Inside

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB lands in the upper-middle tier of tested configurations for Inside, securing the 593rd position out of 1,671 total combos. This placement, roughly in the 65th percentile of all recorded systems, reflects a platform that comfortably handles the game’s demands but is not at the extreme advanced of performance. The rank suggests that while this pairing delivers high frame rates across the board, there are numerous other combinations, likely featuring newer or more specialized hardware, that achieve even higher absolute output. The data indicates a balanced system where neither component is a glaring bottleneck, yet the overall standing is defined by the collective throughput of the CPU and GPU working in tandem.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 593 out of 1,671 tested configurations places it within the top 35% of all systems benchmarked for Inside. This is a solid result, indicating that the i7-12700KF and RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB combination delivers a performance level that is well above the median system. The data shows a clear separation from the bottom half of the pool, where lower-tier CPUs or GPUs would likely struggle to maintain high frame rates. However, the rank also reveals a substantial gap to the top-tier setups, which likely feature flagship GPUs or newer CPU architectures. The position suggests that this combo is a dependable, high-performing choice for this specific game, offering a smooth experience at all tested resolutions, but it does not challenge the elite systems that dominate the top of the leaderboard. The percentileVsAllGpus field for the RTX 4060 Ti is 17, which is notably lower than the CPU’s 89th percentile ranking, hinting that the GPU is the component holding this combo back from a higher overall rank.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, and it features a 25 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,979 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 13,596. The single-thread scores are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 4,091, which is critical for games like Inside that rely heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and physics. The benchmark results show a clear scaling from 2 threads to max threads, with a 3DMark score of 2,065 for 2 threads rising to 9,983 for max threads, indicating good core utilization. For this puzzle platformer, the CPU’s high single-core performance ensures that the game’s main loop is rarely the limiting factor, allowing the GPU to function at its full potential. The 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms that this processor is significantly more powerful than the average chip, providing ample headroom for the game’s requirements. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, but at higher resolutions, its role becomes less dominant as the GPU takes over the primary workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 4,352 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. Its boost clock is 2,535 MHz, and it has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU’s raw compute power is rated at 22.06 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 2,913, which places it at the 17th percentile versus all GPUs. This relatively low percentile is a key finding: the GPU is not a top-tier performer by modern standards, but it is sufficient for Inside. The 8 GB VRAM is ample for this game, given its release in 2016 and relatively simple visuals. The memory clock of 2,250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) is not a bottleneck at the tested settings. The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with resolution, with frame rates dropping as pixel count increases. The nearest rival, the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, has a nearly identical average score (2,907 vs 2,913), showing that the extra VRAM does not impact performance in this title. The GPU’s role is to render the game’s atmospheric side-scrolling environments, and at all tested settings, it manages to deliver playable frame rates, though its percentile ranking suggests it is the weaker link in this pairing.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo for Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 593rd out of 1,671 tested configurations, placing it in the top 35% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,355, which is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336) and the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35,289), showing a delta of 0.1% and 0.2% respectively. It is slightly behind the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416) by 0.2%.

Q: Is the GPU’s performance a limiting factor for this combo?

A: Yes, the GPU’s 17th percentile ranking versus all GPUs is significantly lower than the CPU’s 89th percentile, suggesting the GPU is the primary constraint on overall system performance in this game.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 364.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the 8 GB and 16 GB versions of the RTX 4060 Ti?

A: The benchmark data shows a negligible difference, with the 8 GB version scoring 2,913 and the 16 GB version scoring 2,907, a delta of 0.2% in favor of the 8 GB model.

Q: Does the game utilize the CPU’s multi-threading capabilities effectively?

A: The CPU’s benchmark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (2,065) to max threads (9,983), but for Inside, the high single-thread score of 4,091 in Cinebench R23 is more relevant, as the game’s logic is likely single-threaded.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and expected drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, but the magnitude of the drop reveals which component is under the most stress. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 184.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p at Ultra, the frame rate falls to 129.4 FPS, a reduction of 30%. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops further to 81.9 FPS, which is a 55.7% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU’s rendering workload increases dramatically with pixel count, causing the frame rate to drop. The data for High settings shows a similar trend: 192.8 FPS at 1080p, 138.5 FPS at 1440p, and 89.8 FPS at 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with the increase in pixel count, confirming that the RTX 4060 Ti is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound in some scenarios, as evidenced by the massive frame rates (up to 364.3 FPS on Low), which exceed what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The conclusion is that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS at all settings, while 4K is playable but requires dropping to Medium or Low settings for a consistently smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 184.8 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a visually rich experience. The High preset at 192.8 FPS offers a marginal performance gain with likely minimal visual difference, making it a sensible choice for those who prioritize frame rate. At 1440p, the Ultra preset still delivers a very playable 129.4 FPS, and the High preset at 138.5 FPS is nearly as good. For 4K gaming, the situation changes significantly. Ultra settings drop to 81.9 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but may feel less smooth on high-refresh-rate displays. Dropping to High at 4K yields 89.8 FPS, a modest improvement. However, the most significant gain comes from selecting the Medium preset, which boosts 4K performance to 140.2 FPS, a 71% increase over Ultra. Given the game’s art style, which relies on dimly lit environments and silhouettes, the visual difference between Medium and Ultra may be less noticeable than in other titles. The data suggests that for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, High is the recommended preset at all resolutions, as it offers a substantial frame rate advantage over Ultra while likely preserving most of the visual quality. For those with 4K displays seeking maximum smoothness, Medium is the optimal choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 364.3, a figure that far exceeds any display’s refresh rate. Medium settings reduce this to 307.6 FPS, while High settings yield 192.8 FPS. The Ultra preset produces 184.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is almost certainly CPU-bound, as the GPU has significant headroom. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings provide 280.1 FPS, Medium drops to 220 FPS, and High settings result in 138.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 129.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is more pronounced at this resolution, showing the GPU beginning to take on more work. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings still manage 176.5 FPS, but Medium falls to 140.2 FPS. High settings produce 89.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 81.9 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is significant, with a 50.4 FPS difference, highlighting the graphics card’s struggle with the increased pixel load. The data shows that this combo can handle Inside at high frame rates at all resolutions, but the settings must be adjusted to maintain a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K. The measured results are consistent with the GPU’s 17th percentile ranking, showing that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is more than adequate for this title.