Inside

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 4.30 GHz and boosts up to 5.70 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. The CPU features 128 MB of L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, alongside 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This processor sits in the 95th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 75,779.

For a puzzle platformer like Inside, the CPU's raw thread count is less critical than its per-core performance. The game's logic, physics, and entity updates typically scale modestly across cores. Benchmark results indicate the CPU achieves a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,292 and a 3DMark 2-thread score of 2,549, while the 16-thread score reaches 16,374 and the max-thread score peaks at 17,184. The scaling from 2 threads to 16 threads shows a 6.4x improvement, suggesting the game can leverage multiple cores but with diminishing returns beyond a certain point.

The 9950X3D's nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (average score 75,738, 0.1% ahead), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D (75,716, 0.1% ahead), the AMD EPYC 8224P (75,582, 0.3% behind), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (75,488, 0.4% behind). These deltas are negligible, meaning the 9950X3D's performance profile is essentially tied with its closest competitors in general-purpose workloads.

In the context of Inside's measured FPS, the CPU's high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,259 and Geekbench single-core score of 3,064) ensures that the game's main thread is rarely a bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the CPU drives 353 FPS average, which is higher than any other resolution or settings combination. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the CPU's influence diminishes, and the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads do not appear to create any measurable advantage in this specific title beyond what a strong 8-core part would deliver, but the high boost clock and large cache help maintain consistent frame pacing.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture (Navi 22 chip) using TSMC's 7 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2150 MHz, a game clock of 2495 MHz, and a boost clock of 2600 MHz. Memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The card has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 40 ray accelerators. It achieves a pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 13.31 TFLOPS.

The GPU is in the 71st percentile against all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 26,011. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25,891, 0.5% ahead), the AMD FirePro W7100 (25,856, 0.6% ahead), the AMD FirePro D700 (25,842, 0.7% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25,740, 1.1% ahead). These small deltas indicate the RX 6750 XT sits at a performance tier where small variations in workload can flip the ranking.

For Inside, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is ample for this title's art style, which relies on 2D side-scrolling visuals with depth-of-field and lighting effects rather than high-resolution textures. The 192-bit memory bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's frame buffer demands. In DirectX 12 tests, the GPU scores 80 in PassMark, while DirectX 11 scores 180 and DirectX 9 scores 263; these numbers suggest the card's performance varies significantly across API generations, but Inside's relatively simple rendering pipeline means even the DX12 score is enough to sustain high frame rates.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU is the primary scaling factor across settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 76, while at 4K Low it reaches 160. This 2.1x performance spread between the lowest and highest settings at the same resolution indicates the GPU's shading units and ROPs are the limiting resource. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 166.4 GPixel/s pixel rate directly influence how quickly it can fill the screen at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 353 FPS, but this drops to 168 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 52% reduction that reflects the increased pixel shading and post-processing load.

FAQ

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Inside at any resolution?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested setting. At 4K Low, the combo delivers 160 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 76 FPS. The consistent FPS reduction when raising settings points to GPU-limited performance across all resolutions, with the CPU's high single-thread capabilities (3DMark single-thread score of 1,292) keeping up easily.

Q: How much VRAM does Inside use, and is 12 GB sufficient?

A: The fact pack does not include VRAM usage measurements for this game. However, the RX 6750 XT's 12 GB GDDR6 memory is unlikely to be a limiting factor for this puzzle platformer, given its relatively simple texture and geometry complexity compared to modern 3D titles. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (76 FPS average) does not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or frame drops.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Medium preset delivers 128 FPS average, which is well above a 60 FPS target. The High preset at 4K still achieves 80 FPS average. Even the Ultra preset at 4K maintains 76 FPS average, so all presets exceed a 60 FPS threshold. The data shows the game is highly playable at 4K regardless of settings.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 26,011. It is 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (25,891), 0.6% behind the AMD FirePro W7100 (25,856), 0.7% behind the AMD FirePro D700 (25,842), and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25,740). These differences are within the margin of error for most workloads.

Q: Is the 9950X3D's 128 MB L3 cache beneficial for Inside?

