Inside

Inside pairs a 12-core, 24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with a 4 GB AMD Radeon RX 570, a combination that produces a stark contrast in capabilities. The CPU is a top-tier Zen 5 part with a 92nd percentile ranking among all tested processors, while the GPU is an end-of-life Polaris 20 chip from 2017 that sits in the 74th percentile. The benchmark results for this puzzle platformer are heavily skewed by the graphics card, which becomes the deciding factor for playability at higher resolutions and settings, despite the CPU’s enormous headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but severe drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, confirming that the RX 570 is the limiting component in this pairing. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 135 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 1440p, a 28% reduction, and then to 61 FPS at 4K, another 37% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the Ryzen 9 9900X’s single-thread and multi-thread capabilities are far beyond what this game requires, so the CPU is never the bottleneck.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, illustrating how the RX 570’s 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 32 ROPs struggle with the increased pixel count. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS (135 vs 64), but at 4K, that spread narrows to 32 FPS (61 vs 29). The game becomes progressively more unplayable at 4K, where even Medium settings only produce an average of 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated and frame times are becoming inconsistent.

The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay with this combo. At 1440p High, the average is 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from precise timing. At 1080p, the RX 570 has enough headroom to push High settings to 68 FPS and Medium to 108 FPS, showing that the card is still viable for this title at lower resolutions. The 4K figures are mostly academic for this GPU, as the 29 FPS average at Ultra is below the threshold for a responsive experience.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 3523 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the bottom 5% of all pairings. That low ranking is not a reflection of the CPU, which performs admirably in synthetic benchmarks, but rather a direct consequence of pairing a flagship 2024 processor with a mid-range 2017 graphics card. The combo rank highlights a massive imbalance: the Ryzen 9 9900X’s average benchmark score of 57498 places it within 1.4% of the Intel Core i9-14900, while the RX 570’s average score of 28766 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 470.

In the context of this game, the ranking makes sense because Inside is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the GPU still dictates the outcome. The RX 570’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28874, and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, which scores 28580; the performance deltas are minuscule, ranging from -0.4% to 0.7%. This means the combo’s rank is essentially fixed by the GPU’s position in the hierarchy, and the CPU’s 92nd percentile standing offers no benefit in this specific workload.

The data shows that swapping the RX 570 for a stronger GPU would dramatically improve the combo’s rank, as the CPU has substantial untapped potential. However, as configured, this pairing is severely GPU-limited. The 3523rd rank out of 3716 combos is a clear signal that this is not a balanced configuration for Inside, and users should expect the graphics card to be the sole determinant of performance in this title.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X bottlenecked by the AMD Radeon RX 570 in Inside?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and multi-thread score of 13929 are far above what this puzzle platformer requires, while the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle at higher resolutions. The FPS drops from 135 at 1080p Low to 61 at 4K Low confirm GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: Based on the measured rows, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where 60+ FPS is consistently achievable across multiple settings. At 1080p, Low averages 135 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS with a minimum of 92, and High averages 68 FPS. At 1440p, only Low exceeds 60 FPS with an average of 97, while Medium drops to 78 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 570’s performance compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 570’s average benchmark score is 28766, placing it just 0.4% below the AMD Radeon RX 6800M’s 28874 and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon R9 M295X’s 28580. Its percentile rank of 74 among all GPUs shows it is a mid-pack performer, but the nearest rivals are all within a 1.2% delta, indicating very tight competition.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings in Inside at any resolution?

A: The measured data shows Ultra settings are only playable at 1080p, where the average is 64 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 46 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 29 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable performance, making it unsuitable for consistent gameplay.

Q: What does the combo’s rank of 3523 out of 3716 tell us?

A: It indicates that this pairing is in the bottom 5% of all tested combinations for Inside. This low rank is attributed to the GPU’s age and performance ceiling, not the CPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s 92nd percentile rank among CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU’s 74th percentile, showing a significant capability mismatch.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM on the RX 570 sufficient for Inside?

