Inside

Inside, a monochrome puzzle-platformer from 2016, is not a demanding title by modern standards, yet the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a wide spread of results depending on how you configure it. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU's immense headroom remains largely untapped. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions, examines the role of each component, and provides clear settings guidance based strictly on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system posts an average of 152.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 105.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%. Pushing further to 4K Low yields 67.1 FPS, which is another 36% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RX 580's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, as the workload scales directly with the number of pixels.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. With High settings, the averages are 76 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and just 31.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is particularly telling: it falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable frame rates, highlighting that this resolution is only viable at the lowest settings for this GPU. The gap between 1080p and 1440p High is about 30%, while the gap between 1440p and 4K High is a larger 41%, showing that the GPU struggles disproportionately as resolution climbs.

The data also shows how settings interact with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial: 152.8 FPS versus 69.4 FPS, a 55% performance penalty for maxing out the preset. At 4K, the same comparison shows 67.1 FPS on Low versus 32.1 FPS on Ultra, a 52% drop. This consistency suggests that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are both saturated at higher resolutions, making the RX 580 the definitive bottleneck. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is never the constraint here, as even at 1080p Low the frame rate is far below what the i7-14700K could theoretically push.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores, 28 threads, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. For a game like Inside, which is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the computational demands are minimal. The measured frame rates, even at the highest settings, do not come close to stressing the CPU's capabilities.

The data supports this conclusion by showing that performance scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, not with CPU load. If the i7-14700K were a limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at lower resolutions regardless of settings. Instead, the 1080p Low result of 152.8 FPS is nearly double the 4K Low result of 67.1 FPS, proving that the GPU is the sole constraint. The CPU's single-core performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, is more than sufficient for the game's physics and logic.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 70074 is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70104, with a deltaPct of 0. It also sits close to the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which scores 70420, a deltaPct of -0.5. This means that for Inside, any of these CPUs would deliver identical frame rates in this configuration, as the game's performance is entirely dictated by the RX 580. The CPU's role here is to ensure that frame times remain consistent and that no stutter occurs, which the high thread count and boost clock easily handle.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data offers clear guidance on which preset to use based on your display resolution. For 1080p, the Medium preset at 122.4 FPS provides an excellent balance, offering a significant jump from the 76 FPS of High while still maintaining a smooth experience. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 69.4 FPS is still playable, but Medium is the sweet spot for maintaining high refresh rates.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 87.6 FPS is the recommended choice. It delivers a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS, which is ideal for most monitors. The High preset at 53 FPS is acceptable but dips below the 60 FPS threshold, while Low at 105.4 FPS is only necessary if you are chasing very high refresh rates. Ultra at 51.3 FPS is not recommended, as the visual gains over High are minimal relative to the performance cost.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 67.1 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 54.4 FPS is borderline, and High at 31.5 FPS is barely playable, with Ultra at 32.1 FPS being equally marginal. For a 4K display, the data strongly suggests using Low settings to ensure a playable frame rate. The performance gap between Low and Medium at 4K is about 19%, which is a heavy price to pay for the modest visual improvements in a game with a muted, atmospheric art style.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The maximum measured average is 152.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Can this system run Inside at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset (67.1 FPS) provides a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset (54.4 FPS) is playable, but High (31.5 FPS) and Ultra (32.1 FPS) drop below 33 FPS, which is not considered smooth.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K with the same settings?

A: With the High preset, the average FPS drops from 76 at 1080p to 31.5 at 4K, a reduction of roughly 59%. With the Low preset, it drops from 152.8 to 67.1, a reduction of about 56%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the Radeon RX 580 in this game?

A: No. The data shows that performance scales with resolution and settings, not CPU load. The i7-14700K's benchmark scores (96th percentile) are far beyond what Inside requires, making the RX 580 the definitive limiting component.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 87.6 FPS is the best balance, as it stays well above 60 FPS. High (53 FPS) and Ultra (51.3 FPS) are below this threshold, while Low (105.4 FPS) sacrifices visual quality for a frame rate that most displays cannot fully utilize.

Q: Which component is more responsible for the frame rate differences between presets?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580. The GPU's benchmark score of 8813 in Passmark G3D and its 53rd percentile ranking place it far below the CPU's capability. The frame rate variations across presets are entirely due to the GPU's rendering workload.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process, featuring 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1340 MHz, and it offers 2304 shading units. These specifications, while dated, are what determine the frame rates in Inside. The GPU's average benchmark score is 13559, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which scores 13564 with a deltaPct of 0.

The data shows that the RX 580's performance is the primary constraint in this system. At 4K High, the GPU can only manage 31.5 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 152.8 FPS. This range of performance is directly tied to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 4K results, in particular, highlight the GPU's limitations, as the 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures, but the computational power to push pixels at that resolution is lacking.

The GPU's role is further clarified by comparing it to its rivals. With a deltaPct of 0.1 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (13549) and 1.1 against the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (13416), the RX 580 is statistically tied with these older cards. This means that for Inside, the GPU will deliver performance in line with these mid-range parts from a previous generation. The 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but they are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The GPU's 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth also becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the demand for texture data increases, but the card's overall compute capacity is the primary bottleneck.