Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a Puzzle Platformer from 2016. The measured data shows this combination is far from being stressed by the game’s engine, with average FPS figures that remain well above display refresh rate thresholds at every tested setting. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom to prevent any bottleneck at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 220 FPS at 1080p to 158 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 99 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 55% reduction in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. The scaling is nearly linear in terms of pixel throughput, suggesting the GPU is the limiting component in this scenario.

At the Low preset, the scaling behavior is more dramatic. The average FPS at 1080p is 364, which drops to 317 at 1440p and further to 199 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 45%, which is slightly less severe than at High settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU has more influence on the upper bounds of performance, but the GPU still dominates the scaling curve. The Ultra preset shows a similar pattern to High, with 210 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K, a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The Medium preset, which is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 336 FPS with a minimum of 286 FPS and a maximum of 387 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 253 FPS with a range of 215 to 291 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 159 FPS with a range of 135 to 183 FPS. The consistency of the frame pacing, as indicated by the relatively narrow min-max ranges, suggests that the system maintains stable performance without major hitches even as resolution increases.

The data strongly indicates that the RTX 3080 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the raw compute load of increasing pixel count drives the FPS down. Conversely, at 1080p, the FPS figures are so high (over 300 in Low and Medium) that the CPU’s role becomes more apparent, as the GPU has fewer pixels to process and can push frames faster than the CPU can feed it. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a roughly 37% drop in FPS across most presets, consistent with the 2.25x increase in pixel count, confirming a GPU-bound scenario at those resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of the FPS differences across resolutions. Its specifications, including a boost clock of 1710 MHz and 8704 shading units, provide the computational muscle needed for high frame rates. The GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory, running at 19 Gbps effective, delivers a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s, which is more than adequate for Inside’s art style, even at 4K Ultra settings. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s performance ceiling is not reached until the 4K resolution, where the average FPS at Ultra drops to 95, still playable but indicating a heavy load.

The GPU’s architecture, Ampere, with 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, is not specifically utilized by this game, as Inside does not feature ray tracing or DLSS based on the data. The raw FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS is the relevant metric here, and it scales predictably with resolution. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (95 FPS) versus 1080p Ultra (210 FPS) shows a 55% performance hit, which aligns with the 4x increase in pixel count, suggesting the GPU’s fillrate and shading capacity are the bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s memory configuration is notable. With 10 GB of VRAM, there is no indication of memory capacity being a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra, the game maintains an average of 95 FPS without reported stuttering or frame drops (min FPS is null for Ultra, but the average suggests stability). The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s are high enough to handle the game’s simple 2D side-scrolling environments with ease. The data shows that the RTX 3080 is overqualified for this title, as it delivers over 200 FPS at 1080p High and Medium settings, indicating the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 68 vs all GPUs places it in the upper tier, but its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with an avgScore of 23273 (deltaPct -0.4), are far less powerful in synthetic tests, yet the real-world FPS in Inside remains exceptionally high for all of them. This suggests that the game is not demanding enough to differentiate between high-end GPUs at lower resolutions. The GPU’s role becomes clear only at 4K, where the FPS drops below 100 on High and Ultra presets, showing that the RTX 3080’s limits are approached but not exceeded.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF plays a supporting role in this game, providing enough processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. With 12 cores and 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the CPU is more than capable of handling the game’s logic and physics. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and single-core score of 4071 indicate strong performance, but Inside is not a CPU-intensive title. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 364, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at this setting, as the GPU could likely render more frames if the CPU could feed them faster.

The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data, reducing latency. The memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, ensures sufficient memory bandwidth for the game’s requirements. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and 2-thread score of 2065 show that the CPU’s single-threaded performance is robust, which is important for a game that may rely on a primary thread for game logic. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU’s performance ceiling is around 364 FPS (Low) and 220 FPS (High), with the GPU taking over as the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, has a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating nearly identical average benchmark scores, while the i5-13600T is 0.2% ahead. This shows that the i7-12700KF is well-positioned in the CPU hierarchy, but for Inside, the differences are negligible. The CPU’s 85th percentile vs all CPUs confirms it is a high-end processor, but the game’s low CPU demands mean that even a much weaker CPU would likely achieve similar FPS at 4K, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (95 FPS) versus 1080p Ultra (210 FPS) shows that the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases, with the GPU’s rendering load dominating the performance outcome.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 364, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average FPS of 95, with no minimum or maximum FPS recorded.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 364 suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has fewer pixels to render and can produce frames faster than the CPU can process them.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield an average of 158 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 151 FPS, a difference of 7 FPS.

