Inside

The data for Inside with the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed toward CPU performance, creating a bottleneck that shifts dramatically depending on resolution. This pairing, ranking 1209th out of 1671 tested combos, produces a wide range of frame rates that tell a clear story about where the system's strengths and limitations lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 279.4 FPS, but dropping the resolution to 1440p reduces that to 198.7 FPS, a 28.8% decrease. Moving to 4K Low further drops the average to 127.5 FPS, which is 54.3% below the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them, but the gap narrows as pixel count rises.

Looking at the Ultra preset, the trend is similar but with a smaller absolute spread. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 134.7 FPS, which falls to 96.8 FPS at 1440p (a 28.1% drop) and then to 61.3 FPS at 4K (a 54.5% drop from 1080p). Interestingly, the percentage drops between resolutions are nearly identical across presets, indicating that the scaling factor is consistent regardless of visual quality. This points to a system where the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution, but the CPU's immense headroom becomes more apparent at 1080p where the frame rate ceiling is far higher.

The 4K numbers are particularly telling. With High settings at 4K, the average FPS is 65.5, which is only slightly above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 4K dips to 61.3 FPS. This suggests that the RX 5700 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is working near its limits at this resolution. The data implies that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, whereas at 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the game's engine or CPU threading becomes the next limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's overall rank of 1209 out of 1671 tested combinations places it in the bottom 27.6% of all pairings for this game. This might seem surprising given the strong CPU, but it reflects the fact that Inside is not a demanding title by modern standards, and most tested combos likely feature newer or higher-tier GPUs. The CPU itself, however, is a powerhouse, with an average benchmark score of 54097 and a percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs. This puts it in the top 6% of processors, yet the GPU's average benchmark score of 24731 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, which is decidedly mid-range.

The discrepancy between the CPU's elite standing and the combo's low rank suggests that the GPU is dragging the overall performance down. In the context of this game, the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are likely underutilized, as Inside is a puzzle platformer that does not typically scale well beyond a few cores. The data indicates that the combo's rank is more reflective of the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's, and that pairing this processor with a stronger graphics card would likely yield a much higher rank.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a Navi 10 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. Its clocks are listed with a base of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost of 1905 MHz, while the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz with a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are consistent with a mid-range GPU from 2019, and the benchmark results reflect this positioning, with the GPU scoring 16277 in Passmark G3D and 2134 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the 279.4 FPS average indicates that the GPU is being fed a manageable workload, but the jump to 4K Low at 127.5 FPS shows a 54.3% performance hit, which is a direct consequence of the increased pixel count. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra the memory bandwidth does not appear to be a bottleneck, given that the average FPS remains above 60. However, the data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions, as evidenced by the consistent scaling pattern across settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 137.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and only 2.3% lower than the Ultra preset's 134.7 FPS. Given that the difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is minimal, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it provides nearly the same frame rate as Ultra without the extra visual overhead.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out with 160.2 FPS, which is 60% higher than the High preset's 100.1 FPS. This makes Medium the recommended choice for 1440p, as it maintains a smooth experience while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Low. At 4K, the Low preset at 127.5 FPS is the only option that provides a substantial margin above 60 FPS, while Medium at 103.1 FPS is also playable. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 61.3 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. For 4K, Medium is the sweet spot, as it offers a 68.2% improvement over Low in visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 134.7 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1209th out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside.

Q: What is the GPU's boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has a boost clock of 1905 MHz.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Low settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 127.5.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has a boost clock of 5.40 GHz.

CPU Role

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 cache structure includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 33 MB of L3 cache. This CPU is a formidable performer in synthetic benchmarks, achieving a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003, while its Geekbench multicore score is 16571 and single-core is 2711. In Passmark, it scores 41765 in multithread and 4261 in single-thread tests, with a percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs.

In the context of Inside, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, but the data suggests that this processor is vastly overqualified for the task. The frame rates at 1080p, particularly at Low settings where the average is 279.4 FPS, indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. Even at 4K, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that it does not introduce any frame pacing issues. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with an average score of 54450, are within 0.6% of the i7-14700F's 54097 score, demonstrating that this processor is at the top of its class, even if this game does not fully utilize its capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 279.4 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the dataset. Medium at 1080p drops to 220.1 FPS, High falls to 137.8 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 134.7 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 144.7 FPS, indicating that the settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 198.7 FPS, Medium comes in at 160.2 FPS, High at 100.1 FPS, and Ultra at 96.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 101.9 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to exert more influence. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 127.5 FPS, Medium reaches 103.1 FPS, High drops to 65.5 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 61.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.2 FPS, which is the smallest spread across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor at this pixel count.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest, with Medium and High falling in between. The data shows that the performance penalty from Low to Ultra increases as resolution decreases, which is a direct result of the CPU's ability to generate frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower pixel densities. This breakdown underscores the conclusion that the RX 5700 XT is the limiting component in this pairing, particularly at 1440p and 4K, where its capabilities are stretched to the limit.