Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that, on the surface, asks very little of modern hardware. Yet, the measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveals a complex interplay between resolution, settings, and component limits that defies the game's minimalist aesthetic. The benchmark results show a system that can deliver exceptional frame rates, but the scaling behavior between presets and resolutions points to specific bottlenecks that are worth investigating.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 296 at 1080p to 213 at 1440p, then to 134 at 4K. That is a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit. However, the absolute numbers remain remarkably high, suggesting that even at 4K, the system is nowhere near struggling.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern. The average FPS moves from 237 at 1080p to 170 at 1440p, and finally to 107 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 28%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 37%. This non-linear scaling is typical of a system where the GPU becomes progressively more loaded as pixel count increases. The fact that the 4K Medium result still maintains a 91 FPS minimum (as measured in the minFps field) indicates a stable experience even under higher load.

The High and Ultra presets follow the same trend but with lower starting points. High averages are 148 FPS at 1080p, 106 at 1440p, and 67 at 4K. Ultra averages are 141 FPS at 1080p, 101 at 1440p, and 64 at 4K. The difference between High and Ultra at each resolution is consistently small—around 5-7%—which suggests that the Ultra preset adds a visual feature that has a minor, but consistent, cost.

What is most telling is the relationship between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the gap is 155 FPS (296 vs 141). At 1440p, the gap is 112 FPS (213 vs 101). At 4K, the gap narrows to 70 FPS (134 vs 64). As resolution increases, the absolute difference between the lowest and highest quality presets shrinks. This is a classic sign of GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU quickly enough to expose the full cost of the Ultra settings. At 4K, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor, and the relative cost of the preset is diluted.

The data implies that the limiting component at 1080p is likely the CPU, as the frame rates are high enough that the processor's ability to dispatch draw calls becomes a factor. The Ryzen 7 9700X has 8 cores and 16 threads, which is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer, but the game's engine may not scale perfectly with that many threads. At 4K, the RTX 5050 with its 8 GB of memory is clearly the primary constraint, as the frame rates scale down predictably with the increase in pixel count. The system is well-balanced, but the bottleneck shifts decisively from the processor to the graphics card as resolution climbs.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 part with 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.80 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, this is an enormous amount of processing power. The game's physics and logic are not typically demanding, but the CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks suggests it is more than capable of handling any CPU-side tasks.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU load, not CPU load. However, at 1080p Low, the 296 FPS average is close to the practical limit for many display refresh rates, and the CPU's single-thread performance becomes relevant. The 3dmark single-thread score for this CPU is 1280, and the geekbench singlecore score is 3023, which are strong numbers. This high single-thread capability is crucial for games that do not fully utilize all cores.

Inside is an older title, and it likely does not take advantage of 16 threads. The CPU's performance in the cinebench_r23_multicore test (20485) is impressive, but it is unlikely that the game utilizes more than a handful of cores. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck even at the highest frame rates measured. The 1080p Low average of 296 FPS reflects the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU's output. The fact that the 1080p Ultra average is 141 FPS, which is still very high, indicates that the CPU has plenty of headroom even when the GPU is doing more work.

The memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and the 32 MB of L3 cache are also ample for this game's needs. The CPU's 4 nm process node and 65 W TDP mean it runs efficiently, but the benchmark results do not show any thermal or power-related performance drops. The nearest rivals to this CPU in average benchmark score are the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911, deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, deltaPct 0.1). The 9700X's avgBenchmarkScore is 37943, which places it just ahead of these parts. This indicates that the CPU is delivering top-tier performance, and the game results reflect that.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the other half of this pairing, and the data shows that it is the component that dictates the performance ceiling as resolution and settings increase. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The base clock is 2317 MHz, and the boost clock is 2572 MHz. For a puzzle platformer, this is a very capable graphics card, but the 8 GB VRAM is a point of interest.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 64, with no min or max recorded. This is the lowest measured result in the entire data set. The fact that the 4K High result (67 FPS) is so close to the 4K Ultra result (64 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset is not adding a massive rendering burden. The difference between the two is only 3 FPS. However, the 4K Medium result (107 FPS) is significantly higher, indicating that the Medium preset is a sweet spot for 4K gaming on this GPU.

