Inside

Inside is a deliberately restrained puzzle-platformer, yet its measured performance reveals a wide spread of outcomes depending on how the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB are configured. The data shows this pairing is capable of extreme frame rates, but the balance between visual quality and raw speed requires careful selection, particularly given the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity and the game's modest engine demands. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to determine the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how this specific combination ranks against the broader test corpus.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, as it delivers substantial frame rates without the steep performance penalty seen at the Ultra tier. At 1920x1080, High produces an average of 192 FPS, which is only 9 FPS lower than Ultra's 183 FPS, yet it likely spares GPU resources that can be critical for maintaining frame pacing. More importantly, at 2560x1440, High averages 138 FPS, while Ultra drops to 131 FPS — a modest 5% difference that does not justify the potential VRAM strain. At 3840x2160, High averages 87 FPS, still comfortably above standard 60 Hz refresh rates, whereas Ultra falls to 83 FPS, closing in on the threshold where stutter could become noticeable.

The Medium preset is the safer alternative for users prioritizing frame time consistency. At every resolution, Medium shows only the min and max FPS values in the data: at 1080p it averages 307 FPS (min 261, max 353), at 1440p 221 FPS (min 188, max 254), and at 4K 139 FPS (min 118, max 160). These min/max ranges are tight, suggesting a stable experience, but the average is significantly higher than High — nearly 60% higher at 1080p and 50% higher at 4K. However, the visual uplift from Medium to High is often noticeable in a game like Inside, which relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow detail, so High is the recommended preset for the best perceptual quality per measured frame.

Ultra is the worst choice for this combination. The data shows it consistently yields the lowest average FPS at every resolution, with margins of 5-10 FPS below High. Given the game's 2016 release date, the incremental settings above High likely add effects that are not worth the measured loss. Low settings, while offering the highest frame rates (384 FPS at 1080p, 276 at 1440p, 173 at 4K), sacrifice the game's intended moody aesthetic for speed that exceeds any display's refresh rate. Therefore, High is the best experience per the measured rows, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining averages above 87 FPS even at 4K.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB is the primary bottleneck in this pairing, and its 8 GB GDDR7 memory size is a defining constraint. The GPU has a 128-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The base clock is 2407 MHz with a boost of 2572 MHz, and the chip (GB206) is built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The data shows that the GPU's performance is strong enough to push Inside to very high frame rates, but the VRAM capacity may be a concern at higher settings and resolutions, though the measured FPS does not indicate any outright failure.

At 4K with High settings, the average FPS of 87 indicates the GPU is working hard but not overwhelmed. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS (87 to 83), which is small, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional load is not purely VRAM-bound but also compute-bound. However, the gap between Low and High at 4K is massive: 173 FPS versus 87 FPS, a 99% difference. This indicates that the GPU's shading units (4608) and texture units (144) are heavily taxed by the higher-quality shaders and textures, while the 48 ROPs handle the pixel output. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 23.70 TFLOPS is sufficient for this title, but the data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM is adequate for the measured presets, as no memory-related crashes or anomalies appear in the FPS numbers.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the AMD FirePro W5130M and NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, have similar average benchmark scores (within 0.6%), but this is misleading for gaming. The RTX 5060 Ti's percentile rank of 29 against all GPUs is low, and its average benchmark score of 4901 is dragged down by synthetic tests. Yet in Inside, the measured FPS shows a capable card, indicating that the game is not GPU-heavy enough to saturate the card's capabilities. The GPU's role is to maintain high frame rates with headroom, and the data confirms it does so, but the 8 GB VRAM is a cautionary note for users who might expect to run more modern, VRAM-hungry titles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario, with the CPU providing ample headroom. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 192 at 1080p to 138 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and further to 87 at 4K (a 55% drop from 1080p). This scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly limiting as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the drop is even steeper: 384 FPS at 1080p to 276 at 1440p (a 28% drop) to 173 at 4K (a 55% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that resolution scaling is independent of the preset, pointing to a fixed GPU bottleneck.

The data shows that the RTX 5060 Ti's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is the likely limiting factor at 4K. At 1080p, the GPU can easily fill frames, but as resolution increases, the memory bus must move more pixels and texture data. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (83 FPS) and High (87 FPS) show that the card is nearing its practical limit for this game. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant: at High, it goes from 138 to 87 FPS, a 37% reduction, which is larger than the 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a card that runs out of memory bandwidth or fill rate at higher resolutions.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not scale so dramatically with resolution. The i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is far ahead of what Inside requires, as evidenced by the 384 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that users with 4K displays will need to accept either High settings at 87 FPS or Medium at 139 FPS, while 1440p users can enjoy High at 138 FPS, which is a strong experience. For 1080p, the GPU is overkill, delivering over 180 FPS at all settings except Ultra, where it still hits 183 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB ranks 903rd out of 2887 tested combos in Inside, placing it in the 69th percentile of all configurations. This rank is surprisingly low given the high FPS numbers, but it reflects the fact that Inside is an older, lightweight game where even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates, and many combos with more powerful GPUs or better CPU-GPU balance will score higher. The rank of 903 indicates that this pairing is above average but not top-tier, which makes sense given the GPU's 29th percentile rank and the CPU's 91st percentile rank.

