Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016 that remains undemanding by modern standards. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this combination never drops below 83 FPS average, making it far more capable than the game requires. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the 12-core, 24-thread CPU with its 128 MB of L3 cache is essentially idle overhead for this title's modest threading demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 184 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 132 FPS (a 28.3% reduction); and at 4K Ultra, it falls further to 83 FPS (a 37.1% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 XT's rendering throughput is the limiting factor as pixel count rises, not the CPU.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p is proportionally larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in percentage terms, which is typical for a GPU that approaches its bandwidth or fill-rate ceiling. At 4K Medium, the average FPS of 140 is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, but the jump from 4K Medium to 4K High (87 FPS) shows a 37.9% performance hit, suggesting that higher-quality shaders and texture filtering disproportionately tax the GPU's 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Low settings tell a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 387 FPS, and even at 4K Low, it maintains 175 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low is a 54.8% drop, which is less severe than the Ultra settings drop (54.9% from 184 to 83 FPS), indicating that the GPU's fixed-function units (ROPs, TMUs) are more stressed at Ultra, while Low settings reduce that pressure. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the system may be approaching CPU or driver overhead limits, as the 387 FPS figure is extraordinarily high for any modern title.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) on a 4 nm TSMC process. It features a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with 128 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 13,795 in 3DMark max threads, 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 6,739 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 54,762 places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (0.6% slower) and Intel Core i7-14700F (2.1% slower).

For Inside, a puzzle platformer with minimal AI or physics simulation, the CPU's role is largely peripheral. The game's engine is unlikely to utilize more than a few threads, so the 24-thread capability is essentially unused headroom. The single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1,269 and Geekbench single-core score of 3,041, is more relevant. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that any single-threaded game logic runs with minimal latency, but the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking: even at 1080p Low with 387 FPS, the frame rate is likely limited by the GPU's ability to issue draw calls, not the CPU's processing speed.

The 128 MB L3 cache is a notable feature for gaming, as it can reduce memory latency for frequently accessed data. However, Inside's simple geometry and sparse entity counts mean that cache pressure is minimal. The CPU's DDR5 dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for this game's data streaming requirements. In the context of this combo's ranking (864th out of 2,887 tested combos), the CPU is not the differentiator — the GPU is.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process. It has 3,456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, with a base clock of 1,435 MHz, a game clock of 2,171 MHz, and a boost clock of 2,544 MHz. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute capabilities include 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, with a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 22,547 in PassMark G3D and 33,16 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (0.5% faster), RTX 4060 Mobile (0.8% slower), and RTX 2080 (1.5% slower), indicating that the RX 7700 XT sits in a competitive mid-range segment. For Inside, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is far more than the game needs — even at 4K Ultra, the game's texture budgets are unlikely to exceed a few gigabytes. The memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s, however, becomes a factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the measured FPS drops suggest.

The 96 ROPs are the likely bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 83 FPS average aligns with the pixel fill rate limit. At 4K, the GPU must process 8.3 million pixels per frame; at 83 FPS, that's 689 million pixels per second, well below the 244.2 GPixel/s theoretical maximum, so other factors like shader complexity and memory latency are at play. The boost clock of 2,544 MHz is high for the segment, but the game's modest shader demands mean that the GPU often runs at or near its game clock, providing consistent frame delivery. The fact that 4K Low (175 FPS) is more than double 4K Ultra (83 FPS) suggests that the game's Ultra preset imposes significant shader and texture work that scales poorly with the GPU's 35.17 TFLOPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 864th out of 2,887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 70th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is notably lower than the CPU's 91st percentile and the GPU's 67th percentile, indicating that the combo's performance is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range positioning relative to other tested configurations. In a game like Inside, where the CPU is rarely a bottleneck, the GPU's absolute performance is the primary determinant of the rank.

