Inside

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The chip carries 96 MB of shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 1 MB of L2 per core. This combination of high clocks and large cache is relevant for a puzzle platformer like Inside, where frame pacing and consistency matter more than raw thread throughput.

The CPU's benchmark profile reflects strong single-thread and multi-thread capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 4800 in single-core and 34004 in multi-core. Geekbench results show 3341 single-core and 18413 multi-core. The 3DMark tests indicate scaling from 1212 (single-thread) to 10067 (max threads), with 2-thread at 2394, 4-thread at 4669, and 8-thread at 8252. The processor's percentile ranking versus all CPUs is 90, with an average benchmark score of 37780.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the 9800X3D sits within a tight cluster. The Intel Xeon 6353P scores 37811 (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 37831 (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core i9-13900HK scores 38020 (deltaPct -0.6), and the Intel Core i5-13600KF scores 38028 (deltaPct -0.7). These deltas are all sub-1%, meaning the 9800X3D is essentially tied with these parts in aggregate CPU benchmarks.

However, for Inside, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 281.9 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it drops to 133.6 FPS. The difference between settings is substantial, indicating that GPU workload scaling dominates. The 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for a game of this genre and era (released in 2016), and its high single-thread score of 4800 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can handle the game's logic and physics without bottlenecking the frame rate.

The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general benchmarks. Yet in this specific title, the measured FPS numbers are more reflective of the GPU's capabilities. The 9800X3D's role here is to feed frames quickly; its 96 MB L3 cache and high boost clock minimize any potential CPU-side stalls. The data indicates that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has less work, the CPU keeps up well enough to deliver nearly 282 FPS.

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The 9800X3D's average benchmark score of 37780 is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831, deltaPct -0.1). The Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, deltaPct -0.6) and Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028, deltaPct -0.7) are slightly ahead by less than 1%.

*Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance, and why might that matter for Inside?*

A: The 9800X3D scores 4800 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3341 in Geekbench single-core. For a puzzle platformer, single-thread performance often dictates game logic and physics updates. The high single-core score helps ensure the CPU does not limit frame delivery, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity.

Q: Does the CPU have enough cores and threads for this game?

A: The 8 cores and 16 threads are far more than needed for Inside. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 8252 versus max-thread score of 10067 shows good scaling, but the game likely uses fewer threads. The data shows no CPU bottleneck even at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 281.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's cache configuration affect performance here?

A: The 96 MB shared L3 cache is a defining feature of the 9800X3D. While the FACT PACK does not provide a direct cache-performance correlation for Inside, the large cache reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data. This is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times in a game with procedural elements.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking, and what does it indicate?

A: The 9800X3D ranks in the 90th percentile versus all CPUs. This means it outperforms 90% of tested processors in aggregate benchmarks. In the context of Inside, this high ranking suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor; the measured FPS is more dependent on GPU settings.

Q: Are there any rival CPUs that significantly outperform the 9800X3D in general benchmarks?

A: No. The nearest rivals all have deltaPct values between -0.1 and -0.7, meaning they are within 1% of the 9800X3D's average score. The Intel Core i5-13600KF is the closest at -0.7%, which is a negligible difference.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the combo scales from 1080p to 4K, revealing where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 281.9. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 203.3, and at 4K Low it falls to 129.2. This scaling pattern — a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 36% drop from 1440p to 4K — indicates that the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count increases, but the CPU still keeps up.

At Ultra settings, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers. 1080p Ultra averages 133.6 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 97.9, and 4K Ultra averages 60.8. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 38%, which is more pronounced than the 28% drop at Low settings. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) are more heavily taxed.

The data points to the RTX 2060 SUPER as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions and settings. The 9800X3D's raw compute — with a 3DMark max-thread score of 10067 and PassMark multithread score of 40009 — is ample for this game. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 60.8 FPS, which is close to the 64 FPS at 4K High. The small difference between High (64) and Ultra (60.8) at 4K indicates diminishing returns from the GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

At 1080p, the combo exceeds 133 FPS even at Ultra, demonstrating that the CPU can push frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 281.9 FPS at 1080p Low is a clear sign that the CPU is not the bottleneck; if it were, we would see less variance between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution. Instead, the 1080p Low-to-Ultra gap of 148.3 FPS (281.9 minus 133.6) is substantial, reinforcing that GPU load is the dominant factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS: Low at 281.9, Medium at 224, High at 142.4, and Ultra at 133.6. The gap between Low and Medium is 57.9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 8.8 FPS. This indicates that the Medium to High transition incurs a larger performance penalty than the High to Ultra step.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 203.3, Medium at 158.6, High at 98.4, and Ultra at 97.9. Here, the Low-to-Medium gap is 44.7 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is just 0.5 FPS. The near-identical High and Ultra numbers at 1440p suggest the GPU hits a performance wall, likely due to memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) or shading unit limits.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 129.2, Medium at 99.8, High at 64, and Ultra at 60.8. The Low-to-Medium gap is 29.4 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 3.2 FPS. The 4K results show that even at Low settings, the combo cannot exceed 129.2 FPS, and at Ultra it barely maintains 60.8 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance headroom is evident from the 1080p Low result of 281.9 FPS, which is over 4.6 times the 4K Ultra result of 60.8 FPS. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 16462 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2011 are modest, consistent with its 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1158 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 69th percentile of all combos (calculated as 1 - 1158/1671). The ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance tier: the RTX 2060 SUPER is an end-of-life product from 2019, with a 63rd percentile ranking among GPUs.

The CPU's high performance (90th percentile) is offset by the GPU's mid-range standing. In a game like Inside, which is not graphically intensive by modern standards, the combo still manages playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (60.8 FPS). However, the rank of 1158 suggests that many other combos deliver higher average FPS.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals show that the RTX 2060 SUPER is closely matched: the GTX TITAN (19706, deltaPct 0.3), RTX 2070 (19680, deltaPct 0.5), Quadro K5200 (19623, deltaPct 0.8), and Tesla K40m (19519, deltaPct 1.3) all score within 1.3% of the RTX 2060 SUPER's average of 19774. This tight clustering means that swapping to any of these GPUs would yield similar Inside performance.

The combo ranking is likely driven by the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus, which are adequate but not exceptional. At 4K Ultra, the 60.8 FPS average is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the data shows no minimum FPS values, so frame consistency is unknown. The rank of 1158 out of 1671 is below the median, indicating that most tested combos perform better in this title, primarily due to more powerful GPUs. The 9800X3D's role is to prevent CPU bottlenecks, which it does effectively, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's mid-range throughput.