Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon RX 7900M combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The data shows this pairing is capable of running the game at extremely high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the most demanding configuration still averaging well above 60 FPS. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the experience, which settings provide the best balance, and how this specific hardware combo ranks among the thousands of others tested.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread mobile processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, known by the codename "Dragon Range". It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, giving it substantial single-thread headroom. The CPU has a 64 MB L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 6,030 in Cinebench R23 single-core and a massive 42,713 in multi-core, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 76,212 is within 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76,155) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75,779), indicating it is a top-tier mobile processor.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and logic, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. However, the data suggests the processor's high single-core performance is still valuable. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 357 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This extreme performance at low resolution and settings implies that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to hit very high frame rates. The 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for the game's threading model, which likely uses only a handful of threads, but the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that any single-threaded tasks are handled with minimal latency.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals shows it is not a performance outlier but rather at the top of the heap. The data shows it is essentially tied with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (deltaPct 0.1%) and the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (deltaPct -0.4%). This means the Ryzen 9 8945HX is not leaving any performance on the table in this game; the frame rates are limited by the GPU and the game's engine, not the processor. The low resolution and high frame rate results indicate that even at 357 FPS, the CPU is keeping up without issue. The multi-core score of 42,713 is impressive, but for Inside, it is the single-core score of 6,030 that is more relevant, as it ensures the game's main logic thread can run as fast as possible. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,907 further confirms its strength in lightly-threaded workloads.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is a high-end mobile GPU built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2090 MHz, with memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). It contains 4,608 shading units and 192 ROPs. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 4,201 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 158,760 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 97,487 is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro VII and 6.3% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671).

For Inside, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The game is visually simple, but the GPU still determines how fast it can render shadows, lighting, and effects. The data shows a clear scaling pattern tied to GPU load. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 81 FPS, while at 4K Low it jumps to 170 FPS. This difference of 89 FPS shows the GPU is working harder at higher settings. The 16 GB of VRAM is far beyond what Inside requires, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s is also ample, ensuring that texture streaming is never a bottleneck, even at 4K.

The GPU's raw compute power, as indicated by its 38.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is more than enough to handle the game's shaders. The high pixel rate of 401.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 601.9 GTexel/s suggest it can fill the screen with detailed images very quickly. The data indicates that the GPU is the main component that scales with resolution changes. When moving from 1080p High (189 FPS) to 4K High (85 FPS), the frame rate drops by 104 FPS, showing a significant GPU workload increase. However, the GPU still manages to keep the game well above playable frame rates at all settings, which suggests it is overkill for this title, but it also means the game runs flawlessly. The 180 W TDP indicates this is a power-hungry part, but the performance it delivers in this title is exceptional.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured FPS data, the "Medium" preset emerges as the most balanced choice for this hardware combination. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 302 FPS with a minimum of 257 FPS and a maximum of 347 FPS. This is a 15% drop from Low (357 FPS) but offers better visual fidelity. At 1440p Medium, the average is 217 FPS, with minimums of 184 FPS and maximums of 250 FPS. This is still incredibly smooth and well above any refresh rate threshold for most displays. At 4K Medium, the average is 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. The minimum of 116 FPS at 4K Medium is the key data point; it guarantees that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate will not drop below 100 FPS.

The "High" preset is also a valid option, but it shows a more significant performance cost. At 1080p High, the average is 189 FPS, which is 37% lower than Medium. At 1440p High, the average is 136 FPS, and at 4K High, it is 85 FPS. While these are all playable, the jump from Medium to High costs a substantial amount of performance without a proportional visual benefit in a game with such a muted art style. The "Ultra" preset pushes the GPU even harder, with 1080p Ultra at 180 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 129 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 81 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is just above 60 FPS, but the minimum FPS is not recorded, making it riskier. The data suggests that for the best experience, "Medium" offers the highest frame rates with a comfortable margin over the refresh rate, while still looking good. The "Low" preset achieves the highest frame rates, but it is likely unnecessary given how well Medium performs.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 357 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the game maintain a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 81 FPS at 4K Ultra, but no minimum FPS was recorded for that configuration, so a guaranteed minimum above 60 FPS cannot be confirmed from the measurements.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 189 FPS at 1080p High to 85 FPS at 4K High, a difference of 104 FPS. This indicates the GPU is the scaling component at this setting.

Q: Which settings preset shows the largest difference between minimum and maximum FPS?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 257 FPS and the maximum is 347 FPS, a spread of 90 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 66 FPS (184 to 250). At 4K Medium, the spread is 41 FPS (116 to 157).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. For example, the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU's high single-core score and the high FPS at low settings indicate it is not a bottleneck.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 1440p Medium compare to 1080p Medium?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average frame rate is 217 FPS, which is 85 FPS lower than the 302 FPS average at 1080p Medium. This shows a clear performance cost for the higher resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance scaling across resolutions is telling. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 302 FPS at 1080p to 217 FPS at 1440p, a 28% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K Medium, the frame rate drops from 217 FPS to 136 FPS, a 37% decrease. This pattern of increasing percentage drops as resolution increases points directly to the GPU being the primary limiting factor. The CPU is capable of sustaining high frame rates, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's workload grows, and it becomes harder to maintain the same throughput.

This is further confirmed by the High settings data. At 1080p High, the average is 189 FPS. At 1440p High, it is 136 FPS (a 28% drop), and at 4K High, it is 85 FPS (a 37% drop from 1440p). The relative drops are similar to Medium, indicating that the GPU is still the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller frame rate drop when increasing resolution, because the CPU would still be processing the same game logic. Instead, the frame rate drops in near-proportion to the number of pixels rendered, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The game's simple geometry and logic mean the CPU has plenty of headroom, so it is the GPU's rasterization and pixel-shading capabilities that dictate the final frame rate at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average 357 FPS.
• Medium: Average 302 FPS, with a minimum of 257 FPS and a maximum of 347 FPS.
• High: Average 189 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 180 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average 271 FPS.
• Medium: Average 217 FPS, with a minimum of 184 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS.
• High: Average 136 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 129 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average 170 FPS.
• Medium: Average 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS.
• High: Average 85 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 81 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings always offer the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra is surprisingly small at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is only 9 FPS (189 vs 180). At 1440p, it is 7 FPS (136 vs 129). At 4K, it is 4 FPS (85 vs 81). This suggests that the Ultra preset adds very little graphical load compared to High, making it a reasonable choice if you want the absolute best visuals without a major performance penalty. The Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot, offering a significant jump from High (113 FPS more at 1080p, 81 FPS more at 1440p, 51 FPS more at 4K) while still maintaining excellent visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon RX 7900M combination is ranked #1028 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 35.6% of all tested systems, which is a strong result given the game's age and the sheer number of configurations that have been benchmarked on this database. While it is not in the top 100, the rank is respectable, and the measured FPS data shows why. The performance is consistently high, but the game is old enough that many lower-end or more specialized combinations can also achieve very high frame rates.

The rank of 1028 out of 2887 indicates that there are over a thousand combos that perform better. This could be due to higher-end desktop GPUs or CPUs with better optimization for this specific title. However, given that this is a mobile combo, the result is impressive. The average benchmark scores for the CPU (76,212) and GPU (97,487) are high, but the rank suggests that other factors, such as driver optimization or specific hardware pairings, can yield better results in Inside. The data shows that this combo is firmly in the upper half of all performers, and it can deliver a flawless 4K experience at Medium settings with an average of 136 FPS. The rank confirms the overall capability of the hardware, and the measured FPS confirms that this is a top-tier mobile platform for gaming, even if it doesn't top the charts in this particular title.