Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer with a deliberately minimal aesthetic, yet the measured performance data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination reveals that this hardware is dramatically overqualified for the title, pushing frame rates into the hundreds even at 4K. The benchmark results show a system that is entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of extreme frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of virtually any display, making the experience exceptionally smooth across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1080p and 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combination produces an average of 256 FPS; stepping up to 1440p High drops that to 184 FPS, and then 4K High falls to 116 FPS. This represents a 55% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is substantial but still leaves the game running well above any competitive threshold.

The pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 409. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 367 FPS, and 4K Low still manages an enormous 231 FPS average. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings results in a 37% performance hit, which shows that even at lowest settings, pixel fill rate becomes a meaningful limitation for the RTX 4070 SUPER. The 4K Low result of 231 FPS still leaves the GPU as the limiting component, but the gap between 409 FPS at 1080p Low and 231 FPS at 4K is a 43.5% reduction, indicating that the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth are being stressed by the higher pixel count and the game's unique rendering.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min and max FPS, revealing the scaling pattern. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 185 with a minimum of 157 and a maximum of 213 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average jumps to 294 FPS with a minimum of 250 and a maximum of 338 FPS, and at 1080p Medium the numbers reach an average of 378 with a minimum of 321 and a maximum of 435. The step from 4K to 1440p represents a 59% improvement in average FPS, while 1440p to 1080p yields a 28.6% improvement. This non-linear scaling strongly suggests that at 1080p the CPU and memory subsystem are beginning to become relevant, though the 409 FPS at Low shows the CPU is not a hard bottleneck.

Ultra settings show the same pattern, but with the lowest overall frame rates. The 4K Ultra average is 110 FPS, 1440p Ultra yields 175 FPS, and 1080p Ultra produces 244 FPS. The transition from 4K to 1440p provides a +59% increase, which is identical to the Medium preset's scaling, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor in these resolution transitions. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 55% performance drop, which is very similar to the High preset's 55% drop. This consistent scaling across settings indicates that the limiting component at 1440p and 4K is overwhelmingly the RTX 4070, and not the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The benchmark results indicate this is a top-tier consumer CPU, ranked in the 94th percentile among all CPUs tested on this site. Its average benchmark score is 70,163, which places it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, but 1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.

In the context of Inside, the CPU role is minimal because the game is an older title with relatively simple physics and logic. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 409, which is a frame rate that would heavily stress the CPU. Yet the i7-14700KF delivers this, indicating that its high single-thread performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,235 points, is more than sufficient. The processor's 28 threads and 33 MB of shared L3 cache are far more than this puzzle platformer needs.

The limiting factor at 1080p is not the CPU but the game's own frame rate ceiling or the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium settings is small (409 vs 378 FPS), while the jump from Medium to High (378 to 256 FPS) is much larger, suggesting that the High preset introduces GPU-intensive effects that the CPU can still handle. The i7-14700KF's 125W TDP and 10nm process are irrelevant to the actual game performance, as the CPU is never the bottleneck in any of the measured configurations.

The processor's high multi-threaded performance, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,167 points, does not translate into a measurable advantage in this game. The frame rates at 1080p Low (409 FPS) and 1440p Low (367 FPS) are both likely limited by the game's engine or the GPU's ability to issue draw calls, rather than the CPU. The 1440p Low result is only 10% lower than 1080p Low, which is a modest drop and indicates that the game's workload does not scale with the CPU core count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of performance in Inside. It has a boost clock of 2475 MHz, 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, and a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU is ranked in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43,223, placing it just 0.1% above the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and 1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile.

The GPU's role is to render the game's distinctive visuals, which include a limited color palette and lighting, but the data shows that even at 4K Ultra the game runs at 110 FPS average. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are more than adequate for the game's 2.5D side-scrolling perspective. At 4K Low, the average FPS of 231 shows that the GPU is still able to deliver a very playable frame rate, but the jump to 4K Ultra reduces frame by 52% (from 231 to 110 FPS), which is a significant drop caused by the increased shading and texture work.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in Inside, as the game does not require large textures. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is likely the reason why 4K performance is still high, but the scaling from 1440p to 4K at every setting shows a consistent drop, with the average FPS being roughly 55-60% of the 1440p value. For instance, at Medium, 4K is 185 FPS versus 294 FPS at 1440p, a 37% drop.

The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and its architecture are well-suited for this game, as Inside is not graphically demanding. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU does not drop below 110 FPS, indicating that the game is not pushing the RTX 4070 to its limits. The GPU's performance in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 4,627 points, but this does not directly translate to Inside's performance, which is more dependent on fill rate and simple shading.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings for this combination?

