Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is an exceptionally powerful combination for Inside, delivering frame rates that far exceed the requirements of this 2016 puzzle platformer. The benchmark data shows this combo ranks in the 92nd percentile, placing it at rank 314 out of 3716 tested combinations, which indicates that this system is positioned firmly in the upper echelon of gaming hardware. The measured performance across all resolutions and settings reveals a system with immense headroom, where the primary differentiator between configurations is not playability but rather the pursuit of maximum refresh rates. This analysis will break down how the resolution scaling, CPU capabilities, and GPU resources each contribute to the overall experience, concluding with specific settings recommendations based on the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a clear and expected progression, with the most significant frame rate drops occurring at the highest resolution. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the system produces 263 FPS, which drops to 189 FPS at 1440p and further to 119 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings, showing that the increased pixel count places substantial demand on the GPU. The Low settings preset tells a similar story, with 367 FPS at 1080p falling to 329 FPS at 1440p and 250 FPS at 4K, a 32% drop from the lowest to highest resolution tested.

The scaling pattern across settings reveals that the RTX 5070 Ti remains the limiting component as resolution increases, but the margin of limitation grows with higher quality presets. At Low settings, the difference between 1080p and 1440p is only 38 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 79 FPS. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU can keep the GPU well-fed even at 1440p, but 4K begins to expose the GPU's workload. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with 339 FPS at 1080p, 303 FPS at 1440p, and 200 FPS at 4K. Interestingly, the High preset produces a more dramatic drop from 1440p to 4K, going from 199 FPS to 125 FPS, a 37% reduction.

The data indicates that 4K is the only resolution where frame rates begin to approach more typical gaming thresholds, with Ultra settings yielding 119 FPS and High settings at 125 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains triple-digit performance, which is remarkable for a game of this era. The scaling behavior suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's demands, as the frame rate drops are consistent with pure pixel-pushing workload rather than memory capacity constraints. The 1080p results, with frame rates ranging from 263 to 367 FPS, indicate that the system is operating well beyond the refresh rate capabilities of most displays, making the choice of resolution primarily a matter of visual fidelity versus refresh rate preference.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K brings 12 cores and 20 threads to this combination, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This processor, based on the Alder Lake architecture and built on Intel's 10 nm process, demonstrates strong single-threaded performance that is crucial for a game like Inside, which typically relies on one or two primary threads for game logic and physics. The 3DMark benchmarks show a single-thread score of 1043 and a 2-thread score of 2065, indicating that the processor's per-core performance is robust. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 further confirms this capability, suggesting that the CPU can handle the game's main thread without becoming a bottleneck.

The processor's multithreaded capabilities are also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15790. However, for a puzzle platformer like Inside, these additional threads are unlikely to be fully utilized, as the game's workload is not heavily parallelized. The PassMark multithread score of 34404 and the 3DMark max-threads score of 9979 indicate that the CPU has significant headroom for more demanding applications, but in this specific title, the single-threaded performance is the more relevant metric. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache provides fast access to frequently used data, which can help reduce latency in game logic processing.

In the context of the measured frame rates, the CPU appears to be more than adequate for all tested configurations. The fact that 1080p Low settings produce 367 FPS and 1080p Ultra produces 263 FPS suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at a certain level regardless of resolution, but the data shows consistent scaling with resolution changes. The processor's nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-13600T with a deltaPct of -0.1 and the Intel Core i7-12700KF with a deltaPct of -0.2, all perform within a fraction of a percent of this chip, confirming that the 12700K is competitively positioned within its performance class.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the high frame rates observed across all settings. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a game from 2016. The card's 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs are arranged in a configuration that delivers substantial raw compute power, with an FP32 performance of 43.94 TFLOPS. The boost clock of 2452 MHz ensures that this compute capability is consistently available during gaming workloads.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning, with a PassMark G3D score of 32974 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 225122. The percentileVsAllGpus of 86 indicates that this GPU outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards on the market. The nearest rivals show interesting comparisons, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scoring within 0.1% despite being an older architecture, and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT trailing by 2%. This suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti's performance is well-established, though the margin over previous generation flagships is not immense in synthetic benchmarks.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rate differences between settings presets. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 131 FPS (250 vs 119), which is a 52% reduction. This scaling indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and shading resources are the limiting factors at higher quality settings. The Medium preset at 4K produces 200 FPS with a minimum of 170 FPS, showing good frame pacing even under load. The GPU's 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores are likely underutilized in this title, as Inside does not feature ray tracing or DLSS support, meaning the card's traditional rasterization performance is what drives these results. The memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and memory access are not bottlenecks, even at 4K Ultra where the game's art assets are rendered at full resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti achieves a rank of 314 out of 3716 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the top 8.5% of all systems benchmarked. This ranking is notably strong, especially considering that the game is not particularly demanding by modern standards, which means that even mid-range hardware can achieve playable frame rates. The high rank suggests that this combo is capable of driving high refresh rate displays at 1080p and 1440p without compromise, and even 4K Ultra settings remain well above 60 FPS.

