Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER presents a striking asymmetry in the puzzle platformer Inside. The CPU is a 20-core, 28-thread desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It sits near the top of the performance hierarchy, holding a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs. In contrast, the GPU is an end-of-life Turing-based card with 1408 shading units, a 6 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 192-bit bus, and a boost clock of 1785 MHz. The GPU’s 55th percentile ranking places it firmly in the midrange. This combination creates a scenario where the processor vastly outclasses the graphics card, meaning that in most gaming workloads the GTX 1660 SUPER will be the limiting factor. The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) are ample for the game’s logic and physics, but the GPU must render every frame, and its capabilities define the playable experience.

In standardized benchmarks, the i7-14700F demonstrates its strength. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 35443, while the single-core score is 5003. The Geekbench multicore result is 16571, and the single-core is 2711. The Passmark multithread score reaches 41765. These numbers place the CPU just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D in average benchmark score, while it sits 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P. This data confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck here. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 12699 is virtually tied with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (0.2% behind) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (0.2% behind), showing that the graphics card is the performance ceiling. For a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding, this pairing still yields high frame rates, but the data clearly shows the GPU governs the scaling.

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

The i7-14700F’s role in Inside is essentially to stay out of the way. With 20 cores and 28 threads, the processor offers far more parallel compute capability than a puzzle platformer can utilize. The game’s logic, entity updates, and input handling are largely single-threaded or lightly threaded tasks, and the CPU’s single-core performance is exceptional. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003 and the Geekbench single-core score of 2711 indicate that even the most demanding single-threaded game logic will be processed with significant headroom. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is high, and the 2.10 GHz base clock is rarely relevant in gaming scenarios where the processor can sustain elevated frequencies.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 218.3 FPS, which is a frame rate that requires the CPU to issue draw calls and update game state quickly. The i7-14700F handles this without issue. The gap between the CPU’s average benchmark score of 54097 and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X at 54450, is negligible (0.6% difference), reinforcing that this processor is operating near the top of its class. For the gameplay in Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a linear narrative, the CPU’s massive thread count is irrelevant, but its high clock speeds ensure that frame pacing remains consistent, even when the GPU is pushing high frame rates like the 218 FPS seen at 1080p Low. The CPU’s 65W TDP also suggests efficient operation, though power draw is not a direct factor in the measured FPS data. The conclusion from the benchmark results is that the i7-14700F is overqualified for this title, providing no bottleneck whatsoever.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved by this combo in Inside?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 218.3 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is more than double the 4K High result, showing the GPU’s performance range.

Q: How does the i7-14700F compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54097, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X’s score of 54450. This places the two processors within a negligible performance margin.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 SUPER bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: Yes. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score is 12699, placing it in the 55th percentile, while the CPU sits in the 94th percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution changes confirms that the GPU limits performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting achieves 155.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 75.6 FPS. This represents a reduction of approximately 51% when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM of the GTX 1660 SUPER sufficient for 4K in this title?

A: The measured data shows playable results at 4K, with 51.6 FPS on High and 47.1 FPS on Ultra. The game is not VRAM-intensive, as the 6 GB GDDR6 buffer is enough to maintain these frame rates.

Q: What percentile ranking does the GPU hold among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER holds a 55th percentile ranking. Its average benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which is only 0.2% faster.

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

The resolution scaling data provides a clear picture of GPU-bound performance. Moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 on High settings, the average FPS drops from 109.2 to 51.6, a reduction of 52.8%. This halving of frame rate with a quadrupling of pixel count is a classic sign that the graphics card is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions because the CPU’s workload (game logic, draw calls) does not increase with resolution. Instead, the consistent drop across all settings confirms the GPU’s dominance in this bottleneck.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p Low result is 218.3 FPS, but at 4K Low it falls to 101.1 FPS. This 53.7% reduction shows that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU is capable of far more than 101 FPS, as evidenced by the 218 FPS result at 1080p, but the GPU’s pixel throughput limits the output. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (218.3 FPS) and Ultra (104.5 FPS) is 113.8 FPS. At 4K, the difference is only 54 FPS (101.1 vs 47.1). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving less headroom for quality improvements.

The medium settings at each resolution show a predictable interpolation. At 1440p Medium, the card produces 124.1 FPS, which is 20% lower than Low but 39% higher than Ultra. This linear scaling further suggests that the GPU’s compute units and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The i7-14700F’s performance is constant across these tests, meaning the variable is purely the GPU’s rendering load. The benchmark results indicate that for 4K play, the user must accept either High settings at 51.6 FPS or drop to Medium for 79.8 FPS, but the GPU’s 6 GB memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this title’s art style.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates. Low settings produce 218.3 FPS, Medium drops to 174.2 FPS, High yields 109.2 FPS, and Ultra remains comfortable at 104.5 FPS. All of these results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p an ideal resolution for this GPU. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal (4.7 FPS), suggesting that the Ultra preset adds effects that have diminishing returns on this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU’s strain. Low settings achieve 155.1 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings produce 124.1 FPS, while High and Ultra are nearly identical at 76 and 75.6 FPS, respectively. This clustering of High and Ultra results at 1440p indicates that the GPU is becoming pixel-bound, and the extra quality settings do not significantly impact the workload. The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p, with the Low setting dropping by 29% and Ultra dropping by 27.7%.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1660 SUPER is fully saturated. Low settings yield 101.1 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 79.8 FPS. High settings produce 51.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 47.1 FPS. The Ultra result is below the 60 FPS target, making it less ideal for fluid motion. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is 28.2 FPS, a significant jump that suggests High settings introduce a heavy shader or post-processing load. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently offers roughly double the frame rate of the Ultra preset, confirming that the GPU’s 1408 shading units are the limiting factor. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on average performance, which is consistently smooth for this genre.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1455 out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the bottom 13% of all configurations tested, which is surprising given the high CPU performance. The rank reflects the GPU’s midrange standing rather than the CPU’s excellence. The data shows that the combo is not among the top performers, but the actual frame rates are still high for this game. The rank is likely influenced by other combos using more powerful GPUs, which achieve even higher frame rates at 4K or with higher settings.

The rank of 1455 indicates that many other CPU/GPU pairings outperform this one, despite the i7-14700F’s 94th percentile CPU ranking. This is because the GPU is the decisive factor in gaming performance, and the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 55th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down. The combo rank is not a measure of playability but of relative performance against all other tested hardware. In absolute terms, the frame rates are excellent for a puzzle platformer, with even the lowest 4K Ultra result of 47.1 FPS being playable. The data suggests that if a user upgrades the GPU, the CPU would not be a constraint, as it has significant headroom. The rank of 1455 out of 1671 is a reflection of the GPU’s age and position in the market, not a judgment on the experience delivered. The combo’s performance is consistent with the GPU’s nearest rivals, which are all within 0.7% of its average benchmark score, showing that this pairing is representative of midrange GPU performance with a top-tier CPU.