The data shows that the combo's 1080p Ultra average of 184 FPS is far above the game's needs, but other combos with higher-end GPUs achieve even higher frame rates, pushing this combo down the rankings. The 4K Ultra average of 83 FPS is still playable, but many combos with flagship GPUs exceed 144 FPS at this resolution, widening the gap. The combo's rank is consistent with its measured FPS: it's not a top-tier performer, but it's also far from the bottom. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 13,795 and GPU's PassMark G3D score of 22,547 both suggest a balanced mid-range-to-upper-mid-range system, and the rank reflects that balance.

Notably, the combo outperforms what the GPU's percentile alone would suggest, likely because the CPU's high single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread 1,269) ensures no frame-time spikes in CPU-bound moments. However, the rank of 864 means that roughly 30% of tested combos deliver higher FPS in Inside, which is expected given the GPU's 67th percentile standing. The combo's ranking is not a reflection of poor optimization but rather the natural outcome of pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The combo achieves an average of 83 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the lowest measured average across all tested configurations, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The data shows that FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, which indicates GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 387 FPS, and even at that extreme, the frame rate is not CPU-limited — the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's single-thread score of 1,269 in 3DMark is more than sufficient for Inside's demands.

Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p High (139 FPS) and 1440p Medium (222 FPS) both exceed 144 FPS, as do 1080p High (193 FPS), 1080p Medium (309 FPS), and 1080p Low (387 FPS). At 4K, only Low settings (175 FPS) and Medium settings (140 FPS) approach or exceed 144 FPS, while 4K High (87 FPS) and 4K Ultra (83 FPS) fall short.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 XT's average benchmark score of 22,549 is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22,435), 0.8% higher than the RTX 4060 Mobile (22,729), and 1.5% higher than the RTX 2080 (22,895). It also outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22,170) by 1.7%.

*Q: Is this combo overkill for Inside?*

A: Yes, in terms of raw FPS. The game runs at 184 FPS on 1080p Ultra, which is far beyond the display refresh rates of most monitors. However, the combo's ranking of 864th out of 2,887 shows that many other systems perform better, so it's not overkill in a comparative sense — it's a mid-range performer in a field of high-end systems.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 278 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 132 FPS — a 52.5% reduction. Medium settings (222 FPS) and High settings (139 FPS) fall between these extremes, with High being nearly identical to Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents all measured average FPS values from the FACT PACK, organized by resolution and settings. Min and max FPS are only available for Medium settings at each resolution.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 (4K) | High | 87 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 (4K) | Low | 175 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 (4K) | Medium | 140 | 119 | 161 |

| 3840x2160 (4K) | Ultra | 83 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 (1440p) | High | 139 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 (1440p) | Low | 278 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 (1440p) | Medium | 222 | 189 | 256 |

| 2560x1440 (1440p) | Ultra | 132 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 (1080p) | High | 193 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 (1080p) | Low | 387 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 (1080p) | Medium | 309 | 263 | 356 |

| 1920x1080 (1080p) | Ultra | 184 | — | — |

At 1080p, the spread from Low (387 FPS) to Ultra (184 FPS) represents a 52.5% performance range. At 1440p, the spread from Low (278 FPS) to Ultra (132 FPS) is also 52.5%, showing consistent scaling. At 4K, the spread from Low (175 FPS) to Ultra (83 FPS) is 52.6%, nearly identical. This uniform scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload increases linearly with pixel count and settings complexity, with no unexpected bottlenecks.

The Medium settings data provides insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS of 263 is 14.9% below the average of 309, while the max of 356 is 15.2% above. At 1440p Medium, the min of 189 is 14.9% below the 222 average, and the max of 256 is 15.3% above. At 4K Medium, the min of 119 is 15.0% below the 140 average, and the max of 161 is 15.0% above. This remarkably consistent variance suggests that the frame pacing is stable, with no sudden spikes or drops — a sign of a well-matched CPU-GPU combination. The 12 GB VRAM is never an issue, as Inside's textures are small, and the 432.0 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom even at 4K. Overall, the data indicates a system that delivers smooth, predictable performance across all tested configurations, with the caveat that 4K Ultra (83 FPS) requires a high-refresh-rate display to fully benefit from the frame rate.