Inside

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers a highly playable experience in Inside, a 2016 Puzzle Platformer. The data shows a configuration where the modern 14-core processor provides ample headroom, leaving the older graphics card as the primary determinant of frame rates across most settings. This analysis examines the benchmark results to interpret how each component contributes to the game's performance and where the combination stands relative to other tested systems.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates exceptional multi-threaded capability, scoring 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 13,813 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2,778 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,643. This places the processor in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is far more powerful than the vast majority of installed processors.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively modest physics and AI demands, this CPU is vastly overqualified. The benchmark results confirm this interpretation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 217.4 FPS, and even at the most demanding Ultra preset, it maintains 106.4 FPS. The fact that frame rates remain above 100 FPS at 1080p across all presets suggests that the CPU is never a bottleneck at this resolution. The processor's high single-thread score of 4,643 in Cinebench R23 is particularly relevant, as game logic and draw calls in such titles often depend on single-core performance. The data indicates that the i5-14600KF provides a robust foundation, ensuring that the GPU is the limiting factor in almost every scenario.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF shows a marginal performance edge over the Intel Core i5-14600K, with a deltaPct of 0.4, and it is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5%. These small deltas suggest that the CPU's performance is well within the expected range for a high-end desktop processor, and its 24 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for the game's data requirements. In essence, the CPU's role here is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that allows the GPU to operate at its full potential, which is precisely what the measured FPS data shows.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The GPU's benchmark scores are modest by modern standards, with a Passmark G3D score of 12,871 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,061. This places the GPU in the 55th percentile of all graphics cards, indicating that it is a mid-range performer from a previous generation.

In Inside, the GPU's role is more pronounced than the CPU's, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GTX 1660 Ti delivers 217.4 FPS on Low settings, which is a clear indicator that the GPU is not stressed at this resolution. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's limitations become apparent. At 1440p, the Low preset yields 157.2 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 97.9 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor for this game, as Inside's art style and texture sizes are unlikely to exceed this capacity, even at 4K. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the GTX 1660 Ti is 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680, while being 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla K10. These deltas are small, confirming that the GPU is a solid mid-tier option. The absence of ray tracing or tensor cores is irrelevant for this title, as Inside relies on traditional rasterization. The GPU's 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are sufficient to maintain playable frame rates, but the data clearly identifies it as the bottleneck when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and predictable drop as resolution increases across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 217.4 FPS at 1080p to 157.2 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 27.7%, and then to 97.9 FPS at 4K, a further reduction of 37.7%. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count.

For the High preset, the drop is from 108.7 FPS at 1080p to 77.7 FPS at 1440p (a 28.5% decrease) and then to 50.7 FPS at 4K (a 34.7% decrease). The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, going from 106.4 FPS at 1080p to 75.5 FPS at 1440p and finally to 47.3 FPS at 4K. The consistent percentage drops across all presets indicate that the GPU is the limiting component, as a CPU bottleneck would typically manifest as a less pronounced FPS drop at higher resolutions.

The data also reveals that the difference between 1080p and 1440p is more moderate than the jump from 1440p to 4K, which is expected given the 2.25x increase in pixel count for 1440p and the 2.25x increase again for 4K. At 4K, the frame rates fall below 60 FPS for High (50.7) and Ultra (47.3) presets, making these settings less desirable for a smooth experience. This analysis confirms that the GTX 1660 Ti is the primary bottleneck, especially at 4K, while the i5-14600KF has ample headroom to spare.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1451 out of 1671 tested combinations in Inside. This places it in the lower 13.2% of all tested combos, which is a surprising result given the CPU's high performance. The ranking suggests that the GPU's mid-range capabilities significantly drag down the overall performance of the combo, despite the CPU being in the top 7% of all processors.

The ranking can be interpreted through the lens of the GPU's percentile. The GTX 1660 Ti is in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, which means that roughly half of all tested graphics cards outperform it. Since the game is heavily GPU-bound at the tested resolutions, the combo's rank is largely determined by the GPU's performance. The i5-14600KF's strength does little to boost the combo's standing because the game does not require the CPU's full capabilities.

To contextualize, the combo's rank of 1451 out of 1671 means that 220 other combinations performed worse. This suggests that while the GTX 1660 Ti is not a top-tier card, it is still capable of running this game at playable frame rates at lower resolutions. The ranking also implies that users with a similar CPU but a faster GPU would see a significantly better rank, highlighting the imbalance of this pairing for this particular game. The data indicates that the combo is held back by its GPU, and the CPU's potential is largely untapped in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, achieving 174.1 FPS. High and Ultra presets also perform well at 108.7 and 106.4 FPS, respectively, but the incremental visual gain from Medium to High or Ultra may not justify the 40% reduction in frame rate. For users with a 60 Hz monitor, the High preset at 108.7 FPS is more than sufficient and provides a richer visual experience.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 127 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. High and Ultra presets dip to 77.7 and 75.5 FPS, respectively, which are still above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The Low preset at 157.2 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes maximum frame rates over visual fidelity. For 1440p, the Medium preset is recommended as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a high frame rate.

At 4K, the situation changes. The Medium preset achieves 78.3 FPS, which is playable, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 50.7 and 47.3 FPS, respectively, falling below the 60 FPS standard. The Low preset at 97.9 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. For 4K, the Low preset is the recommended choice to ensure a smooth experience, as the visual differences between Low and Medium at this resolution are less noticeable due to the high pixel density. In summary, the data suggests that for this combo, Medium settings are ideal for 1080p and 1440p, while Low settings are the only viable option for 4K to maintain a consistent frame rate.