A: The data shows the card can run the game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4 GB GDDR5 memory appears to be a limiting factor at 4K. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 42, while at 4K High, the average drops to 31. The memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is likely struggling with the higher resolution textures and pixel fill rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 570 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 135 FPS, which is excellent for a game of this type. Medium settings yield 108 FPS average with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124, providing a smooth experience with some visual improvements. High settings drop to 68 FPS average, which is still playable, while Ultra settings bottom out at 64 FPS. The 1080p data shows a clear progression where each setting tier costs roughly 30-40 FPS, but all remain above the 60 FPS target except for the most demanding preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance hit is significant. Low settings still manage 97 FPS, which is excellent, but Medium falls to 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. High settings drop to 49 FPS, which is borderline for a game that requires precise platforming, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. The 1440p results show that the card is starting to hit its limits, with the gap between Low and Medium narrowing to just 19 FPS, suggesting that the GPU’s compute units and memory bandwidth are becoming saturated.

At 3840x2160, the RX 570 is clearly out of its depth. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold, but Medium drops to 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. High settings fall to 31 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS, both of which are below the 30 FPS standard for acceptable performance in most cases. The 4K data shows a severe cliff between Low and Medium, with a 12 FPS drop, and then a further 18 FPS drop from Medium to High, indicating that the card’s 32 ROPs are overwhelmed by the pixel count.

The measured FPS data lacks minimum and maximum values for most settings, except for Medium at each resolution, which provides some insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 92 FPS minimum and 124 FPS maximum show a relatively stable frame rate with a 32 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 23 FPS (66 to 89), and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 14 FPS (42 to 56). This tightening spread at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently hitting its performance ceiling rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines, all running at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory operates at 1750 MHz with a 256-bit bus, producing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These figures place the card in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but its age is evident in the 14 nm process node and GCN 4.0 architecture.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, which is why the game’s frame rates drop so sharply at higher resolutions. The 32 ROPs are particularly limiting for 4K rendering, as they determine the pixel fill rate of 39.81 GPixel/s. This explains why the 4K Ultra setting averages only 29 FPS, as the GPU cannot process pixels fast enough to maintain fluid motion.

The RX 570’s memory configuration is also a factor. The 4 GB VRAM is sufficient for Inside at 1080p and 1440p, but the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU must access textures and frame buffers more frequently. The measured data supports this interpretation: at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 49, but the minimum drops to 42, suggesting that memory bandwidth constraints cause occasional stutters. The card’s 150 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate it is a power-hungry part for its performance class, but that does not translate to higher frame rates in this title.

The GPU’s benchmark scores further contextualize its role. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880 is low, but its Geekbench Vulkan score of 42752 and OpenCL score of 32084 show it can handle compute workloads. In Inside, which is a DirectX 12 title, the GPU’s 12_0 feature level support is adequate, but the hardware’s age limits its efficiency. The nearest rivals, including the Radeon RX 470 with a score of 28996, are nearly identical in performance, confirming that this GPU is a fixed performance ceiling for the combo.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience at 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best choice based on the measured data. It delivers an average of 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while offering better visuals than Low. The 92 FPS minimum ensures that even in complex scenes, the frame rate does not dip into stutter territory. High settings at 1080p are also viable at 68 FPS average, but the 40 FPS drop from Medium is significant for a game that rewards smooth movement.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended option, averaging 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. The 66 FPS minimum is just above the 60 FPS target, making it a safe choice for consistent gameplay. Low settings at 1440p offer higher headroom at 97 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the extra frames. High and Ultra settings at 1440p fall below 50 FPS, which is too low for a platformer where precise jumps require responsive controls.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are recommended, with an average of 61 FPS. This provides a playable experience, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. Medium at 4K averages 49 FPS and drops to 42 FPS at the minimum, which is likely to cause noticeable hitches during gameplay. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as their averages of 31 FPS and 29 FPS fall below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

For users with a 1080p monitor, the data suggests that the Ultra preset at 64 FPS is acceptable if visual fidelity is the priority, but Medium offers a better balance of smoothness and quality. The 1080p Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 92 is higher than the Ultra average, making it the more reliable choice for maintaining frame consistency. At 1440p, Medium is the clear winner, providing nearly double the frame rate of High while retaining decent visuals. The 4K results are only viable at Low, and even then, the 61 FPS average is not ideal for a game that demands precision.