Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a decisively GPU-bound experience in Inside, evidenced by frame rates that scale inversely with resolution but remain consistently playable across all tested configurations. The data reveals a pairing where the 12-core processor provides ample headroom, leaving the 8 GB graphics card as the primary determinant of performance, particularly at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the RTX 2070 SUPER as the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 308.8 FPS, but this drops to 221 FPS at 1440p and further to 140 FPS at 4K — a reduction of 87.8 FPS (28.4%) from 1080p to 1440p, and another 81 FPS (36.7%) from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline under lighter settings indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck; if it were, the frame rate would remain relatively flat as resolution increases.

Under High settings, the scaling is more moderate but still reveals GPU dominance. The system produces 155.1 FPS at 1080p, 111.9 FPS at 1440p, and 68.7 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K (43.2 FPS) is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p (43.2 FPS is identical), which suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing capacity are being saturated at the higher pixel count. The 4K High result at 68.7 FPS remains fluid, but the 4K Ultra figure of 64.7 FPS shows the ceiling for this hardware at maximum fidelity.

The most telling comparison is between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 163.9 FPS (308.8 vs 144.9), while at 4K the spread narrows to 75.3 FPS (140 vs 64.7). This compression at higher resolutions is classic GPU-bound behavior — the pixel throughput requirement dominates, and the graphics card's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes the constraining resource.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, provides the graphical muscle for this combination. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Inside's stylized visuals but explains the performance delta between settings. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz and base clock of 1605 MHz are modest by modern standards, yet the card posts a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22206.

The data shows the GPU's compute capabilities — 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs — are well-matched to this game's demands. At 4K Low, the card manages 140 FPS, demonstrating that raw pixel pushing is not the issue. However, the jump from Medium (112.6 FPS at 4K) to High (68.7 FPS) and Ultra (64.7 FPS) indicates that the shading and texture work at higher presets taxes the Turing architecture significantly. The GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is adequate for the puzzle-platformer's rendering, but the 12 nm process node and 215 W TDP limit its efficiency under load.

Comparatively, the RTX 2070 SUPER sits within 2.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 in average benchmark scores (22206 vs 21670), yet the measured game performance shows the NVIDIA card handling Inside's specific workload without issue. The 65th percentile ranking suggests this GPU is mid-tier, and its performance in this title reflects a capable but not exceptional part.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing of Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 989th out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the 59th percentile of all combos, indicating a slightly above-average configuration for this game. The ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's strength — the Ryzen 9 9900X sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 54450 — but the GPU's 65th percentile standing pulls the overall combo down.

The disparity between component rankings explains this placement. The processor is a top-tier part, but the graphics card is mid-range. In a game like Inside, where the data shows GPU-bound scaling, the combo's rank is dictated by the weaker component. The Ryzen 9 9900X's nearest rivals — the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, Intel Core i7-14700F, and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K — all score within 2% of each other, confirming the CPU is not the differentiator here. The RTX 2070 SUPER's rivals (RTX A400, GTX TITAN Z, RTX 4060 Mobile) all fall within a 2.5% band, meaning the GPU choice is the swing factor in this combo's relative position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 308.8 FPS, Medium reaches 247.5 FPS, High hits 155.1 FPS, and Ultra manages 144.9 FPS. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the system has massive overhead — even Ultra settings are over 140 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain strong but show the GPU starting to work harder. Low yields 221 FPS, Medium drops to 178.3 FPS, High settles at 111.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 108.7 FPS. The jump from Medium to High at this resolution is substantial (66.4 FPS difference), suggesting that the High preset introduces significant post-processing or shadow effects that strain the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes considerably. Low still produces a very playable 140 FPS, but Medium falls to 112.6 FPS, High drops to 68.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 64.7 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra figures are close (4 FPS apart), indicating that the GPU is hitting a hard performance wall. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the limiting factors at this resolution, as the higher presets demand more memory and bandwidth than the card can efficiently provide.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 155.1 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 144.9 FPS provides only a marginal improvement (10.2 FPS less) while presumably adding subtle effects that few will notice. Low and Medium at 308.8 and 247.5 FPS respectively are overkill for any standard monitor and waste GPU headroom.

At 1440p, Medium (178.3 FPS) is the sweet spot for competitive play or high-refresh displays, but for a puzzle platformer, High at 111.9 FPS provides the visual quality the game deserves without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 108.7 FPS is viable, but the 3.2 FPS gain over High is negligible.

For 4K, the data clearly recommends Medium at 112.6 FPS. High at 68.7 FPS and Ultra at 64.7 FPS are technically playable but fall below the 70 FPS threshold that many consider optimal for smooth motion. Low at 140 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality. Medium delivers more than double the frame rate of High while still maintaining the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow effects.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but barely. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 64.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. High settings at 4K yield 68.7 FPS, showing the GPU is near its limit at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU's average benchmark score of 22206 is 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). It trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% (22729).

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X bottlenecking the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent drops with increasing resolution, which is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and 12 cores provide more than enough headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: At 1440p, the system delivers strong performance across all settings (221 FPS at Low, 178.3 FPS at Medium, 111.9 FPS at High, 108.7 FPS at Ultra). This resolution offers the best balance between visual clarity and frame rate headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 989th out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range standing (65th percentile) rather than the CPU's high-end positioning (94th percentile).

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 4K?

A: The data indicates this is likely. At 4K, the difference between Medium (112.6 FPS) and High (68.7 FPS) is 43.9 FPS, suggesting that higher presets exceed the memory capacity or bandwidth of the 8 GB GDDR6 configuration, causing a sharp performance drop.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is far more capable than this game requires. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, combined with a 64 MB shared L3 cache, ensure that Inside's game logic and physics calculations never stall. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 54450, places it in the upper echelon of desktop chips.

In this specific workload, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU quickly enough to avoid bottlenecks. The benchmark results confirm it does this effortlessly — the 1080p Low result of 308.8 FPS is constrained by the GPU's pixel throughput, not the CPU's instruction processing. The Ryzen 9 9900X's nearest rivals (Ryzen 9 9900X3D at 54681, Intel Core Ultra 5 245K at 55304) all score within 1.8% of each other, showing that any of these CPUs would perform identically in this game.

The CPU's 4 nm process node and TSMC foundry production represent a generational leap over the GPU's 12 nm process, which explains the performance discrepancy between the two components. The Ryzen 9 9900X's Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, provides exceptional single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555) that easily handles Inside's platforming physics. The processor's 120 W TDP and DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) further ensure that system memory is never a limiting factor. In essence, the CPU is the clear overachiever in this pairing — its capabilities far exceed the demands of a 2016 puzzle platformer, leaving all performance variance to the graphics card.