Inside

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT paired with the Intel Core i5-11400F delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the GPU than the CPU at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a system that is capable of maxing out nearly any display configuration, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, contextualizes the combo's rank against other tested configurations, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in producing these results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 210 FPS, but this falls to 165 FPS at 1440p and further to 104 FPS at 4K—a total reduction of 50% from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets: Low settings see a drop from 273 FPS at 1080p to 207 FPS at 4K (a 24% decrease), while Medium settings fall from 252 FPS to 166 FPS (a 34% decrease). The Ultra preset mirrors High, dropping from 206 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low—the most CPU-sensitive configuration—the system still achieves 273 FPS. The consistent and steep FPS decline as resolution increases points directly to the GPU's rendering workload. The RX 9070 XT’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K, but the pixel throughput requirements at 3840x2160 are simply much higher than at 1920x1080.

The 4K to 1440p gap is particularly telling. Between 1440p High (165 FPS) and 4K High (104 FPS), there is a 37% performance loss. This is a larger relative drop than the 1440p to 1080p gap, where High settings only lose 27% (from 210 FPS to 165 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is being pushed toward its limits with this particular game engine, while at 1440p and below, there is still some performance headroom available.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance for optimizing the experience. At 4K, the choice between Medium and High is the most consequential. Medium settings deliver 166 FPS with a recorded min FPS of 141, while High settings only reach 104 FPS. The 60% performance uplift from High to Medium comes at a visual cost, but for a puzzle platformer where precise timing is less critical than in competitive shooters, the higher frame rate is arguably more valuable. Ultra at 4K drops to 99 FPS, which is still playable but offers no meaningful advantage over High given the marginal FPS difference.

At 1440p, the data shows that High settings (165 FPS) are the sweet spot. The jump from Medium (226 FPS) to High (165 FPS) represents a 27% performance loss, but the visual fidelity improvement is substantial enough to justify it, especially since 165 FPS is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many monitors. Ultra at 1440p (157 FPS) is nearly indistinguishable from High in terms of performance, offering only a 5% drop, so players with high-refresh displays can safely enable Ultra.

For 1080p, the recommendation is to simply max everything out. Ultra settings still produce 206 FPS, which is far beyond any display’s refresh rate capabilities. Medium (252 FPS) and Low (273 FPS) offer marginal FPS gains that are imperceptible in real-world use. The measured data shows that at 1080p, the system is so far ahead of the display’s capabilities that the only reason to lower settings would be to reduce GPU load for thermal or power reasons, though the 304 W TDP of the GPU suggests this is not a primary concern.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1251 out of 3716 tested combinations in Inside, placing it in the top 34% of all tested systems. This percentile ranking is notably lower than what the raw FPS numbers might suggest, indicating that many other combos in the database achieve even higher frame rates in this game. The rank is likely influenced by the age of the game and the fact that many high-end modern systems can push FPS far beyond the 300 FPS cap that might exist in testing.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 17177 places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster), Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% slower). The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13543 places it in the 55th percentile, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% faster) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% faster). This suggests that while the individual components are mid-pack in general benchmarks, their combination in Inside produces a top-third result, likely due to the game’s relatively low system requirements.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum FPS achievable with this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 273 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the most demanding configuration (3840x2160 Ultra), the average drops to 99 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data clearly shows the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system produces 273 FPS, which is well above what most displays can show. As resolution increases to 4K, FPS drops significantly, indicating the GPU’s rendering workload is the constraint.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Inside?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the system achieves 166 FPS with a minimum of 141 FPS, providing a smooth experience. At 4K High, it drops to 104 FPS, which is still playable but less optimal.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The performance gap is small. At 1080p, High produces 210 FPS while Ultra produces 206 FPS (a 2% difference). At 4K, the difference is 104 FPS vs 99 FPS (a 5% difference). The visual differences may justify the slight FPS cost for some users.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1251 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 34% of all configurations tested for Inside.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum FPS is Medium, where the minimum is 141 FPS at 4K, 192 FPS at 1440p, and 214 FPS at 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant factor in this system’s performance. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Inside’s modest texture and geometry demands. The GPU’s clock speeds are notably high, with a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. These frequencies, combined with 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, allow the card to achieve 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance.

In Inside, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The 128 ROPs are responsible for pixel output, and the measured FPS scaling suggests that at 4K, the ROP throughput is becoming a limiting factor. The card’s pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are high, but the game’s rendering at 4K requires processing four times the pixels of 1080p, explaining the steep FPS drop.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-pack positioning. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 and Passmark G3D score of 26795 place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival, AMD Radeon HD 7770M, scores nearly identically (0.1% difference), which is surprising given the generational gap. This suggests that the RX 9070 XT’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is not exceptional for its class, but the real-world results in Inside show that it is more than adequate for this particular title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F plays a supporting role in this combo. Its 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Rocket Lake architecture, provide a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The CPU’s TDP of 65 W indicates it is a power-efficient part, though this is not directly relevant to the game’s performance.

The CPU’s benchmark results show it is a capable mid-range processor. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 place it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. The 3DMark scores of 5652 for max threads and 868 for single thread show a balanced performance profile. In Inside, the CPU’s role is to maintain a high frame rate ceiling, which it does easily—even at 1080p Low, the system achieves 273 FPS without the CPU becoming a bottleneck.

The nearest CPU rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 0.3% higher in average benchmarks, while the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 0.4% lower. These small deltas indicate that the i5-11400F is well-positioned within its performance class. For Inside, the CPU’s 12 threads are more than adequate, as the game is not heavily multithreaded, and the high single-thread performance (2024 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures smooth frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 273 FPS average, Medium produces 252 FPS (with a minimum of 214 and maximum of 290), High produces 210 FPS, and Ultra produces 206 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is only 67 FPS (or 25%), indicating that even at maximum quality, the system has substantial headroom.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows the first signs of GPU limitation. Low settings reach 244 FPS, Medium drops to 226 FPS (minimum 192, maximum 259), High falls to 165 FPS, and Ultra reaches 157 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 87 FPS (or 36%), suggesting that the GPU is starting to feel the pressure of higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings still produce 207 FPS, but Medium drops to 166 FPS (minimum 141, maximum 191), High falls to 104 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 99 FPS. The variance between presets is now significant: Low to Ultra represents a 52% performance loss. The 4K Medium result of 166 FPS is the most balanced option, offering a high frame rate with better visual fidelity than Low, while the 104 FPS High result is still smooth enough for most players. The minimum FPS of 141 at 4K Medium indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the system maintains a playable frame rate.