A: The fact pack does not isolate cache effects for this specific game. However, the CPU's large L3 cache (128 MB) generally helps with data reuse in game logic and physics calculations. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (353 FPS average) suggests the CPU-cache combination is not holding back performance, but the exact contribution of the cache cannot be quantified from the available data.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 254 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. This represents a 52% reduction in average FPS when moving from Low to Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 203 FPS, showing a more moderate step. The scaling suggests each settings tier adds a nearly linear load increase on the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS values show a wide spread across presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 353 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all resolutions and settings. The Medium preset averages 283 FPS, with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS. The High preset averages 177 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 168 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 70 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 106 FPS, indicating that the High preset introduces a significant increase in rendering work compared to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops proportionally. The Low preset averages 254 FPS, the Medium preset averages 203 FPS (with minimum 173 FPS and maximum 234 FPS), the High preset averages 127 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. The transition from Medium to High at 1440p shows a 76 FPS drop, which is steeper than the 106 FPS drop at 1080p for the same settings change. This suggests that at higher resolutions, the High preset's additional shading and lighting effects become more costly per pixel.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 160 FPS, the Medium preset averages 128 FPS (with minimum 109 FPS and maximum 147 FPS), the High preset averages 80 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS, whereas at 1080p it is 9 FPS and at 1440p it is 6 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset's extra effects have diminishing returns when the GPU is already heavily loaded.

The minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 240 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 173 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 109 FPS. These minimums are 85%, 85%, and 85% of the respective averages, suggesting consistent frame pacing without major hitches. The absence of minimum FPS data for other presets means the frame time consistency for Low, High, and Ultra cannot be directly assessed from the available measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 353 at 1080p to 254 at 1440p and further to 160 at 4K. This represents a 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 37% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 55%. In an ideal GPU-bound scenario, the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K is 4x, which would predict a 75% FPS reduction if the GPU were fully saturated. The measured 55% reduction indicates that at Low settings, other factors—likely CPU overhead or memory bandwidth—partially compensate for the pixel load.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 283 at 1080p to 203 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 128 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 55%, matching the Low preset's scaling pattern. At High settings, the averages are 177 FPS at 1080p, 127 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 80 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The total reduction is 55% again. At Ultra settings, the averages are 168 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 76 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The total reduction is 55% as well.

The consistency of these scaling percentages across all four presets is notable. A 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K at every settings level indicates that the limiting factor scales uniformly with pixel count, which points to the GPU's pixel processing pipeline (ROPs and shading units) as the primary constraint. The CPU's role is effectively constant across resolutions, as evidenced by the identical percentage drops regardless of settings. The RX 6750 XT's 64 ROPs and 166.4 GPixel/s pixel rate determine the ceiling at each resolution, and the data shows this ceiling is the dominant factor. The memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s does not appear to introduce a separate bottleneck, as the scaling remains linear with pixel count rather than showing a cliff at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, every measured preset and resolution combination exceeds this threshold. The lowest recorded average is 76 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 27% above a 60 FPS target. This means users can prioritize visual quality without worrying about hitting playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers 76 FPS, which is smooth for a puzzle platformer where precise timing is less critical than in action games.

For maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 168 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any display refresh rate up to 165 Hz. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS, which is ideal for 120 Hz displays. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS, which suits 60 Hz displays but may not fully utilize higher refresh rate panels. The High preset at 4K averages 80 FPS, offering a small 4 FPS improvement over Ultra at the cost of some visual effects.

For users with high refresh rate monitors (144 Hz or above), the Medium preset at 1080p provides 283 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 203 FPS, still exceeding 144 Hz. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 128 FPS, which is slightly below 144 Hz but above 120 Hz. The Low preset at 4K delivers 160 FPS, which exceeds 144 Hz, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the performance gain for a game like Inside, which relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow play.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions. It maintains at least 128 FPS at 4K, which is well above the 60 FPS target, and the minimum FPS values (109 at 4K, 173 at 1440p, 240 at 1080p) indicate stable frame delivery. The High preset provides diminishing returns over Medium in terms of performance (a 37% drop at 4K), while Ultra offers only a 3% reduction over High at 4K. For most users, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for this combo, ensuring headroom for any scene complexity spikes while preserving the game's visual identity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1,529 out of 3,716 tested combos in the database for Inside. This places the combo in the 59th percentile of all tested systems (calculated as 1 - 1529/3716). The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning more than the CPU's high-end status. The 9950X3D sits in the 95th percentile for CPUs, while the RX 6750 XT sits in the 71st percentile for GPUs, and the combo's ranking is pulled down by the GPU's comparatively lower performance.

In the context of this game, the combo's ranking indicates that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average FPS. The measured FPS values are high in absolute terms—even the lowest recorded average (76 FPS at 4K Ultra) is playable—but the combo does not reach the top tier of performance. The top-ranked combos likely feature more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX, which would push 4K Ultra averages well beyond 100 FPS.

The ranking also reflects the balance of this pairing. The 9950X3D's benchmark scores show it can drive even the most demanding GPUs without bottlenecking, but the RX 6750 XT limits the overall system to mid-range FPS levels. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, this is more than adequate, but for users seeking the absolute highest frame rates or maximum 4K Ultra performance, a more powerful GPU would be needed to move the combo higher in the rankings. The data shows a strong CPU paired with a capable mid-range GPU, resulting in a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short of top-tier 4K performance.