Inside

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is a formidable combination for Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding than its minimalist art style suggests. The benchmark data shows this system delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, making it a perfect candidate for high-refresh-rate displays. The measured results indicate that the only real bottleneck here is the GPU at the highest settings, while the 10-core processor has ample headroom to push hundreds of frames per second in lighter loads.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing the Medium preset at 1440p, or even 4K. At 2560x1440, Medium produces an average of 170.2 FPS, which is a massive 65% improvement over the High preset’s 103 FPS. The visual jump from Medium to High is typically noticeable in this title, but the performance cost is steep; you are sacrificing over 67 FPS for those extra details. At 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot for a smooth experience on a 120Hz display, delivering 105.8 FPS. This is more than capable of keeping gameplay fluid without the frame rate dipping into the 60s.

For those with a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor at 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice. The system still manages an average of 142.2 FPS, which is high enough to saturate most standard refresh rates. However, if you have a 240Hz panel, dropping to High at 1080p yields 148 FPS, and Medium jumps to 235.7 FPS. The data shows that Low settings are unnecessary for playability; even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 64.7 FPS, which is technically playable, but it is the only configuration that dips below the 70 FPS mark. Ultimately, the measured rows indicate that Medium at 1440p offers the best balance of fidelity and performance, effectively doubling the frame rate of Ultra while still retaining most of the game’s atmospheric effects.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT plays the central role in determining the ceiling for this system’s performance. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, it delivers 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The card’s RDNA 2.0 architecture, with 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, is clearly the limiting factor at higher graphical presets. The results show a clear pattern: moving from Low to Ultra at any resolution incurs a significant performance penalty, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering. The card’s boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz allow it to reach a peak pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s, which is sufficient for 4K at lower settings but struggles to maintain high frame rates with the extra shader work required by Ultra settings.

The GPU’s importance is highlighted by the frame rate scaling. At 4K, the difference between Low (130.7 FPS) and Ultra (64.7 FPS) is a stark 66 FPS drop. This demonstrates that the graphics card is being tasked with exponentially more work as settings increase, and its 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the primary constraint. The card’s performance is comparable to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, with a deltaPct of 0, and it sits just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 470 by a 0.1% margin in average benchmark scores. This places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, confirming it is a solid mid-range part that can handle Inside’s most demanding presets, but not without compromise.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals that resolution scaling has a profound impact on frame rates, confirming that this combo is heavily GPU-limited. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 148 FPS to 103 FPS, a 30% drop. The jump from 1440p to 4K at the same preset is even more severe, falling from 103 FPS to 67.8 FPS, another 34% reduction. This linear degradation is a strong indicator that the CPU is not the bottleneck; if it were, the frame rate would remain more consistent across resolutions.

This trend is consistent across all settings. At Ultra, the frame rate drops from 142.2 FPS at 1080p to 101 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 64.7 FPS at 4K. The scaling shows that the RX 6650 XT is simply running out of pixel-pushing power at 4K, particularly when complex shaders are active. The CPU’s capabilities are only evident at the lowest resolution and settings, where the system produces a massive 291 FPS at 1080p Low. This suggests that even with a more powerful GPU, the i5-12600KF would likely be able to keep up in this game, as the processor’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 7952 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 23444 indicate substantial headroom for high-throughput gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a comprehensive overview of the system’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings produce an average of 291 FPS, Medium hits 235.7 FPS, High reaches 148 FPS, and Ultra still maintains a very playable 142.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal, only 5.8 FPS, suggesting that Ultra is a free upgrade over High at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains excellent. Low settings average 209.8 FPS, while Medium delivers 170.2 FPS. High drops to 103 FPS, and Ultra is nearly identical at 101 FPS. The data shows a clear cliff between Medium and High, indicating that the GPU is hitting a shader complexity threshold. At 3840x2160, the system is still capable of high refresh rates at lower settings. Low averages 130.7 FPS, and Medium stays above 100 FPS at 105.8 FPS. High dips to 67.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 64.7 FPS. While 4K Ultra is playable, it is the only configuration where the system fails to stay above the 70 FPS mark, making it the least desirable setup for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks in the 1029th position out of 1671 total combos for Inside. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating that it is a capable gaming rig, but not a top-tier enthusiast setup. The CPU’s individual performance is strong, ranking in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27827. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-10900K, which scores 27829, a deltaPct of 0. The i5-12600KF also edges out the Intel Core i7-13700H by 0.4%, showing that desktop Alder Lake silicon is highly competitive.

The GPU sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29024. Its performance is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, with a deltaPct of 0, and it is only 0.1% faster than the older AMD Radeon RX 470. This indicates that while the GPU is not a flagship part, it is well-matched to the CPU for this game. The combo’s overall rank is likely held back by the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is clearly capable of driving higher frame rates. This is a balanced pairing that offers no significant bottlenecks, but the data suggests that a stronger GPU would be the next logical upgrade to push this system higher in the rankings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes, it can. The measured data shows an average of 64.7 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. While this is playable, it is the only configuration that drops below the 70 FPS threshold, so a lower preset is recommended for smoother motion.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is ideal. The data shows it produces an average of 170.2 FPS, which is well above 144 FPS. Using High would drop the frame rate to 103 FPS, which would not fully saturate a 144Hz display.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor. This is evident from the resolution scaling; as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly at the same settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain more consistent across different resolutions.

Q: How does the RX 6650 XT compare to other GPUs in its class?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, it performs on par with the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, with a deltaPct of 0. It is also marginally faster than the AMD Radeon RX 470, which it beats by 0.1%.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 291 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This demonstrates the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU at very high frame rates in lighter graphical loads.

Q: Is a 4K resolution at Medium settings a good option?

A: Yes, it is one of the best options for 4K. The data shows an average of 105.8 FPS, which is smooth and far better than the 67.8 FPS you would get with High settings. This makes Medium the optimal choice for 4K gaming on this system.