A: The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 110 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS recorded in the dataset, but it is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 409 FPS, which is an excellent frame rate. The CPU's performance percentile is 94th, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,167 is far in excess of what this game requires.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43,223. It is 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43,262), 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, and 1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile.

Q: What is the smallest performance gap between 1440p and 4K?

A: At Low settings, the 1440p average FPS is 367 and 4K is 231, which is a 37% drop. At High settings, the drop from 184 to 116 FPS is 37% as well. The Medium preset shows a larger drop: 294 to 185 FPS, a 37% reduction.

Q: Which setting preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1080p provides the highest measured FPS, with an average of 409 FPS. The Medium preset is slightly behind at 378 FPS, and High and Ultra are 256 and 244 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the frame rate at 4K Low higher than 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes. The 4K Low average FPS is 231, while the 1080p Ultra is 244 FPS. The 4K Low is 5% lower than 1080p Ultra, which shows the resolution has a substantial impact on the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the goal. For maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an average of 409 FPS, which is beneficial for players with 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays. However, the visual difference between Low and High in Inside is likely minimal because the game's art style is flat-shaded and monochromatic. The Medium preset at 1440p provides 294 FPS average, which is an excellent middle ground.

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1440p is the best choice. It delivers an average of 294 FPS with a minimum of 250 and maximum of 338 FPS, which is smooth on any current display. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 175 FPS average, which is still very high, but the visual improvement over Medium is probably not discernible given the game's art direction. At 4K, the High preset delivers 116 FPS average, which is above 60 FPS but requires a 120Hz display to fully utilize.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended option, as it provides 185 FPS average with a minimum of 157, which is a very smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 4K is only 110 FPS, which is still playable but shows that the GPU is not designed for max settings at this resolution. The High preset at 4K is 116 FPS, which is a 9% drop from 1440p Medium, but it is still above 100 FPS. The Low preset at 4K is 231 FPS, but it is not recommended for a game like Inside where the art style is a key feature.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 409 FPS, Medium 378 FPS (minimum 321, maximum 435), High 256 FPS, and Ultra 244 FPS. The frame rates show a non-linear pattern where Low is only 8% faster than Medium, but Medium is 38% faster than High. This indicates that Medium is the most efficient setting at 1080p, as it provides 378 FPS with a minimum of 321.

At 2560x1440, Low delivers 367 FPS, Medium 294 FPS (minimum 250, maximum 338), High 184 FPS, and Ultra 175 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low is a 10% drop, while at High it is a 22% drop, and at Ultra it is a 24% drop. The Medium preset shows a 22% drop from 1080p to 1440p (from 378 to 294 FPS).

At 3840x2160, Low yields 231 FPS, Medium 185 FPS (minimum 157, maximum 213), High 116 FPS, and Ultra 110 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K is the most severe: Low drops by 37%, Medium by 37%, High by 37%, and Ultra by 37%. This consistent 37% drop across all settings confirms that the 4K resolution is the primary bottleneck, and the RTX 4070's pixel rate is the limiting factor.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings: 321 FPS at 1080p, 250 FPS at 1440p, and 157 FPS at 4K. These minimums are all above 150 FPS, indicating that even the worst-case frame rate is high enough to avoid stuttering on typical displays. The maximum FPS values are 435 at 1080p, 338 at 1440p, and 213 at 4K, which shows the GPU's peak capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination is ranked 321st out of 3,716 tested combinations for Inside, which places it in the top 8.6% of all tested systems. This is a strong ranking, but it is not the top tier because the GPU is a mid-range card, not a flagship. The combo's rank is influenced by the GPU's position in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 94th percentile.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 43,223, which is 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and 1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile. The CPU's average score of 70,163 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and 1% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. These scores indicate that the combination is well-matched, but the slightly below-average GPU performance in comparison to the CPU's strength means the frame rates in Inside are limited by the GPU at higher resolutions.

The ranking of 321st out of 3,716 combos is a direct result of the GPU's performance in this game. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 110, which is lower than what a more powerful GPU would achieve, but the combination still offers an excellent experience. The combo's rank is better than the GPU's percentile (83rd) because the CPU's strong gaming performance helps at lower resolutions, where the game is not GPU-bound. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 409 FPS, which is higher than the GPU's 83rd percentile would suggest, because the CPU's single-core strength is sufficient to drive the frame rate.

The combo's rank of 321 out of 3,716 is a reflection of the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, which are more than enough for Inside. The GPU's 7,168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units are not fully utilized by this game, but the measured data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K.