to 150 FPS at 3840x2160, another 37% drop. This steep decline indicates that at Low, the system is heavily GPU-bound; the CPU is not the constraint, and each additional pixel costs a proportional amount of GPU throughput. The RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance are being pushed to their limits as resolution climbs.

At Medium settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The average FPS goes from 266 at 1080p to 192 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 120 at 4K (a 37.5% drop). The min FPS values also scale: 226 at 1080p, 163 at 1440p, and 102 at 4K, showing that even the worst-case frame times degrade proportionally. This consistency suggests the workload remains GPU-bound, but the added shading and texture work at Medium amplifies the memory pressure from the 8 GB VRAM, especially at 4K where the 120 FPS average is still respectable but the min of 102 hints at occasional stutter.

High and Ultra settings reveal a different bottleneck. At High, the average FPS drops from 167 at 1080p to 120 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 75 at 4K (a 37.5% drop). The pattern mirrors Medium, but the absolute numbers are lower, indicating that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are saturated. Ultra is the outlier: 159 FPS at 1080p, 114 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 36.8%, similar to other presets, but the 1080p-to-1440p drop is only 28.3%, suggesting that at Ultra, the CPU begins to play a larger role at lower resolutions, limiting the gains that a stronger GPU might otherwise provide.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain the observed scaling. With 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the GPU is a mid-range part that relies on its 2460 MHz boost clock to maintain throughput. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, especially at Medium and High where texture detail increases memory pressure. The fact that Ultra at 4K only manages 72 FPS, compared to 75 FPS at High, suggests that the extra shading work at Ultra (likely higher-quality shadows and effects) is hitting the ROP ceiling, not the memory bandwidth.

The GPU's percentile rank of 61 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639, places it just above the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2%) and slightly below the AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3%). This tight clustering in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to Inside's real-world results, where the RTX 4060's Ada Lovelace architecture (5 nm process, 18,900 million transistors) provides efficient execution of the game's simple shaders. The 17 Gbps effective memory clock and 2125 MHz memory clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but at 4K, the 128-bit memory bus becomes a clear constraint, explaining why Low settings at 4K (150 FPS) still cannot match the 333 FPS seen at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1863 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairs. This middling rank is surprising given the individual components' standings: the Ryzen 7 9700X ranks in the 86th percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 4060 sits in the 61st percentile among GPUs. The gap between the CPU's strength and the GPU's mid-range position means that in Inside, a game that is not particularly demanding, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, dragging the combo's overall rank down.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score — the Intel Core i9-14901E (deltaPct 0.1%), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (deltaPct 0.1%), and Intel Core 5 211E (deltaPct 0.3%) — all have nearly identical CPU performance, yet pairing them with a weaker GPU would likely yield similar Inside results. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and Radeon 780M, have average scores within 0.5% of the RTX 4060, but those are integrated or older discrete parts that would struggle to match the 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS in a real game. This combo's rank reflects a balanced pairing where the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit 4K performance, making it a 1080p-to-1440p champion rather than a 4K powerhouse.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p, the data shows that Medium is the sweet spot. The average FPS of 266 with a min of 226 is more than enough for smooth gameplay, and the jump from Medium to High only yields 167 average FPS — a 37% drop that is not worth the visual increment in a puzzle platformer. Ultra at 159 FPS is marginally worse than High, suggesting diminishing returns. At 1440p, Low at 239 FPS is overkill; Medium at 192 FPS with a min of 163 provides excellent smoothness while offering better visual fidelity. High at 120 FPS is still playable, but the 60% drop from Low to High is significant, and Ultra at 114 FPS is barely better than High, indicating that the GPU is already at its limits.

At 4K, the choice depends on preference. Low at 150 FPS is the only preset that fully utilizes the display's potential, but Medium at 120 FPS with a min of 102 is a strong compromise, offering 2.5x the detail level of Low while maintaining a high frame rate. High at 75 FPS is playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from quick reaction times, and Ultra at 72 FPS is essentially identical, so there is no reason to choose Ultra over High at 4K. The data suggests that Medium is the best overall preset across all resolutions, as it provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the 4K Medium result of 120 FPS being particularly impressive for a mid-range GPU.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, at Medium settings the average FPS is 120 with a min of 102, which is smooth. At High, the average drops to 75 FPS, still playable but noticeably less fluid. Low settings at 4K achieve 150 FPS, so the GPU is capable, but Ultra at 72 FPS is borderline.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X bottlenecking the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 333 FPS, which is well above the GPU's ability to render frames at higher settings. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads with a 5.50 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K.

