Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with modest visual demands, and the measured data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 clearly reflects that. The benchmark results show a system capable of high frame rates even at demanding resolutions, but with notable performance ceilings that shift depending on the settings preset and resolution. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, the respective roles of the GPU and CPU, the combo's overall ranking, and the exact measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but significant drop in performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the game runs at 231 FPS average, but this falls to 166 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 104 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, highlighting the substantial rendering load increase.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings presets. With Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 184 at 1080p to 133 at 1440p and then to 83 at 4K. That is a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K as well, but the absolute numbers show a steeper curve. At High settings, the progression is 115 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K, which is a 55% reduction overall. The Ultra preset shows the same relative trend, with 110 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K.

The consistency of the percentage drop across all settings suggests that the rendering pipeline is heavily bound by the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities. The GTX 1070, with its 64 ROPs and 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate, is being pushed progressively harder as resolution climbs. The data indicates that 1080p is where this combo excels, with all presets delivering above 110 FPS. At 1440p, the system remains playable across the board, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 87 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra shrinks to 54 FPS, showing that the GPU is nearing its limits even at the lowest quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 plays the dominant role in these results, as evidenced by the steep performance scaling with resolution. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Inside's art style, which uses a muted color palette and simple geometry, but the raw compute throughput becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The GTX 1070's clock speeds are set at a base of 1506 MHz with a boost of 1683 MHz. These clocks, combined with 1920 shading units, deliver 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The data shows that this compute power is enough for very high frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but the GPU's limits become apparent at 4K. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 50, which is exactly half of the 1080p Ultra result of 110 FPS. This halving of performance with a quadrupling of pixel count indicates that the GPU is not the only constraint, but it is the primary one.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 47% versus all GPUs places it firmly in the mid-range category. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD FirePro W5000 with a delta of -0.2%, the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M at -0.5%, and the NVIDIA Tesla M10 at +0.6%. These are all professional or older cards, which contextualizes the GTX 1070 as a capable but not exceptional performer in the current landscape. The memory at 8 GB is adequate for Inside, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity at any resolution, given that the frame rates remain consistent with compute-bound behavior rather than memory-swapping artifacts.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU is far more powerful than what Inside requires, as the game's simple physics and logic systems do not leverage multi-threading heavily.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228. The PassMark single-thread score is 4704, and the multi-thread score is 41318. These numbers place the CPU in the 92nd percentile versus all CPUs, indicating that it is a top-tier part. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Xeon w5-2545 at -0.2%, and the Intel Core i9-14900 at +0.5%.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery without becoming a bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 231 FPS average, which is likely near the engine's own frame rate cap or the GPU's maximum output at that resolution. The CPU's high single-core performance ensures that the game's main thread is never starved, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential. At 4K, the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases. The data suggests that even a much weaker CPU would produce similar results at 4K, but the 9850X3D ensures that 1080p and 1440p performance is maximized.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve consistently high frame rates?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with all settings presets delivering at least 110 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 79 to 166 depending on settings, which is still playable, but 4K drops to as low as 50 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the GTX 1070's memory bandwidth affect performance in Inside?

A: The GTX 1070 has 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth from its 8 GB GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. This bandwidth is sufficient for Inside's rendering needs, as the frame rate scaling with resolution is consistent with compute-bound rather than memory-bound behavior.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and a PassMark single-thread score of 4704, which is far above the requirements for this puzzle platformer. The frame rate drops with resolution, pointing to the GPU as the limiting component.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 166 FPS, while Ultra produces 79 FPS. This is a difference of 87 FPS, or roughly 52% lower performance at Ultra compared to Low.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo rank for this game is 2370 out of 2887 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, which is expected given the GTX 1070's mid-range GPU status despite the high-end CPU.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings?

A: For Medium settings, the minimum FPS values are 157 at 1920x1080, 113 at 2560x1440, and 71 at 3840x2160. These minimums indicate that even the lowest frame rates remain above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 2370 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This ranking places it in the 18th percentile of all combos, meaning that roughly 82% of tested systems perform better in this game. The low ranking is largely attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 47th percentile versus all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 92nd percentile versus all CPUs.

This discrepancy highlights a significant imbalance in the pairing. The CPU is a top-tier part with an average benchmark score of 58386, while the GPU has an average benchmark score of 9780. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the AMD FirePro W5000, NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, NVIDIA Tesla M10, and NVIDIA Tesla C2070, all of which are older or professional parts. The ranking of 2370 indicates that most other combos in the database have either a stronger GPU or a more balanced pairing.

Despite the low rank, the actual gaming experience is far from poor. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p, all presets exceed 110 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most displays. At 1440p, the system can maintain above 79 FPS even at Ultra settings. The rank is a relative measure against all other combos, and it does not reflect the absolute performance, which is quite playable for this game's genre.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 231 at Low to 110 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 184 FPS with a minimum of 157 and a maximum of 212. High settings average 115 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 121 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 166 at Low to 79 at Ultra. Medium settings average 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 and a maximum of 153. High settings average 83 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 104 at Low to 50 at Ultra. Medium settings average 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96. High settings average 52 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 54 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K. The minimum FPS of 71 at 4K Medium shows that even the lowest frame rates remain above the 60 FPS threshold for playability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets are viable, but Ultra provides the best visual quality while still averaging 110 FPS. For players who prefer maximum frame rates, Low at 231 FPS is an option, but the visual trade-off is substantial. The Medium preset at 184 FPS offers a balanced experience with a minimum of 157 FPS, ensuring no drops below the 144 Hz refresh rate territory.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 83 FPS is a solid choice, but Medium at 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS provides a smoother experience. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is still playable, but the 54 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra suggests that the visual improvements may not justify the frame rate loss. For a 60 Hz display, Ultra is acceptable, but for higher refresh rates, Medium is the better recommendation.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 83 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Low preset at 104 FPS achieves even higher frame rates, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. High and Ultra at 52 and 50 FPS, respectively, are borderline, with frame rates dipping below 60 FPS on average. The minimum FPS of 71 at 4K Medium ensures that there are no significant stutters, making this the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at 4K.