Inside

# Inside Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on frame rates than its minimalist art style might suggest. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this combination never drops below 140 FPS average, making it one of the most capable configurations in the database. The data shows a system that is dramatically overqualified for this title, yet the measured results reveal interesting scaling characteristics that clarify which component drives performance at each resolution and quality preset.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the optimal balance between visual quality and frame rate headroom. At 1080p, Medium produces 399 FPS average with a minimum of 339 FPS and maximum of 459 FPS. This is only 34 FPS lower than Low (433 FPS) but delivers substantially better visual fidelity for a puzzle platformer where environmental readability matters. The advantage over High (325 FPS) is 74 FPS, which is significant for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, Medium again proves superior. The 358 FPS average with 304 FPS minimum and 412 FPS maximum means the system maintains triple-digit frame rates even during demanding scenes. Low delivers 388 FPS, but the 30 FPS difference is negligible when both are well above any display's refresh rate. High (234 FPS) and Ultra (222 FPS) remain playable but sacrifice over 120 FPS compared to Medium.

At 4K, Medium produces 235 FPS average with 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum. This is 58 FPS lower than Low (293 FPS) but 88 FPS higher than High (147 FPS) and 95 FPS higher than Ultra (140 FPS). The Medium preset at 4K still delivers frame rates that exceed most high-refresh displays, making it the clear choice for 4K owners. Low settings at 4K provide 293 FPS, but the visual compromise in a game with atmospheric lighting and shadow details is not worth the additional headroom unless using a 240Hz+ 4K display.

The data suggests that Ultra provides diminishing returns: at every resolution, the gap between Medium and Ultra is substantial (164 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, 95 FPS at 4K), while the visual difference in Inside is typically subtle due to the game's monochromatic palette and stylized rendering. Players should default to Medium and only lower to Low if they require maximum frame rates for competitive play or extremely high refresh displays.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is far beyond what Inside requires. The game's modest texture and geometry demands mean the GPU's memory subsystem is never a bottleneck. The 2235 MHz base clock and 2520 MHz boost clock provide the raw compute throughput needed to push frame rates above 400 at 1080p.

The GPU's 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs deliver 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Inside, a game with relatively simple geometry but complex lighting and particle effects, this compute power translates directly into high fill rates. The 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for the game's 2.5D side-scrolling perspective.

The RTX 4090's performance percentile of 88 versus all GPUs places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, though its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (deltaPct 0) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (deltaPct 0.3). These delta values indicate essentially identical average scores in synthetic benchmarks, though the RTX 4090's real-world gaming performance in Inside is exceptional. The GPU's 5 nm TSMC process node and Ada Lovelace architecture with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die provide the efficiency needed to sustain high clocks under load.

The measured results show the GPU is rarely the limiting factor. At 1080p, the 433 FPS Low preset result suggests the GPU is still delivering headroom, with the CPU becoming the constraint. At 4K, the 147 FPS High result indicates the GPU is working harder, but the 293 FPS Low result shows it still has substantial capacity. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is never approached by Inside's requirements, making this configuration future-proof for more demanding titles.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) provide the processing foundation for high frame rates in Inside. With a base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the CPU delivers exceptional single-thread performance, which is critical for a game that primarily uses one or two threads for gameplay logic and physics.

The 96 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly relevant for Inside's level streaming and object management. The game's puzzle mechanics require frequent state checks and collision detection, and the large cache reduces memory latency for these operations. The 89.6 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth, while not directly measured in game performance, supports the CPU's ability to feed data to the GPU without bottlenecks.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its positioning. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,807 and single-core score of 2,228 place it well within the top tier of desktop processors. The PassMark multi-thread score of 41,318 and single-thread score of 4,704 confirm balanced performance. The 92nd percentile versus all CPUs indicates this is a top-tier processor, with nearest rivals including the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Core i9-14900 (deltaPct 0.5), and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (deltaPct -0.7).

In Inside, the CPU's role becomes apparent in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the 433 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of driving extremely high frame rates. The 399 FPS Medium result at 1080p shows only a 34 FPS drop despite increased GPU load, indicating the CPU maintains its performance ceiling. However, at 4K Ultra, the 140 FPS result shows the GPU becoming the primary constraint, as the CPU's frame generation capacity exceeds what the GPU can render at that resolution.

The 4 nm TSMC process node and 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die enable the high clocks that benefit Inside's physics calculations. The unlocked multiplier and AM5 socket support overclocking for users seeking additional performance, though the measured results show the stock configuration is already sufficient for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 32nd out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 1.1% of all configurations in the database. This ranking reflects the exceptional performance of both components, though it is notable that 31 other combinations achieve higher frame rates in this game. The data shows that these higher-ranked combos likely use the same RTX 4090 with even faster CPUs, as Inside benefits from extremely high single-thread performance.

