Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti delivers an exceptionally smooth experience in Inside, a puzzle platformer that is far more demanding on the CPU than the GPU at lower resolutions. The benchmark data shows this combination ranks in the 54th percentile of all tested combos, with the CPU and GPU each sitting in the middle of their respective performance tiers, making this a balanced pairing for a game that rarely stresses the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,716 tested hardware combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Core i7-14700K and GTX 1080 Ti lands at rank 2,004. That places it almost exactly in the middle of the pack, which is a reasonable result given the age of the GPU relative to the processor. The GTX 1080 Ti, released in 2017, is now in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the i7-14700K sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs—a clear mismatch in raw capability that shows up in the frame rate data.

The CPU is a top-tier part by any measure. Its average benchmark score of 69,355 puts it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 9115, while it trails the Ryzen 9 7940HX by 0.7% and the Ryzen 7 9700F by 0.9%. This is elite performance for a desktop processor, capable of feeding even the fastest graphics cards in most titles. The GTX 1080 Ti, by contrast, scores an average of 15,548 across all benchmarks, which puts it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M380 and 1.7% ahead of both the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 and GTX 580. It is a mid-pack GPU in 2024, and the rank reflects that.

What makes this rank interesting is that Inside is a 2D sidescroller with relatively modest graphical demands. The game’s release in 2016 means it was built for hardware from that era, so the GTX 1080 Ti is overqualified in most scenarios. The bottleneck shifts almost entirely to the CPU at 1080p, where the i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads can stretch their legs. At 4K, the GPU finally becomes the limiting factor, but even then, the frame rates remain well above playable thresholds.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K too powerful for the GTX 1080 Ti in this game?

A: The data suggests yes for most resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 317 FPS, which far exceeds any display’s refresh rate, and the CPU’s 94th percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 58th percentile shows a clear performance gap that the game cannot fully utilize.

Q: How does this combo compare to the closest rival GPU pairings?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti’s average benchmark score of 15,548 is within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and 1.7% of the RTX 2060. In Inside, the measured frame rates at 1080p High (159 FPS) suggest the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting, so rival GPUs with similar scores would likely produce nearly identical results.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this hardware?

A: The sweet spot appears to be 1440p Medium, which delivers 183 FPS average with a minimum of 155 FPS. This balances visual quality with headroom above 144Hz displays. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 68 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for frame time spikes.

Q: Does the game benefit from the i7-14700K’s 20 cores?

A: Inside is a puzzle platformer from 2016, so it is unlikely to scale across 20 cores. However, the CPU’s single-thread performance is exceptional, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,160 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,569, which matters more for this genre.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti’s 11 GB of VRAM affect performance?

A: The 11 GB of GDDR5X memory with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for Inside. Even at 4K Ultra, the game only requires enough VRAM for 2D textures and lighting effects, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor at any measured setting.

Q: Is the 4K performance playable?

A: Yes. At 4K High, the average FPS is 72, which is above the 60 FPS standard for most displays. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 68 FPS, still playable, but the 4K Low setting at 143 FPS shows the GPU has plenty of headroom if settings are reduced.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions that gradually shifts toward GPU limitation as pixel count increases. At 1080p High, the combo produces 159 FPS, which drops to 114 FPS at 1440p High—a 28% reduction—and then to 72 FPS at 4K High, another 37% reduction. This pattern shows that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as resolution climbs, but even at 4K, the frame rates remain high enough to suggest the CPU is still contributing meaningfully.

Looking at the Low settings across resolutions clarifies the bottleneck further. At 1080p Low, the system hits 317 FPS, which is an extraordinary number that could only be achieved with a very strong CPU. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 228 FPS (a 28% decline), and 4K Low produces 143 FPS (another 37% decline). The consistent percentage drops between resolutions indicate that the GTX 1080 Ti is scaling predictably with pixel count, while the absolute FPS values show the CPU is never fully saturated, even at 1080p.

The Medium settings provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 254 FPS with a minimum of 216 and maximum of 292. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 183 FPS (min 155, max 210), and at 4K Medium, it reaches 115 FPS (min 97, max 132). The tight min-to-max spread at each resolution suggests the game is running smoothly without significant stuttering, which is typical for a well-optimized 2D title.

