Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer with a stark, monochromatic art style, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination reveals a performance profile that is heavily dictated by the graphics settings and resolution, rather than the CPU. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board are exceptionally high, indicating that this pairing is more than capable of delivering a fluid experience in this title, with the data pointing to the GPU as the primary scaling factor as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear, predictable pattern as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "Ultra" preset, the average frame rate drops from 168 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 76 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 55% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is a classic indicator that the graphics card is the limiting component. The GPU's rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count, and the RX 7700’s output reflects this directly.

The trend is even more pronounced at the "Low" preset, where the average FPS falls from 353 at 1080p to 254 at 1440p, and then to 160 at 4K. The 4K "Low" result is less than half of the 1080p "Low" result, demonstrating that even when the graphical workload is minimized, the sheer number of pixels at 4K still presents a formidable challenge for the GPU. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate, but the GPU quickly becomes the bottleneck as the resolution increases, particularly at the highest settings.

The difference between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets at each resolution also highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the gap between "Low" and "Ultra" is 185 FPS, which is a massive 110% increase in performance by lowering settings. However, at 4K, this same gap narrows to 84 FPS, representing a 110% increase as well. While the relative impact is similar, the absolute FPS ceiling is much lower at 4K, which suggests that for a consistently high frame rate at 4K, the graphical preset is the primary lever to pull. The data strongly implies that the CPU has ample headroom in this game, and the FPS is almost entirely bound by the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D 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 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are formidable, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739. However, for a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the demands on the CPU are not typically as intensive as in a large open-world title. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration.

The evidence for this is the sheer magnitude of the FPS numbers, especially at lower resolutions. At 1080p with "Low" settings, the CPU is able to push the GPU to produce an average of 353 FPS. This is an extremely high frame rate that would require a very capable processor to maintain. The 9900X3D's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Geekbench single-core score of 3041, ensures that the game's primary logic thread is handled with ease.

Furthermore, the performance delta between the 9900X3D and its nearest rivals is minimal. The data shows it is only 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K in average benchmark score. This indicates that, in terms of raw processing power, this CPU is in a very tight competitive bracket. For Inside, the 12 cores and 24 threads are likely overkill, as the game probably does not leverage all of them. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is more relevant, ensuring that the game's main thread can execute instructions as quickly as possible, but the FPS data shows that even this is not the limiting factor, as the GPU consistently becomes the constraint at higher resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D bottlenecking the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in Inside?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting component. At 1080p with "Low" settings, the combo achieves an average of 353 FPS, and at "Ultra" settings, it still manages 168 FPS. The FPS scales down consistently as resolution increases, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: For a 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, 1920x1080 is the safest choice. The data shows that even at "Ultra" settings, the combo produces an average of 168 FPS, which is above 144 FPS. At 2560x1440, the "High" preset averages 127 FPS, which is close to a 120Hz target but may not consistently hit 144 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average FPS jumps from 168 on "Ultra" to 353 on "Low" at 1920x1080. This represents a 185 FPS increase, or a 110% performance uplift, by selecting the "Low" preset.

Q: Does the RX 7700's 16 GB of VRAM make a difference in this game?

A: While the specific VRAM usage is not provided in the measured FPS data, the card's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is available. Given that the game is from 2016 and has a minimalist art style, it is highly unlikely that it would exhaust this capacity, even at 4K. The FPS data suggests that the GPU's compute capabilities are the limiting factor, not its memory size.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations for Inside?

A: The combo is ranked 1161 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the top 40% of all systems tested. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, indicating that the performance is good but not at the very top of the charts.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1440p "Medium" settings?

A: The data shows a minimum FPS of 173 and a maximum of 234, with an average of 203 FPS at 2560x1440 on the "Medium" preset. This indicates a very smooth experience with no significant frame drops.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the "High" preset offers a compelling balance between visual fidelity and performance across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, "High" yields an average of 177 FPS, providing a fluid experience on high refresh rate displays. At 2560x1440, the "High" preset averages 127 FPS, which is ideal for a 120Hz monitor and is a significant step up from the "Ultra" preset's 121 FPS, while likely offering a nearly identical visual experience. The "High" preset is the most versatile option.

For users with a 4K display, the "Medium" preset is the most sensible starting point. It delivers an average of 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS, ensuring a stable experience above 100 FPS. The "High" preset at 4K drops to an average of 80 FPS, which is still playable but may not feel as smooth on a high refresh rate panel. The "Ultra" preset, while offering the highest fidelity, brings the average down to 76 FPS at 4K, which is a significant compromise. The "Low" preset is generally unnecessary, as even "Ultra" at 1080p provides a high frame rate, but it can be used to maximize FPS on very high refresh rate monitors (240Hz+), as it yields 353 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination holds a rank of 1161 out of 2887 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations in the database. This is a respectable position, though not a top-tier one. The ranking suggests that while this hardware is very capable, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this specific game.

The rank is likely influenced by the fact that Inside is not a highly demanding game, and the GPU's absolute performance ceiling is the primary factor. The CPU's massive processing power, while excellent for other tasks, does not significantly boost its standing in this particular title. The data implies that a system with a faster GPU, even with a slower CPU, could potentially achieve a better rank. This reflects the GPU-bound nature of the game at higher settings and resolutions, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The combo's rank is solid, but it clearly indicates that the RX 7700 is the defining component for this game's performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers:

• Low: 353 FPS average.
• Medium: 282 FPS average, with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS.
• High: 177 FPS average.
• Ultra: 168 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance is:

• Low: 254 FPS average.
• Medium: 203 FPS average, with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS.
• High: 127 FPS average.
• Ultra: 121 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 160 FPS average.
• Medium: 128 FPS average, with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS.
• High: 80 FPS average.
• Ultra: 76 FPS average.

The data clearly shows the scaling pattern. The step from "Low" to "Medium" is the largest performance hit, while the step from "High" to "Ultra" is relatively small. This suggests that the "Ultra" preset may not offer a significant visual improvement over "High" to justify the FPS cost. The "Medium" preset appears to be the sweet spot for 4K, as it is the only preset that maintains an average above 120 FPS at that resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, is the clear performance driver in this pairing for Inside. With a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz, it provides substantial compute power. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus offers a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for this title. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 20974, position it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is only 1.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, its closest competitor.

The FPS data directly reflects the GPU's workload. The dramatic drop in performance from 1080p to 4K, as well as the large gap between "Low" and "Ultra" presets, confirms that the RX 7700's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor. The GPU's 40 RT cores and 2560 shading units are tasked with rendering the game's unique silhouette-based visuals, and the results show that it handles the game well, but its absolute performance ceiling is what defines the upper FPS limits. The data suggests that the RX 7700 is a very capable card for this game, offering excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, and respectable performance at 4K when settings are adjusted appropriately.