Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a fluid experience in Inside, though the bottleneck shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 275 FPS, a figure that drops to 137 FPS at High and 131 FPS at Ultra. This relatively modest delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p—roughly a 2.1x difference from the peak—indicates that the CPU is doing the heavy lifting at this resolution, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. Moving to 1440p, the Low preset still achieves 198 FPS, while High falls to 99 FPS and Ultra to 94 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a 28% reduction in frame rate, suggesting the GPU is beginning to assert its influence. At 4K, the picture changes entirely: Low yields 124 FPS, Medium 99 FPS, and High 62 FPS, with Ultra dipping to 59 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 55%, highlighting that the RX 5700 XT's rendering capabilities become the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The data indicates a classic balance: at 1080p and 1440p, the i7-12700K's strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high, but at 4K, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are pushed closer to their limits, especially on higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS rows reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low (275 FPS) and Ultra (131 FPS) is 144 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU can easily handle the load, leaving the CPU to drive the frame rate. The i7-12700K, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz and a single-thread 3DMark score of 1043, provides enough processing power to keep the pipeline full. This is why the High preset at 1080p (137 FPS) is nearly identical to Ultra (131 FPS)—the GPU is not yet saturated, and the difference comes down to minor shading effects.

Stepping up to 1440p, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low (198 FPS) versus High (99 FPS) shows a 50% reduction, and Ultra (94 FPS) is only slightly lower than High. This suggests that the RX 5700 XT's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are becoming the limiting factor, as the pixel fill rate (121.9 GPixel/s) is taxed by the higher resolution. The Medium preset at 1440p (158 FPS) with a minimum of 134 FPS indicates that even with moderate settings, the GPU maintains solid performance, but the frame rate curve is flattening as the resolution climbs.

At 4K, the bottleneck is unmistakably the GPU. The Low preset (124 FPS) is more than double the High preset (62 FPS), and Ultra (59 FPS) is marginally slower. The fact that 4K Medium (99 FPS) is faster than 4K High (62 FPS) highlights how sensitive this title is to pixel shading and texture memory usage. The RX 5700 XT's 8 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient for the game's art style, but the 160 TMUs and 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are stretched at 3840x2160. The 4K Low result of 124 FPS versus 1080p Low's 275 FPS shows a 55% drop, which is a typical penalty for quadrupling the pixel count, but the High preset's drop from 137 to 62 FPS (55% as well) confirms that the GPU is the primary limiter at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT achieves a rank of 2725 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly a quarter of the tested combos deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning: the RX 5700 XT has a percentile of 59 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16361. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (avg score 16408, delta -0.3%) and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (avg score 16415, delta -0.3%), which are essentially identical in raw compute terms but may differ in driver optimization for this specific title.

The CPU's contribution to the ranking is more nuanced. The i7-12700K has a percentile of 84 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (avg score 35365, delta -0.2%). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's ranking. Instead, the GPU's performance ceiling at 4K and its moderate scaling at 1440p are what hold the combo back from higher positions. The rank of 2725 suggests that many other combos feature more powerful GPUs, even if their CPUs are slower, because Inside is not a heavily multithreaded title. The i7-12700K's 20 threads and 12 cores (8 performance, 4 efficiency) are more than sufficient, but they do not compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K, part of the Alder Lake-S architecture, brings 12 cores and 20 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration is overkill for Inside, a puzzle platformer that relies on single-threaded physics and logic rather than massive parallelism. The CPU's single-thread performance is evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Geekbench single-core score of 2308. In contrast, its multithreaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore of 19784, Geekbench multicore of 15790) are strong but largely irrelevant for this game's frame rate.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 275 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 131 FPS average is smooth. The CPU's high boost clock ensures that the game's main thread never becomes a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential. However, the CPU's role diminishes at 4K, where the GPU's rendering load dominates. The i7-12700K's L3 cache of 25 MB shared and L2 cache of 1.25 MB per core help reduce memory latency, but the game's data set is small enough that this has minimal impact. The 125 W TDP and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory are standard for this class, but they do not directly influence the measured FPS. In short, the CPU is a high-end component that ensures no CPU-bound frame drops, but it does not boost the combo's ranking because the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 275, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 59 FPS, which is playable but close to the lower bound for smooth motion.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 99, compared to 198 at Low. This 50% reduction indicates the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as the CPU's performance is sufficient to drive higher frame rates if the GPU could render them.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 84, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. Most other configurations do not report minimum FPS values.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2725 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 73rd percentile. This means about 27% of tested combos deliver better performance.

Q: Does the CPU's 20-thread count matter for this game?

A: The data shows that the i7-12700K's multithreaded capabilities are not fully utilized, as the game's frame rate scales more with resolution (GPU load) than with thread count. The single-thread performance is what keeps 1080p frame rates high.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, is the defining component in this combo's performance profile. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for Inside's stylized visuals but not excessive. The GPU's clock speeds—base 1605 MHz, game 1755 MHz, and boost 1905 MHz—allow it to deliver solid frame rates, but its 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are the architectural limits that become apparent at higher resolutions.

The measured FPS data illustrates the GPU's role clearly. At 1080p, the GPU can easily push past 130 FPS on any preset, as the CPU is the limiting factor. The jump from 1080p Ultra (131 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (94 FPS) is a 28% drop, which is expected for a 1.78x increase in pixel count. However, the jump from 1440p Ultra (94 FPS) to 4K Ultra (59 FPS) is a 37% drop, showing that the GPU's pixel fill rate and texture throughput are stretched at 4K. The 4K Medium result (99 FPS) versus 4K High (62 FPS) highlights the impact of texture quality and shading complexity on the GPU's performance. The GPU's 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 compute is sufficient for this game's simple geometry, but the 160 TMUs are tasked heavily with texture sampling, and the 64 ROPs limit fill-rate-bound scenarios.

The GPU's percentile of 59 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16361, places it in the mid-range of the database. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, has a score of 16351 (delta 0.1%), indicating near-identical compute performance. The RX 5700 XT's 7 nm process node and 10,300 million transistors provide efficiency, but the RDNA 1.0 architecture lacks the ray tracing and advanced shading features of newer GPUs, which is not a factor for Inside but explains its lower ranking against modern cards like the NVIDIA RTX 5090 D V2 (avg score 16504, delta -0.9%). In this game, the GPU is the gatekeeper for high-resolution performance, and its 8 GB VRAM is sufficient but not future-proofed for more demanding titles.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even Ultra hitting 131 FPS. The Low preset (275 FPS) is excessive for most displays, but High (137 FPS) offers a good balance for 144Hz monitors. For 1440p, the High preset (99 FPS) is the sweet spot for 60Hz displays, while Medium (158 FPS) is better for high-refresh-rate panels. The Ultra preset at 1440p (94 FPS) is also viable but offers diminishing returns over High.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset (124 FPS) is the only option that comfortably exceeds 120 FPS, making it ideal for fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset (99 FPS) provides a good balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, with a minimum of 84 FPS ensuring no major dips. The High preset (62 FPS) and Ultra (59 FPS) are borderline for 60Hz displays, with the risk of frame drops below 60 FPS in busy scenes. For the best experience, the data suggests using Medium at 4K to maintain a stable 99 FPS average, or dropping to Low if maximum fluidity is the priority. At 1440p and below, High settings offer the best visual quality without sacrificing performance, as the CPU is not a limiting factor. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (134 at 1440p, 84 at 4K) indicate that it provides the most consistent frame pacing across resolutions, making it a reliable choice for users who prioritize smoothness over absolute visual detail.