Inside

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

The Intel Core i7-14700KF sits at the heart of this combo, bringing 20 cores and 28 threads to the workload. This hybrid arrangement pairs performance cores with efficiency cores, all running from a 3.40 GHz base clock up to a 5.60 GHz boost. The processor is built on Intel's 10 nm process node with a 125 W TDP, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700 platform. For a puzzle platformer like Inside, which is not known for heavily threaded physics or simulation workloads, the sheer core count matters less than the high boost clock for maintaining frame pacing.

Looking at the benchmark data, the i7-14700KF posts strong synthetic results: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. In Geekbench, it reaches 19287 multi-core and 2972 single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 52425 further confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios. What stands out in this game's measured FPS is that even at 4K High settings, the combo delivers 100.9 FPS average, which indicates that the CPU's single-thread throughput — reflected in that 633 Cinebench R15 single-core score — is more than adequate for the game's logical thread demands.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache also contributes to the fluid experience, helping to keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores. In the context of Inside, which features a dark, atmospheric side-scrolling world with modest AI and collision checks, the i7-14700KF's 5.60 GHz boost clock ensures that the main game thread rarely stalls. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs reinforces that this is a top-tier part, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores nearly identically at 70074 average benchmark points with a 0% delta, meaning the KF variant loses nothing in practical performance for this game.

# FAQ

*Q: Does the Intel Core i7-14700KF bottleneck the RTX 3080 Ti in Inside?*

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 407.6 FPS average, and at 4K Ultra it still manages 100.8 FPS. The CPU's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290) is well above what this game requires, so the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its closest CPU rival in overall benchmark scores?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores 70074, a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 9115 comes close at 69887 (0.3% slower), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is slightly ahead at 70420 (-0.4% delta from the i7-14700KF's perspective).

Q: What is the CPU's launch MSRP and how does that fit into the system?

A: The launch MSRP for the Intel Core i7-14700KF is $384. This places it as a high-end desktop processor, appropriate for pairing with a flagship-tier GPU like the RTX 3080 Ti.

Q: Is the CPU's 125 W TDP a concern for sustained gaming?

A: The data available does not include thermal throttling measurements. However, the benchmark results show consistent high FPS across all settings and resolutions, suggesting that the 125 W TDP is managed effectively within the platform's power delivery.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads?

A: Inside is a puzzle platformer that is unlikely to utilize all 20 cores. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (407.6) versus 4K Ultra (100.8) shows a typical GPU-bound scaling pattern, indicating that the game's performance is not limited by core count but by graphics load.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance influence the game's frame times?

A: The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 633 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4480 suggest strong single-thread capability. In a game like Inside, where the main game logic runs on one or two threads, this ensures that frame times remain stable, as evidenced by the consistent averages across all measured configurations.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 232.1 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 168 FPS, and at 4K High it falls further to 100.9 FPS. This represents a 56.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is a substantial but expected decline for a game that becomes more pixel-pushing intensive at higher resolutions.

Looking at the Low settings across resolutions, the trend is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the system hits 407.6 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 327.5 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 204.4 FPS. The 1080p to 4K drop at Low settings is 49.8%, which is slightly less than the High settings drop. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is starting to exert some influence on the upper frame rate ceiling, as the GPU has less work to do per frame.

The Ultra settings tell a similar story: 1080p Ultra yields 217.1 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 158.5 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 100.8 FPS. The 1080p to 4K reduction here is 53.6%. Across all settings, the consistent ~50-56% drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering throughput is the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily at 4K, which is why the FPS scales down so predictably.

What is notable is that the gap between High and Ultra settings is very small at each resolution. At 4K, High yields 100.9 FPS and Ultra yields 100.8 FPS — a negligible 0.1 FPS difference. This suggests that the Ultra preset adds little graphical overhead beyond High for this game, or that the GPU is hitting a performance ceiling that both settings approach equally. The Medium settings sit in between, with 166.5 FPS at 4K, confirming that the rendering load is the primary variable driving FPS changes across resolutions.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 255th out of 1671 combos. This places it in the top 15.3% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a CPU-GPU pairing that was not the absolute latest generation at the time of testing.

The rank of 255 out of 1671 indicates that while this system performs well, there are 254 other combinations that deliver higher average FPS in this game. Given that the RTX 3080 Ti has an 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, and the i7-14700KF has a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, the combo's 255th position suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor for achieving top-tier scores. Higher-ranked combos likely pair the RTX 3080 Ti with even faster CPUs, or use newer GPUs like the RTX 3090 or RTX 5070, which appear in the GPU's nearest rivals list with average scores of 41441 and 41687, respectively.

The fact that this combo achieves 100.9 FPS at 4K High while ranking 255th overall implies that the top 254 combos are pulling ahead primarily at lower resolutions where CPU headroom matters more. At 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti's 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the key constraint, and the CPU's role diminishes. The rank is respectable for a system with an end-of-life GPU, and the measured FPS figures show that it remains highly playable across all settings and resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the graphics powerhouse in this combo, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, with 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and boosts to 1665 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for high-resolution textures and effects.

In Inside, which features a monochromatic, high-contrast art style with dynamic lighting and shadow effects, the GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are not heavily utilized since the game does not rely on ray tracing or DLSS. Instead, the raw rasterization performance — 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 532.8 GTexel/s texture rate — drives the frame rates. The measured FPS shows that the GPU scales predictably with resolution, as seen in the 407.6 FPS at 1080p Low versus 100.8 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The RTX 3080 Ti's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs places it behind the very latest cards but still ahead of the majority. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3090 with a 0.5% higher average score, and the RTX 5070 with a 1.1% higher average score. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and NVIDIA Tesla M40 are also close, but those are workstation cards. The GPU's 350 W TDP and suggested 750 W PSU requirement indicate it is a power-hungry component, but the benchmark results justify that draw for high-refresh-rate gaming at 4K.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in Inside, as the game's art style does not require massive texture pools. The FPS differences between High and Ultra settings at 4K (100.9 vs 100.8) suggest that the VRAM bandwidth is sufficient for both presets, and the slight difference is within the margin of measurement. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26896 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 further corroborate its strong mid-to-high-end positioning.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 407.6 FPS average, Medium reaches 363.4 FPS, High drops to 232.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 217.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 44.2 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 15 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from High to Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS figures scale down proportionally. Low settings average 327.5 FPS, Medium hits 261.9 FPS, High reaches 168 FPS, and Ultra comes in at 158.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 80.1 FPS (a 19.6% reduction), while at Ultra settings the drop is 58.6 FPS (a 27% reduction). This indicates that higher settings become relatively more demanding at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 204.4 FPS, Medium yields 166.5 FPS, High produces 100.9 FPS, and Ultra matches at 100.8 FPS. The 1440p to 4K transition at Low settings drops 123.1 FPS (a 37.6% reduction), and at Ultra settings the drop is 57.7 FPS (a 36.4% reduction). The near-identical High and Ultra scores at 4K (100.9 vs 100.8) suggest that the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling, likely due to pixel fill rate or memory bandwidth saturation.

The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti maintains playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, with 100.8 FPS being well above the 60 FPS threshold. For competitive play at 1080p, the 407.6 FPS at Low settings provides an exceptionally smooth experience, though most players would likely prefer Medium or High for visual fidelity, which still deliver 363.4 and 232.1 FPS respectively. Overall, this combo excels across all resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom and the GPU dictating performance at higher pixel counts.