Ultra settings show the smallest gap between resolutions, with 151 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. This narrowing delta indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are more GPU-intensive, reducing the CPU’s ability to mask the graphics card’s limitations. The overall scaling pattern confirms that this is a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, but a CPU-bound one at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo provide a comprehensive view of performance across all four settings presets and three resolutions. At 1080p, the Low setting achieves an average of 317 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 254 FPS with a minimum of 216 and maximum of 292, High at 159 FPS, and Ultra at 151 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 63 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is just 8 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest settings.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset delivers 228 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium averages 183 FPS with a range of 155 to 210, High produces 114 FPS, and Ultra drops to 109 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra narrows to just 5 FPS at this resolution, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects have minimal impact on the GTX 1080 Ti’s performance. The Medium preset’s minimum of 155 FPS is important because it stays above the 144Hz threshold, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the Low setting still manages 143 FPS, which is remarkable for a GPU from 2017. Medium averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 132, High drops to 72 FPS, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 97 FPS is above the 60 FPS standard, but the High and Ultra presets hover near 70 FPS, which could be problematic on displays with VRR enabled if frame times fluctuate. The 4K data shows that the GTX 1080 Ti can handle Inside at 4K, but only with settings reduced to Medium or Lower.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced experience, with the tightest min-to-max spreads and averages that leave significant headroom above 60 FPS. The Low preset is the clear choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, while Ultra offers only marginal visual improvements over High at a substantial FPS cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. In Inside, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system produces 317 FPS, which is only possible with a processor capable of feeding frames that quickly.

The i7-14700K’s benchmark scores confirm its elite status. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 and single-core score of 2,160 place it among the fastest desktop CPUs available. Geekbench results show 20,767 multi-core and 2,569 single-core, while PassMark single-thread scoring reaches 4,472. These numbers indicate that the CPU has both the multi-threaded throughput and single-core speed necessary for any game, including older titles like Inside that may rely heavily on a single thread for game logic.

The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core provide ample bandwidth for game assets. Its support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with dual-channel configuration, ensures that memory bandwidth is not a constraint. The 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs puts it ahead of the vast majority of processors, and its nearest rivals—the Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7940HX, and Ryzen 7 9700F—are all within 0.9% of its average score, confirming that this is a top-tier part.

In Inside, the CPU’s impact is most visible in the scaling from 1080p to 4K. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 317 FPS while 4K Low achieves 143 FPS shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU is still capable of producing well over 300 FPS when the graphics load is light. This makes the i7-14700K a future-proof choice for gaming, even when paired with a mid-range GPU like the GTX 1080 Ti.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience with this hardware, the Medium preset at 1440p is the recommended configuration. It delivers an average of 183 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 144Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The visual quality at Medium is still high, and the 28 FPS headroom above the minimum ensures smooth gameplay even during complex scenes. This combination also provides the most stable frame pacing, as evidenced by the 155-210 FPS range being the tightest among all settings at that resolution.

For players with 1080p displays, the Medium preset at 254 FPS average is the best choice, offering a 38 FPS margin above the Low setting’s minimum for the same resolution. The High preset at 159 FPS is also viable, but the 95 FPS difference between Medium and High is significant enough that the visual improvements may not justify the performance loss. Ultra at 151 FPS is nearly identical to High, so there is little reason to choose it over the lower preset.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the only sensible option, delivering 115 FPS average with a 97 FPS minimum. The High and Ultra presets, at 72 and 68 FPS respectively, are technically playable but leave no headroom for frame time spikes, which could result in noticeable stuttering on displays without VRR. The Low preset at 143 FPS is an alternative for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, but Medium offers a better balance of quality and performance.

The Low preset is recommended only for esports-style play or for users with 240Hz displays at 1080p, where the 317 FPS average can fully utilize the panel’s refresh rate. However, the visual downgrade from Medium is substantial for a puzzle platformer where atmosphere and lighting play a key role. Ultimately, the data shows that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p with Medium settings, where it delivers a flawless experience without any compromise.