Inside

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer where the GPU’s raw power is constrained by the CPU’s 4-core/8-thread design. While the RTX 4090 is a top-tier card, the benchmark results show that the i3-12100F provides enough single-thread performance to drive extremely high frame rates, making the combo rank in the 87.7th percentile (rank 458 out of 3716 tested combos). The data reveals a clear pattern: the CPU becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the GPU’s 24 GB VRAM and high core counts ensure smooth performance even at 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this hardware?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 Low delivers the highest average FPS at 315, but the most balanced experience is at 2560x1440 High, which achieves 217 average FPS. For 4K, High settings at 147 average FPS offer a solid experience without the performance drop seen at Ultra.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It is statistically tied with the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% ahead), while being slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13351, 1.1% ahead) and slightly behind the Intel Core 5 120UL (13594, -0.7% delta).

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is heavily underutilized at 1080p, where the CPU limits performance to 315 FPS on Low settings. However, at 4K High, the GPU’s power is more relevant, delivering 147 FPS. The RTX 4090’s specifications, such as 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, are far beyond what Inside requires, but the high frame rates suggest the game is not demanding enough to stress the card fully.

Q: What are the key specifications of the RTX 4090 that affect gaming performance?

A: The RTX 4090 features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and 16384 shading units. These specs contribute to its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, though its average benchmark score of 60347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta).

Q: Does the CPU’s boost clock matter for this game?

A: Yes, the i3-12100F has a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, which is crucial for single-threaded performance. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and Passmark single-thread score of 3444 indicate strong per-core performance, which helps maintain high FPS in a game like Inside that likely relies on a primary game thread.

Q: Are there any measurable FPS drops in the benchmark data?

A: The data only provides minimum FPS values for Medium settings. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 291 FPS with a minimum of 247 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 260 FPS with a minimum of 221 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 223 FPS with a minimum of 190 FPS. No min FPS data is available for other settings.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data shows that High settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions. At 3840x2160, High yields 147 average FPS, which is a 5% improvement over Ultra’s 140 FPS, while Medium only reaches 223 FPS but drops to a 190 FPS minimum. The gap between High and Ultra is small (7 FPS at 4K, 4 FPS at 1440p, and 4 FPS at 1080p), suggesting that Ultra settings do not substantially degrade performance but offer diminishing returns.

For the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness, High settings at 2560x1440 provide 217 average FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. At 1920x1080, High delivers 242 FPS, nearly matching the Low preset’s 315 FPS but with better textures and effects. The data suggests that Low settings are unnecessary for this hardware, as even Ultra at 1080p achieves 238 FPS.

At 4K, the choice between High and Medium depends on preference. Medium reaches 223 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 147 FPS at High, but the minimum FPS of 190 still ensures no stutter. For players with 120Hz 4K displays, Medium settings offer headroom, while High settings remain playable for 60Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K (140 FPS) is only marginally slower than High and is a viable option for those prioritizing visual fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a single-core score of 1674, indicates that its 4 cores are highly efficient for single-threaded workloads.

In Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer, the game’s physics and logic are likely handled by a single thread or a few threads. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893, ensures that the game logic does not bottleneck the GPU. However, the data shows that the CPU does limit performance at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS only increases from 238 (Ultra) to 315 (Low), a 32% gain, whereas the GPU could theoretically render far more frames. This suggests that the CPU’s 4 cores reach their limit around the 300 FPS mark.

The 8 threads help with background tasks and any multi-threaded game systems, but the core count is modest compared to modern 6- and 8-core rivals. The CPU’s placement in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494, puts it slightly above the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452) and the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492). For a game like Inside, the 4.30 GHz boost clock is more important than core count, as the data shows that the frame rate scales primarily with resolution and GPU load, not CPU multi-threading.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 458th out of 3716 tested combinations in Inside, placing it in the top 12.3% of all systems. This high ranking is primarily due to the RTX 4090’s immense GPU power, which compensates for the CPU’s budget-tier status. The GPU alone sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 68th percentile, meaning the overall combo ranking is pulled up by the GPU.

Compared to other combos in the database, the i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13494 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% delta) and the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta). This suggests that the CPU is not a significant differentiator in this game; instead, the RTX 4090’s 60347 average benchmark score, which matches the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta), drives the combo’s high rank. The data implies that pairing the RTX 4090 with a faster CPU would yield even higher frame rates at 1080p, but the current combo still achieves excellent results.

The ranking also reflects that Inside is not a demanding title. The game’s release date of 2016-07-06 means it was designed for hardware of that era, so even a mid-range CPU can push high FPS. The combo’s rank of 458 suggests that many other systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings (e.g., high-end CPUs with mid-range GPUs) achieve similar or better frame rates, but the sheer power of the RTX 4090 ensures this combo remains competitive.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a monster of a GPU, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU’s boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. These specs result in a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 9223 and a Passmark G3D score of 38194, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

In Inside, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s atmospheric visuals, which include dynamic lighting and shadows. The RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is massively overkill for this task, as evidenced by the fact that at 1080p, the frame rate is capped by the CPU, not the GPU. The 24 GB VRAM is never a concern, as the game’s textures are small by modern standards. The GPU’s 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is no memory bottleneck.

The performance difference between resolutions highlights the GPU’s scaling. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 140, which is 41% lower than at 1920x1080 Ultra (238 FPS). This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, indicating that the RTX 4090 is being utilized more effectively at higher resolutions. The data also shows that the GPU’s minimum FPS at Medium settings (190 at 4K, 221 at 1440p, 247 at 1080p) remains high, suggesting that the card can maintain consistent frame times even under load.

The RTX 4090’s nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (60326 vs 60347, 0% delta), but the RTX 4090’s superior specifications in real-world gaming are not fully captured by these synthetic benchmarks. In Inside, the GPU’s high clock speeds and large memory pool ensure that it never becomes the limiting factor, allowing the CPU to dictate performance at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS ranges from 238 (Ultra) to 315 (Low). The Medium preset achieves 291 average FPS with a minimum of 247 FPS, while High reaches 242 FPS. The 23% difference between Low and Ultra (315 vs 238 FPS) indicates that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU can likely render far more frames than the CPU can feed it.

At 2560x1440, the FPS drops slightly but remains high. Low settings deliver 282 average FPS, Medium 260 FPS (with a 221 FPS minimum), High 217 FPS, and Ultra 213 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal (4 FPS), suggesting that Ultra settings do not add significant GPU load. The 30% drop from Low to Ultra (282 vs 213 FPS) shows that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the CPU still holds performance back.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes full control. Low settings achieve 242 FPS, Medium 223 FPS (with a 190 FPS minimum), High 147 FPS, and Ultra 140 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is small (19 FPS), but the jump from Medium to High is substantial (76 FPS), indicating that High settings introduce effects that significantly tax the GPU. Ultra is only 7 FPS slower than High, making High the better choice for 4K gaming.

The data shows that the RTX 4090 is capable of pushing well beyond 144 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but the i3-12100F limits these results. At 4K, the GPU’s power is more fully realized, with all presets exceeding 140 FPS. The minimum FPS values, available only for Medium settings, show that the combo never drops below 190 FPS even at 4K, ensuring a stutter-free experience. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming or smooth 4K gaming at High settings.