Inside

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a mainstream desktop combination that delivers high frame rates in Inside, a puzzle platformer from 2016. The data indicates that this combo performs exceptionally well at 1080p, remains highly playable at 1440p, and only begins to show strain at 4K with maximum settings. The benchmark results for this pairing place it at rank 1142 out of 1671 tested combos.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and can boost up to 5.30 GHz. This processor has a 125 W TDP and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 24 MB L3 cache. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. Its Geekbench scores are 15636 for multi-core and 2778 for single-core.

In the context of Inside, which is not a demanding title by modern standards, the CPU's single-thread performance is more than sufficient. The game's puzzle-platforming mechanics rarely require heavy multi-threaded workloads, so the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is the key asset. The processor's average benchmark score of 49367 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance. Compared to its nearest rivals, 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. It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5%. These margins are small, suggesting that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration. The data shows that the processor's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom, ensuring that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU's role is more pronounced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is based on the Ampere architecture, featuring the GA104 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It houses 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU includes 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. It also has 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores, with a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS.

For Inside, the GPU's capabilities are more than adequate. The game's art style, while visually striking, does not push the boundaries of graphics hardware. The RTX 3060 Ti's average benchmark score of 25120 places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, which is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600, which is 0.5% faster. The AMD Radeon 890M and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP are also 0.5% and 0.7% behind, respectively. These comparisons show that the RTX 3060 Ti sits in a competitive mid-range tier. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for Inside at all tested settings, even at 4K, as the game's textures are not particularly memory-intensive. The boost clock of 1665 MHz, combined with the high memory bandwidth, allows the GPU to maintain high frame rates, as evidenced by the measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system's performance scales with resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 282.7 FPS. This drops to 226.4 FPS at Medium, 139.2 FPS at High, and 134.2 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the averages are 202.2 FPS at Low, 163.5 FPS at Medium, 100.7 FPS at High, and 95.6 FPS at Ultra. At 4K, the scores are 126.6 FPS at Low, 102.5 FPS at Medium, 64.3 FPS at High, and 58.5 FPS at Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop in performance. For example, at High settings, the frame rate falls from 139.2 FPS at 1080p to 100.7 FPS at 1440p, and then to 64.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar across all settings, with the Low setting dropping from 282.7 FPS at 1080p to 126.6 FPS at 4K, a 55.2% reduction. This indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's performance is likely the constraint, but the GPU still manages to deliver well over 100 FPS in all but the Ultra setting. At 4K, the GPU's workload increases substantially, and the frame rates at High and Ultra settings dip below 65 FPS, suggesting that the RTX 3060 Ti is approaching its limits. The data shows that the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high refresh rates, while 4K gaming is viable but requires lower settings for smoother performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides exact average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 282.7 FPS on Low, 226.4 FPS on Medium, 139.2 FPS on High, and 134.2 FPS on Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is minimal, only 5 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit for the performance cost. At 2560x1440, the averages are 202.2 FPS on Low, 163.5 FPS on Medium, 100.7 FPS on High, and 95.6 FPS on Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 5.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system achieves 126.6 FPS on Low, 102.5 FPS on Medium, 64.3 FPS on High, and 58.5 FPS on Ultra. Here, the difference between High and Ultra is 5.8 FPS, but the absolute frame rates are significantly lower.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Low setting provides the highest frame rates, and the Ultra setting provides the lowest. The Medium setting offers a balanced middle ground. Across all resolutions, the drop from Low to Medium is substantial, but the drop from Medium to High is larger. For instance, at 1080p, the drop from Low to Medium is 56.3 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 87.2 FPS. At 4K, the corresponding drops are 24.1 FPS and 38.2 FPS. This suggests that the High preset introduces a significant increase in GPU workload. The Ultra preset, on the other hand, has a smaller impact on performance, likely due to diminishing returns in visual fidelity. For players seeking the highest refresh rates, the Low setting at 1080p is the clear choice, yielding nearly 283 FPS. For a more balanced experience, the High setting at 1440p provides over 100 FPS, which is smooth and visually appealing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1142 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall ranking, which is somewhat surprising given the strong individual performance of both components. The rank suggests that many other combinations, likely those with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates in this game. However, the absolute performance of this combo is still very high, with the minimum average FPS across all tested settings being 58.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. The rank of 1142 out of 1671 means that the combo outperforms roughly 529 other configurations, but it is behind the majority of tested systems.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as its benchmark scores are in the 93rd percentile. The GPU, while capable, is in the 69th percentile, which is more likely to be the constraining component. The high rank of the CPU relative to the GPU explains why this combo does not rank higher in the game-specific results. In a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding, the GPU's performance is the primary driver of frame rates. The RTX 3060 Ti's mid-range positioning means that it cannot compete with higher-end GPUs that would push the combo higher in the rankings. Nevertheless, the measured FPS data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience in Inside, especially at 1080p and 1440p. The rank reflects the competitive field of tested combos, but the actual gameplay experience is excellent, with frame rates well above 60 FPS in most scenarios.