Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than its genre might suggest. Benchmark data shows this pairing achieves playable frame rates at every tested setting, with performance scaling predictably from 1080p through 4K. The measured results reveal a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression across resolutions tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 309 FPS, which drops to 222 FPS at 1440p and 140 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is heavily engaged even at the lowest quality preset. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs 28% of the frame rate, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 37%, showing how pixel count increasingly stresses the RX 9060.

At High settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The 1080p result is 155 FPS, dropping to 111 FPS at 1440p and 70 FPS at 4K. Here the 4K figure is less than half of the 1080p value, confirming that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors as resolution increases. The Ultra preset shows similar behavior: 147 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra narrows at higher resolutions, suggesting that the additional graphical effects in Ultra have diminishing returns when pixel throughput is the primary constraint.

Medium settings provide the most balanced scaling data. The frame rates are 247 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 112 FPS at 4K, with the 1440p result showing a minimum of 151 FPS and maximum of 204 FPS. This preset demonstrates the steepest relative drop from 1080p to 4K at 55%, matching the Low preset's pattern. The consistent scaling across all settings indicates that Inside is not CPU-bound at any resolution tested; the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's capabilities are not the limiting factor in any of these scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor with this combo?

A: At Medium settings, the 1440p result of 178 FPS exceeds a 144Hz refresh rate, while the 4K Medium result of 112 FPS does not. For 4K, High settings yield 70 FPS, which is suitable for 60Hz displays.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 places it 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129. It is 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700, which score 15862 and 15852 respectively.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's single-thread performance sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU scores 328 in Cinebench R15 single-core and 2080 in Cinebench R23 single-core, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1212. These results are far above what Inside requires, as evidenced by the GPU being the bottleneck at all resolutions.

Q: What FPS can be expected at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 147 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. This is only 5% lower than the High preset's 155 FPS, making Ultra the better choice for visual quality without significant performance loss.

Q: Does the 4K Medium preset maintain a playable frame rate?

A: Yes, with an average of 112 FPS and a recorded minimum of 95 FPS. The maximum reaches 128 FPS, showing that the combo can handle 4K gaming at medium quality with comfortable margins above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: It ranks 1615 out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the 56th percentile. This mid-pack ranking reflects that Inside is more dependent on GPU power than CPU capability, and the RX 9060's mid-range positioning holds the combo back from top-tier rankings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D brings 8 cores and 16 threads from the Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, combined with a 96 MB shared L3 cache, make it an exceptionally capable processor for gaming workloads. The benchmark scores reinforce this: a 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and a max-thread score of 10067 show strong multi-core capability, while the single-thread score of 1212 demonstrates the per-core performance that puzzle platformers like Inside typically leverage.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is largely secondary. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation — even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the combo achieves 309 FPS without any indication of a CPU bottleneck. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2394 and 4-thread score of 4669 suggest that even heavily threaded game logic would not stress this processor. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's passmark multithread score of 40009 and data compression score of 468017 place it well above the requirements of a game released in 2016.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS at 39603 (0.4% lower) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40048 (0.7% higher). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 9800X3D's performance is well within the expected range for its class. The 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that this processor is not the limiting factor in Inside. The 120 W TDP and AM5 socket with DDR5 memory support provide ample bandwidth for game data, though the game's modest requirements mean even dual-channel memory at 89.6 GB/s is more than sufficient.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RX 9060 achieves a rank of 1615 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the middle of the pack. This ranking is notably lower than the CPU's individual percentile of 87 and the GPU's percentile of 59, which suggests that the game's performance is more heavily weighted toward GPU capability than CPU strength. The combo's mid-tier position is primarily driven by the RX 9060's performance class, which sits near the RTX 3060 Ti in raw benchmark scores.

Given that the GPU's average benchmark score of 16014 is only 0.7% below the RTX 3060 Ti's 16129, the combo's ranking is consistent with what would be expected from a mid-range graphics card paired with a top-tier CPU. The game's 2016 release date means it was designed for hardware of that era, and modern mid-range GPUs vastly exceed those requirements. The ranking disparity between the CPU and GPU components highlights that Inside does not utilize the 9800X3D's full potential, making the combo's placement more indicative of the GPU's capabilities.

The data shows that combos ranked higher than this pairing likely feature more powerful GPUs, as the CPU's strong benchmark scores would not be the differentiating factor. The 56th percentile ranking is not a reflection of poor performance — the measured FPS values are all playable — but rather a result of many other tested configurations using higher-end graphics cards. This context is important for understanding the combo's position: it is a balanced pairing where the GPU is the performance ceiling in this particular game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the most compelling balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 247 FPS, which is 20% lower than Low's 309 FPS but provides substantially better visuals. The 1440p Medium result of 178 FPS is well above the 144Hz threshold, while the 4K Medium result of 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS ensures a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset is viable at 1080p and 1440p, with 147 FPS and 106 FPS respectively. However, the 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS, while playable, drops below the 70 FPS achieved at High settings. The High preset at 4K provides 70 FPS, making it the better choice for 4K users who want higher quality than Medium without the performance hit of Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 8 FPS (155 vs 147), suggesting that Ultra's extra effects have minimal cost at this resolution.

The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play at 1080p, where 309 FPS provides maximum responsiveness. At 1440p and 4K, Low's 222 FPS and 140 FPS respectively offer diminishing returns compared to Medium's superior visuals at 178 FPS and 112 FPS. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, delivering frame rates that exceed most display refresh rates while maintaining acceptable visual quality. For 4K users, Medium is the clear winner; for 1080p and 1440p users, Ultra is a viable option if visual fidelity is paramount.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 309 FPS, while Medium yields 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 FPS and maximum of 284 FPS. High settings achieve 155 FPS, and Ultra reaches 147 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal at 8 FPS, indicating that Ultra's additional effects are not particularly demanding at this resolution. The 1080p results show that the GPU has significant headroom, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 144 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected drop from pixel count increases. Low settings average 222 FPS, Medium delivers 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS and maximum of 204 FPS, High achieves 111 FPS, and Ultra produces 106 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with approximately a 28-30% reduction in average FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 151 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes stay above 144 FPS, making this resolution and setting combination ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings still manage 140 FPS, but Medium drops to 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and maximum of 128 FPS. High settings yield 70 FPS, and Ultra falls to 66 FPS. The 4K results show a significant difference between Low and Medium (28 FPS), while the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 4 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 95 FPS is notable, as it demonstrates that even at 4K, the combo maintains comfortable margins above 60 FPS for most of the game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the Navi 44 chip using RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz enable a peak FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS. These specifications position the RX 9060 as a mid-range card, with its average benchmark score of 16014 placing it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs.

In Inside, the GPU's role is dominant across all tested configurations. The measured FPS data shows that the RX 9060 is the limiting factor at every resolution and setting combination, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when increasing resolution. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra the combo maintains 66 FPS without any indication of memory limitations. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 112 TMUs provide ample pixel and texture throughput for a game with simple geometry and lighting.

The RX 9060's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 0.7% higher in average benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 score 1% lower. These small deltas confirm that the RX 9060 is competitive with established mid-range cards. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 17631 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 further validate its performance class. For Inside, the GPU's capabilities are more than adequate, providing playable frame rates at 4K and exceptional performance at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's 132 W TDP and dual-slot design also suggest efficient operation, though the benchmark data does not capture power consumption directly.