The CPU's strong performance (with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a percentile of 91) is not fully utilized in this game, as Inside is not heavily multithreaded. The GPU, while capable, is not a high-end part, and its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database are older or lower-tier cards. The combo's rank is likely driven by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, where the CPU's advantage cannot compensate. The data shows that this combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can push high frame rates, but at 4K, the rank would likely drop if measured separately.

Compared to other combos, this pairing is in the top 31% of tested systems, which is respectable but not outstanding. The i7-14700F's nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% higher average score) and AMD EPYC 7313P (0.8% higher), would likely yield similar in-game results if paired with the same GPU, as the CPU is not the bottleneck. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the GTS 450, would perform far worse in gaming, but the benchmark scores are misleading. The combo rank of 903 suggests that users upgrading from a lower-tier GPU will see a significant improvement, but this is not a flagship setup for Inside.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to run Inside with this CPU and GPU?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings offers the best balance, averaging 138 FPS, which is well above the 87 FPS at 4K High and still visually superior to 1080p. At 1080p High, the average is 192 FPS, but the additional resolution at 1440p provides a better image without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows no frame rate collapse or stutter at 4K Ultra, which averages 83 FPS. The min and max FPS are not listed for Ultra, but the average is only 4 FPS lower than High, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game's textures at 4K, though it may be close to capacity.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 384 FPS, which is exactly double the High preset's 192 FPS. This suggests that the High preset applies significant shader and lighting effects that roughly halve the frame rate, but 192 FPS is still far beyond any standard display's refresh rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as FPS scales significantly with resolution (from 192 FPS at 1080p High to 87 FPS at 4K High). The CPU's 20 cores and high boost clock of 5.40 GHz are not a bottleneck, as even the lowest resolution yields very high frame rates.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 221 FPS (min 188, max 254), while High averages 138 FPS. This is a 60% difference, showing that High's additional effects are costly, but the Medium preset's min FPS of 188 is still extremely smooth.

Q: How does this combo's rank in Inside compare to its overall hardware percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 903rd out of 2887, which is the 69th percentile. The CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 29th, indicating that the GPU's lower relative performance drags the combo's rank down in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured rows show a clear progression. Low settings produce the highest average at 384 FPS, with no min or max listed. Medium settings average 307 FPS, with a minimum of 261 FPS and a maximum of 353 FPS, indicating a stable spread. High settings average 192 FPS, and Ultra drops to 183 FPS. The gap between Low and High is 192 FPS (100% difference), while the gap between High and Ultra is just 9 FPS (4.7% difference), suggesting that Ultra adds minimal cost.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Low averages 276 FPS, Medium averages 221 FPS (min 188, max 254), High averages 138 FPS, and Ultra averages 131 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent: Low falls by 108 FPS (28%), Medium by 86 FPS (28%), High by 54 FPS (28%), and Ultra by 52 FPS (28%). This uniform percentage decline confirms that resolution scaling is independent of settings.

At 3840x2160, the data shows the GPU's limits. Low averages 173 FPS, Medium averages 139 FPS (min 118, max 160), High averages 87 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper: Low falls by 103 FPS (37%), Medium by 82 FPS (37%), High by 51 FPS (37%), and Ultra by 48 FPS (37%). The min FPS at 4K Medium is 118, which is still smooth, but the High preset's 87 FPS average is the most demanding setting that remains playable.

The data also reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max FPS readings, which helps assess frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the spread from min to max is 92 FPS (261 to 353), at 1440p it is 66 FPS (188 to 254), and at 4K it is 42 FPS (118 to 160). The relative spread (max-min)/average is 30% at 1080p, 30% at 1440p, and 30% at 4K, indicating consistent frame time variance across resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from 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 2 MB per-core L2 cache are substantial, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. However, Inside is a puzzle-platformer that does not heavily utilize multi-threading, so the CPU's role in this game is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data without becoming a bottleneck.

The data shows the CPU is not limiting, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at low resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 384 FPS average is far beyond what most games can achieve, and the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958) is strong enough to handle the game's logic. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% higher average score), would perform identically in this game because the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node (despite the "Intel 7" naming) mean it runs efficiently, but this is irrelevant to game performance. The data indicates that the CPU's high core count (20) is underutilized, as the game likely uses only a few threads. The 28 threads provide no advantage in Inside, and the single-core performance is what matters most. The CPU's boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that the game's main thread runs as fast as possible, but even a lower-clocked CPU would achieve similar FPS in this title, given the GPU's limitations. The CPU's role is thus to provide a solid foundation without interfering, and the measured FPS confirms it does so.