Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that places almost no stress on modern hardware, and the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER confirm this. The data shows a system that is entirely overqualified for the task, producing frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of virtually all displays, even at maximum settings and 4K resolution. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and what the benchmark numbers indicate about this combination's performance profile.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded in the measured data for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 425 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is followed closely by 393 FPS at the same resolution with Medium settings, showing that the system has massive headroom at lower resolutions.

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

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average frame rate of 117 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS recorded in the entire dataset, yet it remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and is still suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

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

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, the average frame rate drops from 381 FPS on Low settings to 186 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a 195 FPS difference, showing that graphical settings have a substantial impact on performance, though both figures are extremely high for this genre.

Q: Are there any frame rate minimums recorded for the Medium settings?

A: Yes, the dataset includes minimum frame rates for Medium settings only. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 334 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 265 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 167 FPS. These minimums indicate that even the lowest recorded frames remain well above playable thresholds.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 144th out of 2,887 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the top 5% of all tested systems, indicating that it delivers near-top-tier performance for this specific title.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54,762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF's score of 55,093. It is 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K's score of 54,053, showing that it sits competitively among its closest competitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 128 MB L3 cache that is characteristic of the X3D series. In Inside, a game that is primarily a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the CPU's role is minimal because the game's logic and physics are not demanding by modern standards. The benchmark results reflect this, as the frame rates are consistently high across all resolutions and settings.

For this game, the CPU's single-threaded performance is more relevant than its multi-threaded capabilities. The processor scores 6,739 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3,041 in Geekbench single-core, indicating strong single-thread performance that is sufficient for the game's main thread. The multi-threaded scores are also impressive — 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 22,884 in Geekbench multi-core — but these are largely unused in a game like Inside, which does not scale well across many cores. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to become a bottleneck, the average frame rate reaches 425 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is not limiting performance in any measurable way.

The 4 nm process node and TSMC foundry details are relevant for power efficiency, but in the context of Inside, the CPU's 120 W TDP and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than adequate. The processor's percentile ranking of 91st among all CPUs further underscores that this is a high-end part, but for this specific title, the CPU's capabilities are far beyond what the game requires. The measured data indicates that the CPU is never the limiting factor, as frame rates remain high even when the GPU is under maximum load at 4K Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1920x1080, all settings produce average frame rates above 258 FPS, with Low settings hitting 425 FPS and Medium settings at 393 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset delivers 258 FPS, which is sufficient for even the fastest gaming monitors. For 1080p users, the data suggests that Ultra settings are the best choice because they provide the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing playability, as the 258 FPS average is still far above any display's refresh rate.

At 2560x1440, the story is similar. High settings yield 195 FPS, Medium settings 312 FPS, and Ultra settings 186 FPS. The minimum frame rate recorded at Medium settings is 265 FPS, which indicates that even the lowest frames are extremely high. For 1440p users, Medium settings offer the best balance between visual quality and performance, with a 312 FPS average and a 265 FPS minimum. However, Ultra settings at 186 FPS are also perfectly playable and provide the best image quality, so the choice comes down to whether the user prioritizes maximum visual fidelity or maximum frame rate headroom.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, Ultra settings produce an average of 117 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS standard for most 4K displays. Medium settings at 4K deliver 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS, making them the best option for users with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The data shows that Medium settings at 4K provide 196 FPS, which is a 79 FPS improvement over Ultra settings, while still looking significantly better than Low settings at 245 FPS. For most users, Medium settings at 4K offer the best experience, as they maintain high frame rates while providing adequate visual quality for a puzzle platformer.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 144th out of 2,887 tested combinations in Inside. This puts it in the top 5% of all tested systems, which is an exceptional result for a game that is not particularly demanding. The high rank is expected given the hardware involved, but it is notable that the combo does not rank higher, suggesting that there are 143 other combinations that perform better in this specific title.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 54,762 places it 91st percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (score 55,093, 0.6% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (score 54,053, 1.3% lower), and the Intel Xeon 6505P (score 53,701, 2% lower). The GPU's average benchmark score is 31,087, placing it 76th percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (score 31,206, 0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q (score 31,220, 0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (score 31,532, 1.4% higher). These scores indicate that both components are high-performing, but the game's engine is likely not optimized to extract the maximum potential from either one.

