Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 9 5950X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far from demanding by modern standards. This combination produces frame rates well above display refresh-rate ceilings across all tested resolutions and settings, with the lowest average FPS recorded at 153 at 4K Ultra. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU's strong single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured results across resolutions, settings, and component roles to characterize how this high-end pairing handles the game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but pronounced resolution scaling pattern. At 1080p High, the system averages 245 FPS, which drops to 219 FPS at 1440p High, and further to 160 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 10.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 34.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds: 294 FPS at 1080p, 263 FPS at 1440p, and 225 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 10.5%, nearly identical to the High preset's drop, suggesting that resolution scaling is consistent across settings. From 1440p to 4K at Medium, the reduction is 14.4%, slightly steeper than the High preset's 26.9% drop over the same interval. This inconsistency hints that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being taxed more heavily at 4K Medium than the frame rate alone suggests.

Low settings show the least dramatic scaling: 318 FPS at 1080p, 285 FPS at 1440p, and 244 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 10.4%, and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 14.4%, mirroring the Medium preset's scaling. Ultra settings produce the lowest absolute numbers: 241 FPS at 1080p, 216 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 4K. The 10.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent with other presets, but the 29.2% drop from 1440p to 4K is the steepest of all four settings presets.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the frame rates across all settings cluster between 241 and 318 FPS, a spread of 77 FPS. At 4K, the spread widens to 91 FPS (153 to 244). This widening spread at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck, as the difference between Low and Ultra grows from 24.2% at 1080p to 37.3% at 4K. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the GPU's rendering pipeline, while at 1080p the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes more relevant, compressing the settings-based differences.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it contains 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The GPU's pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 104.8 TFLOPS.

In Inside, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 153 FPS average, which is 36.4% lower than the 4K Low result of 244 FPS. This 91 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K demonstrates that the game's visual settings significantly impact GPU workload. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM is far more than Inside requires, given the game's 2016 release date and puzzle platformer genre, so memory capacity is not a constraint in any measurable sense. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, however, may contribute to the relatively smooth scaling between resolutions, as the GPU can fetch textures and geometry quickly even at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher score), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (2.1% and 2.4% lower). These rivals are not directly comparable to the RTX 5090 D in terms of raw specifications, but the percentile ranking indicates this GPU sits near the top of the tested pool, which aligns with the high frame rates observed in Inside.

The measured FPS results at 4K Medium include a minimum FPS of 192 and maximum of 259, alongside the 225 average. This 67 FPS range between min and max suggests some frame-time variance, but the minimum remains well above playable thresholds. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz likely helps sustain high averages, though the game's simple visuals mean the GPU is never truly saturated until 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 287th out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 9.9% of all configurations. This rank reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates, but the position is not higher because the game is undemanding and many combos with less powerful components can still achieve playable results. The rank of 287 out of 2,887 means that 2,600 other combos perform worse or equal, while 286 perform better, indicating that while this is a strong setup, it is not the absolute top performer for this specific title.

The CPU itself ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 51,947. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (0.2% higher score), AMD EPYC 8124P (0.3% higher), Intel Core i9-13900F (0.4% lower), and Intel Core i7-14700 (0.7% lower). These delta percentages are small, indicating that the 5950X is competitive with modern processors despite being from an earlier generation. The GPU ranks in the 92nd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, and its nearest rivals show deltas of 1.1% to 2.4%, again suggesting tight competition at the top tier.

The combo rank of 287 out of 2,887 is notably lower than the individual component percentiles would suggest. This discrepancy arises because Inside is a light workload where even mid-range hardware can hit high frame rates, so the absolute performance ceiling of the RTX 5090 D is not fully exercised. The data shows that this combo's ranking is more constrained by the game's low requirements than by any weakness in the components themselves. In more demanding titles, this pairing would likely rank higher, but in Inside, the frame rates are already so high that diminishing returns set in.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS is 318, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The 1080p Medium preset reaches 294 FPS, while 1080p High and Ultra reach 245 and 241 FPS respectively.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 245 at 1080p to 219 at 1440p, and then to 160 at 4K. This represents a total reduction of 34.7% from 1080p to 4K.

*Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM affect performance in Inside?*

A: The 32 GB VRAM is far above what Inside requires, given its 2016 release and simple puzzle platformer visuals. The memory capacity is not a limiting factor in any measured result; the GPU's compute and bandwidth capabilities are more relevant to the observed frame rates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The only configurations with recorded minimum FPS values are the Medium presets. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 192 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 224 FPS; and at 1080p Medium, it is 250 FPS. No minimum FPS was recorded for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

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

A: This combo ranks 287th out of 2,887 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.9%. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile among CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 92nd percentile among GPUs, but the game's low demands compress the ranking.

