Inside

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The benchmark results show that this combination is heavily GPU-limited at lower resolutions, with the CPU becoming a more significant factor only when the resolution and settings push frame rates to extremely high levels. The data indicates a system capable of maintaining fluid motion on high-refresh-rate displays across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 359 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 321 FPS, a drop of 38 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls to 265 FPS, which is 94 FPS below the 1080p figure. This progression shows that even at 4K, the system is not yet fully stressed, as the frame rates remain exceptionally high.

For High settings, the scaling is similar but with a steeper curve. The 1080p High result is 276 FPS, which drops to 211 FPS at 1440p and then to 133 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is less than half of the 1080p High figure, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count and shading complexity increase.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, including minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 331 FPS with a minimum of 281 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 297 FPS with a minimum of 252 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 212 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K Medium is 119 FPS, demonstrating that the RTX 4080's workload scales significantly with resolution.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic resolution impact. The 1080p Ultra average is 271 FPS, dropping to 201 FPS at 1440p and further to 126 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is 46.5% of the 1080p Ultra figure. This pattern suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher resolutions, but even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains well above 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 359 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does this system maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset yields an average of 126 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 297 FPS while Ultra averages 201 FPS, a difference of 96 FPS.

Q: Are there any frame rate minimums recorded for the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The data does not include minimum FPS values for Low or Ultra presets; only the Medium preset at each resolution includes minimum and maximum figures.

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

A: The 4K High average of 133 FPS is 143 FPS lower than the 1080p High average of 276 FPS, representing a 51.8% reduction.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 281 FPS and the maximum is 381 FPS, indicating a range of 100 FPS between the lowest and highest recorded values.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 23391 and a single-core result of 3302. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1016, while the 8-thread score reaches 6128.

In Inside, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. Given the game's 2016 release and puzzle platformer nature, the processing demands are modest. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 359 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution and settings combination. The frame rate ceiling appears to be governed more by the GPU's rendering speed.

However, the scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates that the CPU becomes relatively less important as the GPU workload increases. At 4K Ultra, the CPU has more time to prepare frames, and the average of 126 FPS shows that even the most demanding settings do not expose a CPU bottleneck. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) provide adequate bandwidth for this workload.

The CPU's percentile ranking versus all CPUs is 79, with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, scores 27872, a delta of -0.3%, indicating near-identical overall performance. This places the i5-12600KF in a strong position for gaming, though its capabilities are far beyond what Inside requires to hit high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 272 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the top 7.3% of all tested configurations, a strong result for a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The rank reflects the system's ability to produce very high frame rates, but the large number of combos tested suggests that many high-end systems achieve similar performance.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 54247, with a percentile ranking of 86 versus all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the two cards are effectively tied in overall performance. The CPU's rank is 272, which is consistent with its high benchmark scores.

The fact that this combo ranks 272 out of 3716 indicates that while it is a high performer, there are 271 combos that achieve better results in Inside. These likely include more recent or higher-tier CPUs and GPUs, but the data does not specify which combinations outperform it. The ranking suggests that for a game with frame rates this high, the differences between top-tier components become less meaningful, as all are capable of exceeding typical refresh rate limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target frame rate and display capability. For 4K displays with a 120 Hz refresh rate, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 212 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS, ensuring consistent smoothness above the refresh rate. The High preset at 4K averages 133 FPS, which is sufficient for 120 Hz but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

For 1440p displays, the Ultra preset at 201 FPS is the recommended option, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining frame rates far above typical 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 297 FPS, which is excessive for most displays and does not provide a visual benefit over Ultra.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 271 FPS is the clear choice for maximum quality, as the frame rate remains high enough for 240 Hz displays. The Low preset at 359 FPS offers no practical advantage for most users, as the difference between Low and Ultra is only 88 FPS, which is imperceptible on most monitors. The data suggests that users should prioritize Ultra settings at 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the sweet spot for 4K to maintain high refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 359 FPS. The Medium preset averages 331 FPS, with a minimum of 281 FPS and a maximum of 381 FPS. High averages 276 FPS, and Ultra averages 271 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra is 88 FPS, showing that the settings have a relatively modest impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 321 FPS. Medium averages 297 FPS, with a minimum of 252 FPS and a maximum of 341 FPS. High averages 211 FPS, and Ultra averages 201 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 120 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling amplifies the settings impact.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 265 FPS. Medium averages 212 FPS, with a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 244 FPS. High averages 133 FPS, and Ultra averages 126 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 139 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is 79 FPS, which is significant for maintaining high refresh rates. The 4K Medium minimum of 181 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain fluid.

The data shows a consistent pattern where Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability, as evidenced by the recorded minimum FPS values. The Low and Ultra presets lack minimum FPS data, but their averages suggest that Ultra is viable at all resolutions, while Low is only useful for maximizing frame rates at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture GPU with 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. It features 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, with a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Inside, the GPU is the dominant performance component. The frame rate data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 359 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for issuing draw calls. As resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and the frame rates drop accordingly. The 4K Ultra average of 126 FPS demonstrates the GPU's ability to handle high pixel counts, but the 4K Low result of 265 FPS shows that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower settings.

The GPU's benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 6567 and a Passmark G3D score of 34457. Its average benchmark score is 54247, with a percentile ranking of 86. The nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%, indicating that the 4080 is essentially equivalent to its successor in overall performance. This places the GPU in a very high tier, capable of handling Inside with significant headroom.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Inside, which is a 2016 title with modest texture requirements. The GDDR6X memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck, even at 4K. The FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS provides ample compute power for the game's lighting and shading effects, though the game's age means it does not utilize the GPU's full capabilities. The RTX 4080's specifications far exceed what Inside requires, making the GPU the primary factor in the high frame rates observed across all settings and resolutions.