Inside

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers a dominant performance in Inside, ranking in the 60th percentile of all tested combos. With a rank of 668 out of 1671 combinations, this system sits comfortably in the upper half of the database, indicating that it provides a strong experience for this puzzle platformer. The pairing is well-balanced for the title, with the data showing that neither component becomes a severe bottleneck at standard gaming resolutions, though the balance shifts predictably as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 668 out of 1671 places it in the top 40% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range desktop configuration. This position is driven by a harmonious match between the CPU and GPU; the i5-12400F holds a 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the RTX 3070 sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. When paired, their combined output in Inside is greater than the sum of their parts, as the game’s modest graphical demands allow the CPU’s strong single-thread performance to keep the GPU fed with data. The benchmark results indicate that this combo outperforms a significant majority of systems, making it a reliable choice for high-refresh-rate gameplay. The gap between this combo and the very top of the leaderboard is minimal in practical terms, as the measured frame rates at 1080p and 1440p are so high that the difference would be imperceptible on most displays. The data suggests that the i5-12400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for Inside, a game that does not scale heavily with multi-threaded workloads, and the RTX 3070’s raw throughput becomes the primary driver of the final frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Inside, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is ample for the game’s art style and texture loads. The boost clock of 1725 MHz, combined with 5888 shading units, allows the card to process the game’s side-scrolling visuals with immense headroom. In the database, the RTX 3070’s average benchmark score is 28238, placing it 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti. This competitive positioning is reflected in the frame rates: at 4K Ultra, the combo still manages 79.4 FPS, which reflects the GPU’s raw power given the resolution’s pixel count. The GPU’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 46 RT cores are overkill for a game like Inside, which does not utilize ray tracing, but this headroom ensures that the card never breaks a sweat, allowing for consistent frame pacing. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor here, as the game’s maximum memory footprint at any setting stays well within that allocation, evidenced by the high average FPS at even the most demanding presets.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, but with an interesting twist at lower settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 188.6 at 1920x1080 to 134.6 at 2560x1440, a 28.6% reduction, and then to 82.4 at 3840x2160, a further 38.8% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline is expected, as the RTX 3070’s workload increases quadratically with pixel count. However, at Low settings, the scaling is more linear: 319.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 271.1 FPS at 1440p and then to 171.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop at Low settings is only 15.2%, indicating that the CPU begins to play a more significant role at lower graphical loads, capping the frame rate before the GPU can fully stretch its legs. At 4K Low, the GPU resumes its position as the primary limiter, as the pixel throughput demand outpaces the CPU’s frame generation capability. The data shows that between Medium and Ultra settings, the scaling pattern remains consistent, with 4K Ultra producing 79.4 FPS versus 181.3 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 56.2% reduction. This behavior confirms that for the majority of settings, the RTX 3070 is the limiting component, but at 1080p Low, the i5-12400F’s single-thread performance (scoring 909 in 3dmark_single_thread) becomes the ceiling.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot, as it delivers 134.6 FPS at High settings and 131.2 FPS at Ultra, providing a high-refresh-rate experience without the 4K resolution’s performance penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 6600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070’s average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT’s score of 27985, indicating a marginal performance lead in synthetic tests.

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

A: Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is only a limiting factor at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS of 319.8 appears to be capped by the CPU’s single-thread score of 909, rather than the GPU’s capabilities.

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

A: Yes, the measured data shows 82.4 FPS at 4K High and 79.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, both of which are playable, though the 171.3 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates the GPU’s headroom when settings are reduced.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compared to its rivals?

A: The i5-12400F’s average benchmark score of 19221 is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K’s 19210, and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-1335U’s 19167, making it a competitive performer in its class.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 3070 have, and is it sufficient?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, and the measured frame rates at Ultra settings across all resolutions confirm that this capacity is sufficient for Inside.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting but crucial role in this combo’s Inside performance. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the CPU provides a solid foundation for the game’s logic and physics, which are not heavily threaded. The 3dmark benchmarks show a single-thread score of 909 and a 2-thread score of 1699, indicating strong per-core performance that is essential for a game that relies on a primary game thread. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz (base 2.50 GHz) ensures that the CPU can respond quickly to frame-to-frame demands, preventing stutters even when the GPU is outputting over 300 FPS. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 19221 places it 1.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X, which is a server-class chip, but more relevantly, it is 0.1% ahead of the older Intel Core i7-8700K. In Inside, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 319.8 FPS is likely the CPU’s maximum output, as the GPU could theoretically push higher. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, reducing memory latency that could otherwise impact frame times. The CPU’s 65W TDP also indicates that it runs cool and efficiently, which is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions, though this has no direct bearing on the measured FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for most users. At 1920x1080, High settings produce 188.6 FPS, which is more than enough for any display, while at 2560x1440, High yields 134.6 FPS, comfortably above the 120Hz threshold for high-refresh monitors. Conversely, the Ultra preset provides marginal visual improvements over High but costs performance: 181.3 FPS at 1080p and 131.2 FPS at 1440p, a drop of 3.9% and 2.5%, respectively. For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset is recommended, as it delivers 139.5 FPS, which is significantly higher than High’s 82.4 FPS and Ultra’s 79.4 FPS, and the visual difference between Medium and High in a puzzle platformer like Inside is likely minimal due to the game’s stylized art. The Low preset is only advisable for competitive play at extreme refresh rates, as it yields 319.8 FPS at 1080p, but this comes at the cost of visual quality. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the most versatile, providing over 200 FPS at 1440p and nearly 140 FPS at 4K, making it the best choice for users who prioritize smoothness across multiple resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 181.3 FPS, High delivers 188.6 FPS, Medium delivers 296.5 FPS, and Low delivers 319.8 FPS. The jump from High to Medium is substantial, a 57.2% increase, indicating that the High preset introduces a significant graphical load that the GPU handles but with reduced headroom. At 2560x1440, the scores are 131.2 FPS (Ultra), 134.6 FPS (High), 218.1 FPS (Medium), and 271.1 FPS (Low). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 27.6% reduction at Ultra, 28.6% at High, 26.4% at Medium, and 15.2% at Low, with the Low setting’s smaller drop again highlighting the CPU’s influence. At 3840x2160, the performance is 79.4 FPS (Ultra), 82.4 FPS (High), 139.5 FPS (Medium), and 171.3 FPS (Low). The 4K results show that the GPU becomes the unequivocal bottleneck, as the frame rate drops below 100 FPS for the higher presets. The delta between 4K Medium and 4K High is 40.9%, which is a stark contrast to the 1080p difference of 36.4% between the same settings, showing that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the deciding factors at higher resolutions. Overall, the data confirms that this combo is capable of exceptional frame rates, with the only caveat being a CPU-induced ceiling at the lowest settings and highest resolution.