Q: Which settings preset at 4K provides the highest average FPS?

A: At 4K, the Low settings preset provides the highest average FPS at 244, followed by Medium at 225, High at 160, and Ultra at 153. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 91 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160), for a total of 12 configurations. All measurements are average FPS unless otherwise noted, with minimum and maximum values only recorded for Medium presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 318 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 294 FPS average, with a minimum of 250 FPS and a maximum of 338 FPS. The High preset produces 245 FPS average. The Ultra preset produces 241 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 77 FPS, with Ultra being 24.2% lower than Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 285 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 263 FPS average, with a minimum of 224 FPS and a maximum of 303 FPS. The High preset produces 219 FPS average. The Ultra preset produces 216 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 69 FPS, with Ultra being 24.2% lower than Low, matching the 1080p percentage.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 244 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 225 FPS average, with a minimum of 192 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS. The High preset produces 160 FPS average. The Ultra preset produces 153 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 91 FPS, with Ultra being 37.3% lower than Low, a significantly larger gap than at lower resolutions.

Comparing across resolutions for each preset: Low settings show a 10.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p (318 to 285 FPS) and a 14.4% drop from 1440p to 4K (285 to 244 FPS). Medium settings show a 10.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p (294 to 263 FPS) and a 14.4% drop from 1440p to 4K (263 to 225 FPS). High settings show a 10.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p (245 to 219 FPS) and a 26.9% drop from 1440p to 4K (219 to 160 FPS). Ultra settings show a 10.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p (241 to 216 FPS) and a 29.2% drop from 1440p to 4K (216 to 153 FPS).

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 1080p, the min is 250 and max is 338, giving a range of 88 FPS. At 1440p, the min is 224 and max is 303, giving a range of 79 FPS. At 4K, the min is 192 and max is 259, giving a range of 67 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that frame times become more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename), manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In Inside, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p, the frame rates across settings range from 241 to 318 FPS, and the differences between presets are smaller than at 4K. This compression suggests that at 1080p, the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue draw calls becomes a limiting factor, preventing the GPU from achieving even higher frame rates. The 5950X's boost clock of 4.90 GHz and strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,083, help maintain high frame rates even in this scenario.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,017 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 45,424, are largely irrelevant for Inside, which is not a heavily threaded workload. The 16 cores and 32 threads provide headroom for background tasks, but the game itself likely uses a fraction of these resources. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,810 and max-thread score of 11,597 indicate strong scaling, but this does not translate to proportional gains in Inside.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 51,947, places it above the majority of processors. Its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and Intel Core i9-13900F, show delta percentages within 0.7%, indicating that the 5950X remains competitive despite being released in 2020. For Inside, the CPU's single-thread performance is the key attribute, and the data shows that it does not bottleneck the GPU at 4K, where frame rates scale primarily with GPU settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset delivers 241 FPS average, which exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all consumer monitors. The Low preset at 318 FPS offers the highest headroom, but the visual quality trade-off is unnecessary given that Ultra already provides 241 FPS. For users with a 240 Hz display, the Medium preset at 294 FPS or High at 245 FPS would be suitable, with High offering better visuals at a still-smooth frame rate.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset produces 216 FPS average, which remains above 200 FPS and is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 219 FPS is nearly identical to Ultra, differing by only 3 FPS, so the visual uplift from Ultra settings comes at almost no performance cost. The Medium preset at 263 FPS offers more headroom for users with 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays, while Low at 285 FPS provides maximum frame rates but with reduced visual fidelity.

At 4K, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset produces 153 FPS average, which is still above 144 Hz and suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The High preset at 160 FPS is only 7 FPS higher, making it a marginal difference. The Medium preset at 225 FPS offers a substantial 47% improvement over Ultra, making it the best balance for users who prioritize both frame rate and visual quality. The Low preset at 244 FPS provides the highest frame rates at 4K but sacrifices significant visual detail for a 19 FPS gain over Medium.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1440p or 4K is recommended. At 1440p Medium, the system delivers 263 FPS average with a minimum of 224 FPS, ensuring consistent performance above 200 FPS. At 4K Medium, the 225 FPS average with a minimum of 192 FPS keeps frame rates above 144 Hz in virtually all scenarios. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p or 1440p, where the frame rates remain above 200 FPS, but at 4K, the 153 FPS average may cause occasional drops below 144 Hz in demanding scenes, as evidenced by the Medium preset's min FPS being 39 FPS below its average. Ultimately, the data shows that Medium settings at any resolution provide the most balanced combination of high average FPS and acceptable minimums, while High and Ultra offer diminishing returns at 4K.