Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT reveals a fascinating scaling curve that tells a story about where the bottlenecks truly lie. This combination, ranking 173rd out of 1671 tested combos, delivers frame rates that range from the merely excellent to the absurdly high, depending entirely on the resolution and preset chosen.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is not linear, and the pattern reveals a system that is heavily CPU-limited at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 388.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 351.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 9.4%. However, jumping to 4K Low yields 220.8 FPS, a substantial 37.2% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline between 1440p and 4K indicates that the GPU is finally becoming the primary constraint, whereas at 1080p and 1440p, the processor's 14 cores and 20 threads are likely doing the heavy lifting to keep up with the game's simple geometry.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For instance, at High settings, the frame rates are 246.5 FPS at 1080p, 180.7 FPS at 1440p, and 111.5 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is a 26.7% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a more severe 38.3%. This suggests that as the resolution increases, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth (800.0 GB/s) become more critical, but the transition point is clearly between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the data implies that the CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643, is sufficient to feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, but only up to a point.

What is most telling is the shrinking gap between settings as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (388.1 FPS) and Ultra (235.6 FPS) is 152.5 FPS. At 4K, the same spread is only 114.5 FPS (220.8 vs 106.3). This compression of performance differences at 4K is a classic sign that the GPU is becoming the sole limiting factor, rendering the CPU's speed less relevant to the final output.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, with its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, is a formidable piece of silicon. The benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 29009, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile and RTX 4080 Mobile, with delta percentages of 0.0% and 0.6% respectively, indicating this desktop card is performing in the same league as top-tier mobile parts.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the 4K results. The boost clock of 2394 MHz and game clock of 2025 MHz are high, but the sheer pixel throughput required at 3840x2160 is what drives the frame rates down to the 106-220 FPS range. The card's FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for this game's visuals, but the data suggests that the memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s is what allows the card to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, where it still manages 106.3 FPS. The card operates within a 300 W TDP, which is a substantial power draw, but the performance per frame is exceptional given the game's age.

The VRAM capacity is effectively a non-factor here. With 20 GB available, even at 4K Ultra, the game's textures are unlikely to exceed a fraction of that. The data shows that the GPU is never starved for memory, as evidenced by the relatively smooth scaling from Medium to High to Ultra at each resolution. The bottleneck is purely computational, not capacity-related.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck for the RX 7900 XT in Inside?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the data strongly suggests yes. The frame rates of 388.1 FPS (1080p Low) and 351.5 FPS (1440p Low) are so high that they indicate the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has spare capacity. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the CPU's role diminishing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 173rd out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the top 10.4% of all configurations. This is a strong result, but it is not at the very top, which suggests that other combos with even more powerful CPUs or GPUs achieve higher frame rates.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware?

A: If aiming for the highest frame rates, 1080p with Low settings yields 388.1 FPS. For a balanced experience, 1440p with High settings provides 180.7 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. 4K is also viable, with High settings delivering 111.5 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. It is 0.5% lower than the AMD EPYC 4345P, showing it is a top-tier consumer processor.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU or GPU at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 106.3 FPS indicates a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's performance is still relevant, but the data shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are what ultimately determine the frame rate at this demanding resolution and preset.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent across different presets at the same resolution?

A: No, there is significant variance. At 1440p, the spread is from 168.8 FPS (Ultra) to 351.5 FPS (Low). This 182.7 FPS difference shows that the game's visual settings have a massive impact on performance, likely due to effects like shadows and post-processing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces staggering numbers. Low settings hit 388.1 FPS, while Medium and High achieve 361.4 FPS and 246.5 FPS respectively. Ultra drops to 235.6 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the frame rate is far beyond what any standard 60Hz or 144Hz monitor can display.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings deliver 351.5 FPS, Medium produces 286.4 FPS, and High yields 180.7 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 200 FPS, coming in at 168.8 FPS. This resolution is arguably the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, as even Ultra settings exceed the 144Hz threshold.

At 3840x2160, the true cost of resolution becomes apparent. Low settings still produce a very playable 220.8 FPS, and Medium manages 178.3 FPS. High settings drop to 111.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 106.3 FPS. While these are all playable, the transition from High to Ultra at 4K only yields a 5.2 FPS difference, suggesting diminishing returns on visual quality for the performance hit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 173 out of 1671 places this system in the 89.6th percentile of all tested configurations for Inside. This is a strong showing, indicating that the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination is well-suited for this title. However, the data shows there is room above it, with 172 other combos achieving higher frame rates. Given the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking, the gap to the top is likely due to other combos pairing even higher-end parts like the RTX 4090 or a faster flagship CPU.

The rank is consistent with the individual component scores. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49367 is excellent, and the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29009 is similarly impressive. The combination of these two parts yields a system that is in the top 10% of what the database has measured for this game, which confirms their collective strength.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for different priorities. For players with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, Medium settings at 361.4 FPS are overkill; even Ultra at 235.6 FPS is more than sufficient. The data suggests that High settings at 1080p (246.5 FPS) offer a good balance, but there is no practical reason to lower settings below Ultra at this resolution.

For 1440p, the choice depends on the refresh rate. If using a 240Hz monitor, Low settings (351.5 FPS) are necessary to fully utilize the display. For a 165Hz monitor, High settings (180.7 FPS) are ideal, as they provide a significant visual upgrade over Medium (286.4 FPS) while still exceeding the refresh rate. Ultra at 168.8 FPS is also a viable option for 144Hz displays.

At 4K, the focus shifts to maintaining a stable 60 FPS or higher. High settings at 111.5 FPS are the recommended choice, as they offer a substantial visual improvement over Medium (178.3 FPS) while staying well above 60 FPS. Ultra at 106.3 FPS is only marginally slower and could be chosen if visual fidelity is the absolute priority, but the 5.2 FPS difference between High and Ultra makes High the more efficient choice.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide excellent single-thread performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that may not be heavily multi-threaded. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643 confirms this strength, and the data suggests this is what allows the system to achieve frame rates above 300 FPS at 1080p.

The CPU's multi-core capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889, are less relevant for this game but ensure the system is future-proof for more demanding titles. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with game data access. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a 0.4% advantage over the Intel Core i5-14600K, shows it is a top-tier part. However, the benchmark data indicates that in Inside, the CPU is often the limiting factor at lower resolutions, with the GPU waiting for instructions. This is not a weakness but a signal of the GPU's speed and the game's low graphical complexity.