Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti pairing delivers a decisive performance profile in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The benchmark data shows this combo is heavily GPU-bound at every setting tier, with the CPU providing ample headroom even at high frame rates. The measured results indicate that this system is overkill for the game's demands, yet the scaling patterns reveal exactly where the bottlenecks lie and how to best configure the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the RTX 3070 Ti is the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 317.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 281.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 36.5 FPS. Pushing to 3840x2160 drops the average further to 178.3 FPS. This 139.6 FPS gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is substantial, but the absolute numbers remain high enough for smooth gameplay.

At High settings, the scaling curve steepens. The average FPS at 1080p is 197.5, which drops to 141.8 at 1440p and then to 90.8 at 4K. The transition from 1440p to 4K alone costs 51 FPS, representing a 36% performance loss. This pattern indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading resources are being taxed heavily at 4K, while the i5-12400’s six cores and 12 threads are never the constraint. Even at 4K Low with 178.3 FPS, the CPU is not a bottleneck; the data suggests the GPU is still delivering frames faster than the game's logic requires.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 186.7 FPS, which is only 10.8 FPS lower than High. However, at 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 82.5 FPS, a 55.8% drop from 1080p. This steep decline at higher resolutions and settings underscores that the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the combination of high pixel count and demanding visual effects. The i5-12400, with its 18 MB of L3 cache and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, remains a stable foundation throughout.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The average of 141.8 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the jump from Medium to High at this resolution costs only 87.8 FPS (from 229.6 to 141.8). For players prioritizing frame rate over absolute detail, Medium at 4K is the superior choice, delivering 146.8 FPS compared to High’s 90.8 FPS. The difference between Medium and High at 4K is 56 FPS, which is a significant margin for a game that does not require extreme precision.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is viable, with an average of 186.7 FPS. However, the data shows that High at 1080p (197.5 FPS) is only 10.8 FPS faster, meaning the extra visual load of Ultra does not meaningfully impact performance at this resolution. The recommended path is to use High at 1080p or 1440p for a consistent high-refresh experience, or Medium at 4K to preserve smoothness. The Low preset, while producing 317.9 FPS at 1080p, sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that is already well-optimized; the gains over Medium (291.8 FPS) are marginal in real-world terms.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, with its GA104 chip and 8 GB of GDDR6X memory, is the driving force behind the frame rates in Inside. The memory clocks run at 1188 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective, and the 256-bit bus width provides a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. This is ample for the game's art style, which relies on atmospheric lighting and subtle geometry rather than massive texture files. The boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 6144 shading units, allows the GPU to maintain high fill rates even at 4K.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's compute capabilities are not the limiting factor until the resolution reaches 4K with Ultra settings. At that point, the average FPS of 82.5 indicates the GPU is working near its capacity. The passmark G3D score of 23356 positions this card in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but the nearest rivals—such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700 with a deltaPct of -0.8—show that the 3070 Ti is not a dominant outlier in raw compute. Instead, its strength lies in consistent delivery across lower resolutions, where it never drops below 138.4 FPS even at 1440p Ultra.

The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Inside at all tested settings, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity. The data does not show any signs of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters, indicating that the memory allocation is within the card's limits. The GPU's role is clear: it provides a high ceiling that the i5-12400 can easily feed, making the combo feel responsive and fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 186.7 on Ultra to 317.9 on Low. Medium sits at 291.8, and High at 197.5. The gap between Ultra and High is only 10.8 FPS, while the jump from High to Medium is 94.3 FPS. This suggests that the High preset introduces specific effects that are disproportionately expensive, while Medium is a more efficient tier. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 138.4 on Ultra, 141.8 on High, 229.6 on Medium, and 281.4 on Low. The difference between Ultra and High at this resolution is a mere 3.4 FPS, making High the clear choice over Ultra for negligible visual gain.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 82.5 on Ultra, 90.8 on High, 146.8 on Medium, and 178.3 on Low. The drop from Medium to High is 56 FPS, which is the largest single-step penalty across all resolutions. This indicates that High settings at 4K push the GPU's pixel and texture processing to a breaking point. The Low preset at 4K still delivers 178.3 FPS, which is higher than the Ultra preset at 1440p (138.4 FPS), highlighting the massive impact of resolution scaling on this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 614th out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the upper third of all systems, which is a strong result given the game's age and low system requirements. The CPU alone holds a 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 19831 with a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the i5-12400 is effectively identical in performance. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX scores 19928 with a deltaPct of -0.4, again showing negligible difference.

The GPU's 74th percentile ranking is less impressive, but the RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 30849 is competitive. The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME scores 30755 with a deltaPct of 0.3, while the RX 6700 scores 31112 with a deltaPct of -0.8. This means the 3070 Ti is within a few percentage points of its immediate rivals in synthetic tests, but the measured FPS in Inside shows it excels in real-world gaming scenarios. The combo rank of 614 out of 1671 suggests that many other pairings—likely with higher-end GPUs—can achieve higher frame rates, but this system remains well above the median for the game.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 Ti in this game?

A: No. The data shows the CPU delivers a 3dmark single-thread score of 910 and a passmark single-thread score of 3456, which are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The FPS scaling is consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 141.8 FPS, which is just below 144Hz. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 229.6 FPS, giving plenty of headroom. For a strict 144Hz target, Medium at 1440p is the safest choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB VRAM hold up at 4K?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for all tested settings in Inside. The highest average FPS at 4K is 178.3 on Low, and the lowest is 82.5 on Ultra, with no indication of memory capacity issues.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset if I have a high-refresh 1080p display?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 186.7 FPS, which is excellent. However, High averages 197.5 FPS, a 10.8 FPS improvement. The visual difference is likely minor, so High is recommended for a slight performance edge.

Q: How does this combo compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6700 pairing?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 30849, while the RX 6700 scores 31112, a deltaPct of -0.8. In practical terms, the 3070 Ti is slightly slower in synthetic tests, but the measured FPS in Inside shows it performing strongly across all resolutions.

Q: Will this system handle future updates to the game?

A: Given the game's 2016 release and the high frame rates measured, the i5-12400 and RTX 3070 Ti have substantial headroom. The CPU's passmark multithread score of 18747 and the GPU's passmark G3D score of 23356 indicate robust performance that should absorb additional graphical demands.