Inside

Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer, presents an unusual stress profile for modern hardware. The combination of an Intel Core i5-12600KF and an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations, indicating that the game is far from demanding by contemporary standards. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions but still maintains playable, and often extremely high, performance even at 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, contextualizes the component roles, and provides recommendations based strictly on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, though the magnitude of the drop is mitigated by the sheer performance headroom of this combo. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 230 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces this to 165 FPS, a 28% decrease. The jump to 4K yields 104 FPS, which is a 55% reduction from the 1080p figure and a 37% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling significantly with pixel count, as expected for a GPU-bound workload.

However, the limiting component is not the CPU. At the lowest tested settings, the frame rate ceiling becomes apparent. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 359 FPS. This is only 11% higher than the 321 FPS seen at 1440p Low, and 42% higher than the 207 FPS at 4K Low. The relatively small delta between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests that the CPU is beginning to impose a limit on the maximum frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs at lower resolutions. The i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is capable, but even it has a ceiling for this older game's single-threaded physics and logic.

The data suggests that the transition from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. At 4K High, the average FPS of 104 is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but the scaling from 165 FPS at 1440p High to 104 FPS at 4K High is a substantial 37% drop, highlighting the significant pixel throughput required by 4K. This is a classic demonstration of resolution scaling: the CPU provides a high baseline, but the GPU's workload increases exponentially with resolution, making it the primary factor in performance deltas at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 157 FPS. This is a very high refresh rate experience, suggesting the GPU has ample headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution.

Q: How does the 4K High preset compare to the 1080p High preset?

A: The 4K High preset yields an average of 104 FPS, while the 1080p High preset yields 230 FPS. This represents a 55% performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same quality settings, illustrating the substantial cost of higher resolution.

Q: Is the minimum frame rate data available for all settings?

A: No. Minimum and maximum FPS data is only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 141 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 224 FPS; and at 1080p Medium, it is 281 FPS. For other presets, only the average FPS is available.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 359 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 219 FPS. This is a 64% performance uplift for the Low preset, showing a significant scaling with graphical fidelity settings.

Q: Which component is more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The data implies the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low. The frame rate of 359 FPS is exceptionally high, and the relatively small gain from 1440p Low (321 FPS) suggests the CPU's processing limit is being approached, preventing a larger scaling with lower resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming smoothly?

A: Yes, according to the data. Even at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset, the average FPS is 99, which is above the standard 60 FPS target. At 4K High, the average rises to 104 FPS, indicating a comfortable margin for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the clear performance driver in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. Its specifications from the FACT PACK—16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth—provide ample resources for a game like Inside, which was released in 2016 and does not have demanding texture or geometry requirements. The GPU's 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs are more than sufficient to render the game's 2.5D environments at very high frame rates.

The clock speeds are notably high, with a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. The "game" clock is listed at 2400 MHz. These high frequencies contribute to the card's substantial compute throughput, measured at 48.66 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This raw power is evident in the benchmark results, where the GPU is able to push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS at 1080p on most settings. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are key metrics that explain the card's ability to handle the resolution scaling seen in the data, although the performance drop at 4K suggests that even this level of fill rate is taxed by the four-fold increase in pixel count compared to 1080p.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's potential limit is visible in the Low preset, but at 4K, the GPU's workload is the dominant factor. The average FPS drop from 207 at 4K Low to 99 at 4K Ultra is a 52% reduction, which is directly attributable to the increased graphical complexity and shading work demanded by the Ultra preset. The 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game's assets are small enough to fit comfortably within the memory pool, leaving the GPU's compute and fill rate as the primary determinants of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset averages 359 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 331 FPS with a minimum of 281 FPS and a maximum of 381 FPS. The High preset averages 230 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 219 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with the Low preset providing a 64% performance increase over Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 321 FPS. The Medium preset averages 264 FPS, with a minimum of 224 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS. The High preset averages 165 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 157 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 5%, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a diminishing impact on the GPU's workload compared to the jump from Medium to High, which is a 38% difference.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily tasked. The Low preset averages 207 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset averages 166 FPS, with a minimum of 141 FPS and a maximum of 191 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 104 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 99 FPS, which is the lowest measured average in the entire dataset. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 55% reduction in frame rate, from 219 FPS to 99 FPS, illustrating the significant impact of resolution on this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT pair ranks 734th out of 3716 tested combos for this specific game. This places the combo in the top 20% of all tested systems, indicating a very strong performance tier. The rank is a relative measure of the average FPS achieved across all measured settings, and a rank of 734 out of 3716 suggests that this system is faster than the vast majority of other hardware pairings tested for Inside.

The high rank is a direct result of the synergy between the two components. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2157 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3925, ensures that the GPU is well-fed with data. The GPU's massive compute resources then push the frame rates to the levels seen in the measured data. The combo's rank reflects that this is not just a high-end CPU or GPU, but a balanced pairing that excels in this title. The fact that it is in the upper echelon of all tested combos reinforces the conclusion that this system is overqualified for Inside, delivering performance that far exceeds the game's requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For users with a standard 60 Hz display, the 4K Ultra preset is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining an average of 99 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. This preset delivers the complete visual experience without any compromise in smoothness.

For users with a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor (e.g., 144 Hz or 165 Hz), the Ultra preset is also recommended. The average of 157 FPS at 1440p Ultra is very close to the refresh rate of many high-end monitors, providing a near-maximal experience. The High preset at 1440p offers a slight performance bump to 165 FPS, but the visual quality difference is minimal, making Ultra the better value for the negligible performance cost.

For users with a 1080p 240 Hz or higher monitor, the data suggests that the High or Ultra preset is the best option. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 219 FPS, which is sufficient to drive a 240 Hz display, while the High preset at 230 FPS offers a marginal increase. The Low and Medium presets provide higher frame rates (359 and 331 FPS, respectively), but these are only necessary for extreme refresh rates (e.g., 360 Hz) and come with a significant reduction in visual quality. Therefore, the High or Ultra preset is the sweet spot for 1080p, balancing high frame rates with the game's intended art style.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF plays a supporting but critical role in this configuration, ensuring the GPU is not starved of data. This 10-core, 16-thread processor, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provides a robust foundation for game logic and physics. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is to maintain a high frame rate ceiling. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system produces 359 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's limit for this game's single-threaded workload. The fact that the frame rate does not scale proportionally with resolution (e.g., 1080p Low at 359 FPS vs. 1440p Low at 321 FPS, a difference of only 11%) suggests that the CPU is the primary limiter at these low settings and resolutions. The processor's high boost clock of 4.90 GHz is crucial for this, as it allows for rapid single-threaded execution.

However, the CPU's performance is more than adequate for the game's demands. The measured frame rates at higher presets are all GPU-bound, as evidenced by the significant drops when moving from 1440p to 4K. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 or DDR5 memory (with a dual-channel bus) ensure that it can keep up with the GPU's demands. The data confirms that the i5-12600KF is not a bottleneck in this pairing, except perhaps at the most extreme low-resolution, low-settings scenarios where the frame rate ceiling is reached. Its performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K (which has a deltaPct of -0.3, meaning the i5 is slightly faster) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (also with a deltaPct of -0.3), shows it is a competitive processor that holds its own in this system.