Inside

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2,594 out of 3,716 tested combos in Inside. This places the system in the lower third of all tested configurations, which is notable given the CPU's strength but the GPU's more modest positioning. The combo sits at roughly the 30th percentile of all tested pairings, indicating that while this system is capable of running the game, it is not optimized for maximum performance in this title.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's standing in the broader hardware landscape. The Radeon RX 6600 XT holds a percentile rank of 70 against all GPUs, which is respectable but not elite. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 9900X achieves a percentile rank of 92 against all CPUs, demonstrating that the processor is far stronger relative to its peers than the graphics card. This imbalance creates a situation where the CPU has significant headroom that the GPU cannot fully utilize in most scenarios.

When examining the system's position relative to other tested combos, the data indicates that many pairings with similar or even weaker processors but stronger GPUs would outperform this configuration in Inside. The game's relatively modest graphical demands mean that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher settings and resolutions, which suppresses the overall combo ranking despite the CPU's capability.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6600 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The card's base clock runs at 1968 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz and a boost clock reaching 2589 MHz. These specifications position the GPU as a mid-range solution that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming well, but it shows limitations at 4K, particularly at higher quality presets.

In Inside, the GPU's role is central to determining frame rates, especially as resolution increases. At 1080p, the card provides ample performance across all settings, with average frame rates ranging from 134 FPS at Ultra to 281 FPS at Low. These figures demonstrate that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset delivers well above typical display refresh rates.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU begins to show its constraints. The average frame rate at Ultra drops to 96 FPS, while Medium settings produce 161 FPS and Low reaches 202 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p results indicates that the GPU is working harder, but it still provides a smooth experience at most settings. At 4K, however, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Ultra settings yield only 60 FPS on average, and High settings produce 63 FPS, barely crossing the 60 FPS threshold. The card's 8 GB VRAM capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game's demands, but the raw compute power of 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 is insufficient for high-refresh 4K gaming at maximum quality.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates, with High delivering 140 FPS and Ultra achieving 134 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal in terms of frame rate impact, suggesting that Ultra is a viable choice at this resolution for users seeking maximum visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset emerges as the sweet spot. With an average of 161 FPS and a minimum of 137 FPS, this setting provides a smooth experience while maintaining reasonable visual quality. High settings at 1440p drop to 101 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant reduction from Medium. Ultra at 1440p yields 96 FPS, which may be acceptable for some users but shows diminishing returns relative to the performance cost.

For 4K users, the recommendation is more nuanced. Medium settings produce 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, making it the only preset that provides both high average frame rates and a comfortable minimum. High settings at 4K achieve 63 FPS on average, which is borderline for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 60 FPS. Low settings at 4K reach 127 FPS but sacrifice substantial visual quality. Based on the measured rows, Medium at 4K offers the best combination of performance and visual fidelity, while 1440p Medium and 1080p Ultra are the recommended presets for their respective resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Inside at 4K with smooth frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which produce an average of 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS. High and Ultra settings at 4K yield 63 FPS and 60 FPS respectively, which barely meet the 60 FPS threshold but offer less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 24,442, which is 0.7% higher than the GeForce GTX 1630 (24,277), 0.8% lower than the Arc A350M (24,647), 0.8% higher than the GTX 780 Ti (24,236), and 1.1% higher than the RTX 2080 SUPER (24,170). These small deltas indicate near-identical raw performance among these cards.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark performance relative to its closest competitors?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57,498. It is 0.1% lower than the EPYC 9015 (57,555), 0.2% higher than the EPYC 7313 (57,399), 1.1% lower than the Core i9-14900 (58,115), and 1.4% lower than the Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. At all tested resolutions and settings, the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's high single-thread performance (1,286 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,253 in Cinebench R23 single-core) far exceeds what Inside requires, while the GPU's frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 281 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. The maximum frame rate recorded across all configurations is 258 FPS, which occurs at 1080p Medium settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2,594 out of 3,716 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all pairings tested for Inside. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's strength.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average frame rates across settings range from 134 FPS (Ultra) to 281 FPS (Low). Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 96 FPS (Ultra) and 202 FPS (Low). At 4K, the range narrows to 60 FPS (Ultra) and 127 FPS (Low).

Analyzing the scaling ratios, the transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by approximately 28-30% across all settings. For example, High settings drop from 140 FPS at 1080p to 101 FPS at 1440p, a 27.9% decrease. Medium settings drop from 225 FPS to 161 FPS, a 28.4% reduction. This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is operating within its performance envelope at these resolutions.

The jump from 1440p to 4K produces a more dramatic decline. High settings drop from 101 FPS to 63 FPS, a 37.6% reduction. Medium settings drop from 161 FPS to 101 FPS, a 37.3% decrease. Low settings experience a 37.1% drop from 202 FPS to 127 FPS. This steeper decline at 4K suggests that the GPU is approaching its memory bandwidth and compute limits, as the increased pixel count places greater strain on the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The CPU's performance, as measured by its 3DMark max-threads score of 13,929 and PassMark multithread score of 54,643, is far beyond what Inside requires at any resolution. The frame rate drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering workload increasing with resolution, while the CPU maintains consistent performance regardless of pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, drawing a TDP of 120 W. The CPU features 64 MB of L3 cache, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This configuration provides substantial processing power for multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,172 and Geekbench multicore score of 22,174.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is relatively minor due to the game's modest processing requirements. The single-thread performance is exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,253 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286. These figures place the CPU in the top percentile of processors for single-threaded tasks, which is relevant for a game like Inside that may not fully utilize multiple cores.

The data shows that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at any tested configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 281 FPS on average, the CPU maintains sufficient performance to feed the graphics card. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,672 and 3DMark 16-threads score of 12,552 indicate that it can handle both lightly and heavily threaded workloads without issue. The nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores are the EPYC 9015 (57,555, 0.1% difference), EPYC 7313 (57,399, 0.2% difference), Core i9-14900 (58,115, 1.1% difference), and Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323, 1.4% difference), all of which are within a narrow performance band.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 281 FPS average
• Medium: 225 FPS average, 191 FPS minimum, 258 FPS maximum
• High: 140 FPS average
• Ultra: 134 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 202 FPS average
• Medium: 161 FPS average, 137 FPS minimum, 186 FPS maximum
• High: 101 FPS average
• Ultra: 96 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 127 FPS average
• Medium: 101 FPS average, 86 FPS minimum, 117 FPS maximum
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 60 FPS average

These numbers reveal several important patterns. First, the Medium preset at each resolution provides the only instance where minimum frame rates are recorded, suggesting that this setting produces stable performance without significant drops. Second, the difference between High and Ultra settings is minimal at each resolution: 6 FPS at 1080p (140 vs 134), 5 FPS at 1440p (101 vs 96), and 3 FPS at 4K (63 vs 60). This indicates that Ultra offers marginal visual improvements at a small performance cost.

The Low preset consistently delivers the highest frame rates, with 281 FPS at 1080p, 202 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K. However, the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the performance gain for most users, especially at 1080p where even Ultra settings provide 134 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p (161 FPS average, 137 FPS minimum) represents the best balance of performance and visual quality across all tested configurations, offering frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining playable minimums.