Inside

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F with the AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a striking study in bottleneck dynamics for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the GPU is decisively the limiting factor, yet the CPU’s headroom ensures that even the most demanding presets remain playable. This analysis breaks down the specific contributions of each component, how resolution scaling exposes the bottleneck, and which settings deliver the optimal experience.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 position it as a high-end desktop part, evidenced by its 91st percentile ranking against all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 53,620. In synthetic tests, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,122 and a single-core score of 4,958, demonstrating formidable processing power.

For a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with relatively modest CPU demands, this processor is vastly overqualified. The data supports this: at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 135 FPS, and even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate never drops below 29 FPS. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% higher average score) and the Intel Xeon 6505P (-0.2% lower), all fall within a negligible performance delta, indicating that this tier of processor is not the constraining element in this configuration. The 14700F’s role here is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that never introduces a frame pacing issue, allowing the GPU’s performance ceiling to be the sole determinant of the final FPS figures. The high boost clock ensures that even single-threaded game logic is handled with ample margin, making the CPU a silent partner in the performance equation.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a 14 nm Polaris 20 part with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, and it features 2048 shading units. The GPU’s 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 28,766 place it firmly in the mid-range tier, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 470 (-0.8% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (-0.4% delta). This is a GPU designed for 1080p gaming, and the measured data for Inside reflects that expectation.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Inside’s art style, which relies on dark, atmospheric 2D visuals rather than high-resolution textures. However, the GPU’s raw compute throughput (5.095 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p High, the system hits 68 FPS, which is solid, but at 4K High, it drops to 31 FPS. This halving of performance as pixel count quadruples is a textbook sign of GPU limitation. The RX 570’s 32 ROPs and 128 TMUs are simply not enough to fill 4K frames at high detail levels, but the architecture handles the game’s low-geometry scenes adequately at lower resolutions. In essence, the GPU is the primary performance governor here, with the CPU waiting idly by.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear diagnostic of the system’s bottleneck. At Low settings, the progression is 135 FPS (1080p) → 97 FPS (1440p) → 61 FPS (4K). This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 55% drop from 1440p to 4K, or a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K overall. At High settings, the progression is 68 FPS → 49 FPS → 31 FPS, a 28% and 37% drop respectively. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: as the pixel count increases, the fill rate and shading requirements grow, and the RX 570’s fixed hardware resources are stretched thinner.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, because the CPU’s workload (game logic, physics, draw calls) does not change with resolution. Instead, we see a dramatic decline, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck. The fact that even at 4K Low the system manages 61 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 29 FPS, further illustrates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute units are the constraining resources. The CPU’s 91st percentile ranking and high single-core scores mean it never becomes the bottleneck, even at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. This is a classic case of a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, where the GPU’s performance ceiling dictates the playable limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured data provides a complete matrix of performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 135 FPS on Low, 108 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 124), 68 FPS on High, and 64 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 20% reduction in FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is only a 6% reduction, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds minimal visual fidelity for a small performance cost at this resolution. At 1080p, all presets are comfortably playable, with even the lowest frame rate (64 FPS on Ultra) being well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop proportionally: 97 FPS on Low, 78 FPS on Medium (min 66, max 89), 49 FPS on High, and 46 FPS on Ultra. Here, the High and Ultra presets begin to approach the 50 FPS mark, which is still playable but not ideal for fast-paced sections. The 1440p Medium setting, with its 78 FPS average and 66 FPS minimum, offers a good balance. At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles: 61 FPS on Low, 49 FPS on Medium (min 42, max 56), 31 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low preset is the only one that maintains a consistent 60 FPS, while High and Ultra drop below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the lower bound for playability. The 4K Medium preset, with a minimum of 42 FPS, is playable but with occasional dips.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F or the AMD Radeon RX 570 the bottleneck in Inside?*

A: The data clearly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases (e.g., 68 FPS at 1080p High to 31 FPS at 4K High), which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. The CPU’s high performance, evidenced by its 91st percentile ranking and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,122, ensures it is not the limiting factor.

*Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Inside?*

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, which averages 61 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 49 FPS, and High/Ultra drop to 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, so 60 FPS at 4K is only possible with the lowest settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, all presets achieve at least 64 FPS, with Low hitting 135 FPS and Medium at 108 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (97 FPS) and Medium (78 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. Therefore, 1080p is the safest choice for a locked 60 FPS across all settings.

*Q: How does the RX 570’s 4 GB VRAM affect performance in Inside?*

A: The 4 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor for this game. The FPS drops are consistent with compute and fill-rate limitations, not memory capacity, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution. The game’s art style does not require the high-resolution textures that would exhaust 4 GB.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The performance difference is small. At 1080p, High averages 68 FPS while Ultra averages 64 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 49 FPS vs 46 FPS, and at 4K it is 31 FPS vs 29 FPS. The data suggests Ultra provides minimal visual gains for a small FPS cost.

*Q: How does this combo rank against other systems for Inside?*

A: This specific combo ranks 3523rd out of 3716 tested combinations. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s age and performance tier, as the CPU is in the top 10% of all processors. The GPU’s 74th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this system depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is viable, averaging 64 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the Medium preset offers a much higher 108 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS, providing a significant smoothness advantage for only a modest visual downgrade. Given that the visual difference between High (68 FPS) and Ultra (64 FPS) is minimal, the High preset is a reasonable choice, but Medium is the recommended sweet spot for a high refresh rate experience.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice, delivering 78 FPS average with a 66 FPS minimum. The High preset averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-moving scenes. The Low preset at 97 FPS is also an option for competitive play, but Medium provides a better balance of visual quality and performance. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only one that maintains a 60 FPS average (61 FPS). The Medium preset at 49 FPS is playable, but its 42 FPS minimum suggests it will dip below 45 FPS in demanding sections. The High and Ultra presets at 31 FPS and 29 FPS respectively are not recommended for a smooth experience. Therefore, the recommended presets are Medium at 1080p and 1440p, and Low at 4K, to ensure the system stays comfortably within playable frame rates.