Inside

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 presents a stark contrast in capabilities. The processor is a top-tier 20-core part that sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the graphics card is an end-of-life, entry-level model that falls into the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. The benchmark results for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer, illustrate exactly how this imbalance plays out across different resolutions and settings. The data shows a system where the CPU’s immense headroom is never the limiting factor, leaving the GPU to define the entire performance envelope.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable, yet pronounced, drop in performance as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 133.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces that to 99 FPS, a 25.8% decrease. Pushing to 4K Low yields 63 FPS, which is a 52.8% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline confirms that the GTX 1650’s rendering throughput is the primary constraint, as the resolution increase directly multiplies the pixel workload.

The scaling pattern holds steady across all quality presets. At Medium settings, the frame rate falls from 104.5 FPS at 1080p to 74.8 FPS at 1440p (a 28.4% drop) and then to 46.8 FPS at 4K (a 55.2% drop from 1080p). The High preset tells a similar story: 64.5 FPS at 1080p, 50.5 FPS at 1440p, and 31.6 FPS at 4K. The most demanding preset, Ultra, shows the same trajectory, starting at 66.8 FPS at 1080p, falling to 45.4 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 29.6 FPS at 4K.

This consistent behavior across all settings indicates that the game’s visual complexity is not overwhelming the CPU’s single-thread performance. The Core i7-14700K, with its 5.60 GHz boost clock and top-tier Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, is more than capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls. The bottleneck is the GTX 1650’s 896 shading units and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The data suggests that users targeting 60 FPS will need to stay at 1080p with Medium or High settings, as the 4K Ultra result of 29.6 FPS is well below playable thresholds for most.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Inside at 4K resolution?*

A: Technically, yes, but the experience will be mixed. At 4K Low, the average frame rate is 63 FPS, which is playable. However, at 4K High, the average drops to 31.6 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 29.6 FPS, making those settings unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p Medium, the average is 104.5 FPS, and at 1080p High, it is 64.5 FPS. Both provide a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, only the Low preset (99 FPS) clears the bar; Medium drops to 74.8 FPS, and High falls to 50.5 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is significant. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 64.5 FPS on High to 66.8 FPS on Ultra. This is an anomaly, as the Ultra setting at 1080p is actually slightly faster than High, which is unusual. At 1440p, the drop is from 50.5 FPS to 45.4 FPS, and at 4K, it goes from 31.6 FPS to 29.6 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K holding back the GTX 1650?

A: No. The benchmark results show a classic GPU bottleneck. The frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-centric workloads. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking and high single-core performance mean it is not the limiting component in this game.

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

A: The combo ranks 1606th out of 1671 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the bottom 4% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU’s low 43rd percentile ranking.

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

A: The jump from Low to Ultra at 1440p is substantial. The average frame rate drops from 99 FPS on Low to 45.4 FPS on Ultra, representing a 54.1% reduction in performance. This shows that the GTX 1650 is heavily taxed by the higher visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking for this specific CPU and GPU pairing in Inside is 1606 out of 1671 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 4.2% of all systems tested, a position that is directly attributable to the graphics card. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, have average benchmark scores within 0.5% of the i7-14700K, showing that the processor is in the top tier of performance. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and AMD Radeon 550X, are all similarly low-performing parts, with average scores within 0.5% of the GTX 1650.

The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations. While the CPU is a high-end component that scores 44,534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, the GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 7880 is a lowly figure. This combination creates a system where the CPU’s potential is completely untapped in this game. The data shows that the i7-14700K could easily drive a much more powerful GPU, but in this pairing, the GTX 1650 caps the performance. The rank of 1606 is not a measure of the CPU, but rather proof of the GPU’s inability to translate the CPU’s processing power into high frame rates in Inside.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 133.5 FPS, Medium averages 104.5 FPS, High averages 64.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 66.8 FPS. The performance is generally playable across all presets, with only the High and Ultra settings dipping below the 100 FPS mark.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates begin to show strain. Low averages 99 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium averages 74.8 FPS, and High drops to 50.5 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, with an average of 45.4 FPS. This resolution is playable on Low and Medium, but High and Ultra will require users to accept a lower frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1650 is clearly overmatched. Low averages 63 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium averages 46.8 FPS, and High drops to 31.6 FPS. Ultra is the worst performer, with an average of 29.6 FPS. None of these settings provide a consistent 60 FPS experience, and only Low offers a playable frame rate. The data shows a clear trend: the higher the resolution, the more dramatic the performance penalty, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening from 66.7 FPS at 1080p to 33.4 FPS at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is modest by modern standards. The GPU’s base clock is 1485 MHz, with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. This hardware is responsible for the frame rates seen in the measured data. The VRAM capacity is sufficient for a game like Inside, which is not memory-intensive, but the GPU’s raw compute power is the limiting factor.

The GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking and an average benchmark score of 8713 underscore its position as an entry-level part. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, have near-identical average scores, confirming that the GTX 1650 is at the bottom of the performance spectrum. The 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 93.24 GTexel/s texture rate are simply not enough to handle high resolutions with demanding settings.

The data shows that the GPU’s role is to cap the system’s performance. In Inside, the i7-14700K is never the limiting factor. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are idle relative to the GPU’s workload. The result is that the frame rates are almost entirely dependent on the GTX 1650’s clock speeds and shading units. The 1080p Low result of 133.5 FPS represents the peak of what this GPU can achieve, while the 4K Ultra result of 29.6 FPS shows its absolute floor. The GPU’s 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it a low-power part, but this does not compensate for its lack of performance. The GTX 1650 is the sole arbiter of this combo’s gaming experience, and its capabilities are fully exposed by the benchmark results.