Inside

Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016 that, on paper, should not challenge modern hardware. Yet, the data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination reveals a fascinating curve of performance scaling that tells a story about where this game’s bottlenecks actually lie. The measured frames per second (FPS) range from a massive 346 at 1080p Low down to a still-playable 74 at 4K Ultra, providing a comprehensive look at how this mid-range pairing handles a title that is more about atmosphere than raw graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the pattern is not linear. At 1080p Low, the system pushes an enormous 346 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low reduces that to 249 FPS, a 28% decrease. The jump to 4K Low brings the average down to 156 FPS, which is another 37% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at the highest resolution suggests that pixel throughput is becoming a significant factor, even at the lowest graphical settings.

However, the scaling behavior shifts when looking at higher quality presets. At High settings, the system achieves 173 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 28%, similar to the Low preset. But the drop from 1440p to 4K at High is about 37%, almost identical to the Low preset’s scaling. This consistency implies that the RTX 3060 Ti’s rendering pipeline is the primary limiter at 4K, regardless of the quality settings, as the workload becomes dominated by fragment shading and memory bandwidth.

The most telling data point is the Medium preset’s minimum FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 277 FPS, with a minimum of 235 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 199 FPS, with a minimum of 169 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS. The minimum FPS values scale down proportionally with the averages, which indicates that the frame time variance is not increasing disproportionately. This suggests a stable performance profile, where the GPU is consistently delivering frames without sudden hitches, even as the resolution increases.

The data implies that at 1080p, the i7-12700KF is likely providing more than enough processing power to feed the RTX 3060 Ti, as the FPS numbers are astronomically high. The bottleneck here is clearly the GPU, as the FPS drops significantly when pixel count increases. At 4K, the GPU is working much harder, and the frame rates, while still respectable for a puzzle platformer, show that the 3060 Ti is approaching its limits with this game’s engine, particularly on the Ultra preset where the average falls to just 74 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process from Samsung. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. These specifications are directly reflected in the game’s performance metrics.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is likely a key factor in the 4K performance. With a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, the card can move a significant amount of data, but the demands of 4K rendering, even for a game with the visual simplicity of Inside, can strain this resource. The 8 GB capacity is also a consideration, though for a game of this era, it is unlikely that capacity is being exceeded at any of the tested settings. The data shows the card’s compute capabilities, measured at 16.20 TFLOPS for FP32, are sufficient to push 156 FPS at 4K Low, indicating that the shader units are not the limiting factor when texture detail and lighting effects are reduced.

The boost clock behavior is also relevant. The card’s boost clock of 1665 MHz is the advertised maximum, but in real-world scenarios, it can vary based on thermal headroom and power delivery. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (74 FPS) versus 4K High (78 FPS) shows only a 5% difference, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are computationally expensive but not necessarily purely GPU-bound. This could be related to the 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores on the chip, which may be utilized for certain post-processing effects, though Inside is not known for heavy ray tracing.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3060 Ti’s average benchmark score of 16129 places it slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 by 0.7% and slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M by 1.4%. The data indicates that this GPU is a solid performer for its class, and the measured FPS in Inside confirms that it can handle high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while still providing a console-like experience at 4K. The 200 W TDP also explains why the card can sustain high clocks under load, as it has sufficient power headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process from Intel. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor features a 25 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications are crucial for understanding its role in this game’s performance.

Given the nature of Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer with limited on-screen agents, the CPU is unlikely to be a bottleneck at any resolution. The single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and the cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 4071. This is critical because games like this often rely heavily on a single main thread for game logic and physics.

The multi-threaded capabilities are also excellent, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28838. This means the CPU can handle any background tasks or additional game systems without breaking a sweat. The data shows that the processor’s percentile ranking is 85th among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 35365 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, which has an average score of 35403, a delta of -0.1%. This indicates the i7-12700KF is a high-end processor, and for this game, its 20 threads are largely underutilized.

