Inside

# Inside — Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far more demanding at 4K than its art style suggests. Measured data shows the combo achieving a 117.9 FPS average at 4K High settings, which is already above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while lower resolutions push well past 300 FPS. This combination ranks 180th out of 1,671 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 11% of all configurations, which indicates the hardware is well-matched to the game's rendering workload. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom, while the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and high memory bandwidth ensure the game's visual effects are handled without bottlenecking at any tested resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 107.5 FPS. This is the lowest result among all tested settings at this resolution, yet it remains comfortably above 100 FPS, indicating the combo handles the game's maximum visual fidelity at 4K without strain.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,355, which places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336) and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416). It also sits 0.2% above the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35,289) and 0.3% above the Intel Core i5-13600T (35,256). These margins are negligible, meaning the CPU's performance is effectively identical to its nearest competitors.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER falls in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42,576. This places it in the upper tier of graphics hardware, though its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores slightly higher at 42,653, a 0.2% difference.

Q: At which resolution does the combo achieve its highest frame rate?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 367.3 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. Even at 4K with Low settings, the combo reaches 233.7 FPS, showing that the hardware is never challenged by this game's requirements.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for Inside?*

A: The combination ranks 180th out of 1,671 tested combos, placing it in the top 10.8% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong synergy between the CPU and GPU in this specific game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield 186.8 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 176.4 FPS. This 10.4 FPS difference is relatively modest, suggesting that the visual upgrade from High to Ultra does not impose a severe performance penalty.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is built on the Alder Lake architecture with 12 cores and 20 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This hybrid design combines performance and efficiency cores, which is reflected in its synthetic benchmark results: a single-thread score of 1,043 in 3DMark and a max-thread score of 9,983. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide the data throughput necessary for a game like Inside, which relies on consistent physics calculations and lighting updates.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a stable frame pacing floor, as the game's 2.5D side-scrolling perspective does not demand extreme multi-threaded workloads. However, the 12-core count ensures that background processes and the game's AI-driven puzzle mechanics do not cause frame drops. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35,355, indicates it is more than sufficient for this title. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 0.1-0.3% differences in average scores are within measurement noise, meaning the Core i7-12700KF provides essentially identical gameplay performance to the Core i5-14400 or Core i9-12900HX in this scenario. The CPU's high single-thread performance, demonstrated by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,526, is particularly relevant for Inside's physics-driven platforming, where low-latency input response and consistent frame times are critical.

The measured frame rates confirm that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in any tested configuration. At 1080p Low, where the GPU workload is lightest, the combo reaches 367.3 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can feed frames far beyond what most displays can render. Even at 4K Ultra, the 107.5 FPS average is limited by the GPU's rendering load, not the CPU's processing capability. The CPU's 20 threads also provide headroom for streaming or recording software, which is a common use case for this mid-range desktop processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates across a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Inside's high-resolution textures and particle effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7,168 shading units provide substantial raw compute power, evidenced by a FP32 throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS. In synthetic benchmarks, the card scores 29,995 in Passmark G3D and 19,2684 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Inside is dominant, as the game's visual style relies heavily on dynamic lighting, volumetric fog, and water physics. At 4K Ultra, the card sustains 107.5 FPS, which reflects its memory bandwidth and shading capability. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as Inside's texture budgets are modest even at maximum settings, and the card's 220 W TDP indicates efficient power delivery. Relative to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores within 0.2-1.6% of cards like the RTX A6000 and Radeon RX 7650 GRE, though those comparisons are based on average benchmark scores, not in-game performance.

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern tied to GPU load. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 367.3 FPS, but this drops to 243.4 FPS at Ultra, a 33.7% reduction. At 4K, the scaling is more pronounced: Low yields 233.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 107.5 FPS, a 54% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is the primary performance limiter at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU's contribution remains constant. The card's 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs ensure that pixel fill rates and texture filtering do not become bottlenecks, even at 4K with Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a rank of 180 out of 1,671 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 10.8% of all configurations. This high ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show the combo delivering playable performance even at the most demanding settings. The rank reflects not only the individual strengths of each component but also their compatibility in this specific game, where the GPU's high fill rate and the CPU's strong single-thread performance complement each other.

In the context of the full benchmark database, this combo outperforms 89.2% of all tested combinations. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and the GPU's 84th percentile ranking are both high, but their combined rank is even better, suggesting that the pairing is particularly well-suited to Inside's workload. The fact that the combo achieves 107.5 FPS at 4K Ultra, a setting that would stress many high-end systems, underscores its effectiveness. Compared to combos featuring the same GPU but weaker CPUs, the measured data would likely show a similar rank, as the game is not heavily CPU-dependent. Conversely, combos with the same CPU but weaker GPUs would rank lower, as the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates in this title.

The rank of 180 also indicates that there is a large group of higher-performing combos, but these typically feature top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which are not in the immediate comparison set. For the vast majority of gaming systems, this combo's performance is exceptional, particularly given that Inside is a puzzle platformer rather than a AAA shooter. The data suggests that this combination would provide a flawless experience on standard 60 Hz displays at 4K, and on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors (up to 176.4 FPS at Ultra), the combo remains well within the range of smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all settings levels produce frame rates above 243 FPS, meaning even Ultra settings (243.4 FPS) are far beyond the 144 Hz or 240 Hz refresh rates of most monitors. The difference between Low (367.3 FPS) and Ultra (243.4 FPS) is substantial, but the visual fidelity gain from Ultra is significant in Inside due to its atmospheric lighting and shadow effects. For 1080p users, Ultra is the clear recommendation, as the 33.7% performance reduction is irrelevant when the result exceeds 240 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. Ultra settings yield 176.4 FPS, which is still above 144 Hz, while High settings (186.8 FPS) offer a marginal 5.9% improvement. Medium settings (295.1 FPS) and Low settings (328.4 FPS) provide even higher frame rates, but they compromise the game's visual identity. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1440p, as it maintains a frame rate well above 144 Hz while preserving most of the visual effects. Ultra is also viable, but the 10.4 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not be worth the extra GPU load if the user prioritizes frame rate consistency.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations change. Ultra settings produce 107.5 FPS, which is above 60 Hz but below 120 Hz. High settings (117.9 FPS) offer a 9.7% improvement, which may be preferable for 120 Hz displays. Medium settings (186.3 FPS) represent a significant jump, but this comes at the cost of reduced shadow quality and texture filtering. Low settings (233.7 FPS) are unnecessary for 4K, as even Ultra exceeds the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz monitors. For 4K users, High is the recommended setting, as it provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, ensuring compatibility with both 60 Hz and 120 Hz displays. Ultra is acceptable for 60 Hz monitors, but the 10.4 FPS gap between High and Ultra at 4K is more pronounced than at lower resolutions, making High the safer choice for maintaining consistent frame times.