The GPU's VRAM is likely a constraint at 4K. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, texture data and framebuffer requirements can exceed this amount. The data does not show a catastrophic failure, but the scaling from 1440p to 4K on the High preset (106 to 67 FPS) is a 37% drop. This is a substantial reduction that points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity being taxed. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate, but not excessive for 4K.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks show a mixed picture. The passmark_g3d score is 17326, and the geekbench_opencl score is 90334. The percentileVsAllGpus is 66, which means it performs better than 66% of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, deltaPct -0.6) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, deltaPct 1.6). The RTX 5050's avgBenchmarkScore is 21035. These are older or lower-tier parts, which suggests the RTX 5050 is a mid-range card that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not ideal for 4K Ultra settings.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 13.17 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s. These are solid numbers, but the game's rendering load at 4K is what pushes the card to its limits. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, and the 8 GB VRAM may be a contributing factor to the performance drop.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with a Low preset average of 296 FPS and a Medium preset average of 237 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system still delivers excellent results, with a High preset average of 106 FPS and a Medium preset average of 170 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution yields playable but lower frame rates, with a High preset average of 67 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High?

A: The performance difference between High and Ultra is minimal. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 148 to 141, a difference of 7 FPS. At 1440p, the drop is from 106 to 101, a difference of 5 FPS. At 4K, the drop is from 67 to 64, a difference of 3 FPS. The Ultra preset consistently costs about 5% performance compared to High.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The frame rate scaling from 1440p to 4K is much steeper than from 1080p to 1440p. For example, on the High preset, the average FPS drops from 148 at 1080p to 106 at 1440p (a 28% drop), and then to 67 at 4K (a 37% drop). This increasing rate of decline is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 1080p with a high refresh rate monitor?

A: Yes, the data shows that the system can easily handle 1080p. The Low preset average is 296 FPS, and the Medium preset average is 237 FPS. Even the Ultra preset, with an average of 141 FPS, is above the refresh rate of most standard 144Hz monitors.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause any problems in this game?

A: The data does not show any direct evidence of VRAM-related stuttering or crashes, as the minFps fields are only recorded for the Medium preset. However, the significant performance drop at 4K (e.g., 106 FPS at 1440p High vs 67 FPS at 4K High) suggests that the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are being heavily taxed at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, has a score of 21153, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has a score of 20713, which is 1.6% lower. The RTX 5050 sits comfortably in the middle of these parts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1719 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 40th percentile of all tested configurations, which is a surprisingly low position given the high frame rates measured. This ranking suggests that many other combinations of hardware can achieve even higher performance in this specific game.

The low rank is likely due to the fact that Inside is an older game that does not require advanced hardware. Many older CPUs and GPUs can run this game at high frame rates, so the field of tested combos is crowded. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end CPU, but its performance benefits are not fully realized in a game that is not CPU-intensive. Similarly, the RTX 5050 is a mid-range GPU, and while it performs well, it does not have the raw power of higher-tier cards.

The data shows that this combo is not a top performer in the absolute rankings, but it delivers a smooth experience. The rank of 1719 out of 2887 means that there are 1718 combinations that perform better, but there are also 1168 combinations that perform worse. The combo's performance is above the median, but it is not exceptional. This is an important distinction: the system is more than capable of playing the game, but it does not stand out among the thousands of other possible builds.

The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 86, which means it outperforms 86% of all CPUs. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 66, which means it outperforms 66% of all GPUs. The disparity between these two percentiles suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, which is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis. The combo's overall rank in this game is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range positioning.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use for different priorities. For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the obvious choice, with an average of 296 FPS. This is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate display and ensures a completely smooth experience.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. At 1080p, it delivers 237 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 170 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz monitors. Even at 4K, the Medium preset maintains a solid 107 FPS average, with a minimum recorded of 91 FPS. This makes Medium the most versatile preset, providing excellent performance across all resolutions.

The High preset is a good option for 1440p gaming, with an average of 106 FPS. It offers a slight visual improvement over Medium but at a significant performance cost. At 4K, the High preset drops to 67 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset offers little benefit over High, as the performance difference is small, and it is not recommended for 4K gaming, where the average FPS dips to 64.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the best overall choice for this system. It provides a high frame rate at all resolutions and is the only preset where minFps data is recorded, indicating a stable frame pacing. For 1080p users who prioritize frame rate above all else, Low is the best option. For 1440p or 4K users, Medium offers the best experience per the measured rows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

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

| 3840x2160 | High | 67 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 134 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 107 | 91 | 123 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 64 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 106 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 213 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 170 | 145 | 196 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 101 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 148 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 296 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 237 | 201 | 272 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 141 | - | - |

At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. The Low preset leads with 296 FPS, followed by Medium at 237 FPS, High at 148 FPS, and Ultra at 141 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 201 and a maximum of 272, indicating a tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the Low preset still delivers 213 FPS, while Medium drops to 170 FPS. High and Ultra are closer together, at 106 and 101 FPS respectively. The 4K results show a larger spread. Low is 134 FPS, Medium is 107 FPS, and High and Ultra are nearly identical at 67 and 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 91 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.