Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer that, on this hardware pairing, delivers a wide performance envelope depending on how the user prioritizes visual fidelity versus frame rate. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 2464th out of 2887 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The measured data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, as frame rates scale dramatically with both resolution and graphics preset, while the 8-core CPU provides ample headroom even at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this hardware in Inside?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 216 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This drops to 103 FPS at the same resolution when the Ultra preset is enabled.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER perform relative to its closest rivals in general GPU benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 12986, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940, a 0.4% difference, while the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores 13075, putting it 0.7% ahead.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D a high-performance CPU compared to other processors?

A: Yes, the CPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 58386. Its closest rival is the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with a score of 58323, a delta of 0.1%, showing the Ryzen chip is essentially tied with that server processor.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates recorded for this game at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, the range is 147 to 199 FPS; at 2560x1440, the range is 106 to 143 FPS; and at 3840x2160, the range is 66 to 90 FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D have integrated graphics that could run this game without the GPU?

A: The CPU package lists "Radeon Graphics" as integrated graphics. However, all measured FPS data for this page specifically uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, so the iGPU's performance in this title is not quantified here.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU in this combination?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has a launch MSRP of $499, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 229 USD.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive factor in Inside's performance across different settings. The GPU is based on the Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, featuring 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines. Its core clocks are listed at 1530 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a card of this class and helps with texture-heavy scenes.

The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy in the GPU's capabilities. In the Passmark suite, the card scores 12699 in G3D, but only 50 in DirectX 12 and 104 in DirectX 11. This indicates that while the raw graphics processing power is respectable, its performance in modern API workloads is less impressive. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1278, and Geekbench scores are 52490 for OpenCL and 57102 for Vulkan. The GPU's overall percentile rank is 53rd, meaning it sits just above the median of all GPUs in the database.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is evident in the scaling of frame rates. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra presets is 113 FPS (216 vs 103), showing the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher graphical settings. This scaling pattern is consistent at all resolutions, confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER's compute and memory resources are the limiting factor. The card's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 157.1 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for the game's 2D side-scrolling visuals, but the data shows it cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where it drops to 47 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides a massive computational foundation that is not stressed by Inside. This CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is typically beneficial for gaming, though this title's requirements are modest. The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its high-end positioning: it achieves 22807 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2228 in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 41318 and a single-thread score of 4704.

The data suggests the CPU is never the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the game hits 216 FPS, which is likely near the engine's or the GPU's output limit, not a CPU constraint. The CPU's percentile rank of 92nd among all CPUs, with an average score of 58386, places it far above the demands of a puzzle platformer. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900 with a score of 58115 (0.5% slower) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 with a score of 58826 (0.7% faster), confirming this is a top-tier processor.

The role of the CPU in Inside is to ensure frame pacing and avoid any dips that could come from physics or logic calculations. With 8 cores at 4.7 GHz base, there is ample headroom. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly strained (47 FPS), the CPU's performance is not implicated because the frame rate drop aligns with the increased resolution workload. The integrated Radeon Graphics on the CPU is irrelevant in this configuration, as the GTX 1660 SUPER handles all rendering duties. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 is more than sufficient for the game's data streaming needs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Inside reveals a consistent pattern: higher resolutions and higher presets both reduce average frame rates, with the Ultra preset being particularly demanding. At 1920x1080, the game runs at 216 FPS on Low, 173 FPS on Medium (with a range of 147-199 FPS), 108 FPS on High, and 103 FPS on Ultra. This shows a sharp 50% drop from Low to High, followed by a minimal 5 FPS drop from High to Ultra, indicating that the High preset is a performance cliff.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. The Low preset delivers 156 FPS, Medium drops to 125 FPS (range 106-143), High falls to 78 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 74 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra narrows further here, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are minor relative to the resolution's rendering cost. At 1440p, the game remains playable even at Ultra, but the 78 FPS at High is a more comfortable target for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings yield 98 FPS, Medium drops to 78 FPS (range 66-90), High falls to 49 FPS, and Ultra is the worst at 47 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 20 FPS, but the gap from Medium to High is a significant 29 FPS. This indicates that the High preset at 4K is where the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 336 GB/s bandwidth start to struggle, likely due to texture and shader complexity. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 47 FPS, is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max FPS data across all resolutions, providing a reliable window into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the 147 FPS minimum is still very high; at 1440p, the 106 FPS minimum remains fluid; and at 4K, the 66 FPS minimum is borderline but acceptable. This suggests that Medium is the most stable preset in terms of frame pacing, which is critical for a puzzle platformer where precise input timing matters.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling of Inside on this hardware is steep, revealing a primarily GPU-bound workload. Comparing the 1080p Low average of 216 FPS to the 4K Low average of 98 FPS shows a 55% reduction in frame rate. This is a larger drop than the pixel count increase alone would suggest (4x pixels), indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate are heavily taxed as resolution rises.