The 32nd rank position, despite the CPU's 92nd percentile and GPU's 88th percentile scores, indicates that the game's performance is influenced by factors beyond raw component scores. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 96 MB L3 cache and high boost clock provide excellent gaming performance, but the top 31 combos may use CPUs with even higher single-thread scores or different memory configurations.

The gap between this combo's rank and the top positions is not reflected in the average FPS data available. At 1080p Low, the 433 FPS result is already near the practical limit for most displays, suggesting that higher-ranked combos achieve only marginal improvements. The percentile rankings of the individual components (92 for CPU, 88 for GPU) are consistent with a top-32 combo ranking, as both components are in the upper decile of their respective categories.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component at each resolution. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 433 FPS at 1080p to 388 FPS at 1440p (a 10.4% decrease) and then to 293 FPS at 4K (a 32.3% decrease from 1440p). This scaling pattern indicates that at Low settings, the CPU remains the primary limiter at 1080p and 1440p, with the GPU only becoming the constraint at 4K.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 399 FPS at 1080p, 358 FPS at 1440p (10.3% decrease), and 235 FPS at 4K (34.4% decrease from 1440p). The similar percentage drops between Low and Medium suggest that the GPU load increases proportionally with settings, but the CPU still provides adequate frame generation at 1080p and 1440p.

At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 91 FPS (from 325 to 234, a 28% decrease), and from 1440p to 4K is 87 FPS (from 234 to 147, a 37.2% decrease). This steeper scaling indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor earlier at High settings. The Ultra preset shows similar behavior: 309 FPS at 1080p, 222 FPS at 1440p (28.2% decrease), and 140 FPS at 4K (36.9% decrease).

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint across all settings, as the frame rate differences between Low (433) and Ultra (309) are modest compared to what the GPU could theoretically deliver. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, particularly at High (147 FPS) and Ultra (140 FPS), where the frame rates converge regardless of CPU capability. The 1440p results represent a balanced range where both components contribute to performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show the highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 433 FPS average, Medium delivers 399 FPS with a minimum of 339 FPS and maximum of 459 FPS, High reaches 325 FPS, and Ultra achieves 309 FPS. The 124 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates that even at 1080p, settings significantly impact performance, though all results exceed 300 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low produces 388 FPS, Medium delivers 358 FPS with 304 FPS minimum and 412 FPS maximum, High reaches 234 FPS, and Ultra achieves 222 FPS. The 166 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is larger than at 1080p, indicating the GPU begins to feel the resolution increase. The Medium preset's minimum of 304 FPS ensures consistent high-refresh-rate performance.

At 3840x2160, the results show the GPU working harder. Low produces 293 FPS, Medium delivers 235 FPS with 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum, High reaches 147 FPS, and Ultra achieves 140 FPS. The 153 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is similar to 1440p, but the absolute values are lower. The Medium preset's 200 FPS minimum is the lowest recorded across all test conditions, though still well above typical display refresh rates.

The minimum and maximum values for Medium settings provide insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the 339-459 FPS range represents a 35.4% variation, while at 1440p, the 304-412 FPS range shows 35.5% variation, and at 4K, the 200-270 FPS range shows 35% variation. This consistent variation pattern suggests that Inside's frame pacing is stable regardless of resolution, with the GPU handling its workload uniformly.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming in Inside with this hardware?*

A: The Medium preset at 4K delivers 235 FPS average with a 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum. This provides the best balance between visual quality and performance, as High (147 FPS) and Ultra (140 FPS) sacrifice over 88 FPS for marginal visual improvements.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint. The evidence is the frame rate difference between Low (433 FPS) and Ultra (309 FPS) is only 124 FPS, while at 4K the same comparison shows a 153 FPS difference, indicating the GPU becomes the limiter at higher resolutions.

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

A: This combination ranks 32nd out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 1.1% of all configurations. The CPU's 92nd percentile and GPU's 88th percentile scores are consistent with this top-tier ranking.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 358 FPS average with a 304 FPS minimum and 412 FPS maximum at 2560x1440 on Medium settings. This ensures no dips below 300 FPS even during demanding sequences.

*Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM matter for Inside?*

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is far more than Inside requires. The game's modest texture and geometry demands mean the GPU's memory capacity is never a limiting factor in any of the measured configurations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's cache affect performance in this game?

A: The 96 MB shared L3 cache is beneficial for Inside's level streaming and puzzle mechanics. The large cache reduces memory latency for frequent state checks and collision detection, contributing to the high minimum frame rates observed across all tested settings.