The rank of 144th out of 2,887 suggests that while this is a top-tier system, there are other combinations that produce higher frame rates in Inside. This could be due to the game's reliance on single-threaded performance or the fact that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB of VRAM is overkill for a game with simple 2D graphics. Nevertheless, the measured FPS data shows that this combo delivers extremely high performance, and the rank is more a reflection of the game's low requirements than any deficiency in the hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features the AD103 chip with 8,448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. It has a base clock of 2,340 MHz and a boost clock of 2,610 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus providing 672.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth. In Inside, the GPU's role is to render the game's atmospheric 2D environments, which include dynamic lighting and shadow effects that are more demanding than typical puzzle platformers but still within the capabilities of any modern mid-range GPU.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance when settings are increased. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 425 FPS on Low to 258 FPS on Ultra, a 167 FPS decrease. At 1440p, the drop is from 381 FPS on Low to 186 FPS on Ultra, a 195 FPS decrease. At 4K, the drop is from 245 FPS on Low to 117 FPS on Ultra, a 128 FPS decrease. These decreases are proportional to the increased GPU workload, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Inside, which does not require large texture pools. The 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 689.0 GTexel/s texture rate are far beyond what this game needs, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU's percentile ranking of 76th among all GPUs is lower than the CPU's 91st percentile, but this is because the GPU is compared against a wider range of specialized and workstation cards. In the context of gaming, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a high-end part that delivers excellent performance in Inside, as shown by the 117 FPS average at the most demanding settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 425 FPS on Low, 393 FPS on Medium, 271 FPS on High, and 258 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings also recorded a minimum of 334 FPS and a maximum of 452 FPS, showing that even the lowest frames are extremely high. At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 381 FPS on Low, 312 FPS on Medium, 195 FPS on High, and 186 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings at 1440p recorded a minimum of 265 FPS and a maximum of 359 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 245 FPS on Low, 196 FPS on Medium, 123 FPS on High, and 117 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings at 4K recorded a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS.

These numbers reveal a clear pattern: the performance penalty from Low to Medium settings is relatively small, but the jump from Medium to High and then to Ultra becomes progressively larger. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium is 32 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 122 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is 13 FPS. At 1440p, the differences are 69 FPS (Low to Medium), 117 FPS (Medium to High), and 9 FPS (High to Ultra). At 4K, the differences are 49 FPS (Low to Medium), 73 FPS (Medium to High), and 6 FPS (High to Ultra). This suggests that the High preset is the most demanding relative to Medium, while the Ultra preset offers only a marginal increase in visual quality for a small performance cost.

The minimum FPS values, recorded only for Medium settings, are 334 FPS at 1080p, 265 FPS at 1440p, and 167 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all well above 60 FPS, indicating that the combo maintains smooth performance even during demanding gameplay sequences. The maximum FPS values at Medium settings are 452 FPS at 1080p, 359 FPS at 1440p, and 226 FPS at 4K, showing that the system has significant headroom to handle any scene the game can present.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 425 FPS at 1080p to 381 FPS at 1440p (a 10.4% decrease) and then to 245 FPS at 4K (a 35.7% decrease from 1440p). At Medium settings, the drop is from 393 FPS at 1080p to 312 FPS at 1440p (a 20.6% decrease) and then to 196 FPS at 4K (a 37.2% decrease from 1440p). At High settings, the drop is from 271 FPS at 1080p to 195 FPS at 1440p (a 28.0% decrease) and then to 123 FPS at 4K (a 36.9% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 258 FPS at 1080p to 186 FPS at 1440p (a 27.9% decrease) and then to 117 FPS at 4K (a 37.1% decrease from 1440p).

The pattern of frame rate drops is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The decrease from 1080p to 1440p is relatively small, while the decrease from 1440p to 4K is larger, which is typical for a GPU that is struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels. The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly 35-37% from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. However, the CPU is not entirely irrelevant, as the frame rates at 1080p Low settings (425 FPS) suggest that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output, and the CPU's high single-threaded performance ensures that it does not bottleneck the system.

The resolution scaling data also shows that the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the 425 FPS average is likely close to the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability, as the GPU has very little work to do. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes more heavily utilized, and the frame rates drop accordingly. This is a classic sign of a balanced system where the CPU and GPU are well-matched, with neither component being a significant bottleneck at any resolution or settings combination tested.