Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 delivers a curious performance profile in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. The 12-core, 24-thread Zen 3 processor is a desktop powerhouse, but the GPU is an end-of-life Polaris part, creating a significant bottleneck in this title. The measured data shows that this combination lands at rank 1588 out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems, which is a direct result of the GPU struggling to keep pace with the CPU’s capability.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 5900X is a 5000-series processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, using a 7 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, features 64 MB of L3 cache, and supports DDR4 memory across a dual-channel bus. Its multi-threaded capability is substantial, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33150 and a Passmark multithread score of 39002. This processor ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39453, placing it in close competition with parts like the AMD EPYC 4245P and Intel Core i7-13700.

In the context of Inside, this CPU’s raw power is largely underutilized. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, and its computational demands are far below what the 5900X can supply. The benchmark results indicate a single-thread score of 941 in 3DMark single-thread and 4680 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are more relevant to game logic and physics in such a title, but even these scores are far beyond what is necessary. The data confirms the CPU is not the limiting factor; even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU’s workload is relatively highest, the system achieves 135.4 FPS, a figure constrained by the GPU rather than the processor. The 5900X is effectively waiting on the graphics card at every resolution and setting, proving that its 12 cores and 24 threads are not a contributing factor to the performance ceiling in this specific game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. It is a GCN 4.0 architecture part, codenamed Polaris 20, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 1168 MHz and a boost of 1244 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). This hardware places the GPU in the 74th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30158.

Comparing to its immediate rivals, the RX 570’s average score is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, with a deltaPct of just 0.2, and it is also on par with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. This is a statistical anomaly of the benchmark aggregator, but it highlights how the RX 570’s position is defined by these aggregate scores. In practice, however, the 4 GB VRAM and GCN architecture show their age in Inside. The measured FPS data shows a stark drop-off at 4K, where the High preset yields an average of 29.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 27.1 FPS. This is a direct consequence of the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth being overwhelmed at that resolution. The data indicates that the RX 570 is the primary determinant of the system’s overall rank, as its performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, while the CPU’s influence remains negligible.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 135.4 FPS on Low settings to 64.8 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a significant 70.6 FPS reduction, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher fidelity settings even at the lowest resolution.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on Low settings, where it achieves an average of 62.7 FPS. On High settings, the average drops to 29.8 FPS, and on Ultra, it falls to 27.1 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming is not viable on higher presets.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. For example, the CPU has a high Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33150, but the game’s performance is primarily dictated by the GPU’s resolution scaling. The frame rates vary significantly with GPU settings, while the CPU’s capabilities are not reflected in the results.

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for smooth gameplay?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 on Medium settings provides a high average of 110.9 FPS, while 2560x1440 on Medium offers 76.3 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, 2560x1440 on High is right at the edge with 50 FPS, so Medium is the safer choice.

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

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 1588 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the lower tier of all systems tested, despite the CPU being a high-end part.

Q: Does the GPU’s 4 GB of VRAM affect performance?

A: While the data does not isolate VRAM usage, the performance drop at higher resolutions and settings is consistent with the 4 GB memory buffer being a limiting factor. The average FPS drops from 49.2 at 4K Medium to 29.8 at 4K High, suggesting the memory capacity and bandwidth are strained at higher loads.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X + AMD Radeon RX 570 combo is ranked 1588 out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside. This places the system in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations, a surprisingly low position given the CPU’s strength. The data suggests that the GPU’s age and limited memory are the primary reasons for this poor ranking. The CPU, which sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, is dragged down by a GPU that is only in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. This mismatch creates a system where the processor’s potential is entirely unrealized.

The rank indicates that most other combinations, even those with less capable CPUs, achieve higher frame rates because they pair them with more modern graphics cards. The 5900X’s near-rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700, have similar CPU performance, but when combined with a different GPU, they would likely rank much higher. The sheer number of combos ahead of this one (83) highlights how critical the GPU choice is for this game. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is heavily imbalanced, and the system’s overall standing is a direct reflection of the RX 570’s limitations in a modern gaming context.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system’s performance scaling across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system performs best, with an average of 135.4 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings yield 110.9 FPS, while High settings drop to 68.1 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of 64.8 FPS. This shows a 70.6 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the GPU is still capable at this resolution but struggles with the highest fidelity options.

At 2560x1440, the averages decrease as expected. Low settings produce a solid 95.9 FPS, and Medium settings deliver 76.3 FPS. High settings drop to 50 FPS, which is on the edge of smooth gameplay, while Ultra settings fall to 45 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra here is 50.9 FPS, demonstrating a similar scaling pattern to 1080p but at lower absolute values.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become severe. Low settings yield an average of 62.7 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 49.2 FPS, High to 29.8 FPS, and Ultra to 27.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 35.6 FPS, but the absolute numbers show that the 4K resolution is too demanding for the RX 570 on any setting above Low. The data confirms a consistent performance hierarchy, with 1080p being the only resolution where the system can fully utilize higher settings to achieve high frame rates.