Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2D puzzle platformer where the GPU is rarely the limiting factor. The data shows this combo ranks 426th out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the top 25.5% of all systems, which is a strong result for a game that is not graphically demanding by modern standards. The measured performance indicates that the system consistently delivers playable, and often excessively high, frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, making it a capable choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is largely CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming more relevant only at 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 318.6 FPS, dropping to 282 FPS at 1440p and 209.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34.3% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. The scaling is more pronounced at higher settings; for instance, at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 217.5 FPS at 1080p to 159.1 FPS at 1440p and finally to 97.3 FPS at 4K, a 55.3% reduction overall. This suggests that while the RTX 3080 Ti is powerful, the higher settings at 4K finally begin to tax it, though it still maintains a smooth experience.

The data indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti is not fully utilized until the 4K resolution with High or Ultra presets. At 1440p and below, the frame rates are so high that the CPU, with its 12 cores and boost clock of 4.80 GHz, is the limiting component. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is only 101.1 FPS, whereas at 4K it is 112 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload scales more significantly with resolution than with settings. This behavior is typical for a game with simple 2D graphics, where the fill rate and shading complexity are low, and the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls becomes the deciding factor for maximum frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is found at Medium settings for most resolutions. At 1080p, Medium yields 291.3 FPS, which is a 34% improvement over High (228.5 FPS) and only 8.5% lower than Low (318.6 FPS), while providing a noticeable visual upgrade. At 1440p, Medium delivers 262.8 FPS, which is a 61.5% increase over High (162.7 FPS) and only 6.8% lower than Low (282 FPS), making it the clear sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming. Even at 4K, Medium achieves a very playable 165.7 FPS, which is 58.8% higher than High (104.3 FPS) and only 21% lower than Low (209.3 FPS).

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset is viable, but it sacrifices visual quality for a performance gain that is largely imperceptible on most displays. The Ultra preset, while providing the best visuals, shows diminishing returns; at 4K it drops to 97.3 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but represents a 41.3% performance penalty compared to Medium. The benchmark results suggest that Medium is the recommended preset, as it offers a substantial performance headroom over High and Ultra, ensuring smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors, while maintaining a level of visual detail that is appropriate for the game's atmospheric art style.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, plays a dominant role in this game's performance, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU's architecture, Zen 3, and its boost clock of 4.80 GHz are sufficient to push frame rates to 318.6 FPS at 1080p Low, which is near the practical limit for many displays. The processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 941 and multi-thread score of 10075 indicate strong single-core performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that relies on a single primary game thread for logic and rendering commands. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times.

The data shows that the CPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios, as the frame rate does not scale proportionally with the GPU's workload. For example, at 1440p, the difference between Low (282 FPS) and Medium (262.8 FPS) is only 6.8%, while the difference between High (162.7 FPS) and Ultra (159.1 FPS) is a mere 2.2%. This suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at these settings, as the GPU is not being fully tasked. The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is competitive; it scores 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4245P and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700F in average benchmark scores, while being 1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700. This indicates that the 5900X is a well-balanced processor that won't hold back the RTX 3080 Ti in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 426th out of 1671 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 74.5th percentile. This is a strong ranking, especially considering that the game is a 2D puzzle platformer with low graphical demands, where many high-end systems will perform similarly. The rank suggests that the system is well above average, but not at the absolute top, which is likely occupied by newer generation hardware. The combo's performance is indicative of a balanced pairing, where the CPU and GPU are well-matched for this workload, avoiding a significant bottleneck from either component.

The ranking of 426 out of 1671 means that 1245 other combos perform better, but the vast majority of those are likely using newer, more powerful components. The RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score of 41224 is only 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090, and 1.1% lower than the RTX 5070, showing that it remains a very capable GPU. The CPU's average benchmark score of 39453 is also competitive, being only 1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700. In the context of Inside, this ranking indicates that the system is overkill for the game's requirements, delivering frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS target, and it would be an excellent choice for a high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K monitor.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved by this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 318.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to the RTX 3090 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41224, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090's score of 41441.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K with High settings, the system achieves 104.3 FPS, indicating the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops significantly from 162.7 FPS at 1440p High.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 262.8 FPS, which is 61.5% higher than High settings at 162.7 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance based on 3DMark?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X scores 941 in the 3DMark single-thread test.

*Q: How many total combos does this system rank against in Inside?*

A: The system ranks 426th out of a total of 1671 tested combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, ranging from 217.5 FPS at Ultra to 318.6 FPS at Low. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 291.3 FPS, while High delivers 228.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high, with Low at 282 FPS, Medium at 262.8 FPS, High at 162.7 FPS, and Ultra at 159.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system still delivers smooth performance, with Low at 209.3 FPS, Medium at 165.7 FPS, High at 104.3 FPS, and Ultra at 97.3 FPS.

The data shows a clear trend: the frame rate is always above 97 FPS, even at the most demanding 4K Ultra setting. This indicates that the system is more than capable of handling the game at its highest visual quality on a 4K display, and it will easily drive 144Hz or 165Hz monitors at 1440p with any setting. The performance gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, from 101.1 FPS at 1080p to 112 FPS at 4K, which shows the GPU's workload scaling with resolution. The consistency of the results across settings suggests that the game is well-optimized, and the hardware is not being artificially limited by any single component in a way that would cause stuttering or frame drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth, proves to be more than sufficient for Inside. The game's 2D graphics do not heavily tax the GPU's shading units or texture mapping units, allowing the card to operate well below its maximum potential in most scenarios. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are far beyond what this title requires, but they ensure that the system can maintain high frame rates without any dips. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 26896 and DirectX 12 score of 110 indicate strong DirectX performance, which is relevant for the game's rendering API.

The GPU's role becomes more prominent at 4K resolution, where the frame rate drops from 165.7 FPS at Medium to 104.3 FPS at High, a 37.1% decrease. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth start to become a factor, though the card still delivers excellent performance. The RTX 3080 Ti's performance is competitive with its rivals, with a deltaPct of only -0.5% compared to the RTX 3090, and -1.1% compared to the RTX 5070. This shows that the GPU is still a top-tier performer, and in a game like Inside, it is not the limiting component except at the highest resolution and settings combination. The 12 GB of VRAM is also more than adequate for the game's textures and assets, ensuring no memory-related stuttering.