Inside

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers an exceptional experience in Inside, with frame rates that remain fluid even at extreme settings. The data shows this combination is overwhelmingly GPU-bound, particularly at higher resolutions, where the RX 7800 XT’s capabilities are the primary driver of performance. At 1080p, the system’s headroom is so vast that the frame rates become almost academic, highlighting a component balance that favors high-refresh-rate displays without any perceptible bottlenecking in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 205.4 FPS, but this drops to 151.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 91.6 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that illustrates the increasing pixel throughput demand placed on the Radeon RX 7800 XT. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that resolution, not CPU capability, dictates the performance ceiling.

However, the scaling behavior shifts dramatically when examining the Low preset. The jump from 389.4 FPS at 1080p to 298.1 FPS at 1440p, and then to 188 FPS at 4K, shows a more linear decline. The 4K Low result is still nearly double the 1080p High result, suggesting that even at 4K, the GPU is not fully saturated when graphical complexity is minimized. This implies that Inside’s engine is efficient enough that the RX 7800 XT can still push massive frame rates at lower settings, with the CPU becoming a more relevant factor only at extremely high frame rates.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with scores of 197.6 FPS at 1080p, 139 FPS at 1440p, and 90.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, yet it remains comfortably above 60 FPS. The data indicates that the transition from Medium to Ultra carries a significant cost; at 4K, the drop from Medium (150.5 FPS) to Ultra (90.4 FPS) is a 39.9% performance penalty, which is a steeper decline than the resolution scaling itself. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shading units.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this pairing sits at rank 462 out of 1671 combos, placing it in the top 27.6% of all systems tested. This rank reflects the balanced nature of the components; while the GPU is a strong performer, the CPU’s high core count and clock speeds ensure it does not drag down the overall score. The rank is particularly impressive given that the RX 7800 XT’s average benchmark percentile is 76, meaning it outperforms 76% of all GPUs, while the i5-14600KF sits in the 93rd percentile among CPUs.

The combination’s rank of 462 indicates that it outperforms the majority of systems in the database, but it is not at the very top tier. This is expected, as the RX 7800 XT is positioned as a high-end mainstream card rather than a flagship. The data suggests that higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful GPUs, but the i5-14600KF provides sufficient processing power to avoid leaving performance on the table. In Inside, a game that is not typically CPU-intensive, the rank is likely higher than in more processor-heavy titles, given the measured frame rates.

Comparing to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RX 7800 XT’s average score of 32619 is 0.4% behind the NVIDIA T600 Mobile and 0.7% ahead of the AMD FirePro S10000. These deltas are negligible, indicating that the GPU’s raw compute performance is well-positioned within its class. The CPU’s rivals show similar tight clustering, with the i5-14600KF being 0.4% faster than the i5-14600K and 0.6% faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X. This near-parity among rivals reinforces that the combo’s rank is determined more by the GPU’s absolute capabilities than by any single component’s advantage.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT is the clear workhorse in this pairing, equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is crucial for Inside, as the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadow effects can be memory-hungry at higher resolutions. The 16 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is no risk of VRAM overflow, which is evidenced by the stable frame rates across all tested settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz provide the raw speed needed to process the game’s rendering pipeline efficiently.

The GPU’s performance metrics align with its measured results. The 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than sufficient for a puzzle platformer, and the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate explains why the card can exceed 90 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate ensures that the game’s detailed environments remain crisp even when the resolution scaling is most demanding. The GPU’s 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in its ability to handle 4K Ultra at 90.4 FPS, a result that would be unattainable for lower-tier cards.

The GPU’s architecture, RDNA 3.0, with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs, is well-optimized for this type of workload. The measured data shows a smooth scaling from Low to High settings at all resolutions, with the only major drop occurring when transitioning to Ultra. This indicates that the Ultra preset likely enables ray tracing or advanced lighting effects that disproportionately increase the GPU’s workload. The RX 7800 XT’s 60 RT cores, while not the focus of this analysis, contribute to this performance hit, but the card still manages to maintain playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1080p, the Low preset yields 389.4 FPS, which is the highest recorded score in the entire test suite. This drops to 330 FPS on Medium, 205.4 FPS on High, and 197.6 FPS on Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is a modest 3.8%, suggesting that at this resolution, the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting frame rates, as the GPU has ample headroom to execute the additional effects.

