Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, ranking in the top 31% of all tested system combos for this title. The data shows this pairing is capable of maxing out the game’s Ultra preset at 4K with an average of 85 FPS, making it a high-end solution for this puzzle platformer, though the bottleneck shifts decisively to the GPU as resolution increases.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 5.00 GHz, with 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The benchmark data shows this CPU holds an 84th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (avg score 35365, -0.2% delta), indicating the 12700K sits at the very top of its performance tier.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D puzzle platformer with relatively modest CPU demands, this processor is vastly overqualified. The single-threaded performance is strong — evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and a cinebench r23 single-core score of 1850.5 — but the game’s engine does not heavily tax multi-core workloads. The 20-thread capability, while excellent for productivity tasks like the passmark multithread score of 34404, is largely idle during gameplay. The CPU’s role here is to ensure the GPU never stalls waiting for draw calls or physics calculations, and the data confirms this: at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 367 FPS, which is far beyond any display’s refresh rate and indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The processor’s 3dmark scores further illustrate its headroom. With 4-thread score of 4011 and 8-thread score of 7202, the i7-12700K provides ample single-core and lightly-threaded performance that Inside would utilize. The cinebench r20 multicore score of 12229 and r15 multicore score of 3325 suggest that even if the game were to spawn background threads for audio or physics, the CPU would handle them without breaking a sweat. In essence, the CPU’s contribution to this combo is to provide a massive, untapped reservoir of processing power; the measured frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the graphics card, not the processor.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of performance in Inside. This Ampere-architecture GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and the memory runs at 19 Gbps effective. The GPU holds a 75th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (avg score 29928, +0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (avg score 30095, -0.5% delta), placing the RTX 3070 Ti in a competitive mid-range-to-high-end tier.

The VRAM configuration is sufficient for Inside at all tested settings. The game’s art style, while detailed, does not require massive texture pools, so the 8 GB capacity is never strained. The GPU’s raw compute power, measured at 21.75 TFLOPS FP32, is more than enough to push this title to very high frame rates. The passmark g3d score of 23356 and the 3dmark steel nomad dx12 score of 3478 confirm the GPU’s strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant since Inside runs on a custom engine that leverages modern APIs.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 3070 Ti is the sole bottleneck, with the CPU providing ample headroom. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is pushed to its limits, delivering 85 FPS, which is still smooth but shows a clear performance ceiling. The texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s are more than adequate for the game’s relatively simple geometry and effects. The data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU compute-bound behavior rather than memory swapping.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1131 out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the 69.6th percentile of all systems. This ranking is respectable but not top-tier, reflecting that the GPU, while powerful, is not the absolute fastest available. The rank indicates that approximately 30% of tested combos perform better, likely those with RTX 3080-class or higher GPUs, while the vast majority of systems trail this combo.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s position relative to other cards. Since the CPU is not a bottleneck in this game, the combo’s ranking essentially mirrors the RTX 3070 Ti’s standing. The GPU’s 75th percentile ranking is close to the combo’s 69.6th percentile ranking, suggesting that the CPU adds a small but measurable benefit over weaker processors. For instance, a combo with the same GPU but a slower CPU might rank slightly lower, though the delta would be minimal given the game’s low CPU requirements.

Looking at the measured frame rates, this combo delivers 367 FPS at 1080p Low, which is in the top tier of performance for that resolution. At 4K Ultra, the 85 FPS average is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that the combo’s ranking is solidly "high-end" for this title, with no signs of CPU-induced stutter or frame pacing issues. The rank of 1131 out of 3716 reflects the balanced nature of this pairing, even if it does not reach the absolute pinnacle of performance.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 Ti in Inside?*

A: No, the data shows it is not. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 367 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it achieves 85 FPS. The CPU’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and cinebench r23 single-core score of 1850.5 are far beyond what this game requires, so the GPU is always the limiting component.

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Inside?*

A: The highest measured average is 367 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling for this pairing, as any further increase would require a more powerful GPU.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K resolution with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average of 85 FPS. This is smooth for a puzzle platformer, though it is the lowest average measured across all tested settings, indicating the GPU is heavily loaded at this resolution.

