Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that, by its very nature, demands precise frame pacing and consistent rendering. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT reveals a system that utterly dominates this title, delivering frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of typical displays. The measured results show a combination capable of turning a visually atmospheric game into an exceptionally smooth experience, but the scaling patterns across resolutions and settings provide a fascinating look at where the bottlenecks truly lie.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic shift in system limitations. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces a staggering 396 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops this to 329.4 FPS, a reduction of approximately 17%. The jump to 4K Low yields 203.7 FPS, which is a further 38% decline from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU is becoming an increasingly significant factor as pixel count rises.

However, the data suggests that even at 4K, the system is nowhere near fully stressed. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is still a very high 99.2 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Ultra (219 FPS) to 4K Ultra (99.2 FPS) represents a 55% performance drop. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, but the absolute floor of 99.2 FPS is well above the 60 FPS target that most games aim for. The shape of the curve implies that while the RX 9070 XT is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions, the i7-13700K's immense processing power is what allows the frame rates to remain so high in the first place. The fact that 4K Low (203.7 FPS) is still far above 1440p Ultra (157.9 FPS) shows that resolution scaling is significant, but the setting preset has just as much, if not more, of an impact on the final output.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a formidable piece of hardware, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for a game like Inside, which was released in 2016 and does not feature the massive texture sets of modern AAA titles. The GPU's boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz contribute to its raw compute power, which is reflected in its 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In this specific benchmark, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are key metrics here. At 4K, the sheer number of pixels that need to be shaded and textured increases dramatically. The data shows this clearly: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 99.2, which is less than half of the 219 FPS recorded at 1080p Ultra. This 55% reduction in performance is the GPU grappling with a 4x increase in pixel count. The fact that it still manages to stay above the 100 FPS mark at 4K High (106.1 FPS) suggests that the RX 9070 XT is not the limiting factor for a smooth experience in this title; it has ample headroom. The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 39647, further contextualizes its high-end status.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide exceptional single-threaded performance, which is critical for a game like Inside that relies on a primary gameplay thread for physics and logic. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505. These numbers indicate a processor that can handle any computational demand a game can throw at it.

The CPU's role in this benchmark is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 396 FPS. This is a scenario where the GPU is not heavily burdened by pixel shading, allowing the CPU to feed it frames as fast as it can. The i7-13700K's high single-thread performance, as seen in its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136 and geekbench_singlecore score of 2850, ensures that the game's logic is processed without becoming a bottleneck. The data supports this: the frame rate differences between 1080p Low (396 FPS) and 1080p Medium (367.8 FPS) are relatively small, suggesting that the CPU is keeping pace even as the GPU's workload increases slightly. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282, places it firmly in the top tier. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, is virtually identical with a deltaPct of -0.1, confirming that the processor is operating at the peak of its capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 396 FPS, which was measured at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: Yes, the data shows that even at the most demanding setting (3840x2160 Ultra), the system averages 99.2 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 229. At 2560x1440 High, it drops to 166.4 FPS, representing a performance reduction of approximately 27%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops by 55% from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, indicating a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. At 1080p, the extremely high frame rates suggest the CPU is well-equipped to avoid being a bottleneck.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS on Low settings is 329.4, while on Ultra settings it is 157.9. This shows that Ultra settings nearly halve the performance compared to Low, emphasizing the significant impact of graphical fidelity on frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 268th out of 1671 tested system combinations for Inside, placing it in the top 16% of all systems benchmarked.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 268th out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places it in the top 16% of all systems, which is a strong showing for a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The ranking is a reflection of the high absolute performance of both components, rather than any special optimization for this specific title. The CPU alone sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, indicating that this pairing is a high-end configuration.

The rank of 268 implies that there are 267 other system combinations that deliver higher average frame rates in this game. These are likely to be systems with even more powerful, modern GPUs, such as those in the top tier of the RX 9000 series or NVIDIA's flagship cards. However, considering the game's release date, the performance of this combo is exceptional. The data indicates that this setup is not just capable of running Inside smoothly; it is capable of running it at frame rates that are typically reserved for competitive esports titles, which speaks to the immense headroom this hardware has for less demanding games.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 396 FPS on Low, 367.8 FPS on Medium, 229 FPS on High, and 219 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 177 FPS, showing the substantial cost of higher graphical fidelity. At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high, with 329.4 FPS on Low, 262.2 FPS on Medium, 166.4 FPS on High, and 157.9 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Medium and High is more pronounced here, a 95.8 FPS drop, indicating a significant jump in rendering complexity.

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the system still performs admirably. Low settings produce an average of 203.7 FPS, Medium drops to 162.5 FPS, High falls to 106.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 99.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 104.5 FPS reduction, or roughly 51%. This data reveals that the RX 9070 XT can comfortably handle 4K in this game, but the transition from Medium to High brings the most significant performance hit, likely due to more complex lighting and shadow effects. The overall pattern shows that the system is consistently GPU-bound at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU's high single-thread performance keeps frame rates at an extremely high level.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's display and preference. For users with a 60 Hz display, even the most demanding configuration of 3840x2160 Ultra, which averages 99.2 FPS, is overkill. This setting would provide a completely smooth and visually pristine experience. Given that the game is a puzzle platformer with a dark, atmospheric art style, maximizing visual quality at 4K is a viable and excellent choice.

For users with a 144 Hz or 165 Hz display, the data suggests a balanced approach. At 2560x1440, High settings (166.4 FPS) are ideal for a 165 Hz monitor, providing a near-perfect match. For a 144 Hz display, 2560x1440 Ultra (157.9 FPS) is also a strong option, offering maximum fidelity while still exceeding the refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all settings exceed 219 FPS, so users can select Ultra without any concerns. The recommendation is to prioritize resolution and settings based on the display's refresh rate; for 4K, High (106.1 FPS) is the sweet spot for 100+ Hz panels, while Ultra (99.2 FPS) is perfectly suited for 60 Hz displays. The data clearly shows that this hardware has enough power to make a 2016 game run flawlessly at any configuration.