Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a commanding performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer that proves remarkably scalable across resolutions and settings. The measured data shows this combination is capable of extreme frame rates, even at 4K, making it a formidable pairing for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the most dramatic shifts occurring at the highest settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 425 FPS, which drops to 307 FPS at 1440p and further to 193 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating a strong dependency on pixel throughput.

The scaling behavior changes character when moving to High and Ultra presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 214 FPS at 1080p to 154 FPS at 1440p, then to 97 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep at 37%, suggesting that the RX 6800 XT's rendering capabilities are being taxed more heavily at higher resolutions. Ultra settings follow a similar trajectory: 203 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p, and 92 FPS at 4K.

What is striking is that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 222 FPS, but at 4K that gap compresses to just 101 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiting component, whereas at 1080p, the CPU's headroom allows the GPU to stretch its legs. The 1440p Medium result of 246 FPS with a minimum of 209 FPS and maximum of 283 FPS shows that this resolution strikes a balance, with the frame rate still being largely GPU-bound but with enough overhead to maintain consistent performance.

The overall pattern indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested. Even at 1080p Low with an average of 425 FPS, the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads provide sufficient processing power to feed the RX 6800 XT. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at every settings level shows a consistent drop of roughly 37-40%, which is typical for a GPU-limited scenario in a 2D side-scrolling title where geometry complexity is modest.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT plays the dominant role in determining Inside's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 21 chip, featuring 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves more than adequate for this game's art style and texture requirements.

Clock speeds are substantial, with a base clock of 1825 MHz, a game clock of 2015 MHz, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. These frequencies allow the GPU to maintain high throughput, especially in a game like Inside where the visual style is relatively simple but the lighting and post-processing effects can be demanding. The 72 ray accelerators, while not heavily utilized in this title, contribute to the overall feature set.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is never a limiting factor in Inside, as even at 4K Ultra the game's texture memory requirements are modest. The memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations occur without stutter, as evidenced by the smooth minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS of 131 and maximum of 178 indicate that the GPU maintains a tight frame pacing window.

The GPU's raw compute power, rated at 20.74 TFLOPS FP32, is clearly sufficient for this title. The fact that the 4K Ultra average of 92 FPS is still well above 60 FPS demonstrates that the RX 6800 XT has ample headroom. The percentile ranking of 85 among all GPUs places it in the upper tier, though its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Arc A550M and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, with delta percentages of -2.5 and -3.0 respectively, meaning the RX 6800 XT outperforms both in average benchmark score.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination achieves a rank of 600 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 21% of all combinations tested, which is a strong showing for a pairing that includes a GPU from the previous generation.

The ranking is more impressive when considering the CPU's overall position. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, scores 55093, a delta of -0.6%, which is effectively a statistical tie. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K trails by 1.3%, and the Intel Xeon 6505P is 2.0% behind. This places the 9900X3D in elite company for CPU-bound workloads.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 85 with an average score of 48477 places it slightly below the Intel Arc A550M, which is 2.5% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which is 3.0% faster. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile is 1.5% slower. This suggests that while the RX 6800 XT is not the fastest GPU in the database, it is well-matched with the 9900X3D for this particular game.

The combined rank of 600 out of 2887 indicates that many other combinations deliver higher frame rates in Inside. However, considering that the GPU is from 2020 and the CPU from 2025, the pairing shows excellent longevity. The data suggests that were the GPU upgraded to a more recent model, the combo rank would improve substantially, but as configured, this pairing still delivers playable performance at all resolutions and settings tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers outstanding performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 425 FPS, Medium produces 342 FPS with a minimum of 291 and maximum of 393, High produces 214 FPS, and Ultra produces 203 FPS. The 1080p results show that even at Ultra, the frame rate is nearly three times the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 1440p, the averages remain high: Low delivers 307 FPS, Medium delivers 246 FPS with a minimum of 209 and maximum of 283, High delivers 154 FPS, and Ultra delivers 146 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is particularly notable for its consistency, with a minimum-to-maximum spread of 74 FPS.

At 4K, the performance remains respectable. Low settings yield an average of 193 FPS, Medium yields 154 FPS with a minimum of 131 and maximum of 178, High yields 97 FPS, and Ultra yields 92 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 92 FPS is still comfortably above the 60 FPS mark, making this resolution viable for smooth gameplay even at maximum quality settings.

The data shows that the step from High to Ultra at any resolution costs between 5 and 11 FPS on average. At 1080p, the drop is 11 FPS; at 1440p, it is 8 FPS; and at 4K, it is 5 FPS. This diminishing penalty at higher resolutions indicates that Ultra settings do not add a significant burden over High, making the visual upgrade essentially free in performance terms.

FAQ

*Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D a bottleneck for the RX 6800 XT in Inside?*

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3041, indicate it has ample headroom. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K closely follows GPU expectations, with no anomalous drops that would indicate CPU limitation.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Inside?*

A: The data supports 1440p as the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 154 FPS, and at Medium it delivers 246 FPS with a minimum of 209 FPS. This provides high frame rates with substantial headroom above typical display refresh rates.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 92 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The minimum frame rate is not recorded for this configuration, but the Medium setting at 4K shows a minimum of 131 FPS, suggesting the GPU has consistent delivery.

*Q: Does the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB VRAM matter for Inside?*

A: The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient. The game's modest texture requirements mean that even at 4K Ultra, the memory bus width of 256-bit and bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s are not saturated, as indicated by the consistent frame times.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 600 out of 2887 total combinations, placing it in the top 21% of all tested pairings. This is a strong result given the GPU's generation, and the CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all processors contributes to the overall competitiveness.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The performance cost of Ultra over High is minimal. At 4K, the difference is only 5 FPS (97 to 92), at 1440p it is 8 FPS (154 to 146), and at 1080p it is 11 FPS (214 to 203). The visual benefits likely outweigh this small performance penalty.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an average of 425 FPS, which is excessive for any display and indicates the CPU-GPU combo is operating far below its limits. However, this setting sacrifices visual quality in a game known for its atmospheric presentation.

The optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is achieved at 1440p with High settings. This configuration produces an average of 154 FPS, which is smooth on high-refresh-rate monitors and maintains the game's artistic integrity. The step to Ultra at 1440p costs only 8 FPS on average, making it a viable choice for those who prioritize image quality, as it still delivers 146 FPS.

At 4K, the Medium preset offers the best experience, with an average of 154 FPS and a recorded minimum of 131 FPS. This ensures consistent frame delivery without dips that could affect gameplay in this puzzle platformer. The High preset at 4K drops to 97 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 4K with 92 FPS is acceptable for players with 60 Hz displays but may not fully utilize higher refresh rate panels.

The data indicates that the Medium preset provides the most consistent performance across all resolutions, with recorded minimum and maximum values showing tight frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 209 FPS and maximum of 283 FPS show a spread of 74 FPS, while at 1080p Medium the spread is 102 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 47 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the recommended starting point, with adjustments upward to High or Ultra based on resolution and display capabilities.