Inside

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 223 out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside. This places the pairing in the top 13.3% of all tested combos, which is a strong result for a game that is not exceptionally demanding by modern standards. The rank reflects the substantial GPU headroom available, though the CPU's position as a 72nd-percentile processor (relative to all CPUs) means it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios tested here.

Looking at the CPU's synthetic benchmarks, the Core i3-12100F delivers a multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 11912 and a single-core score of 1681. Its average benchmark score of 13516 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462). The data shows this is a capable 4-core, 8-thread part, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7413 and a single-core score of 2224. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which relies on consistent frame pacing rather than raw multi-threaded throughput, these figures are more than adequate.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER sits at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489 (0.2% slower), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti trails by 2.9% with a score of 52086. This GPU is clearly a high-end part, and the measured FPS data reflects that, with even the most demanding preset at 4K remaining well above 120 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo across three resolutions and four settings presets reveals a pattern of diminishing returns as settings increase. At 1920x1080, the lowest preset (Low) delivers an average of 318.1 FPS, while Medium drops to 289.6 FPS, High to 240.8 FPS, and Ultra to 240.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily over-provisioned for this resolution, even at maximum quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts slightly. Low averages 279.7 FPS, Medium 261.3 FPS, High 208.4 FPS, and Ultra 198.1 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 81.6 FPS, a slightly larger spread than at 1080p. This suggests that at 1440p, the additional pixel workload begins to engage the GPU more meaningfully, though the RTX 4080 SUPER still maintains a comfortable margin above 200 FPS for the High preset.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution tested, the combo still performs admirably. Low averages 240.6 FPS, Medium 209.8 FPS, High 134.4 FPS, and Ultra 123.5 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is particularly steep at 75.4 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is a further 10.9 FPS. This indicates that the High and Ultra presets at 4K are where the GPU's shading units (10240) and texture units (320) are most heavily taxed, though the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures no memory-related bottlenecks.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: at 1080p, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, with even Ultra surpassing 240 FPS. At 1440p, the combo remains above 198 FPS across all presets. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra widens to 117.1 FPS, confirming that resolution has a more pronounced effect on performance than settings alone.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest refresh rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 318.1 FPS, which is ideal for 300Hz displays. However, given that Inside is a puzzle platformer with a deliberate pacing, such extreme frame rates are unnecessary. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 2560x1440 (261.3 FPS) offers a balanced experience, providing a significant uplift over High (208.4 FPS) while maintaining visual quality.

At 4K, the choice is more nuanced. The High preset at 134.4 FPS is well above the 120 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra at 123.5 FPS is also playable. The Medium preset at 209.8 FPS offers the best compromise for 4K users who want high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. Given that the game's art style relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow work, the jump from Medium to High appears to cost 75.4 FPS at 4K, which is a substantial penalty for marginal visual gains.

The benchmark results indicate that the Ultra preset provides diminishing returns across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra is only 0.6 FPS slower than High (240.2 vs 240.8), making it effectively free. At 1440p, Ultra is 10.3 FPS slower than High (198.1 vs 208.4), a minor difference. At 4K, Ultra is 10.9 FPS slower than High (123.5 vs 134.4). For most users, the High preset is the recommended starting point, with Medium as a fallback for those prioritizing frame rate at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 134.4 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings and 123.5 FPS with Ultra settings, both comfortably above 120 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534) and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462). It also outperforms the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%.

Q: What is the largest performance drop between settings presets?

A: The steepest drop is at 3840x2160, where moving from Medium (209.8 FPS) to High (134.4 FPS) results in a 75.4 FPS loss. The next largest is at 2560x1440, where High (208.4 FPS) falls to Ultra (198.1 FPS), a 10.3 FPS difference.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: The data suggests the opposite. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 318.1 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited given the 4-core/8-thread configuration. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is more engaged, with 123.5 FPS, indicating a shift toward GPU limitation.

Q: Is there a meaningful difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the difference is negligible (0.6 FPS). At 1440p, it is 10.3 FPS, and at 4K, it is 10.9 FPS. The Ultra preset offers minimal visual improvements for these costs, making High the more efficient choice.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER is at the 88th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 53610. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. For Inside, a game with relatively modest texture and geometry demands, this memory configuration is over-provisioned, which is why even at 4K Ultra the combo never approaches memory capacity limits. The 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die (TSMC 5 nm process) deliver a FP32 throughput of 52.22 TFLOPS, which is more than sufficient for the game's rendering workload.

The clock behavior is also relevant. The base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. At 1080p, the GPU likely boosts to its maximum and remains there, as the workload is light. At 4K Ultra, the clocks may drop slightly due to thermal or power constraints (the TDP is 320 W), but the measured 123.5 FPS indicates the GPU still sustains high utilization. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are not directly stressed by Inside, which is not a ray-traced title, but they contribute to the GPU's overall architectural efficiency.

The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 0.2% lower in average benchmarks, yet the RTX 4080 SUPER's advantage in this game is likely larger due to its higher shading unit count (10240 vs the RX 6900 XT's 5120) and superior memory bandwidth. The data shows that at 4K High, the combo delivers 134.4 FPS, which is a 10.9 FPS improvement over Ultra (123.5 FPS), confirming that the GPU's pixel rate (285.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (816.0 GTexel/s) are the key determinants of performance at higher resolutions. Overall, the GPU is the clear driver of the combo's 223rd-place ranking, with the CPU providing adequate support without becoming a bottleneck.