Inside

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The measured data shows this combination achieves over 100 frames per second at every tested setting and resolution, with frame rates ranging from 110 FPS at 4K Ultra to 425 FPS at 1080p Low. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results by resolution, CPU and GPU roles, and settings to provide a complete picture of the hardware's behavior in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation at higher resolutions, while the CPU remains the primary constraint at lower resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 256 FPS at 1920x1080 to 184 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 72 FPS, and then further down to 116 FPS at 3840x2160, another 68 FPS decrease. This linear progression indicates that the rendering load grows substantially with pixel count, and the RTX 4070 SUPER's capabilities are being progressively taxed as resolution increases.

The Low settings preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the system produces 425 FPS, which falls to 368 FPS at 1440p and 231 FPS at 4K. The 194 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the frame rate is likely constrained by other bottlenecks, possibly CPU-bound scenarios or engine-level frame rate limits.

Medium settings provide the only complete data set with minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 393 FPS with a minimum of 334 FPS and maximum of 452 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average drops to 294 FPS with a range of 250 to 338 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 FPS and maximum of 213 FPS. The consistency of the frame time distribution, as indicated by the relatively tight min-max ranges, suggests stable performance without significant stuttering.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each settings level shows the following reductions: Low settings drop by 194 FPS (45.6%), Medium settings drop by 208 FPS (52.9%), High settings drop by 140 FPS (54.7%), and Ultra settings drop by 134 FPS (54.9%). The consistent percentage drops across presets indicate that the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are the dominant factors at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D features 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This processor's 128 MB of L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide substantial computational headroom for a game like Inside, which is primarily a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively modest CPU demands compared to modern 3D titles.

Benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739. The Geekbench scores of 22884 multicore and 3041 single-core further confirm the processor's capability. In the context of Inside, the game's physics, puzzle logic, and entity management likely utilize only a fraction of the available threads, making the CPU's high single-thread performance more relevant than its multi-thread capabilities.

The data indicates that at lower resolutions, particularly 1080p, the CPU may become a limiting factor in achieving maximum frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 425 FPS, which is likely approaching the engine's practical ceiling or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and 2-thread score of 2512 suggest that while the processor is powerful, there may be diminishing returns at extreme frame rates.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 54762, places it just 0.6% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF in average score. This position indicates that the 9900X3D is a top-tier processor that should not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios, but the extreme frame rates in Inside at low resolutions can expose CPU limitations that would not appear in more GPU-bound titles.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 211th out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 7.3% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the high-end CPU and upper-mid-range GPU, though it is not the absolute top-tier combination due to the GPU being a step below flagship models.

The GPU's individual benchmark performance shows an 83rd percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 43223. This places it nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which scores 43262 with a delta of -0.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 with a delta of -0.1%. The RTX 4070 SUPER also sits just 1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, which scores 43667.

In the context of Inside, the combo's rank of 211 out of 2887 suggests that while this hardware pairing is highly capable, there are 210 other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this specific game. These likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 series, which would push frame rates even higher at 4K resolutions. However, the measured results show that this combo already exceeds 110 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The rank relative to the total number of combos indicates that the performance is within the top tier of what is achievable, but not at the absolute peak. This is consistent with the GPU's position in the market, as the RTX 4070 SUPER is designed to deliver high refresh rate gaming at 1440p and capable 4K performance, rather than being a flagship 4K powerhouse.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved with this hardware in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 425 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. At 4K, the highest average is 231 FPS with Low settings.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D with RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 211th out of 2887 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.3% of all configurations tested in Inside.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p resolution, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, especially at Low settings where the frame rate reaches 425 FPS. The GPU's pixel throughput becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, with 4K showing a 45.6% reduction in FPS compared to 1080p at Low settings.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 334 FPS and maximum is 452 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 250 FPS and maximum is 338 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 157 FPS and maximum is 213 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER scores 43223 on average, which is 0.1% below the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262) and 0.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268). It is 1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (43667).

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU achieves a Geekbench single-core score of 3041 and multicore score of 22884, indicating strong single-thread performance that is well-suited for games like Inside that may rely on a primary game thread.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, featuring 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is ample for Inside, which is a 2D game with relatively modest texture requirements.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 554.4 GTexel/s texture rate, which are more than sufficient for this title's rendering workload. The 224 tensor cores and 56 ray tracing cores provide additional features that may not be heavily utilized in Inside given its 2016 release date and 2D side-scrolling perspective, but they contribute to the card's overall benchmark performance.

In the measured results, the GPU's role becomes increasingly prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 425 FPS, which suggests the GPU is operating well below its maximum capacity. At 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 231 FPS, indicating that the GPU's pixel fill rate and shading throughput are being more fully utilized. The performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings (194 FPS difference) demonstrates the GPU's scaling behavior with increasing pixel count.

The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 43223, places it in the upper tier of available GPUs. The PassMark G3D score of 29995 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 further quantify its capabilities. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 172795 and Vulkan score of 205624 indicate strong compute performance that supports the high frame rates observed in Inside.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for different priorities. For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, Low settings at 1080p deliver 425 FPS average, which is nearly double the next lowest preset at that resolution. However, the visual quality difference between Low and Medium settings may not justify the performance trade-off, as Medium at 1080p still achieves 393 FPS.

For a balance of visual quality and performance, Medium settings at 1440p provide 294 FPS average with a minimum of 250 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. This configuration offers significantly better visual fidelity than Low settings while maintaining frame rates well above any display refresh rate below 240Hz. The minimum frame rate of 250 FPS at 1440p Medium indicates consistent performance without noticeable drops.

At 4K resolution, High settings yield 116 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and suitable for 120Hz displays. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 110 FPS, only 6 FPS lower than High, making Ultra the recommended choice for 4K players who want maximum visual quality without significant performance impact. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, suggesting that Ultra settings provide better value in terms of visual quality per frame.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, Low settings at 1440p provide 368 FPS, which is sufficient for 360Hz displays. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows consistent scaling, with Ultra settings typically delivering 40-45% of the Low settings frame rate at the same resolution. Based on the measured data, Medium settings at 1440p offer the best combination of visual quality and high frame rates for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data set provides a detailed view of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 425 FPS at Low settings to 244 FPS at Ultra settings, with High at 256 FPS and Medium at 393 FPS. The Medium preset shows the most detailed data with a minimum of 334 FPS and maximum of 452 FPS, indicating a stable performance envelope.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 368 FPS at Low, 294 FPS at Medium, 184 FPS at High, and 175 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings at this resolution show a minimum of 250 FPS and maximum of 338 FPS, maintaining a 88 FPS range that suggests consistent frame pacing. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 9 FPS, making Ultra the preferable choice for visual quality.

At 3840x2160, performance remains strong with 231 FPS at Low, 185 FPS at Medium, 116 FPS at High, and 110 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings at 4K show a minimum of 157 FPS and maximum of 213 FPS, providing a 56 FPS range that indicates some variance but no problematic stuttering. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a reduction of 121 FPS, representing a 52.4% decrease in performance when maximizing visual quality.

The data reveals that the performance gap between settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 181 FPS, while at 4K, this difference is 121 FPS. This pattern suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is more fully utilized, reducing the relative impact of settings changes. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers 110 FPS, which represents a 47.6% performance retention compared to Low settings, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER maintains playable frame rates even at maximum quality settings in Inside.