The pattern is similar for the Ultra preset: 103 FPS at 1080p drops to 47 FPS at 4K, a 54% reduction. This consistency suggests that the scaling is independent of the preset, meaning the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting factor across all settings. The High preset shows the most dramatic scaling, dropping from 108 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 4K, a 55% decline. This indicates that High settings at 4K require more resources than the GPU can efficiently deliver, likely due to the combination of high-resolution textures and complex lighting.

The Medium preset shows a slightly different scaling curve: 173 FPS at 1080p drops to 125 FPS at 1440p, then to 78 FPS at 4K. The step from 1440p to 4K is a 38% reduction, which is less severe than the other presets. This suggests that the Medium preset's lower shader complexity allows the GPU to scale better with resolution, as it is less likely to hit a rop or bandwidth limit. The data indicates that the limiting component is the GPU's 192-bit memory bus and 48 ROPs, which are more stressed as the output resolution increases.

The resolution scaling also provides insight into the CPU's role. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain similar across resolutions at the same preset. Instead, we see a clear correlation between resolution and FPS, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the 216 FPS is likely near the engine's frame rate cap or the GPU's maximum output, but the CPU's 92nd percentile benchmark scores ensure it is not the limiting factor. The CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock and 96 MB L3 cache are more than sufficient for the game's physics and logic, allowing the GPU to determine the final frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend on the user's display resolution and preference for visual quality versus frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset at 216 FPS is overkill for most displays, and the High preset at 108 FPS is already excellent for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 103 FPS offers no meaningful frame rate penalty over High, so users with high-refresh monitors should choose Ultra for the best visuals without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 125 FPS (with a minimum of 106 FPS) provides the best balance of fluidity and visual fidelity. The High preset at 78 FPS is still adequate for most gamers, but the 47 FPS drop from Medium to High is substantial. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is not recommended because the visual upgrade from High is minimal, yet the frame rate is lower. For users with 144Hz displays, the Medium preset's 125 FPS average is the only way to approach that refresh rate, while High and Ultra will be capped by the GPU's output.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly recommends the Low preset, which delivers 98 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 78 FPS is also playable, and its minimum of 66 FPS ensures no major hitches. The High and Ultra presets at 49 and 47 FPS respectively are below the 60 FPS threshold, which can cause noticeable stutter in a puzzle platformer where precise timing is essential. Therefore, 4K users should stick to Low or Medium, with Medium being the best choice for a balance of quality and performance.

The overall best experience across all resolutions is the Medium preset. It is the only preset with recorded minimum FPS data, showing consistent frame pacing. At 1080p, it delivers 173 FPS; at 1440p, 125 FPS; and at 4K, 78 FPS. This means users can switch between resolutions without needing to adjust settings, as the Medium preset maintains a playable frame rate at every level. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, as it provides 103 FPS, which is still smooth. For 1440p and 4K, the Medium preset offers the best compromise between graphical fidelity and the high, stable frame rates that this game's mechanics benefit from.