Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti delivers a decisive performance profile in Inside, a game where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at high settings but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures headroom at lower presets. The data shows a clear pattern: this combo ranks 949th out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database, with performance that scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combo is capable of delivering well over 150 FPS at every preset, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings reveals where the hardware’s limits lie. This analysis breaks down the measured results to show exactly what users can expect from this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the GTX 1080 Ti becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 157.5 at 1920x1080 to 112.1 at 2560x1440, a 28.8% reduction, and then further to 69.6 at 3840x2160, a 55.8% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern holds across all presets: at Low settings, the combo delivers 316 FPS at 1080p, drops to 227.3 at 1440p, and 142.4 at 4K. The scaling suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still able to feed the GPU adequately, but as resolution increases, the GTX 1080 Ti’s compute throughput (11.34 TFLOPS FP32) and memory bandwidth (484.4 GB/s) become the dominant constraints. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly notable—at Ultra settings, the FPS falls from 107.7 to 66.6, a 38.1% drop—which indicates that the GPU is nearing its limits at 4K, especially with higher visual fidelity. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it maintains smooth framerates, while 4K requires dropping to Low or Medium settings to stay playable.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 316, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 66.6, which is the lowest recorded value in the measured data.

Q: Is the GTX 1080 Ti or the i7-12700K the main bottleneck in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as seen by the significant FPS drops from 1440p to 4K, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128) allows for high framerates at 1080p.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 227.3 FPS, while Ultra settings deliver 107.7 FPS, a difference of 119.6 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank higher or lower than the average tested combination?

A: The combo ranks 949th out of 1671 tested combinations, which places it slightly below the median in the database.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 69.6, and at Medium settings it is 113.2, both exceeding 60 FPS, but at Ultra settings it drops to 66.6, which is still above 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, with its 11 GB of GDDR5X memory and 352-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s, which is sufficient for Inside’s stylized visuals but shows its age at higher resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock is 1582 MHz, and its base clock is 1481 MHz, with 3584 shading units and 88 ROPs. These specs translate to a PassMark G3D score of 18600, which places the GPU in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s performance is heavily dependent on settings: at 1080p, the difference between Low (316 FPS) and Ultra (152.6 FPS) is 163.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower presets. However, at 4K, the gap narrows—Low delivers 142.4 FPS and Ultra delivers 66.6 FPS—because the GPU is now the primary constraint. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, has an average score of 19184, which is 1.1% higher, while the GTX 780 scores 19405, effectively identical. This suggests that the GTX 1080 Ti’s performance is well understood and consistent, but it is not a top-tier card by modern standards, as its percentile rank of 61 indicates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 949th out of 1671 combos, placing it in the 56.8th percentile. This rank reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing, where the CPU’s high benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 29241, Geekbench single-core of 2561) are not fully utilized in Inside due to the GPU’s limitations. The CPU itself ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile. The discrepancy between these two percentiles explains why the combo’s overall rank is lower than the CPU’s—the GTX 1080 Ti holds the pairing back in this game. Compared to other combos, this system is positioned above the median, but it is far from the top-tier configurations that would achieve higher ranks. The data shows that the combo’s performance is consistent with its component-level benchmarks, but the GPU’s age (released in 2017) limits its ability to compete with newer hardware in this ranking system.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K, with 12 cores and 20 threads, operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake-S processor has a 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Inside, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and its single-thread performance is critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 and Geekbench single-core score of 2561 indicate that the CPU is highly capable in this regard. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (316 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the framerate is limited by the GPU’s rendering capabilities. However, at 1080p Ultra (152.6 FPS), the drop is less severe, indicating that the CPU can handle the increased draw calls without significantly impacting performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has an average score of 35802 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35468 (0.6% lower). These close margins show that the i7-12700K is a competitive mid-range processor, but its performance in this game is more than sufficient for the GTX 1080 Ti, as evidenced by the high framerates at all settings below 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 316 (Low) to 152.6 (Ultra), with Medium at 251.7 and High at 157.5. At 2560x1440, the values drop to 227.3 (Low), 183.7 (Medium), 112.1 (High), and 107.7 (Ultra). At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 142.4 (Low), 113.2 (Medium), 69.6 (High), and 66.6 (Ultra). These numbers show a clear hierarchy: the difference between Low and Medium is significant at all resolutions (e.g., 64.3 FPS at 1080p), but the gap between High and Ultra is much smaller (e.g., 4.9 FPS at 1080p). This suggests that High settings offer a better balance of visual quality and performance, as the jump to Ultra provides minimal FPS gains. The data also shows that at 4K, even Low settings (142.4 FPS) outperform 1080p Ultra (152.6 FPS) only marginally, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed at 4K regardless of preset. The lack of min and max FPS values means the analysis is based solely on averages, but the consistency of the scaling across resolutions implies stable performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is achieved at High settings for 1080p and 1440p, while 4K users should opt for Medium settings. At 1080p, High settings deliver 157.5 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed, while Ultra (152.6 FPS) offers only a 4.9 FPS improvement, making High the more efficient choice. At 1440p, High settings produce 112.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the drop to Ultra (107.7 FPS) is negligible, so High remains the recommended preset. For 4K, Medium settings provide 113.2 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over High (69.6 FPS) and Ultra (66.6 FPS), and it ensures a playable experience without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. Low settings are only recommended for users seeking maximum framerates, as they deliver 316 FPS at 1080p, but the visual downgrade is unnecessary given the High preset’s performance. The data shows that this combo is capable of handling Inside at high framerates across most settings, but the GPU’s limitations at 4K Ultra mean that users should prioritize Medium or High presets to maintain smooth gameplay.