*Q: How does the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM affect Inside at high resolutions?*

A: At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 120, but at High it drops to 75, a 37.5% reduction. This suggests that the 8 GB VRAM on a 128-bit bus is sufficient for Medium but becomes a limiting factor at High and Ultra, where increased texture detail exceeds the memory bandwidth's ability to feed the GPU efficiently.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 144 FPS?

A: At 1080p, Medium (266 FPS), High (167 FPS), and Low (333 FPS) all exceed 144 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (239 FPS) and Medium (192 FPS) surpass 144 FPS; High at 120 FPS and Ultra at 114 FPS fall short. At 4K, no preset reaches 144 FPS, with Low being the closest at 150 FPS.

Q: Why is Ultra only slightly slower than High at 4K?

A: At 4K, High averages 75 FPS and Ultra averages 72 FPS, a difference of just 4%. This suggests that the GPU is already saturated at High, and the additional visual effects in Ultra do not significantly increase the rendering load, or the bottleneck has shifted from shading to memory bandwidth, which is fixed regardless of preset.

Q: How does this combo compare to others in the database?

A: It ranks 1863 out of 3716 combos, placing it in the middle of all tested pairings. The CPU is in the 86th percentile and the GPU in the 61st percentile, so the combo's rank reflects the GPU's mid-range standing rather than any CPU deficiency.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9700X's specifications suggest it should never be a bottleneck in Inside, and the measured data confirms this. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.80 GHz, and a boost of 5.50 GHz, the CPU has more than enough single-thread performance for a puzzle platformer that does not heavily utilize multi-threading. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211 are strong indicators, but the game's simple physics and logic are unlikely to stress even a single core.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR5 dual-channel) provide fast data access, which is important for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p where the GPU can render frames quickly. The fact that Low settings at 1080p hit 333 FPS, while Medium at 266 FPS and High at 167 FPS, shows that the CPU can feed the GPU at rates far exceeding typical display refresh rates. Even at 4K Low (150 FPS), the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the GPU's rendering capacity is the constraint.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 0.4% of the 9700X, indicating that any of those CPUs would perform identically in this game. The 9700X's 86th percentile rank among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943, places it well above the RTX 4060's 61st percentile, confirming that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. For Inside, the CPU's role is to ensure that frame times remain consistent, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-induced stutters, as the min FPS values are only available for Medium settings, where they are 226 at 1080p, 163 at 1440p, and 102 at 4K — all respectable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance across all presets. Low settings achieve an average of 333 FPS, which is likely above the display's refresh rate for most users. Medium drops to 266 FPS average with a minimum of 226 and a maximum of 306, providing a wide margin for smooth gameplay. High averages 167 FPS, and Ultra averages 159 FPS, which is surprisingly close to High, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not particularly demanding at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU's growing workload. Low averages 239 FPS, still well above 144 Hz displays. Medium averages 192 FPS with a minimum of 163 and a maximum of 220, which is excellent for a 1440p monitor. High averages 120 FPS, which is the threshold for many high-refresh displays, and Ultra averages 114 FPS, only 5% lower than High, again indicating that the Ultra preset does not significantly increase the GPU load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060's limitations become apparent. Low averages 150 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth as lower resolutions. Medium averages 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 and a maximum of 138, providing a playable experience with good visual quality. High averages 75 FPS, which is acceptable but may cause noticeable judder on 120 Hz displays. Ultra averages 72 FPS, essentially matching High, which reinforces the idea that the GPU is memory-bound rather than shading-bound at 4K. The lack of min and max FPS data for Low, High, and Ultra at all resolutions means that only Medium settings provide a complete picture of frame time consistency, and those values show a steady decline from 226 at 1080p to 102 at 4K, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the primary constraints at 4K.