Inside

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti pairing delivers remarkably high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer, with the data showing that even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset remains comfortably playable. The measured results indicate that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures that 1080p Low settings can push past the 350 FPS mark. This analysis explores the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, the distinct roles of the processor and graphics card, and how this specific combo ranks among the 1,671 tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 358.7 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is more than double the 178.5 FPS achieved at 4K with the same Low preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system produces an average of 83.7 FPS. This is the lowest measured result but still well above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows a significant scaling gap. At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 285.3 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 133.8 FPS, representing a reduction of approximately 53% in average frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests the CPU becomes a more significant factor at 1080p, as the frame rates scale dramatically with resolution. For instance, at 1080p Medium, the system hits 317.7 FPS, while at 4K Medium it drops to 143.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when resolution increases.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 30,849, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME's score of 30,755, showing a performance delta of only 0.3%.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems in this game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 545th out of 1,671 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the upper third of all configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the central component driving Inside's visual output, and its specifications explain the high frame rates observed. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which is ample for the game's textures and effects. The core clock operates at a base of 1575 MHz with a boost up to 1770 MHz, and the card's 6144 shading units handle the pixel and compute workloads efficiently. Its pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are significant contributors to the high fill rates required at 4K resolution.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 358.7 FPS versus 199.7 FPS, a gap of 159 FPS, which reflects the increased shading and texture work. However, the GPU's capabilities are not exhausted at 1080p, as the frame rates continue to rise when settings are lowered. At 4K, the GPU is pushed harder, with Ultra settings producing 83.7 FPS and High settings yielding 92.2 FPS. This modest difference suggests that the GPU is approaching its limits at this resolution, but it still maintains playable performance. The RTX 3070 Ti's 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is a strong indicator of its ability to handle the game's physics and rendering, ensuring that the frame rate remains high even in complex scenes.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark results show a dramatic scaling of frame rates across the three tested resolutions, which reveals the nature of the system's bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 199.7 to 143.3, a decrease of 28%. This trend continues at 4K, where the High preset yields 92.2 FPS, a further 36% drop from the 1440p result. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases.

The data strongly implies that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-bound. For example, at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 358.7 FPS, which is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls. The Intel Core i5-12600KF, with its boost clock of 4.90 GHz, is fast, but even the most powerful processors have limits. At 4K, the GPU workload increases substantially, and the frame rates scale down accordingly, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrowing from 167 FPS at 1080p to 94.8 FPS at 4K. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU's rendering capacity is the dominant factor, while at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance plays a more noticeable role.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness, but the data provides clear guidance for a balanced experience. At 1080p, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 199.7 FPS, which is more than enough for any display. The Ultra preset at this resolution yields 191.5 FPS, a minor reduction of 8.2 FPS, making it the better choice for maximum visual fidelity without a significant performance penalty. For 1440p, the High preset at 143.3 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it maintains a high refresh rate while preserving visual quality. The Ultra preset at 133.8 FPS is also viable, but the 9.5 FPS drop may not justify the marginal visual gains.

At 4K, the High preset stands out as the best option, with 92.2 FPS providing a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 83.7 FPS is still playable but begins to approach the lower bound of high-refresh-rate gaming. Medium settings at 4K offer a significant boost to 143.7 FPS, which is ideal for users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays, but the visual compromise is more noticeable. For the absolute smoothest experience, Low settings at 4K deliver 178.5 FPS, but this undermines the purpose of high-resolution rendering. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p or 4K provide the best overall experience, balancing frame rate and image quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The table below summarizes the exact average FPS values across all tested configurations, showing a clear hierarchy of performance.

• 1920x1080: Low 358.7 FPS, Medium 317.7 FPS, High 199.7 FPS, Ultra 191.5 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low 285.3 FPS, Medium 231.5 FPS, High 143.3 FPS, Ultra 133.8 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low 178.5 FPS, Medium 143.7 FPS, High 92.2 FPS, Ultra 83.7 FPS.

The data shows that at each resolution, the jump from Low to Medium is relatively small, while the jump from Medium to High is substantial. For instance, at 1440p, Medium is 231.5 FPS, but High drops to 143.3 FPS, a 38% reduction. This indicates that the High preset introduces significant graphical effects that heavily tax the GPU. The Ultra preset, in contrast, offers only a marginal decrease from High, suggesting that it adds minor enhancements that do not impact performance as much. The largest absolute difference between resolutions is seen at Low settings, where the 1080p result of 358.7 FPS is 180.2 FPS higher than the 4K result, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF plays a crucial role in ensuring the system can reach the high frame rates observed in Inside. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability, which is reflected in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23,444. However, for a game like Inside, single-thread performance is often more critical, and the CPU delivers a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,309, which helps maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz is the key factor here, as it allows the processor to handle the game's logic and physics calculations rapidly.

The benchmark results show that the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a major bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 358.7 FPS result is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery limit, as the GPU is not fully utilized. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 3,925 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 support this, indicating strong per-core performance. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache also aids in reducing memory latency, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. The data shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 3070 Ti effectively, but at 1080p, the frame rate ceiling is set by the CPU, not the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 545th out of 1,671 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 67th percentile of all systems. This rank reflects the high performance of both components, though it is not at the very top of the charts. The GPU's average benchmark score of 30,849 puts it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU's average benchmark score of 27,827 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. The combination of these two high-performing components results in a system that excels in this game.

The rank is influenced by the fact that Inside is not a demanding title, meaning that even mid-range systems can achieve high frame rates, which compresses the performance spread. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K with a delta of 0%, show nearly identical performance, indicating that the 12600KF is not a limiting factor. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6700 with a delta of -0.8%, are closely matched. The combo's rank of 545 suggests that while this system is powerful, there are many other combinations that deliver similar or better performance in this specific game, likely due to the low system requirements. The data implies that for Inside, the RTX 3070 Ti provides more than enough power, and the frame rates are more dependent on the CPU's single-thread speed than on the GPU's raw compute capability.