Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing delivers a highly playable experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. Benchmark data shows this combination ranking 1481st out of 1671 tested hardware combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. Despite the modest ranking, the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings remain comfortably within playable territory, with the most demanding configuration still averaging 45 FPS. The data indicates that this classic game is far more forgiving on hardware than modern releases, allowing this mid-range pairing to excel.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, providing a solid foundation for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and 1681 in Cinebench R23, which are strong figures for a quad-core part. Its multi-threaded performance is respectable as well, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7413.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively simple physics and logic, the CPU's role is less demanding than in complex 3D simulations. The processor's single-thread performance is particularly relevant here, as many game logic and rendering commands are processed on a single thread. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1659 suggests that the CPU handles lightly threaded workloads efficiently. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game threads have ample resources, preventing bottlenecks. The CPU's percentile ranking of 72 against all CPUs indicates it outperforms nearly three-quarters of the processors in the database, making it more than adequate for this title. Compared to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, it is virtually identical in average benchmark score, with a delta of just -0.1%, meaning the i3-12100F delivers comparable overall compute performance despite having far fewer cores.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm process, featuring 1408 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. Its memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. These specifications translate to a Passmark G3D score of 12699, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

In Inside, the GPU is responsible for rendering the game's distinctive monochromatic art style, which uses stark lighting and shadow effects. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this title, as the game's textures are not memory-intensive. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales well with resolution changes, indicating that it is the primary driver of frame rates. At 1080p Ultra settings, the average FPS is 101.6, while dropping to Low settings at the same resolution yields 217.5 FPS. This wide spread suggests that the GPU is not severely limited by the CPU, allowing the graphics card to stretch its legs at lower settings. Compared to its nearest rivals, the GTX 1660 SUPER is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, with a delta of -0.2%, and just slightly behind the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, also at -0.2%. This positioning confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a competent performer for this era of games.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system's performance scales across three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 109.2 FPS at 1080p to 77.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 29%. Moving to 4K, the average falls further to 51.9 FPS, a 33% drop from 1440p and a 52% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate decreases from 217.5 FPS at 1080p to 152.9 FPS at 1440p (a 30% drop) and then to 96.3 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). At Medium settings, the progression is from 174 FPS at 1080p to 124.3 FPS at 1440p (a 29% drop) to 78.1 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop). For Ultra settings, the numbers are 101.6 FPS at 1080p, 75.4 FPS at 1440p (a 26% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (a 40% drop). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU's rendering load scales predictably with resolution. The fact that 4K at Ultra still maintains 45 FPS average indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER has enough headroom to handle this game's graphics demands even at the highest pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its closest rival in overall benchmark scores?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is just 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX's score of 13534. It also sits 0.4% above the Intel Core i7-1250U and 0.6% above the Intel Core i3-10105.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking, and what does that mean for this game?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER ranks in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs better than 55% of the graphics cards in the database. For Inside, this is more than sufficient, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings yield an average of 45 FPS.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck performance in Inside?*

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. When moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, the average FPS drops by 52%, while CPU-bound workloads like physics remain constant. The CPU's 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 indicates it has ample headroom for this game's logic.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low settings is 152.9, while at Ultra settings it is 75.4. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K resolution?

A: No, the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is fully adequate for Inside. At 3840x2160 Ultra settings, the game maintains an average of 45 FPS, indicating that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor for this title.

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

A: The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1481st out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. Despite this low rank, the measured FPS values show smooth gameplay across all settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset provides an average of 109.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 101.6 FPS, offering a marginal visual improvement for only a 7% performance cost. For players seeking maximum fluidity on high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 217.5 FPS, though the visual trade-off may not be worth it for this stylized game.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 77.5 FPS, which is still comfortably playable. The Medium preset at 124.3 FPS offers a better balance if visual fidelity is less critical, but High is recommended for the best quality-to-performance ratio. The Ultra preset at 75.4 FPS is also viable, providing the highest visual quality while staying above 60 FPS. For 4K resolution, the High preset at 51.9 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate while preserving the game's artistic details. The Medium preset at 78.1 FPS is also acceptable, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is borderline playable but may feel less smooth during fast-paced sequences. The Low preset at 96.3 FPS at 4K is surprisingly smooth, but the reduced graphical fidelity undermines the game's atmospheric presentation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 217.5 FPS, the Medium preset averages 174 FPS, the High preset averages 109.2 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 101.6 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is just 7.6 FPS, suggesting that Ultra's additional effects have a minimal impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease proportionally. The Low preset averages 152.9 FPS, a 30% reduction from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 124.3 FPS, a 29% reduction. The High preset averages 77.5 FPS, a 29% reduction, and the Ultra preset averages 75.4 FPS, a 26% reduction. The narrower gap between High and Ultra at 1440p, just 2.1 FPS, indicates that the GPU is becoming more pixel-bound.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates show the most significant drop. The Low preset averages 96.3 FPS, the Medium preset averages 78.1 FPS, the High preset averages 51.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. The step from Medium to High at 4K is a 34% performance penalty, while the step from High to Ultra is a 13% penalty. This data confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K, as the pixel workload increases fourfold compared to 1080p. The overall pattern shows that the system is capable of running Inside at playable frame rates across all tested configurations, with the only caveat being the 4K Ultra setting dipping to an average of 45 FPS.