Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER reveals a fascinating case study in how frame rates scale with resolution and settings, exposing the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. The benchmark results show a system capable of absurd frame rates at 1080p, but the performance curve tells a story of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the GPU gradually taking over as the primary limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, the role of the processor's 12 cores and 24 threads, and how the graphics card's 16 GB of VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture shape the experience across the board.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K in Inside is dramatic and revealing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system pushes an average of 430.1 FPS, but at 4K with Low settings, that number falls to 243.8 FPS—a reduction of roughly 43%. This is a clear indicator that at lower resolutions, the CPU is doing the heavy lifting, while the GPU has ample headroom. The trend continues across all settings: at Medium, the frame rate drops from 393.8 FPS at 1080p to 197.5 FPS at 4K, and at High, it falls from 271.9 FPS to 120.3 FPS. Even at Ultra, which is the most demanding preset, the drop is significant, moving from 258.6 FPS at 1080p down to 114 FPS at 4K.

What this data suggests is that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the limiting component at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is also substantial—for instance, at High settings, performance drops from 271.9 FPS to 196.1 FPS—but the jump to 4K introduces a much steeper penalty. This is typical of a game that is not heavily optimized for high resolutions, where pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck. The fact that 4K Ultra still manages to hold 114 FPS average indicates that the GPU is powerful enough to keep the game playable, but the scaling pattern shows that the processor's raw speed is less relevant as the resolution climbs.

Interestingly, the delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is consistent. At 1080p, the difference is 171.5 FPS (from 430.1 to 258.6), and at 4K, it is 129.8 FPS (from 243.8 to 114). This suggests that the settings themselves are not overly taxing on the GPU, but the resolution increase amplifies the workload. The data points to a system that is incredibly fast at 1080p, capable of pushing well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, but at 4K, it settles into a more conventional high-refresh-rate territory.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, running at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. For a game like Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the multi-threaded capabilities are largely irrelevant. The benchmark scores reflect this: the processor achieves a 3dmark single-thread score of 1286, but a max-threads score of 13929, indicating that the game's workload is not scaling with the core count. Instead, the high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is what matters for achieving those massive frame rates at 1080p.

The data shows that the 9900X is able to feed the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 430.1 FPS result at 1080p Low. This is a CPU-bound scenario where the processor's single-core performance is the limiting factor. The passmark single-thread score of 4672 and the cinebench r23 single-core score of 6555 confirm that this chip has excellent single-core throughput, which is critical for games that rely on a main thread. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the CPU's role diminishes. The 4K Low result of 243.8 FPS is still high, but it is likely that the GPU is now the constraint, as the CPU has more than enough headroom to handle the game's logic and physics.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 9900X is in a tight pack. It sits 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D in average benchmark score, but 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F. This indicates that for a CPU-bound game like Inside, the 9900X is competitive, but not the absolute fastest. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 2519 and the 4-thread score of 4886 further illustrate that the processor's strength lies in its ability to handle a few threads at very high speeds, which is exactly what this game demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 258.6 at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is still well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

Q: How does the frame rate at 4K High compare to 1440p High?

A: At 4K High, the average FPS is 120.3, while at 1440p High, it is 196.1. This represents a 75.8 FPS drop, or about 38.6% lower performance, when moving up to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low, as the system achieves 430.1 FPS, which is far beyond what the GPU needs to render the scene. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9900X is likely the key factor here.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, the average FPS drops from 243.8 on Low to 114 on Ultra, a difference of 129.8 FPS. This indicates that the settings have a moderate impact on the GPU workload, but the resolution is the primary driver of performance.

Q: Does the 16 GB of VRAM on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER make a difference in Inside?

A: The measured data does not show any VRAM-related performance dips, and the game is not likely to exceed 16 GB of memory usage. The GPU's 672.3 GB/s memory bandwidth is more than sufficient for this title.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other systems?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination ranks 63rd out of 1671 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 3.8% of all configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Inside is consistent across all resolutions and settings, with no min or max FPS values recorded, only averages.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 430.1 FPS, Medium drops to 393.8 FPS, High yields 271.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 258.6 FPS. These numbers are all exceptionally high, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is never the limiting factor at this resolution, and the CPU's single-thread performance is what drives the results.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive but show a clear step down. Low settings average 381.1 FPS, Medium produces 313.5 FPS, High reaches 196.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 186.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 195 FPS, which is slightly larger than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to feel the load as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens considerably. Low settings average 243.8 FPS, Medium drops to 197.5 FPS, High falls to 120.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 114 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 129.8 FPS, which is smaller than at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 114 is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making the game fully playable on this hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a 16 GB GDDR6X card with a 256-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. Its base clock is 2340 MHz, with a boost clock of 2610 MHz. In Inside, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as the resolution scales up. At 1080p, the card is barely breaking a sweat, as evidenced by the 430.1 FPS result on Low settings. However, at 4K, the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors, with the average frame rate dropping to 114 FPS on Ultra.

The benchmark scores for the GPU show a strong overall performer, with a passmark g3d score of 31811 and a 3dmark steel nomad dx12 score of 5569. These numbers place the card in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is 0.7% behind the NVIDIA CMP 50HX, but 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000. This suggests that for a light game like Inside, the GPU is not the star of the show, but it provides enough headroom to ensure high frame rates at any resolution.

The 16 GB of VRAM is a notable feature, but for a puzzle platformer that is not texture-heavy, it is unlikely to be fully utilized. The GDDR6X memory running at an effective 21 Gbps ensures that the card can handle the bandwidth demands of 4K rendering without issue. The Ada Lovelace architecture, with its 8448 shading units and 264 TMUs, provides the raw compute power needed to maintain those high average FPS numbers, even when the resolution is pushed to its limits.