Inside

Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer with a deliberately sparse visual style, behaves unusually under the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high across all resolutions, but the scaling patterns reveal a system that is rarely stressed by this title. This analysis interprets the measured FPS data, contextualizes the combo’s standing among other tested configurations, and offers guidance on optimizing the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a predictable yet steep decline as resolution increases, but the absolute values remain so high that the limiting component shifts depending on the settings preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 425 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 330 FPS, a 22.4% reduction, and then to 208 FPS at 4K Low, a further 37.0% reduction from 1440p. This scaling indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises, though the CPU is still capable of feeding it at these extreme rates.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with a notable floor. The 1080p Medium average is 367 FPS, dropping to 264 FPS at 1440p (a 28.1% decrease) and 166 FPS at 4K (a 37.1% decrease). The minimum FPS values at Medium settings—312 at 1080p, 225 at 1440p, and 141 at 4K—suggest that frame pacing remains consistent even under load. This is a game that does not introduce heavy stutter, but the delta between average and minimum widens at higher resolutions, hinting at occasional GPU-related hitches.

High and Ultra presets show the most pronounced resolution sensitivity. At High, the average drops from 230 FPS at 1080p to 165 FPS at 1440p (a 28.3% decrease) and then to 104 FPS at 4K (a 37.0% decrease). Ultra follows suit: 219 FPS at 1080p, 157 FPS at 1440p (a 28.3% decrease), and 99 FPS at 4K (a 36.9% decrease). The near-identical percentage drops across High and Ultra indicate that these presets are equally demanding relative to their own baselines, and that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are the dominant factors at 4K.

The data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting component in this game. At 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most likely to surface, the combo still achieves 425 FPS, a figure that exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all monitors. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K is remarkably linear, with each resolution step costing roughly 28-37% performance depending on the preset. This linearity is a hallmark of GPU-bound workloads, confirming that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 12 cores and high boost clocks are more than sufficient for Inside’s modest physics and logic demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 396th out of 2,887 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 13.7% of all configurations. This percentile is respectable but not dominant, which is surprising given the raw performance of both components. The reason becomes clear when examining the nearest rivals: the RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37,648 is only 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507), while the RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% faster (38,135). These are not modern high-end GPUs, yet they achieve similar scores in this specific title.

The CPU’s standing is stronger. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54,762, which is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55,093) but 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54,053) and 2.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F (53,620). This places the CPU in the 91st percentile among all processors, a high rank that reflects its strong multi-threaded performance. However, Inside is not a CPU-intensive game, so this advantage rarely translates into higher frame rates.

The combo rank of 396 suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for this pairing, and that a different GPU choice could shift the ranking significantly. Since the game is ancient by computing standards, many older or lower-tier GPUs can achieve similar frame rates, especially at lower resolutions. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 is overkill for 1080p and 1440p in this title, but its 12 GB of VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture ensure it never runs out of memory or suffers from driver overhead. The percentile rank of 81 for the GPU (versus 91 for the CPU) reinforces that the graphics card is the weaker link in this combo for Inside.

FAQ

Q: Why does the combo rank only 396th if the components are so powerful?

A: The rank of 396 out of 2,887 combos (top 13.7%) reflects that Inside is an older title with low system requirements. Many other GPU models, including older ones like the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, achieve comparable average scores (37,628 and 37,507, respectively) to the RTX 4070’s 37,648, making the field very crowded at the top.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for achieving high frame rates in Inside?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 99 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 425 FPS. The linear scaling with resolution (roughly 28-37% drops per step) is characteristic of GPU-bound performance, meaning the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 12 cores are not stressed.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a 60 FPS experience?

A: All measured resolutions and presets exceed 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 99 FPS at 4K Ultra, so even the most demanding configuration is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 141, ensuring a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4070’s average score of 37,648 is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507), but 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135). This shows the 4070 is competitive but not class-leading in this title.

Q: Does the CPU’s high multi-threaded performance matter for Inside?

A: Not significantly. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,340 in Passmark physics, but Inside’s simple 2D-style gameplay does not leverage these resources. The frame rates are identical to what a less powerful CPU would likely achieve, as the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent, or are there stutters?