The combo's performance relative to other tested configurations can be contextualized by looking at the individual component rankings. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 84 and the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 86 both indicate high-end positioning, but the combination produces a rank that is slightly higher than either component's individual percentile. This synergy suggests that the pairing is well-balanced, with neither component significantly bottlenecking the other in this workload. The fact that the combo rank is 314 out of 3716 means that there are 313 combinations that outperform it, likely featuring more recent flagship CPUs or GPUs, but the margin of difference is probably small given the game's age and optimization.

The measured frame rates support this ranking, as the system achieves frame rates that would place it at the very top of the performance spectrum. For context, 1080p Ultra at 263 FPS is more than double what most high-refresh-rate monitors can display, and even 4K Ultra at 119 FPS exceeds the capabilities of standard 60 Hz displays. This indicates that the combo's rank is not just a measure of raw performance, but also of efficiency in delivering frame rates that are well beyond the thresholds of perceived smoothness. The data shows that this system is overkill for Inside, but the rank reflects its ability to maintain maximum settings at any resolution without performance concerns.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the High settings preset at 1440p appears to offer the most balanced experience, delivering 199 FPS while maintaining visual quality that is indistinguishable from Ultra in most gameplay scenarios. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 10 FPS (199 vs 189), which is a negligible 5% reduction, making High the more efficient choice for players with 144 Hz monitors. At 1080p, the High preset at 277 FPS is recommended for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, as it provides a significant boost over Ultra's 263 FPS while the visual differences are subtle in a game with a muted, atmospheric art style.

For 4K users, the High preset at 125 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains triple-digit frame rates while the Ultra preset drops to 119 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers 200 FPS, but the visual downgrade from High is likely more noticeable than the frame rate gain, especially on larger displays. The Low preset, while producing the highest frame rates (367 FPS at 1080p, 329 FPS at 1440p, 250 FPS at 4K), sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that relies on atmosphere and lighting to convey its narrative. The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 120 Hz or higher displays at 4K, as the 119 FPS average is right at the threshold of high-refresh-rate gaming.

The Medium preset's data, which includes min and max FPS values, shows excellent frame consistency at all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 288 FPS minimum and 389 FPS maximum indicate tight frame pacing, while 1440p Medium shows a range of 258 to 349 FPS. This consistency makes Medium a reliable choice for players who prioritize smoothness over maximum visual quality. However, given the substantial headroom in this system, the recommendation is to use High settings as the default, with Ultra reserved for 4K displays that can take advantage of the extra detail without sacrificing playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces 367 FPS average, while Medium achieves 339 FPS with a minimum of 288 and maximum of 389. The High preset yields 277 FPS, and Ultra settings cap the results at 263 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the most demanding 1080p settings, the system operates at over 260 FPS, which is well beyond the refresh rate of any mainstream gaming monitor. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 28% reduction in frame rate, but all settings remain comfortably above 250 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset produces 329 FPS, Medium delivers 303 FPS with a range of 258 to 349 FPS, High achieves 199 FPS, and Ultra drops to 189 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 140 FPS (329 vs 189), which is a 43% reduction, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the impact of settings changes. The 1440p High and Ultra results are both above 180 FPS, making this resolution ideal for 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors with maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. The Low preset delivers 250 FPS, Medium produces 200 FPS with a minimum of 170 and maximum of 230, High achieves 125 FPS, and Ultra yields 119 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that even at the highest resolution, the system never drops below 119 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on any display. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate headroom, with a 200 FPS average that provides ample margin for demanding scenes. The data confirms that this combination is capable of running Inside at maximum settings with playable frame rates at any resolution, making it a top-tier choice for this title.