Moving to 1440p, the scores are 298.1 FPS on Low, 236.2 FPS on Medium, 151.1 FPS on High, and 139 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with a roughly 23% reduction in frame rates across all presets. This is a typical penalty for the 76.9% increase in pixel count. The 4K results show 188 FPS on Low, 150.5 FPS on Medium, 91.6 FPS on High, and 90.4 FPS on Ultra. Interestingly, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 1.3% at 4K, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated and the additional settings in Ultra do not fully render due to pixel density limitations.

The most striking data point is the Low preset at 1080p, which at 389.4 FPS is nearly double the High preset’s 205.4 FPS. This suggests that Low disables several rendering features that are computationally expensive, allowing the GPU to operate at peak efficiency. For competitive play or maximum refresh rate utilization, this setting is clearly the most effective, though the High preset’s 205.4 FPS is already sufficient for any high-refresh-rate display.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo handle Inside at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 90.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 16 GB VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth ensure no memory-related stutters.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, the High preset delivers 151.1 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 139 FPS, both of which are near the 144Hz refresh rate. At 4K, only the Low preset (188 FPS) and Medium preset (150.5 FPS) exceed 144 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The i5-14600KF’s impact is minimal. At 1080p, the gap between High (205.4 FPS) and Ultra (197.6 FPS) is small, suggesting a slight CPU limitation at very high frame rates. At higher resolutions, the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the 16 GB capacity is more than adequate. Even at 4K Ultra, there are no signs of VRAM pressure, as indicated by the consistent average frame rates. The memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is also well-utilized.

Q: Which settings preset offers the biggest performance jump?

A: Switching from High to Low provides the largest increase. At 1080p, it jumps from 205.4 FPS to 389.4 FPS, a 89.5% improvement. At 4K, the jump is from 91.6 FPS to 188 FPS, a 105.2% improvement.

Q: How does the combo rank against other systems?

A: It ranks 462nd out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the top 27.6%. This is a strong result, driven by the CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU’s 76th percentile ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is a formidable processor that is largely underutilized in Inside. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.30 GHz and base clock of 3.50 GHz provide the single-thread performance necessary for game logic and physics. In this puzzle platformer, the workload is not heavily multithreaded, so the CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache are more relevant than the core count. The data supports this, as frame rates scale almost exclusively with resolution and settings, not with CPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643, indicate it is one of the fastest consumer chips available. However, in Inside, the measured frame rates at 1080p Low (389.4 FPS) show that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output. The 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that this processor will not bottleneck the RX 7800 XT in this title. The nearest rival, the i5-14600K, is only 0.4% slower on average, highlighting the i5-14600KF’s position as a top-tier gaming CPU.

The CPU’s architecture, Raptor Lake on a 10 nm process, supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the memory bus is dual-channel. In a game like Inside, memory bandwidth is rarely a limiting factor, and the CPU’s 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks. The data suggests that the CPU’s role is to ensure consistent frame pacing, particularly at high frame rates where per-frame overhead becomes more significant. The fact that 1080p High (205.4 FPS) and Ultra (197.6 FPS) are so close indicates that the CPU is nearing its limit, but it still delivers exceptional results.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1440p is the recommended choice. This setting delivers 151.1 FPS, which is smooth on most high-refresh-rate displays and looks significantly better than Medium (236.2 FPS) without the performance cost of Ultra (139 FPS). The visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in Inside’s muted color palette, but the 8.7% performance drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is a worthwhile trade-off for those who prioritize frame rate consistency.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering 150.5 FPS. This is more than double the High preset’s 91.6 FPS, and the visual downgrade from High to Medium is less noticeable at this resolution due to pixel density. The Ultra preset at 4K (90.4 FPS) is playable but offers marginal visual improvements over High, making it a poor choice for competitive play. For players with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 197.6 FPS is the best option, as it provides maximum visual quality without sacrificing the high frame rate needed for responsive gameplay.

For those seeking the absolute highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p (389.4 FPS) is the clear winner, though it sacrifices most of the game’s atmospheric effects. The data shows that Low disables expensive lighting and shadow computations, which is why it outperforms High by 89.5% at 1080p. In a game like Inside, where atmosphere is key, the Medium preset at 1080p (330 FPS) offers a better compromise, retaining enough visual detail while still delivering double the frame rate of the High preset. Ultimately, the choice depends on whether the player prioritizes visual immersion or maximum refresh rate.