A: The data shows consistent performance. At Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 312 at 1080p, 225 at 1440p, and 141 at 4K, with maximum values of 423, 304, and 191 respectively. The gaps between average and minimum are moderate, indicating occasional dips but no severe frame pacing issues.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 425 FPS, which is the highest measured value for this combo. Medium settings average 367 FPS, with a minimum of 312 and maximum of 423, showing a 55 FPS variance. High settings drop to 230 FPS, while Ultra averages 219 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 11 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds visual effects that have minimal performance cost at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows a clear step down. Low settings average 330 FPS, a 22.4% decrease from 1080p. Medium averages 264 FPS (min 225, max 304), High averages 165 FPS, and Ultra averages 157 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 8 FPS, indicating that the additional Ultra features are not heavily taxing at this resolution. The minimum FPS at Medium (225) is still above 144 Hz, making this an excellent resolution for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 208 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium averages 166 FPS (min 141, max 191), High averages 104 FPS, and Ultra averages 99 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is only 5 FPS, suggesting that Ultra is essentially a free upgrade at 4K. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 141, which is below the average of High (104 is the average, but the min is not listed). This indicates that 4K Medium is the sweet spot for maintaining high frame rates, as it offers 67% more performance than Ultra while likely looking similar in this art style.

The data reveals that the RTX 4070 is never pushed below 99 FPS average, even at the most demanding settings. This is remarkable for a game with a release date in 2016, but it also highlights that the GPU is underutilized at lower resolutions. For players with 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitors, the 1080p Low preset at 425 FPS is the only way to saturate such displays, though Medium at 367 FPS is close.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, based on the AD104 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture, is a 5 nm part with 35,800 million transistors. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Inside’s textures and effects. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and 5,888 shading units contribute to its high raw throughput, as evidenced by its 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance. In this game, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates, as shown by the resolution scaling.

The GPU’s 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs handle pixel and texture processing efficiently, but Inside’s visual style is minimal, so these units are not heavily taxed. The 4K Ultra preset at 99 FPS is likely limited by the GPU’s fill rate and shader execution, not its memory bandwidth. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is never a concern, as the game’s asset size is small; the memory bus width of 192-bit is also adequate, given that the game does not require massive data transfers.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 81 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,648, places it in the upper tier, but its nearest rivals include the Tesla P4 and RX Vega 56, which are older and less powerful. This suggests that Inside’s engine has a performance ceiling that modern GPUs hit quickly. The RTX 4070’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 does not provide a tangible benefit in this title, as the game likely uses older APIs. The measured frame rates show that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, but it is not a demanding bottleneck, as the combo still exceeds 60 FPS by a wide margin.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing Medium settings at any resolution. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 367 FPS with a minimum of 312, which will saturate any consumer display. At 1440p Medium, the average is 264 FPS (min 225), still exceeding the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 166 FPS (min 141), which is ideal for 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset appears to be the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance, as it offers a significant frame rate advantage over High and Ultra while likely looking nearly identical in this stylized game.

High and Ultra presets provide diminishing returns. At 1080p, the difference between High (230 FPS) and Ultra (219 FPS) is minimal, but both are far below Medium’s 367 FPS. At 4K, High (104 FPS) and Ultra (99 FPS) are within 5 FPS of each other, but Medium (166 FPS) is 60% faster. For players with 4K 120 Hz displays, 4K Medium is the clear choice, as it provides frame rates above the refresh rate. For 4K 60 Hz displays, even Ultra at 99 FPS is overkill, so players could opt for High to reduce GPU load and potential fan noise.

Low settings are only recommended for competitive play or for users with extremely high refresh rate monitors (360 Hz or higher). At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 425 FPS, which is the only way to fully utilize such displays. However, Low settings may degrade visual quality in a game where atmosphere is crucial, so Medium is the recommended starting point. The minimum FPS values at Medium (312 at 1080p, 225 at 1440p, 141 at 4K) ensure that even the most demanding scenes do not cause noticeable stutter, making Medium the most consistent preset across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, with 12 cores and 24 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, is a desktop processor with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 128 MB of L3 cache and 4 nm process node give it strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance, as shown by its Cinebench R23 scores of 6,739 (single-core) and 47,737 (multi-core). However, Inside is not a CPU-intensive game, and the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor.

The CPU’s 91st percentile rank among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,762, is impressive, but it does not translate into higher frame rates in this title. The game’s simple physics and logic can be handled by a single core, and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 12 cores are largely idle. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that any single-threaded workload is processed quickly, but even at 1080p Low, the frame rate is capped by the GPU’s ability to render frames, not the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (0.6% faster), Core Ultra 5 245K (1.3% slower), and Core i7-14700F (2.1% slower), but these differences are irrelevant for Inside. The 24 threads and 128 MB L3 cache provide no tangible benefit in a game that likely uses fewer than 4 threads. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and DDR5 support are also not fully utilized, as the game’s data set is small. In summary, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is overkill for Inside, but its high clock speeds ensure that it does not bottleneck the RTX 4070, even at 1080p Low where CPU overhead is most likely to appear.