Inside

# Inside — AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The benchmark data for Inside with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a puzzle platformer that is remarkably forgiving on modern hardware, with even the most demanding preset at 4K maintaining an average of 95 FPS. The measured results span twelve distinct combinations of resolution and settings, revealing a title where the CPU's substantial multi-threading headroom and the GPU's Ampere architecture combine to deliver triple-digit frame rates across nearly the entire test matrix. This analysis breaks down how resolution scaling, preset selection, and component characteristics influence the observed performance, contextualized against the combo's rank within the broader benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Inside follows a predictable pattern, though the magnitude of the performance drop from 1080p to 4K varies significantly depending on the selected quality preset. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 220 FPS at 1920x1080 to 158 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 28% reduction, and then further to 99 FPS at 3840x2160, a 55% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior indicates that the RTX 3080's rendering workload scales roughly with pixel count, with the 4K resolution demanding nearly four times the pixel throughput of 1080p.

The Low preset exhibits the steepest relative decline, starting at 425 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 317 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease), and then to 199 FPS at 4K (a 53% decline from 1080p). This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at 425 FPS but cannot compensate for the increased pixel fill rate demanded at 4K. The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory: 352 FPS at 1080p, 253 FPS at 1440p (28% lower), and 159 FPS at 4K (55% lower).

Ultra settings show the smallest absolute frame rates but a comparable relative scaling pattern, with 210 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p (28% lower), and 95 FPS at 4K (55% lower). The consistency of the percentage drops across presets—hovering around 25-28% from 1080p to 1440p and 53-55% from 1080p to 4K—indicates that resolution scaling is governed primarily by GPU pixel throughput rather than CPU limitations or memory bandwidth constraints. The RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are evidently sufficient to maintain playable frame rates at every resolution tested, though the 4K Ultra result of 95 FPS shows the title's most demanding configuration begins to approach the edge of the GPU's comfort zone.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data presents a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets, with each step up in quality exacting a measurable toll on average frame rates. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Medium costs 73 FPS (from 425 to 352), while the step from Medium to High costs 132 FPS (from 352 to 220), and High to Ultra costs a further 10 FPS (from 220 to 210). This non-linear relationship suggests that the High preset may offer diminishing returns relative to Medium, as the 132 FPS penalty for moving from Medium to High is far steeper than the 73 FPS penalty for the initial upgrade from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts: Low delivers 317 FPS, Medium 253 FPS (a 64 FPS penalty), High 158 FPS (a 95 FPS penalty from Medium), and Ultra 151 FPS (a mere 7 FPS penalty from High). The minimal difference between High and Ultra at 1440p—only 7 FPS—makes Ultra the more attractive option at this resolution, as the visual quality uplift comes at nearly negligible performance cost. At 3840x2160, the gaps compress further: Low yields 199 FPS, Medium 159 FPS (40 FPS penalty), High 99 FPS (60 FPS penalty), and Ultra 95 FPS (4 FPS penalty from High). The 4 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K strongly recommends Ultra as the optimal preset for this resolution, since the performance cost is essentially indistinguishable while the settings gain is maximal.

For the best experience per the measured rows, the data indicates that Ultra settings at 1440p (151 FPS) or 4K (95 FPS) provide the most favorable balance, as the marginal cost of moving from High to Ultra is negligible at both resolutions. The Medium preset at 1440p (253 FPS) offers the highest frame rate among the "quality-oriented" presets, but the 95 FPS gap to High suggests that users prioritizing visual fidelity should skip Medium. At 1080p, the 10 FPS difference between High (220 FPS) and Ultra (210 FPS) makes Ultra the clear choice for users with high-refresh-rate displays, as both presets comfortably exceed 200 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings 12 cores and 24 threads operating at a base clock of 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, backed by a substantial 128 MB L3 cache. In Inside, a puzzle platformer with relatively modest computational demands, this processor's capabilities far exceed what the title requires. The benchmark data reflects this oversupply: even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would theoretically face its heaviest load relative to the GPU, the system achieves 425 FPS—a figure that indicates the Ryzen 9 is not the limiting component at any resolution or preset combination.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 3041 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739, suggests strong per-core throughput that benefits games with sequential logic. However, Inside's measured frame rates show no signs of CPU bottlenecking even at the highest frame rates recorded. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and 2-thread score of 2512 further confirm that the processor can handle lightly-threaded workloads with ease, yet the game's performance scales almost entirely with GPU load as resolution increases.