Q: Are there any recorded minimum FPS values for the High or Ultra presets?

A: No, the data only includes minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution. For example, at 1920x1080 Medium, the min is 286 FPS and max is 387 FPS.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 841 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 23% of all tested combos.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 841 out of 3716 tested combinations in Inside, placing it in the 77th percentile of all tested combos. This rank is surprisingly modest given the high absolute FPS figures, which indicates that many other combinations, likely with even faster GPUs or CPUs, achieve similar or higher frame rates in this undemanding title. The rank of 841 suggests that while this combo is powerful, it is not at the absolute top tier for this specific game, as the game’s low requirements allow mid-range components to perform nearly as well.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that Inside is a 2D puzzle platformer with simple graphics, so the performance ceiling is high for many systems. The CPU’s 85th percentile and GPU’s 68th percentile vs all components indicate that this combo is above average, but the game’s low demands mean that the difference between a $500 GPU and a $1000 GPU is minimal in terms of FPS. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 364 FPS, which is likely close to the maximum any system can achieve, so the rank is more about consistency across settings than raw peak performance.

Compared to other combos in the database, the 841 rank out of 3716 means there are 2875 combinations that rank lower, but also 840 that rank higher. This places the combo in the upper quartile of performance, but the gap to the top is likely small in terms of FPS. For instance, a combo with a RTX 4090 might achieve 400 FPS at 1080p Low, but the difference is marginal for gameplay. The rank is a useful metric for comparing across the database, but for a game like Inside, the practical takeaway is that this combo delivers excellent performance that exceeds the requirements of any display, with the rank reflecting the presence of even more overkill configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, with an average FPS of 336 and a minimum of 286 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay on any high-refresh-rate monitor, as even the minimum FPS exceeds 240 Hz. The High preset at 1080p delivers 220 FPS, which is still excellent, but the Medium preset provides a 53% higher average FPS with only a marginal visual difference in a puzzle platformer. The Low preset at 364 FPS is recommended only for competitive play or if the user has a 360 Hz display, as the visual downgrade is unlikely to be justified.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best choice, with an average FPS of 253 and a minimum of 215 FPS. This maintains a frame rate above 200 FPS, which is ideal for 1440p 240 Hz monitors. The High preset at 158 FPS is also viable, offering a 60% higher average than Medium, but the visual upgrade may not be worth the 95 FPS drop. The Ultra preset at 151 FPS is nearly identical to High, so there is no reason to choose Ultra over High unless the user prefers the highest settings. The Low preset at 317 FPS is overkill and not recommended unless the user prioritizes absolute frame rate over visuals.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides the best experience, with an average FPS of 159 and a minimum of 135 FPS. This is above the 120 FPS threshold for smooth 4K gaming, and the minimum FPS of 135 ensures no noticeable stutters. The High preset at 99 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for 120 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 95 FPS is similar. The Low preset at 199 FPS is the best for 4K 144 Hz displays, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. For most users, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best compromise, as it maintains high frame rates while retaining acceptable visual fidelity for the game’s artistic style.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Inside is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low settings produce an average FPS of 364, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium settings yield an average FPS of 336, with a minimum of 286 FPS and a maximum of 387 FPS. The High settings produce an average FPS of 220, with no min/max data. The Ultra settings yield an average FPS of 210, with no min/max data.

At 2560x1440, the Low settings produce an average FPS of 317, with no min/max data. The Medium settings yield an average FPS of 253, with a minimum of 215 FPS and a maximum of 291 FPS. The High settings produce an average FPS of 158, with no min/max data. The Ultra settings yield an average FPS of 151, with no min/max data.

At 3840x2160, the Low settings produce an average FPS of 199, with no min/max data. The Medium settings yield an average FPS of 159, with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS. The High settings produce an average FPS of 99, with no min/max data. The Ultra settings yield an average FPS of 95, with no min/max data.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and it consistently shows a stable frame rate with a spread of roughly 100 FPS between minimum and maximum at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the system maintains consistent performance without major frame time spikes. The data confirms that the combo is capable of delivering over 60 FPS at 4K Ultra (95 FPS) and over 200 FPS at 1080p High (220 FPS), making it a versatile performer for this title across all tested configurations.