The clock speed is the most relevant factor here. With a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the i7-12700KF can execute game logic with minimal latency. This is evident in the 1080p Low result of 346 FPS, which is a scenario where the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the CPU’s ability to prepare frames quickly becomes the ceiling. If the CPU were slower, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, but the numbers continue to climb, indicating that the processor is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 3060 Ti’s output capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti holds a rank of 1681 out of 3716 combos for Inside. This places it in the 45th percentile of all tested systems, which might seem surprising given the high FPS numbers. However, this ranking is relative to other systems, many of which include much more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or the RX 7900 XTX, which can push much higher frame rates at 4K.

The rank suggests that while this combo is capable of delivering a smooth experience, it is not at the absolute top tier for this specific game. The data shows that the combo is more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it likely ranks much higher relative to other combos at those specific resolutions. The 4K Ultra setting is where the combo falls behind, as the average FPS of 74 is below the 90-100 FPS that high-end graphics cards can achieve.

This ranking is not a condemnation of the hardware but rather a reflection of the game’s scalability. The RTX 3060 Ti is a mid-range card, and the data confirms that it sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. The i7-12700KF, being a high-end CPU, ensures that this combo does not suffer from CPU-related performance dips, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of the final frame rate. The rank of 1681 out of 3716 indicates a solid, dependable performer that will provide a great experience for the vast majority of players.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the highest average FPS is achieved on the Low preset at 346 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 277 FPS with a minimum of 235 FPS and a maximum of 318 FPS. The High preset averages 173 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 165 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is minimal, only 8 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 249 FPS. The Medium preset averages 199 FPS, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS. The High preset delivers 124 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 118 FPS. At this resolution, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 6 FPS, indicating that the visual improvements from Ultra are not worth the performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 156 FPS. The Medium preset averages 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 74 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS, making the Ultra preset the least attractive option. The minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset, and they show that the system can maintain a playable frame rate even in the most demanding scenes.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the jump from Low to Medium is significant, the jump from Medium to High is significant, but the jump from High to Ultra is marginal. This suggests that the Ultra preset in Inside is not well optimized, or it includes effects that are not visually distinct enough to justify the performance hit. The most balanced performance appears to be at the Medium preset across all resolutions, offering a good mix of visual fidelity and frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 277 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, it delivers 199 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. At 4K, it maintains an average of 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS, which is perfectly smooth for a game like Inside.

The High preset is also a viable option, especially for users with 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors at 1440p. It delivers 124 FPS at that resolution, which is right at the threshold for a smooth experience. At 4K, the High preset’s 78 FPS is acceptable, but the Medium preset’s 125 FPS provides a much larger margin of safety against frame drops.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this GPU. The performance difference between High and Ultra is less than 5% at all resolutions, while the visual difference is negligible for a game with this art style. The Low preset is only suitable for competitive play, but since Inside is a single-player puzzle platformer, there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality for the extra FPS. The data strongly suggests that Medium is the sweet spot, providing a buttery-smooth experience at all resolutions without compromising the game’s atmospheric visuals.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for the RTX 3060 Ti in Inside?

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 346 FPS, indicating the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as shown by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043, ensures it is not a limiting factor in this game.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p achieves an average of 199 FPS, which is well above 144 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 125 FPS, which is below the 144 FPS target. To achieve 144 FPS at 4K, you would need to use the Low preset, which averages 156 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129. This is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014) and 1.4% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (16361).

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: No. The data shows that the difference between High and Ultra is minimal, with only a 4 FPS difference at 4K (78 vs 74 FPS) and an 8 FPS difference at 1080p (173 vs 165 FPS). The visual improvements from the Ultra preset do not justify the performance loss.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on the Medium preset at 4K?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is 106 FPS, with a maximum of 144 FPS and an average of 125 FPS. This indicates that even in the most demanding moments, the game remains fluid.

Q: How does this combo’s performance rank among all tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1681 out of 3716 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the 45th percentile, indicating it performs better than the majority of systems but is not at the top tier, which is reserved for more powerful GPUs.