Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a highly capable experience in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the CPU than typical for its genre. The benchmark data for this combination shows a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the processor’s strong single-thread performance ensuring that frame rates remain exceptionally high even when the GPU is not the limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the results against rival components, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 257.1 FPS, but this drops to 183.5 FPS at 1440p and 113.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55.9% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that while the RX 6600 is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, the i7-12700KF’s 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock (with a single-thread 3DMark score of 1043) have ample headroom to feed the GPU.

The scaling behavior changes noticeably when moving to higher graphical presets. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 120.7 FPS at 1080p to 90.3 FPS at 1440p, and further to 57.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 52.3%, which is slightly less severe than at Low settings. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU’s rendering load becomes more dominant, but the CPU still maintains a significant influence on the final frame rate.

Crucially, the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (257.1 FPS) and Ultra (120.7 FPS) is 136.4 FPS. At 4K, this gap shrinks to 55.7 FPS (113.3 vs 57.6). This convergence indicates that at 4K, the RX 6600’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth become the primary constraint, with the GPU’s 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 throughput limiting performance regardless of how much CPU headroom remains. The data shows that this combo is never CPU-bound in a problematic way; even at 4K Ultra, the system delivers playable frame rates, but the GPU is clearly the limiting component at that resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 257.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.6, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the i7-12700KF or the RX 6600 the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo produces 147.7 FPS. Given that the CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, has an average benchmark score only 0.1% higher, the processor is not limiting; the GPU’s performance relative to its rivals (e.g., the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with a 0.5% delta) suggests the graphics card is the main factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the largest single resolution drop in performance?

A: The largest absolute drop occurs between 1080p Low (257.1 FPS) and 1440p Low (183.5 FPS), a reduction of 73.6 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1337 out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid range of all tested systems for Inside.

Q: Does increasing settings from Medium to High have a larger impact at 1080p or 4K?

A: At 1080p, moving from Medium (203.7 FPS) to High (129.7 FPS) costs 74.0 FPS. At 4K, the same transition costs only 35.4 FPS (93.8 to 58.4), showing a smaller absolute impact at higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1337 out of 1671 tested configurations places it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems for Inside. This might seem low given the high frame rates measured, but it reflects the fact that many other tested combos include more powerful GPUs that push even higher frame counts in this lightweight title. The i7-12700KF itself is a strong performer, sitting at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35355. Its closest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Core i5-14400 (35336, delta 0.1%), the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416, delta -0.2%), and the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35289, delta 0.2%), showing that this CPU is statistically indistinguishable from those alternatives in general compute.

The RX 6600, however, is a more modest performer, sitting at the 69th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 25235. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M (25246, delta 0%) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (25287, delta -0.2%), indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The data suggests that the CPU is providing more than enough processing power for this game, and the ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s mid-range position. In practice, the measured FPS numbers are still excellent for a puzzle platformer, but the combo’s rank reflects that other systems with higher-end graphics cards achieve even higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 257.1, which is exceptionally high and more than sufficient for any display. Medium settings reduce this to 203.7 FPS, still far above refresh rate capabilities of most monitors. High settings yield 129.7 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 120.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 136.4 FPS, showing that the graphics settings have a substantial impact at this resolution, but even the lowest measured value remains highly playable.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limitations. Low settings achieve 183.5 FPS, Medium produces 147.7 FPS, High drops to 94.2 FPS, and Ultra yields 90.3 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at 1440p costs only 3.9 FPS, which is a smaller penalty than the 74.0 FPS drop seen at 1080p when moving from Medium to High. This indicates that at 1440p, the GPU is starting to become the bottleneck, with diminishing returns from higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. Low settings still manage 113.3 FPS, which is impressive for 4K, but Medium drops to 93.8 FPS, High falls to 58.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 57.6 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 0.8 FPS, suggesting that these two presets are nearly identical in GPU load. The data shows that this combo can handle 4K at Low or Medium settings comfortably, but High and Ultra presets push the RX 6600 close to its limits, with frame rates hovering just below 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS at 4K, the data shows that High settings (58.4 FPS) and Ultra (57.6 FPS) both fall just short of the target. The recommended approach is to use Medium settings, which deliver 93.8 FPS at 4K, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still offering improved visuals over Low. This preset represents the best balance between image quality and performance at the highest resolution.

At 1440p, all settings exceed 90 FPS, but the choice depends on whether the user prefers maximum visual fidelity or higher frame rates. Ultra settings (90.3 FPS) are perfectly playable and offer the best image quality. For users with high-refresh-rate displays, Medium settings (147.7 FPS) provide a significant boost in smoothness with only a moderate reduction in visual quality. High settings (94.2 FPS) sit in a middle ground but offer little advantage over Ultra given the small FPS difference of only 3.9 FPS.

For 1080p, the situation is less critical since even Ultra settings (120.7 FPS) exceed 120 FPS. The data shows that Ultra is the recommended preset here, as the performance penalty from High to Ultra is only 9.0 FPS, but the visual improvements are typically noticeable. Players with 144Hz monitors can use Medium (203.7 FPS) or High (129.7 FPS) to stay above the refresh rate, but Ultra remains the best choice for image quality without sacrificing playability. Overall, the measured data indicates that this combo is versatile, with the RX 6600 providing sufficient power for High settings at 1440p and Medium settings at 4K, while the i7-12700KF ensures no CPU-related frame drops even in the most demanding scenarios.