Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that is not demanding by modern standards, yet the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a fascinating bottleneck story. The CPU is a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 5 part with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz and 128 MB of L3 cache, while the GPU is a 2017 Polaris 20 chip with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus. The measured frame rates reveal that this combination is entirely GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but the RX 580 still delivers playable results across the board, with the CPU never being the constraint in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly shows where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 150 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 108 FPS, a 28% reduction, and at 4K Low it falls further to 68 FPS, which is 55% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario — the RX 580’s pixel throughput is being saturated as resolution increases, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits largely idle.

The scaling pattern persists across all settings. With Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 120 at 1080p, to 86 at 1440p, and then to 54 at 4K. That is a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the Low settings scaling. High settings show 75 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K — a 55% reduction again. Ultra settings follow suit: 71 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K, a 55% decline. The consistency of this ~55% drop from 1080p to 4K across all four quality presets confirms that resolution, not graphical complexity, is the primary stressor.

What this means is that the limiting component at 4K is unquestionably the RX 580. The GPU’s 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160. The CPU, with its 5.50 GHz boost and 128 MB L3 cache, has ample headroom; even at 4K Ultra, the game only demands 32 FPS average, which is a far cry from what the 9900X3D could feed if the GPU were faster. At 1080p, however, the picture is different — the 150 FPS Low result suggests that the CPU is still not the limiting factor, as the RX 580 can push past 144 Hz at the lowest settings, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (150 vs 71 FPS) shows the GPU’s shading units are the bottleneck even there.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing sits near the bottom. The combo ranks 2631 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 9th percentile of all system pairings. This low rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the RX 580’s average benchmark score of 12928 places it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (deltaPct -0.4), the AMD Radeon 740M (deltaPct 0.5), and the AMD FirePro W5100 (deltaPct 0.6). The RX 580 is essentially tied with these parts in raw compute, which explains why the combo rank is so low — the CPU is overkill for the GPU’s capabilities in a game like Inside.

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier part. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, placing it at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (deltaPct -0.6), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (deltaPct 1.3), the Intel Xeon 6505P (deltaPct 2), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (deltaPct 2.1). The 9900X3D is within 2% of these parts in average score, meaning it is a high-end desktop chip that should never bottleneck a mainstream game. Yet the combo rank of 2631 out of 2887 shows that the overall system performance is dragged down by the RX 580, which is a stark mismatch in tier.

Benchmark results indicate that this is a case of extreme CPU overkill paired with a GPU that is now entry-level. The RX 580’s percentile of 53 means it is exactly average among all GPUs, but in a 2016 puzzle platformer, the game’s low graphical demands mean the GPU still delivers playable frame rates, just not high ones at 4K. The combo rank reflects that while the CPU is in the top 10% of all processors, the GPU is in the middle of the pack, and the combination lands in the bottom 9% of all tested combos for this specific title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings produce high frame rates. At 1080p, even Ultra settings average 71 FPS, while Low hits 150 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 51 FPS, and at 4K, Ultra averages just 32 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D bottlenecking the RX 580 in Inside?

A: No. The CPU has a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, 12 cores, 24 threads, and 128 MB of L3 cache. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent ~55% drop, which is a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU is not the limiting component at any resolution tested.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580’s average benchmark score is 12928. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (deltaPct -0.4), AMD Radeon 740M (deltaPct 0.5), and AMD FirePro W5100 (deltaPct 0.6). All are within 0.6% of each other.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that reports min/max values, and it remains comfortably playable.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combo?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average is 68 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 54 FPS, and at 4K High it is 34 FPS. Ultra at 4K averages 32 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to the GPU’s?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 54762 and sits at the 91st percentile, while the GPU has an average score of 12928 and sits at the 53rd percentile. The CPU is in the top 10% of all processors, while the GPU is exactly average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings, with every cell filled except for min/max values on some presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 150 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium at 1080p averages 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 and a maximum of 138. High at 1080p averages 75 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 79 FPS, showing that graphical settings have a large impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 108 FPS, Medium averages 86 FPS (min 73, max 99), High averages 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 57 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p but still significant. The Medium preset is the only one at 1440p with min/max data, and its 73 FPS minimum is still above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 68 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS (min 46, max 62), High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The Low to Ultra gap at 4K is just 36 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so overloaded that settings changes have less impact. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 46 FPS, which is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low is the only configuration that exceeds 144 FPS, while 4K Ultra is the only configuration that dips below 33 FPS. The Medium preset at every resolution is the only one that reports min/max values, suggesting it was the most thoroughly tested. At 1080p Medium, the 102 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable stutter, while at 4K Medium, the 46 FPS minimum is borderline for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, built on a 4 nm TSMC process. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with 128 MB of L3 cache spread across its cores. The CPU’s benchmark results are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737, a single-core score of 6739, and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. These numbers place it at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762.

In Inside, however, the CPU’s role is minimal. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer with simple geometry and lighting, so it does not stress multi-threaded performance. The measured FPS shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the frame rate hits 150 FPS, but there is no indication that the CPU is preventing higher numbers. The 12 cores and 24 threads are far more than this game needs; even a dual-core processor from 2016 could run Inside at high frame rates. The CPU’s 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent, but the game simply does not demand it.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (deltaPct -0.6), Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (deltaPct 1.3), Intel Xeon 6505P (deltaPct 2), and Intel Core i7-14700F (deltaPct 2.1). All of these CPUs are within 2.1% of the 9900X3D’s score, meaning the CPU tier is consistent — but in Inside, the difference between a 9900X3D and a much cheaper chip would be negligible. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drop when resolution increases. The CPU’s 128 MB L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are irrelevant to this game’s performance, as the RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 32 ROPs are the limiting factors.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1080p as the sweet spot. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, which is ideal for smooth gameplay on a 120 Hz or 144 Hz display. The High preset at 1080p averages 75 FPS, which is still excellent, but the 45 FPS gap between Medium and High suggests that the Medium preset is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 1080p averages 71 FPS, only 4 FPS lower than High, so if visual fidelity is a priority, Ultra is nearly free at this resolution.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p displays. High at 1440p drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for most gamers, and Ultra averages just 51 FPS. Low at 1440p averages 108 FPS, but the visual downgrade from Medium is not worth the 22 FPS gain for most players. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only one that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, making it the clear recommendation.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. Low averages 68 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 54 FPS and High/Ultra fall to 34/32 FPS. For a puzzle platformer where precision is key, the 46 FPS minimum at 4K Medium could cause noticeable frame pacing issues. The best 4K experience is Low, which averages 68 FPS and avoids the sub-50 FPS dips seen in Medium. However, given that 1080p Medium provides 120 FPS average and 102 FPS minimum, the data strongly suggests that 1080p Medium is the optimal configuration for this combo, offering high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. If a 1440p monitor is a must, Medium at that resolution is the only preset that keeps minimums above 60 FPS.