Inside

# Inside Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

This configuration delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that remains remarkably demanding at high resolutions. The measured data shows this pairing ranks 251st out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems. With the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and the i7-12700KF's 12 cores, this system obliterates every preset at every resolution, with average frame rates never dropping below 126 FPS even at 4K Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data reveals a clear hierarchy across presets, with the gap between Low and Ultra shrinking as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 88 FPS (364 vs. 276), while at 4K that gap narrows to 139 FPS (265 vs. 126). This suggests the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions, while the GPU dominates at higher ones.

For the best experience, Medium settings at 1440p offers the most balanced profile. The data shows 301 FPS average with a minimum of 256 FPS and maximum of 347 FPS — the only preset at any resolution with complete min/max data. This consistency indicates stable frame pacing without noticeable dips. At 4K, Medium delivers 212 FPS average with 181 FPS minimum and 244 FPS maximum, still far beyond display refresh rate capabilities.

High settings provide a marginal visual upgrade with minimal performance cost. At 1080p, High runs at 280 FPS versus 276 FPS for Ultra — a negligible 4 FPS difference. At 1440p, High hits 211 FPS compared to 201 FPS for Ultra. At 4K, High reaches 133 FPS against 126 FPS for Ultra. The performance delta between High and Ultra is consistently small, suggesting Ultra's additional effects tax the GPU lightly.

Low settings unlock the highest frame rates but sacrifice visual fidelity. The data shows 364 FPS at 1080p, 327 FPS at 1440p, and 265 FPS at 4K. These numbers exceed what any current display can show, making Low unnecessary for competitive play in this single-player puzzle title.

Recommendation: Medium at 1440p for the best combination of visual quality and frame time consistency, with High at 4K as an alternative for users prioritizing resolution over frame rate. Ultra provides diminishing returns over High at all resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 anchors this system's performance. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture at TSMC's 5 nm process, the GPU packs 45,900 million transistors across a 379 mm² die. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth — ample headroom for Inside's monochromatic art style and physics-based puzzles.

Clock speeds see the GPU boost to 2505 MHz from a 2205 MHz base, with memory operating at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines drive a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS provides substantial raw processing power.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 4080 scores 34,457 in Passmark G3D and 20,671 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 reflects strong modern API performance. The GPU sits at the 86th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54,247 — putting it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828).

For Inside, the GPU's role varies by resolution. At 1080p, the CPU likely becomes the limiting factor, as frame rates exceed 360 FPS on Low. At 4K, the GPU takes over, with Ultra settings dropping to 126 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is never stressed; Inside's relatively simple textures require far less, though the bandwidth ensures no memory bottlenecks at any tested configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how this system balances CPU and GPU loads. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 336 FPS at 1080p to 301 FPS at 1440p (a 10.4% reduction), then to 212 FPS at 4K (a 29.6% reduction from 1440p). This accelerating decline indicates growing GPU dominance at higher pixel counts.

Low settings show similar trends: 364 FPS at 1080p, 327 FPS at 1440p (down 10.2%), and 265 FPS at 4K (down 19.0% from 1440p). The 4K-to-1080p ratio for Low is 72.8%, meaning the system retains nearly three-quarters of its 1080p performance at 4K — impressive for a CPU-heavy workload.

High settings exhibit the steepest scaling curve. From 280 FPS at 1080p to 211 FPS at 1440p (a 24.6% drop), then to 133 FPS at 4K (a 37.0% drop from 1440p). The 4K figure represents just 47.5% of the 1080p result, showing that High's additional shading and post-processing effects disproportionately impact the GPU at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings follow a similar pattern: 276 FPS at 1080p, 201 FPS at 1440p (down 27.2%), and 126 FPS at 4K (down 37.3% from 1440p). The 4K-to-1080p ratio of 45.7% confirms that Ultra's visual enhancements scale poorly with resolution, making it the least efficient preset for high-resolution gaming.

