Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6600 pairing delivers a strong performance profile in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the graphics card than the processor at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets reveal a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU’s high-end specifications ensure the game never becomes processor-limited, even at 1080p with maximum frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average frame rates drop significantly across all settings presets. At the High preset, the system delivers 129 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with performance falling by 37%, suggesting that the RX 6600’s 8 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are nearing their limits at the higher resolution.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 257 FPS, which drops to 185 FPS at 1440p and 116 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction here is 55%, matching the High preset’s scaling. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K Low (116 FPS) remain comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU can still handle the game at 4K when graphical fidelity is reduced.

The Medium preset offers the most complete data with min and max frame rates recorded. At 1080p, the average is 206 FPS with a minimum of 175 FPS and maximum of 237 FPS. At 1440p, the average falls to 148 FPS (min 126, max 170), and at 4K it drops to 93 FPS (min 79, max 107). The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 55%, consistent with the other presets. The minimum frame rates at 4K (79 FPS) remain well above playable thresholds, showing that even the worst-case frame times are smooth.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling. At 1080p, the average is 122 FPS, dropping to 88 FPS at 1440p and 55 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction is 55%, but the absolute 4K performance of 55 FPS is the only measured result that falls below the 60 FPS standard. This suggests that the Ultra preset at 4K pushes the RX 6600 to its absolute limit, with the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM buffer and 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate becoming the constraining factors.

The consistency of the 55% scaling factor across all four presets is notable. It indicates that Inside’s rendering pipeline is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound, with the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth determining performance at higher resolutions. The CPU’s role becomes minimal at 4K, as the frame rate is limited by the graphics card’s ability to fill pixels.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a flagship desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz provide substantial single-threaded performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that relies on consistent frame pacing. The processor’s 96 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly relevant for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access patterns.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 2080 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23230 in multi-core, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2964 and multi-core score of 18696. These results place the CPU in the 87th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (0.4% higher score), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.7% lower), AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (0.7% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (0.8% lower). These margins are negligible, indicating that the 9800X3D sits at the top of the desktop CPU hierarchy.

For Inside, the CPU’s role is to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 257 FPS, which is well beyond what most displays can show. The CPU’s 16 threads handle the game’s physics and logic without issue, and its high boost clock ensures that single-threaded tasks are processed quickly. The L3 cache’s 96 MB capacity is likely beneficial for the game’s level streaming and asset loading, reducing stutter and maintaining consistent frame times.

The measured frame rates at 1080p across all presets (122-257 FPS) suggest that the CPU is never the limiting factor. Even at the Ultra preset, which places more load on the GPU, the 122 FPS average indicates that the CPU has ample headroom. The processor’s 120 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation for gaming workloads, though Inside does not heavily tax memory bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2869 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the fact that the RX 6600 is a mid-range GPU from 2021, while the CPU is a high-end part from 2024. The data indicates that the GPU is the performance limiter in this pairing, as the CPU’s capabilities far exceed what the GPU can feed at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% difference), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (0.1% lower), NVIDIA Tesla K20m (0.3% lower), and NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (0.4% higher). These margins are tiny, showing that the RX 6600 performs similarly to a range of professional and mobile GPUs, though its gaming-focused architecture with RDNA 2.0 and 1792 shading units provides solid DirectX 12 performance.

The combo’s rank of 2869 out of 3716 means that 847 tested combinations perform worse, while 2868 perform better. This places the pairing in the 77th percentile of all combos, suggesting that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the system back from higher rankings. For a game like Inside that is not particularly demanding, the RX 6600 is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results show the GPU’s limitations.

The delta between the CPU’s high percentile (87th) and the GPU’s lower percentile (63rd) explains the combo’s middling rank. In CPU-bound scenarios, this pairing would rank much higher, but Inside’s resolution scaling shows that the GPU becomes the dominant factor at 1440p and 4K. The measured frame rates at 1080p (122-257 FPS) are excellent, but the 4K results (55-116 FPS) pull the overall ranking down.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware?*

A: The data shows that 1440p offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At the High preset, the system delivers 92 FPS at 1440p, which is well above the 60 FPS standard, while the 4K High preset drops to 58 FPS.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The 4K Low preset achieves 116 FPS, and the Medium preset delivers 93 FPS. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768, which is within 0.8% of its closest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (39603), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048), AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39485), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40081).

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data suggests yes, especially at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops by 55% from 1080p to 4K across all presets, indicating that the RX 6600’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor, while the CPU has significant headroom.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at 1080p Medium?

A: The measured minimum at 1080p Medium is 175 FPS, with an average of 206 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS. This shows excellent frame consistency at this resolution.

*Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and does it matter for Inside?*

A: The RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 4K results, particularly the drop from Medium (93 FPS) to Ultra (55 FPS), suggest that VRAM capacity and bandwidth are significant factors at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture (Navi 23 chip) using a 7 nm process, with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s base clock is 1626 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 15096 in Passmark G3D and 6554 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its DirectX 12 performance is particularly strong, with a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 51, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s are respectable for a mid-range card, but they limit performance at 4K resolutions.

The measured frame rates in Inside show that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver 122 FPS at Ultra and 257 FPS at Low, indicating that it is not heavily stressed at this resolution. However, at 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck, with the Ultra preset dropping to 55 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Inside at all settings, but the memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s may contribute to the performance drop at 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19036 places it in the 63rd percentile, with its closest rivals being the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% difference), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (0.1% lower), NVIDIA Tesla K20m (0.3% lower), and NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (0.4% higher). These results show that the RX 6600 performs competitively with a range of other GPUs, though its end-of-life production status and 132 W TDP suggest it is a last-generation part.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best experience for most users. At 1080p, it delivers 206 FPS average with a minimum of 175 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with no frame drops. At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 148 FPS (min 126), which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. Even at 4K, the Medium preset maintains 93 FPS (min 79), making it the only preset that provides playable frame rates across all three resolutions.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users with 1080p or 1440p displays. At 1080p, it delivers 129 FPS, and at 1440p it achieves 92 FPS, both of which are excellent. However, at 4K, the High preset drops to 58 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS standard. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K, as it delivers only 55 FPS, but it is perfectly playable at 1080p (122 FPS) and 1440p (88 FPS) for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity.

The Low preset is only necessary for 4K gaming at the highest possible frame rates. It delivers 116 FPS at 4K, which is the best 4K result of any preset, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the performance gain for most players. For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, the Low preset’s 257 FPS and 185 FPS respectively offer frame rates that exceed most monitors’ refresh rates, making them unnecessary for typical use.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, providing the most consistent performance across all resolutions while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The min and max frame rates recorded for the Medium preset (175-237 at 1080p, 126-170 at 1440p, 79-107 at 4K) demonstrate excellent frame pacing with no significant stutter, making it the recommended choice for the best overall experience.