Inside

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. This combination achieves an average frame rate of 217.6 FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings, demonstrating that the hardware vastly exceeds the demands of this title. The data indicates a system capable of extreme refresh rates, with the primary bottleneck shifting from raw compute to resolution and settings-based rendering loads.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i5-14600KF and Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 290th out of 1,671 tested combos for this game. This places the system in the top 17.4% of all configurations tested, a strong result for a game released in 2016. The rank reflects that while the hardware is modern and powerful, many other high-end configurations still edge it out in this particular title, likely due to the game's age and its relatively low reliance on multi-core processing.

Benchmark results for the individual components show why this pairing is effective. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49,367 places it in the 93rd percentile of all processors, while the GPU's average score of 39,647 places it in the 82nd percentile of all graphics cards. The CPU is a clear performance leader, but the GPU, while robust, is not as dominant in its respective field. This suggests the CPU has more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU does, which is a factor in the system's overall ranking.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tight cluster at the top. The Core i5-14600KF is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K, 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and 1.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H. However, it trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5%. These are marginal differences, indicating that the processor is performing exactly as expected within its tier, and that the system's rank is not being held back by an underperforming CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for a game like Inside, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for its physics and logic updates. The processor's single-core benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,643 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,778.

The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and a 24 MB shared L3 cache. For a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the working set is small, and this large L3 cache helps ensure that frequently accessed game data is readily available. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,889, are less critical for this title but provide ample headroom for background tasks.

The data suggests that the CPU is more than sufficient for this game. The performance ceiling in Inside is largely dictated by the GPU's ability to render the scene, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's high single-thread performance ensures it does not become a limiting factor, even when frame rates exceed 300 FPS, as seen at 1080p with Low settings. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it is a top-tier part, well-suited to avoid bottlenecks in this specific workload.

FAQ

Q: Does this CPU-GPU combo provide a smooth experience at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 97.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p compared to 4K with the same settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 226.9, while at 3840x2160 it is 101. This represents a 125.9 FPS difference, with the 1080p result being approximately 2.2 times higher.

Q: Is the processor or the graphics card the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions?

A: The data shows the system reaches 387.7 FPS at 1080p Low settings. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, indicated by a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 468, allows the GPU to operate near its full potential, making the GPU the limiting factor.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the system achieves 330.2 FPS on Low and 156.7 FPS on Ultra. This is a difference of 173.5 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the higher visual fidelity preset.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its closest competitor?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,367. This is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K, which has a score of 49,166.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU's multi-core or single-core performance?

A: The very high frame rates, even at 4K (208.2 FPS on Low), suggest the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's single-core strength, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4,273, is more relevant for maintaining high FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well, with an average of 387.7 FPS on Low, 360.6 FPS on Medium, 226.9 FPS on High, and 217.6 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Medium is small (27.1 FPS), but the jump to High and Ultra is more substantial, indicating a significant increase in rendering workload at those quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 330.2 FPS for Low, 261 FPS for Medium, 162.9 FPS for High, and 156.7 FPS for Ultra. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic, with the Low setting still exceeding 300 FPS. The gap between Medium and High widens at this resolution, reflecting the increased pixel count and shading complexity.

At 3840x2160, the system remains highly playable. The average FPS is 208.2 for Low, 166 for Medium, 101 for High, and 97.2 for Ultra. All presets at 4K are above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the most demanding Ultra preset produces a near-100 FPS experience. This indicates that the Radeon RX 9070 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, is well-equipped to handle this game at maximum resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals how the system scales from 1080p to 4K. Using the High preset as a baseline, the average FPS drops from 226.9 at 1080p to 162.9 at 1440p, and finally to 101 at 4K. This represents a 55.8% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38.0% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels to render is the primary factor affecting performance.

The scaling is more pronounced at lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 387.7 at 1080p to 330.2 at 1440p and 208.2 at 4K. The 4K result is still very high, but the relative drop is larger. This suggests that at lower settings, where the GPU is less burdened by shading calculations, other factors like memory bandwidth or driver overhead begin to play a more significant role at higher resolutions.

The fact that the frame rate remains above 200 FPS even at 4K Low settings indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. The Intel Core i5-14600KF's high boost clock and strong single-core performance ensure that it can feed the GPU with sufficient data, even when the GPU is producing very high frame rates. The system is firmly GPU-limited across all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests that the Ultra preset is the optimal choice for most users. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 97.2 FPS, which is already a high refresh rate experience. At 2560x1440, it delivers 156.7 FPS, and at 1920x1080, it produces 217.6 FPS. Given that the game is a puzzle platformer, the visual enhancements of the Ultra preset come at a relatively low performance cost compared to the High preset, which only offers a marginal FPS increase.

The High preset offers a slight performance bump over Ultra, with 101 FPS at 4K, 162.9 FPS at 1440p, and 226.9 FPS at 1080p. This could be a worthwhile option for users with a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor at 1440p, as it pushes the frame rate closer to the display's refresh rate. However, the difference is small, and the visual quality reduction may not be worth the minor FPS gain.

The Medium and Low presets are not recommended for this hardware. The system is so powerful that even the Ultra preset provides a high frame rate at all resolutions. Using a lower preset would only serve to reduce visual fidelity without offering a meaningful performance benefit, as the frame rates at Ultra are already well above what most displays can handle. The Ultra preset provides the most balanced and polished experience for this configuration.