The Zen 5 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process with a 120 W TDP, provides ample headroom for sustained gaming workloads. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth over DDR5 dual-channel support ensures that data delivery to the GPU is not a constraint. The processor's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762, places it well above the median, and its nearest rival—the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF at 55093 (0.6% higher)—shows that the 9900X3D is competitive with top-tier alternatives. For Inside specifically, the CPU role is essentially to stay out of the way, which it does admirably, allowing the GPU to dictate performance at every measured configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a combo rank of 524 out of 2887 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the top 18% of all configurations tested, a strong showing that reflects the balance between a high-end 2025 processor and a 2020-era enthusiast GPU. The rank of 524 indicates that while this is not a top-tier pairing by absolute performance—as configurations with newer flagship GPUs would likely occupy the upper echelons—it represents a highly capable setup for Inside's specific demands.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking versus all CPUs contrasts with the GPU's more modest 68th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting that the processor has significantly more headroom than the graphics card in this pairing. The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 23172 places it near several unexpected rivals—the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23249 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23250 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23273 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23276 (0.4% higher)—though these comparisons are based on aggregate benchmarks that may not reflect gaming-specific performance.

The combo's rank of 524 out of 2887 suggests that many configurations with newer or higher-tier GPUs outperform it, but the measured FPS data for Inside shows that this pairing delivers exceptional performance in this title specifically. The discrepancy between the combo's overall rank and its in-game performance underscores the importance of game-specific testing, as a puzzle platformer like Inside does not stress the GPU as heavily as more graphically demanding titles might. The data indicates that this combination sits comfortably in the upper quartile of tested setups, with the CPU's strength compensating for the GPU's mid-tier percentile ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, built on the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, provides 10 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output processors work in concert to achieve a pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to Inside's measured performance, where the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth determine the scaling behavior observed across resolutions.

The RTX 3080's base clock of 1440 MHz and boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, provide substantial computational headroom for a title like Inside that does not heavily utilize ray tracing or AI-accelerated features. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 29.77 TFLOPS ensures that even the most demanding pixel shader workloads at 4K Ultra are handled without difficulty, as evidenced by the 95 FPS average at that configuration. The 8 nm Samsung process node, while less advanced than the CPU's 4 nm TSMC node, still delivers the performance necessary for high-refresh-rate gaming.

The GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172, indicates that it is a mid-to-upper-tier performer in the broader context. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks—the P106-100 and Radeon Pro Vega 16, both within 0.3%—are not direct gaming competitors, which suggests that the RTX 3080's gaming-specific strengths may not be fully captured by synthetic benchmarks. In Inside, the GPU's role is paramount: as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the frame rate drops by approximately 53-55% across all presets, a pattern that squarely implicates pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the limiting factors. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Inside, a game that does not demand large texture footprints, and the 19 Gbps effective memory clock ensures that bandwidth is not a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 425 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 95 FPS, which is the lowest measured result across all tested configurations.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Inside?*

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes (approximately 53-55% drops from 1080p to 4K) while the CPU maintains high performance across all settings.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 158 FPS while Ultra averages 151 FPS, a difference of only 7 FPS.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 524th out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in any measured configuration?

A: The only configurations with recorded minimum FPS values are Medium settings: 135 FPS at 4K, 215 FPS at 1440p, and 299 FPS at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for Inside with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 425 FPS average
• Medium: 352 FPS average, with a minimum of 299 FPS and maximum of 405 FPS
• High: 220 FPS average
• Ultra: 210 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 317 FPS average
• Medium: 253 FPS average, with a minimum of 215 FPS and maximum of 291 FPS
• High: 158 FPS average
• Ultra: 151 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 159 FPS average, with a minimum of 135 FPS and maximum of 183 FPS
• High: 99 FPS average
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only configuration for which minimum and maximum FPS values are recorded, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the spread between minimum (299 FPS) and maximum (405 FPS) is 106 FPS, while at 1440p Medium the spread narrows to 76 FPS (215 to 291), and at 4K Medium it narrows further to 48 FPS (135 to 183). This tightening of the frame rate range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more consistently demanding at higher pixel counts, reducing the variance caused by scene complexity variations. The average FPS values across all three resolutions and four presets demonstrate that this combination delivers smooth, playable performance in Inside under every tested configuration, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra setting maintaining an average above 90 FPS.