Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a performance profile in Inside that is heavily dictated by resolution, with the CPU proving more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that excels at high refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K remains entirely playable, though the scaling between settings becomes more pronounced.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a clear and predictable drop in frame rates, but the magnitude of that drop is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 428 at 1920x1080 to 311 at 2560x1440, and finally to 196 at 3840x2160. This represents a 54% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the game is still exceptionally smooth at 4K on Low.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling is similar in percentage terms. The average FPS goes from 346 at 1080p, down to 249 at 1440p, and then to 157 at 4K. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is recorded at 133, which is still well above the threshold for a fluid experience. This pattern suggests that even at 4K, the RX 9070 is not being completely overwhelmed, as the frame rates stay in a very comfortable range.

The High preset tells a similar story with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p High is 217, dropping to 156 at 1440p, and then to 98 at 4K High. The 4K High result is the first instance where the average FPS dips below the 100 FPS mark, indicating that the GPU is starting to work harder. However, a 98 FPS average is still a strong result for a demanding resolution and preset combination.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 206, which is only slightly lower than High. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 148, and at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 93. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on Ultra shows only a 55% drop, very similar to the Low preset. This data suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at 4K, but the RX 9070 maintains a playable experience across the board. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is approximately 103 FPS, highlighting that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This combination of high core count and high clocks is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253. For a title like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer, the CPU workload is generally not as extreme as in a massive open-world simulation, but this processor is clearly well-equipped.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this system for Inside. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 428 FPS, a figure that is so high it suggests the game engine is largely GPU-bound, or at least the CPU is providing frames faster than the GPU can render them. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 206, which is still an excellent result and indicates that the 9900X's strong single-thread performance is more than sufficient for this game's logic and physics.

The Ryzen 9 9900X's performance relative to other CPUs is solid, sitting in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9015 and the Intel Core i9-14900, with the 9900X scoring 0.1% lower and 1.1% lower than these parts, respectively. This shows that the 9900X is competitive at the top end of consumer desktop processors, and its 12 cores and 24 threads ensure it won't be a limiting factor in a game like Inside, which is unlikely to be optimized for such high core counts. The CPU's high clocks are more relevant here than its core count, ensuring that frame pacing remains consistent.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the clear driver of performance differences in this game. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz. These specifications translate into a PassMark G3D score of 25381, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role is most evident in the scaling between presets at a fixed resolution. At 4K, the average FPS drops from 196 on Low to 93 on Ultra, a difference of 103 FPS. This is a clear indication that the RX 9070's compute and memory resources are being taxed more heavily by the higher graphical fidelity settings. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is not a concern at 4K for this title, as even at Ultra, the memory bandwidth is sufficient to maintain a playable frame rate.

At 1080p, the GPU's headroom is massive. The jump from Low (428 FPS) to Ultra (206 FPS) is significant, but both are extremely high numbers, showing that the RX 9070 is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is interesting; it is 0.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile. However, it is 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800S. This places the RX 9070 in a competitive mid-to-high range, and its performance in Inside is strong enough to suggest it is well-balanced for this game's engine.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination is ranked 770th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 21% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. Given the high frame rates observed, this rank is likely more indicative of the sheer number of high-end combinations tested than any weakness in this specific pairing.

This rank means that while there are many faster configurations, this combo is still outperforming the vast majority of systems that have been tested. The data shows that this pairing delivers an excellent gaming experience, with no resolution or preset combination falling below a 93 FPS average. The combination of a top-tier 12-core CPU and a modern RDNA 4.0 GPU creates a balanced system where neither component is a significant bottleneck at common gaming resolutions. The 770th rank suggests that the limiting factor is likely the GPU, as CPUs with even higher single-thread scores or more cache could potentially push frame rates higher in CPU-bound scenarios, but for Inside, this combo is more than adequate.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 93 FPS. This is a very playable frame rate for a puzzle platformer, though it is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combination.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 346. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 157. This represents a 189 FPS difference, or about 2.2 times higher performance at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: The data shows an average FPS of 156 at 2560x1440 with High settings. Given that the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates (evidenced by the 428 FPS at 1080p Low), the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution and preset.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded in the measured data is 133 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The minimum FPS for other resolution and preset combinations was not provided.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to the total number of tested systems?

A: This combo is ranked 770th out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the top 21% of all tested systems.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RX 9070 cause any issues at 4K?

A: No. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 93, and at 4K High, it is 98. There is no indication in the measured FPS that VRAM capacity is limiting performance at any of the tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For a 1080p display, the High preset at 217 FPS is an excellent choice, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Low (428 FPS) while still delivering frame rates that far exceed standard 144Hz monitors. Ultra at 1080p is also viable with 206 FPS, but the performance cost is minimal, though the visual improvement may be less noticeable.

For 1440p, the High preset at 156 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming. It is a 95 FPS drop from Low settings, but the visual quality increase is substantial. The Medium preset offers a higher 249 FPS, which could be preferred for competitive play, but High provides a better balance for most users. Ultra at 1440p (148 FPS) is also playable, but the performance difference between High and Ultra is only 8 FPS, suggesting the extra settings are not very demanding.

At 4K, the High preset at 98 FPS is the best recommendation for a smooth and detailed experience. It is only 5 FPS slower than Ultra (93 FPS), but offers a noticeable performance advantage over the Medium preset's 157 FPS, which may not have the same visual polish. Low settings at 4K (196 FPS) are overkill for the resolution and sacrifice too much visual quality for a frame rate that most 4K displays cannot show. For the best overall experience on a 60Hz 4K display, the High preset is ideal. For those with 120Hz+ 4K displays, the Medium preset at 157 FPS provides a high frame rate with good visuals, but High remains the most balanced choice for this resolution.