Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware. Yet, the measured data for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination reveals a fascinating scaling pattern that separates the CPU’s raw throughput from the GPU’s rendering limits. This analysis breaks down exactly how this combo behaves across resolutions and presets, using only the measured frames per second (FPS) and benchmark scores provided.

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 from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded presence, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2561 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128. This matters for Inside, which as a 2D puzzle platformer typically relies on a few primary threads for game logic and physics rather than massive multi-threading.

The data suggests this CPU is never a limiting factor in the measured results. At 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 366.9 FPS, which is exceptionally high. Even at 1080p Ultra, it maintains 217.4 FPS. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241, are far beyond what this game requires. The percentile ranking of 89 for all CPUs confirms it sits in the top tier of processors, but the benchmark results indicate that at lower resolutions, the frame rate is still climbing, meaning the CPU has headroom left. The 3DMark max-threads score of 9979 versus the 2-thread score of 2065 shows a 4.8x scaling, but Inside’s workload likely falls somewhere in between, and the high single-core score ensures that even older game engines are handled with ease.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and dramatic drop as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher settings. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 232.1 at 1080p to 166.2 at 1440p, and then to 101.6 at 4K. That represents a 56.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The trend is similar for Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops from 217.4 at 1080p to 156.1 at 1440p, and finally to 97.1 at 4K—a 55.3% decline.

However, the scaling is much flatter for Low settings. At Low, the FPS goes from 366.9 at 1080p to 327.9 at 1440p, and then to 206 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 10.6%, suggesting that at 1080p Low, the CPU is still providing enough frames to keep the GPU busy, but the GPU is not yet saturated. The larger jump to 4K Low (a 43.8% drop from 1440p) indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor even at Low settings when the resolution is raised significantly. This pattern—where the gap between resolutions widens with higher settings—confirms that the RTX 3080 Ti is the component under stress, not the CPU.

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

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 340.3 FPS, which is only 26.6 FPS less than Low but provides a substantial visual upgrade. At 1440p, Medium delivers 261.9 FPS, which is still far above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. Even at 4K, Medium manages 164.7 FPS, which is 63.1 FPS higher than Ultra’s 101.6 FPS. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot because it provides a significant frame rate advantage over High and Ultra while maintaining a playable and smooth experience at every resolution tested.

High settings are also viable, but the frame rate penalty compared to Medium is notable. At 4K, High (101.6 FPS) is 63.1 FPS slower than Medium (164.7 FPS). Ultra, while visually demanding, pushes the 4K average down to 97.1 FPS, which is still smooth but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. For a puzzle platformer where precise timing matters, the higher frame rates of Medium are preferable. Low settings provide the highest FPS but sacrifice visual fidelity, and the data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p only costs 26.6 FPS, making Medium the recommended choice for most users.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination is ranked 316 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This puts it in the top 18.9% of all combinations, which is a strong showing for a game that is not particularly demanding. The rank of 316 suggests that while this combo is very fast, there are still 315 other combinations that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific title. Given the game’s age and simple rendering, it is likely that many of those higher-ranked combos feature newer GPUs with better raw pixel throughput, or perhaps CPUs with even higher single-thread performance.

The combo’s rank is more proof of the GPU’s power than the CPU’s, since the game’s frame rates are heavily influenced by resolution. At 1080p, the combo’s performance is exceptional, but the rank considers all resolutions and settings. The fact that it sits at 316 out of 1671 indicates that there is a large group of systems that can run this game extremely well, but this particular pairing is still ahead of the majority. The GPU’s percentile of 83 and the CPU’s percentile of 89 both support a high ranking, but the game’s low overall demands mean that many mid-range parts can also hit high frame rates, compressing the top of the leaderboard.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end Ampere GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus, yielding a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. For a game like Inside, which has a stylized 2D aesthetic, the memory requirements are minimal, so the 12 GB VRAM is never a concern. The GPU’s role is primarily to handle the rendering pipeline, and its massive compute power is reflected in a PassMark G3D score of 26896.

The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is more than capable of handling this game. At 1080p Ultra, it produces 217.4 FPS, and even at 4K Ultra, it maintains 97.1 FPS. The GPU’s raw performance is evident in the 4K Low result of 206 FPS, which shows that even at a very high resolution, the card can push past 200 FPS when the visual effects are reduced. The nearest rivals for this GPU include the RTX 3090 and RTX 5070, which have very similar average benchmark scores (41441 and 41687, respectively). The deltaPct values show the RTX 3080 Ti is only 0.5% slower than the RTX 3090 and 1.1% slower than the RTX 5070 in average benchmarks, which explains why its measured FPS in Inside is so high—it is competing with the best cards of its generation and the next.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings hit 366.9 FPS, Medium reaches 340.3 FPS, High achieves 232.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 217.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 149.5 FPS, showing that even at 1080p, the settings have a significant impact on performance. The difference between High and Ultra is only 14.7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little extra load over High at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. Low settings average 327.9 FPS, Medium drops to 261.9 FPS, High falls to 166.2 FPS, and Ultra settles at 156.1 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 39 FPS at Low, 78.4 FPS at Medium, 65.9 FPS at High, and 61.3 FPS at Ultra. This shows that the GPU’s pixel fill rate is starting to become a factor at 1440p, particularly with higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still very playable. Low settings average 206 FPS, Medium drops to 164.7 FPS, High falls to 101.6 FPS, and Ultra produces 97.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant: 121.9 FPS at Low, 97.2 FPS at Medium, 64.6 FPS at High, and 59 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 97.1 FPS is the lowest measured value, but it is still well above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti has enough headroom to run Inside at over 100 FPS at 4K with the right settings, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming on this title.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Inside?

A: The highest average FPS is 366.9, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 97.1.

Q: Which CPU benchmark score is highest for the Intel Core i7-12700K?

A: The highest listed CPU benchmark score is the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has a percentile ranking of 83, meaning it is in the top 83rd percentile.

Q: How many total combinations were tested for Inside, and where does this combo rank?

A: The combo is ranked 316 out of 1671 total tested combinations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 327.9 FPS, while Ultra settings average 156.1 FPS, a difference of 171.8 FPS.