*Q: Does the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB of VRAM cause any issues in Inside?*

A: No, the data shows no VRAM-related problems. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 85, and there are no reported minimum frame rate dips (minFps is null for Ultra), suggesting stable performance without memory swapping or texture thrashing.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar systems in the benchmark database?

A: This combo ranks 1131 out of 3716 tested combos, putting it in the top 31% of all systems. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, has a marginally higher avg score of 30095 (-0.5% delta), indicating that this combo is competitive with other mid-range-to-high-end configurations.

*Q: What is the most demanding setting for this combo in Inside?*

A: The most demanding setting is 4K Ultra, which yields an average of 85 FPS. This is a 78% drop from the 1080p Low average of 367 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear, consistent pattern: the RTX 3070 Ti is the limiting component at all resolutions, and the CPU’s influence is negligible. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves 198 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the frame rate drops to 143 FPS, a 27.8% decrease. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 90 FPS, another 37.1% drop from 1440p. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases quadratically with pixel count.

The Low settings data further confirms this. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 367 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 285 FPS (-22.3%); and at 4K Low, it falls to 179 FPS (-37.2%). The consistent percentage drops across different settings presets indicate that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are the bottlenecks, not the CPU or memory subsystem. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see a plateau at higher frame rates, but the data shows no such plateau — the frame rate scales inversely with resolution in a predictable fashion.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS figures, providing additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 317 FPS with a minimum of 270 and maximum of 365. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 228 FPS (min 194, max 263), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 143 FPS (min 122, max 165). The minimum frame rates scale proportionally with the averages, suggesting no sudden stutters or CPU hitches — the GPU is consistently delivering frames without interruption. This behavior is typical of a well-balanced system where the GPU is the sole performance governor.

The transition from 1080p to 4K represents a 4x increase in pixel count, yet the frame rate drops by roughly 50-55% (for example, 367 FPS to 179 FPS on Low, or 198 FPS to 90 FPS on High). This less-than-linear drop is due to the game’s relatively simple geometry, which means the GPU’s vertex processing load does not scale as steeply as its pixel shading load. The data strongly indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield proportional frame rate gains, while upgrading the CPU would have no measurable impact on Inside’s performance.

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

For this combo, the optimal settings preset depends on the user’s display refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 198 FPS, which is sufficient for any 144Hz or even 240Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 189 FPS, a negligible 4.5% reduction, making it the best choice for 1080p users who want maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity. The Medium preset at 317 FPS is overkill for any current display and offers no perceptible benefit over High or Ultra.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The High preset yields 143 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz displays. The Ultra preset drops to 136 FPS, still above 120Hz, and the visual difference between High and Ultra is likely minimal in a game like Inside with its moody, low-contrast art style. The Medium preset at 228 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 240Hz monitor and prioritizes frame rate over all else. For most users, High at 1440p provides the best balance of smoothness and visual quality.

At 4K, the High preset delivers 90 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and suitable for most televisions and monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 85 FPS, a 5.6% reduction, and is still perfectly playable. The Medium preset at 143 FPS is the sweet spot for 4K users with high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual downgrade from High may be noticeable. The Low preset at 179 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for frame rates that exceed typical 4K display capabilities (usually 60-120Hz).

The data shows that the Ultra preset is always within 5-10% of the High preset’s frame rate across all resolutions, making Ultra the default recommendation for this combo. The game’s art direction benefits from higher settings, which likely enhance the atmospheric lighting and shadow detail. For users with 144Hz displays at 1080p or 1440p, Ultra is the clear winner. For 4K users, the choice between High and Ultra is negligible, but Ultra’s 85 FPS average ensures a smooth experience on standard 60Hz displays and even on some 120Hz panels with VRR. The Medium preset should be reserved for users seeking maximum frame rates on high-refresh 4K monitors, as it offers a 68% increase over Ultra at 4K (143 vs 85 FPS) at the cost of some visual fidelity.