Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that is far more demanding than its minimalist art style suggests, and the data for the Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combo shows a system that is thoroughly overpowered for the task. This pairing delivers high frame rates across all tested settings, making it a prime example of a combination that will never be the bottleneck in this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark results place this specific CPU and GPU pairing at rank 1389 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This puts the combination in the 63rd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a clear majority of other hardware configurations in this game. However, the ranking is not as high as the individual components might suggest, which is a direct result of the game's relatively low system requirements. The data indicates that this is a case where the hardware is capable of far more than the game asks for, and the rank is likely held back by the fact that many other combinations of high-end parts also achieve very high frame rates, compressing the performance curve at the top.

For context on the CPU's contribution, the Core i5-14400F sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 32279 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (within 0.1%), the Intel Core i9-11900 (within 0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (within -0.2%). This indicates that the processor's raw compute power is extremely competitive with some of the best mobile and older desktop parts, but this raw power is largely irrelevant for a game like Inside, which is not CPU-bound at these settings. The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 61st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, is only 0.7% ahead, showing the RTX 3070 is still a strong performer. The fact that this combo ranks at 1389, despite having components that individually rank in the 60th and 80th percentiles, confirms that the game's engine saturates performance well before either component reaches its limit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, these specifications are immense; the game's logic and physics are not complex enough to require this level of multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and single-core score of 3055 demonstrate that this CPU is a heavyweight for productivity tasks, but in this specific game, it is effectively idle.

The data supports this conclusion. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 339 FPS. When moving to 1440p Low, it still hits 272 FPS. These high frame rates at lower resolutions suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor; if it were, we would expect to see performance stagnate or even drop as the resolution increased. Instead, we see the GPU taking over the workload. Even at the most demanding tested setting (4K Ultra), the average FPS is 81, which is a playable rate. The processor's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2058 and Passmark single-thread score of 3701, ensures that the game's primary thread is never starved, allowing for consistent frame pacing. The CPU is simply not a bottleneck in any scenario tested here.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary driver of performance in this test. It is based on the Ampere architecture and the GA104 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is rated at 1725 MHz, and it features 5888 shading units. This is a substantial amount of graphics hardware for a 2D side-scroller. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 22214 and its 61st percentile ranking against all GPUs confirm it is a capable mid-to-high-end part, but its performance in this game is what matters most.

The RTX 3070's role becomes clear when examining the frame rate scaling. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 180 on Ultra to 339 on Low. At 1440p, it ranges from 129 on Ultra to 272 on Low. At 4K, it ranges from 81 on Ultra to 171 on Low. The consistent scaling across resolutions points directly at the GPU as the performance limiter. As the pixel count increases, the GPU has to work harder to fill those pixels, and we see a predictable drop in frame rates. The 8 GB of VRAM is also a non-issue here, as the game's textures are simple and do not come close to filling the memory buffer, even at 4K. The GPU's raw pixel fill rate, specified as 165.6 GPixel/s, is more than sufficient to handle the game's simple visuals at high resolutions, but it is still the component that determines the final frame count.

FAQ

Q: Is the Core i5-14400F bottlenecking the RTX 3070 in Inside?

A: No. The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 339 FPS, and at 4K Low it still achieves 171 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, frame rates would not scale so consistently with resolution changes.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: It is very playable. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 85. On Ultra, it drops to 81 FPS, while on Medium it rises to 136 FPS. The lowest tested setting, Low, yields 171 FPS at 4K.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Inside?

A: The highest average FPS recorded in the data is 339, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the ceiling for this combination in the tested configurations.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer with simple textures. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is far more than enough for Inside at any resolution, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 4K.

Q: How does this combo's CPU rank relative to its closest competitors?

A: The Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279. This is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900, and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i7-12800H. It is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings for this combo?

A: Yes, there is a measurable difference. At 1080p, High settings produce 189 FPS, while Ultra produces 180 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is wider: 136 FPS on High versus 129 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, High gives 85 FPS, and Ultra gives 81 FPS. The Ultra preset costs 4-7% performance at each resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. This is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 339 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 272 FPS, a decrease of 67 FPS. At 4K Low, it drops further to 171 FPS, a 101 FPS decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern holds across all settings. For High settings, the progression is 189 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 85 FPS at 4K. The Performance drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 55% for Low settings (339 to 171) and 55% for High settings (189 to 85). This proportional drop is the signature of a GPU that is working progressively harder to render more pixels.

The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting component. As the resolution increases, the CPU's workload remains relatively constant, as it is still processing the same game logic and draw calls. The GPU, however, must process more fragments and pixels. The result is a smooth, linear decline in frame rate that correlates directly with the increase in pixel count. The RTX 3070's performance degrades gracefully, and even at the most extreme resolution of 4K, it maintains an average FPS of 81 on Ultra settings, which is a solidly playable frame rate for a puzzle platformer. This scaling behavior is exactly what an experienced builder would expect from a system with a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU.

Settings Recommendations

For this hardware combination, the choice of settings comes down to a trade-off between raw frame rate and visual fidelity. The game runs exceptionally well at all settings, so the recommendation is based on the best experience per the measured rows. At 1080p, the High preset offers an average of 189 FPS, which is already far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. Moving to Ultra drops this to 180 FPS, a negligible 9 FPS difference that yields minimal visual improvements. Similarly, at 1440p, the High preset delivers 136 FPS, while Ultra delivers 129 FPS. The cost of Ultra is small, but the visual benefit in a game like Inside is also small.

The most compelling argument for a specific preset comes from the 4K data. At 4K, the High preset achieves 85 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 81 FPS. Both are very playable, but the Medium preset achieves 136 FPS. This is a massive jump of 51 FPS over High. The data shows that for 4K, Medium settings are the sweet spot, providing a 60% performance improvement over High with only a moderate reduction in visual effects. For 1080p and 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice. It offers a high frame rate (189 and 136 FPS respectively) that is well above the 60 FPS standard, and it ensures a stable experience without the minor performance hit of Ultra. The Low preset is unnecessary on this hardware, as it sacrifices visual quality for frame rates that exceed what most displays can show. The data indicates that the best experience is achieved by using High at 1080p or 1440p for a balance of quality and speed, or Medium at 4K to maximize smoothness while maintaining a higher resolution.