Inside

# Inside — Intel Core i7-14700KF + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination delivers exceptional performance in Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer that is far from demanding by modern standards. The measured data shows average frame rates ranging from 93 FPS at 4K Ultra to 409 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that this pairing is massively overqualified for the game's graphical requirements. The combo ranks 799th out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21.5% of all systems tested for this title. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, scaling behavior across resolutions, and provides specific settings guidance based on the measured results.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a thermal design power of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 lanes for the CPU.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2.5D puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry and physics, the CPU requirements are minimal. The benchmark results show that this processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 70,163. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% ahead), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (1% behind). These margins are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, especially in a title where the frame rates are already in the hundreds.

The multi-threaded capabilities of this CPU are substantial, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,167 and single-core score of 6,235. However, Inside is unlikely to stress more than a few threads at a time, given its nature as a side-scrolling puzzle game. The high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2,578) is more relevant here, as it ensures that the game's main logic thread can run without bottlenecking the GPU. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,480 further confirms strong per-core performance. In practice, the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the most relative influence, the system achieves 409 FPS — a level that suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor in any configuration tested.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture (Navi 48 chip) and is manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process with 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1330 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The memory runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective). The card has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units, with 56 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s.

This GPU sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 23,877. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (0.6% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (0.8% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (1.1% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.2% behind). These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, but for Inside specifically, the RX 9070's performance is far beyond what the game requires. The 16 GB VRAM is particularly overkill for a title from 2016, which likely uses only a fraction of that capacity even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's raw throughput is evident in the measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the system still manages 93 FPS, which is remarkable for a resolution that typically stresses GPUs heavily. The pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s provide ample fill rate for Inside's stylized visuals. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full compatibility with modern rendering paths, though the game's age means it likely runs through older API paths without issue. The PassMark G3D score of 25,381 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290 confirm the card's strong overall performance, but the game-specific results show that the GPU is rarely the bottleneck here.

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

The measured data provides a clear picture of how performance scales across resolutions for each settings preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 409 at 1080p to 311 at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 196 at 4K (a 37% reduction from 1440p). This represents a total drop of 52% from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 346 at 1080p to 249 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 157 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p), totaling a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

High settings show a similar pattern: 217 FPS at 1080p, 156 at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 98 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p), for a total reduction of 55%. Ultra settings follow with 206 FPS at 1080p, 148 at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 93 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p), also totaling a 55% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven.

The fact that the drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently around 24-28% while the drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently around 37% indicates that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (206-409 FPS) that the CPU or game logic might be imposing some ceiling, particularly at Low settings where 409 FPS could be approaching the engine's frame rate limit. At 4K, the GPU's rendering load increases significantly, but even the lowest 4K result (93 FPS at Ultra) is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The scaling behavior also reveals that the settings preset has a minimal impact on the resolution scaling pattern. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is roughly consistent: at 1080p, the difference is 203 FPS (409 vs 206); at 1440p, it's 163 FPS (311 vs 148); and at 4K, it's 103 FPS (196 vs 93). This suggests that the settings primarily affect GPU load in a linear fashion, with the resolution multiplier being the dominant factor in performance variation.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 799th out of 3,716 tested combos in Inside. This places the system in the 78.5th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning that roughly 21.5% of tested systems perform better. Given the game's low system requirements, this ranking is more a reflection of the extreme performance of other high-end combinations rather than any deficiency in this setup.

To contextualize this ranking, consider that the CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The combo's 78.5th percentile ranking falls between these two individual percentiles, suggesting that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis. The CPU's high percentile ranking indicates it is unlikely to bottleneck even at 1080p, while the GPU's lower percentile (though still strong) means it determines the upper bound of performance, especially at higher resolutions.

The nearest rival CPUs (AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, Ryzen 9 7940HX, Ryzen 9 7950X, Intel Core Ultra 7 265K) all have average benchmark scores within 1% of the i7-14700KF, meaning any of these processors paired with the RX 9070 would likely produce nearly identical results in Inside. Similarly, the nearest rival GPUs (GTX TITAN Z, RX 6800S, RTX 3080 Mobile, RTX 2080 SUPER) have scores within 1.2% of the RX 9070, so swapping the GPU for any of these would also yield very similar in-game performance. The 799th rank is therefore not an indication of weak performance but rather a result of the sheer number of high-end combinations tested that exceed the already high performance of this system.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver well above 200 FPS on average, with High at 217 FPS, Medium at 346 FPS, and Low at 409 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 11 FPS (217 vs 206), suggesting that Ultra provides diminishing returns over High. For the best visual quality at 1080p, Ultra at 206 FPS is perfectly playable and offers the highest fidelity.

At 1440p, the pattern is similar: High delivers 156 FPS, Medium 249 FPS, and Ultra 148 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is 8 FPS (156 vs 148), making High the more efficient choice if the visual difference is negligible. However, all presets exceed 144 FPS, which is the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors, so any preset works well at this resolution. Medium at 249 FPS provides a substantial margin for frame time consistency, while Ultra at 148 FPS still clears the 144 Hz bar.

At 4K, the choice becomes more significant. High delivers 98 FPS, Medium 157 FPS, and Ultra drops to 93 FPS. The Medium preset stands out as the best balance, offering 157 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and maximum of 180 FPS — the only 4K preset with reported min/max values. This suggests that Medium at 4K provides both high average performance and good frame pacing. High at 98 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, but Ultra at 93 FPS offers only a marginal improvement over High while reducing performance by 5 FPS.

For the best overall experience, Medium settings at 4K provide the highest frame rates (157 FPS) with the most stable frame times, while at 1080p and 1440p, Ultra or High are recommended depending on whether visual fidelity or maximum FPS is prioritized. Given that all presets at 1080p and 1440p exceed 144 FPS, the recommendation is to use Ultra at these resolutions for the best visuals without sacrificing smoothness.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 217 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, providing a very smooth experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck this system in Inside?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 69th percentile indicates the GPU has less headroom relative to its peers, and the consistent 24-28% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings points to resolution-driven GPU load.

Q: How does the 4K Medium preset compare to 4K High in terms of performance?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium averages 157 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and maximum of 180 FPS, while High averages 98 FPS. This represents a 60% performance advantage for Medium over High, making Medium the better choice for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

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

A: All presets at 2560x1440 exceed 144 FPS, with Low at 311 FPS, Medium at 249 FPS, High at 156 FPS, and Ultra at 148 FPS. For the best visual quality while maintaining high frame rates, High or Ultra are recommended, as both stay above the 144 Hz threshold.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 93 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, though it falls short of high-refresh-rate targets.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Inside?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 799th out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21.5% of all systems tested for this game.

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

At 1920x1080, the system produces the following average frame rates: Low settings deliver 409 FPS, Medium delivers 346 FPS with a minimum of 294 FPS and maximum of 398 FPS, High delivers 217 FPS, and Ultra delivers 206 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 1080p configuration with reported min/max values, indicating stable frame pacing.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 311 FPS, Medium at 249 FPS with a minimum of 212 FPS and maximum of 287 FPS, High at 156 FPS, and Ultra at 148 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 24% (Low) to 28% (High and Ultra), showing a consistent scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves: Low at 196 FPS, Medium at 157 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and maximum of 180 FPS, High at 98 FPS, and Ultra at 93 FPS. The reduction from 1440p to 4K is approximately 37% across all settings, confirming that the GPU's rendering load increases proportionally with pixel count. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance with the highest average FPS among the non-Low presets and the only reported frame time range at this resolution.