Inside

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination delivers measured performance in Inside, a puzzle platformer released in 2016. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $384, and the GPU has a launch MSRP of 399 USD. This analysis uses measured FPS data across resolutions and settings, along with component benchmark scores, to interpret how this pairing behaves.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear downward trend as resolution increases, across all four settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate is 176 at 1920x1080, 123.7 at 2560x1440, and 81 at 3840x2160. At Low settings, the values are 348, 251.3, and 156.8 respectively. Medium settings yield 274.4 at 1080p, 198.3 at 1440p, and 128.1 at 4K. Ultra settings produce 163 at 1080p, 118.1 at 1440p, and 72.2 at 4K.

The drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial: at High, the 4K average of 81 is less than half of the 1080p value of 176. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. Even at Low settings, the 4K average of 156.8 is far below the 1080p Low of 348, showing that the resolution increase imposes a heavy load on the graphics card. The game itself is not demanding by modern standards, but the scaling behavior is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It features 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 44557, and its single-core score is 6290. The average benchmark score for this CPU is 70104, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-14700K, with a delta of 0%, meaning they perform identically on average. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is 0.4% higher, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is 1.3% lower.

In Inside, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 348 FPS, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. The strong single-core performance (6290 in Cinebench R23 single) helps in a game that likely relies on a few threads. The 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample multi-threading headroom, but the game does not appear to stress the CPU heavily, as even at 1080p Ultra the frame rate remains at 163. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking indicates it is a top-tier part, and the data shows it is more than sufficient for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1410 MHz, boost clock is 1665 MHz, and memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). It has 4864 shading units, 152 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 38 RT cores, and 152 tensor cores, with a FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS. Its average benchmark score is 25120, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, with a delta of -0.2%, meaning the RTX 3060 Ti is slightly below that mobile GPU. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is 0.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon 890M is also 0.5% higher.

In Inside, the GPU's influence becomes dominant at 4K. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as it is not a memory-intensive title. The high memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s helps maintain performance at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 72.2, while at 1080p Ultra it is 163. This 90 FPS difference highlights the GPU's role as the bottleneck at 4K. Even at 4K Low, the frame rate of 156.8 is lower than the 1080p Low of 348, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component at that resolution. The GPU's 69th percentile ranking is consistent with its mid-range positioning, and the measured results reflect that.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 770th out of 1671 tested combos in Inside. This places it in the upper-middle range of all tested pairings. The CPU is in the 96th percentile, while the GPU is in the 69th percentile, so the overall rank is pulled down by the GPU's lower relative standing. Many combos with stronger GPUs will outperform this setup, but it still sits above the median. The CPU's nearest rival, the i7-14700K, has a delta of 0%, meaning they are effectively equal, while the GPU's nearest rival, the RX 6700M, is 0.2% higher. This pairing of a top-tier CPU with a mid-tier GPU results in a balanced system that is not at the top of the charts but is far from the bottom. The rank of 770 indicates that for a game like Inside, which is not graphically demanding, the GPU is the more significant factor in determining overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver high frame rates: Low 348, Medium 274.4, High 176, and Ultra 163. Even Ultra exceeds 160 FPS, so any setting is playable, and the choice comes down to visual preference. At 2560x1440, High yields 123.7 FPS, Ultra 118.1, Medium 198.3, and Low 251.3. High and Ultra are both above 100 FPS, making them viable for high-refresh-rate displays. At 3840x2160, the data shows a clear trade-off: Low 156.8, Medium 128.1, High 81, and Ultra 72.2. For a smooth experience at 4K, Medium provides 128.1 FPS, which is significantly higher than High's 81 and Ultra's 72.2, while still being a higher preset than Low. The measured rows indicate that Medium at 4K offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as it nearly doubles the FPS of High while remaining above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p, High or Ultra are both strong choices, with High at 123.7 and Ultra at 118.1. For 1080p, any preset works, but Ultra provides the highest quality at 163 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 81.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, even Low settings yield 156.8 FPS, while 1080p Low reaches 348. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rate drops significantly with resolution increase.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos in Inside?*

A: It ranks 770th out of 1671 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle range.

Q: What are the CPU's Cinebench R23 scores?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 44557 in multicore and 6290 in single-core.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which settings are recommended for 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High yields 123.7 FPS and Ultra yields 118.1, both above 100 FPS, making them suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.