Inside

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Radeon RX 9070 combination delivers decisive frame rates in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The measured data shows that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher presets, yet it offers enough headroom to prioritize visual fidelity. The benchmark results provide a clear hierarchy of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly indicates that the High preset is the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 213.9 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on any display. Moving up to Ultra only yields a marginal improvement in visual fidelity but drops the frame rate to 204 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is relatively small, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional overhead is not justified by the frame rate return.

At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains an excellent average of 153.3 FPS. This is still well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate gaming, making it the clear choice for 1440p owners. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 150.4 FPS, a negligible difference that does not warrant the extra graphical load. For 4K resolution (3840x2160), the High preset falls to 100.1 FPS, which remains comfortable for most gaming scenarios. The Ultra preset here drops to 90.6 FPS, and while still playable, the High preset offers a safer margin.

The Medium preset presents an interesting alternative for higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, Medium achieves 157.5 FPS, which is significantly higher than High. However, the visual compromise is substantial. For a game like Inside with its atmospheric art direction, the High preset's improvements in lighting and texture detail are worth the frame rate cost. The Low preset, while delivering massive frame rates (407.3 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended as it strips away the visual identity of the game.

The optimal strategy is to use the High preset. It provides the best experience per the measured rows, offering a robust frame rate at all resolutions while preserving the game's intended aesthetic. Users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays will find High to be the sweet spot, as it comfortably exceeds these refresh rates at both 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than ample for a 2016 title, ensuring that texture streaming and asset loading are never a bottleneck. The GPU's RDNA 4.0 architecture with 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs provides ample raw processing power.

The clock speeds of the RX 9070 are notable. The base clock is 1330 MHz, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz and a game clock of 2070 MHz. These frequencies, combined with the 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance, explain why the GPU can push such high frame rates. The benchmark results for the GPU show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290, and a Passmark G3D score of 25381, placing it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs.

The VRAM capacity is a key asset. With 16 GB available, the RX 9070 will not encounter memory limitations at any of the tested settings or resolutions. The data confirms this: even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate remains above 90 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not stalling due to memory pressure. The GPU’s role is to render the scene geometry and effects, and the results show it performs this task with high efficiency. The combination of high clock speeds and a wide memory interface allows the RX 9070 to maintain consistent frame pacing, which is critical for a game with tight timing mechanics.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At the High preset, the average frame rates are 213.9 FPS at 1920x1080, 153.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and 100.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 28.3% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 34.7% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 53.2%.

This scaling pattern indicates that the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, is not a limiting factor. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads, based on Zen 5 architecture, provide more than enough processing power to feed the GPU. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34004 and a single-core score of 4800, demonstrate its high capability. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance delta between resolutions, as the frame rate would plateau.

Instead, the frame rates scale nearly linearly with the pixel count, which is the hallmark of GPU limitation. The GPU is working progressively harder to fill more pixels, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The data shows that the RX 9070 is the primary driver of performance in Inside. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4430, ensures that it can handle the game's logic and physics without introducing stutter, even at the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 365th out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 21.8% of all configurations tested in this game. The ranking is a strong indicator of the combo's overall capability, though it is important to note that this is a single game metric.

The CPU itself is a high performer, ranked in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37780 places it in close competition with several Intel parts. It is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6353P, which scores 37811, a difference of -0.1%. It also matches the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which scores 37831. The AMD part trails the Intel Core i9-13900HK by -0.6% and the Intel Core i5-13600KF by -0.7%. This shows that the 9800X3D is a top-tier CPU, but not the absolute fastest in every metric.

The GPU ranks in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2, which scores 34866, and the NVIDIA Quadro GV100, which scores 34677. The RX 9070 is 0.3% ahead of the Quadro GV100 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7970. This indicates that the GPU is a solid mid-to-high-range performer, but it is not a flagship part.

The combo's rank of 365 suggests that while both components are individually strong, the pairing is not optimized for absolute maximum performance in Inside. The high frame rates achieved suggest that other combinations with more powerful GPUs might rank higher, but this setup still provides an excellent gaming experience.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows excellent performance at all three tested resolutions. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average frame rate is 153.3 FPS, providing a great balance of visual clarity and speed. At 1920x1080, the frame rate reaches 213.9 FPS, which is ideal for very high refresh rate displays.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D bottleneck the Radeon RX 9070?

A: No. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant frame rate drop, indicating a GPU limitation. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4430 in Passmark and multicore score of 34004 in Cinebench R23 ensure it can keep up with the GPU's output.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The Radeon RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is more than enough for a 2016 puzzle platformer. The benchmark results show no signs of memory-related performance degradation, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 365th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the top 21.8%. The CPU is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 79th percentile, indicating a balanced but not top-tier pairing.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 153.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 150.4 FPS. The difference is only 2.9 FPS, making the High preset the more efficient choice.

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 100.1 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, it maintains 90.6 FPS, which is playable. The High preset is recommended for a more comfortable frame rate margin.