The data indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, particularly on Low and Medium presets where frame rates exceed 330 FPS. The i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads handle Inside's physics and logic well, but the GPU's headroom becomes apparent only when pixel count rises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p: The configuration achieves its highest frame rates here. Low settings produce 364 FPS average, while Medium delivers 336 FPS with a minimum of 286 FPS and maximum of 387 FPS. High runs at 280 FPS, and Ultra is nearly identical at 276 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 88 FPS, but the gap between High and Ultra is just 4 FPS.

1440p: Performance remains exceptionally high. Low hits 327 FPS, Medium averages 301 FPS with a 256 FPS minimum and 347 FPS maximum, High reaches 211 FPS, and Ultra runs at 201 FPS. The Medium preset's complete data range (256–347 FPS) shows a 91 FPS span, indicating some frame time variance but nothing that would cause perceptible stutter.

4K: The most demanding scenario still delivers triple-digit frame rates. Low achieves 265 FPS, Medium averages 212 FPS with a 181 FPS minimum and 244 FPS maximum, High runs at 133 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 126 FPS. Even the weakest result — 126 FPS at 4K Ultra — exceeds standard 120 Hz display refresh rates by a comfortable margin.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data, suggesting it offers the most predictable frame delivery. The 4K Medium minimum of 181 FPS ensures no drops below 180 FPS, while the 1440p Medium minimum of 256 FPS guarantees smooth gameplay on any current monitor.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K 120 FPS?*

A: Yes. The data shows 4K High averages 133 FPS and 4K Medium averages 212 FPS. Even the most demanding preset, 4K Ultra, maintains 126 FPS average, clearing the 120 FPS threshold.

Q: Which preset offers the best frame time consistency?

A: Medium settings provide the only complete minimum and maximum data points. At 1080p, the range spans 286–387 FPS; at 1440p, 256–347 FPS; at 4K, 181–244 FPS. These ranges indicate stable performance without extreme dips.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 is essentially tied with the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (0.1% difference). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1% (54,828) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6% (55,698).

Q: Is the i7-12700KF a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 364 FPS, while 4K Low runs at 265 FPS — a 37.4% difference. The shrinking gap at higher resolutions indicates the GPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

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

A: Minimal. At 1080p, High runs at 280 FPS versus 276 FPS for Ultra (1.4% faster). At 1440p, High achieves 211 FPS compared to 201 FPS (5.0% faster). At 4K, High reaches 133 FPS against 126 FPS (5.6% faster). Ultra's visual gains come at a small, consistent cost.

*Q: How does this system rank among all tested configurations for Inside?*

A: It ranks 251st out of 3,716 total combinations, placing it in the top 6.8% of all tested systems. This percentile reflects the strength of both the RTX 4080 (86th GPU percentile) and the i7-12700KF (85th CPU percentile).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides the processing foundation for this configuration. Built on the Alder Lake-S architecture at Intel's 10 nm process, this 12-core, 20-thread processor spans a 215 mm² die. It operates with a 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock, drawing 125 W TDP within an Intel Socket 1700 package.

The CPU's 25 MB shared L3 cache, supplemented by 1.25 MB L2 and 80 KB L1 per core, ensures Inside's level data and physics state remain close to computation. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5 across a dual-channel bus, with PCIe Gen 4 connectivity providing 20 CPU lanes for GPU and storage.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700KF demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Cinebench R23 scores reach 28,838 multi-core and 4,071 single-core, while Geekbench shows 14,367 multi-core and 2,255 single-core. Passmark multithread reaches 34,092, with single-thread at 3,984. The 3DMark suite shows scaling from 1,043 single-thread to 9,283 at 16 threads and 9,983 at max threads, indicating efficient core utilization.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking places it among desktop processors, with an average benchmark score of 35,365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403, 0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305, 0.2% slower), Intel Core 5 213PE (35,428, 0.2% faster), and Intel Core i7-12700K (35,287, 0.2% slower). The near-identical scores confirm the 12700KF sits at a performance plateau among mid-range desktop CPUs.

For Inside, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p and Low settings, where frame rates exceed 360 FPS. The 12 cores handle the game's puzzle logic, object interactions, and background simulations without breaking a sweat. At 4K Ultra, the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock helps maintain 126 FPS, though the GPU's workload dominates. The processor's 20 threads provide headroom for background tasks without impacting gameplay frame rates.