Inside

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Inside with the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 257 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 185 FPS, a reduction of 72 FPS (28%). At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 116 FPS, which is another 69 FPS drop (37%) from the 1440p result. This scaling is steep but not uniform, indicating that the GPU begins to hit its limits as pixel count rises.

The Medium settings row provides the most complete picture because it includes min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 206 FPS with a min of 175 and max of 237. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 148 FPS, with min 126 and max 170. At 4K Medium, the average is 93 FPS, with min 79 and max 107. The gap between min and max FPS narrows at higher resolutions — from a 62 FPS spread at 1080p to a 28 FPS spread at 4K. This compression of frame time variance suggests that at 4K, the system is more consistently bound by the GPU's throughput rather than fluctuating between CPU and GPU limits.

High settings show a similar pattern: 129 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 37 FPS drop (29%), while 1440p to 4K is a 34 FPS drop (37%). Ultra settings follow the same trajectory with 122 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between resolutions are nearly identical across High and Ultra, which indicates that the rendering cost per pixel scales consistently regardless of the preset's other effects.

What this scaling says about the limiting component is nuanced. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS figure is far beyond what the GPU alone would sustain in a heavier title, suggesting the CPU and the game's engine are capable of feeding frames at a very high rate. However, the 37% drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings — from 185 to 116 FPS — points to the RX 6600's pixel throughput as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The fact that Ultra at 4K still manages 55 FPS, only 3 FPS below High at the same resolution, indicates that the GPU is saturated regardless of which quality preset is active once you reach 4K.

The benchmark data suggests that 1080p is where this combo operates with headroom, while 1440p remains playable across all presets, and 4K requires Low or Medium settings to stay above 60 FPS. The measured 4K Low result of 116 FPS is notably higher than 4K Ultra at 55 FPS, a 61 FPS difference that shows how much GPU headroom is consumed by higher-quality rendering features in this puzzle platformer.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K scores 39,399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,262.5 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 21,697 multi-core and 2,655 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 58,674, with a single-thread score of 4,697. Data encryption in PassMark yields 46,813, while compression reaches 792,694. The processor's average benchmark score is 79,097, placing it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs tested.

For a game like Inside, which is a puzzle platformer with relatively simple geometry and limited on-screen actors, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a high frame rate ceiling. The measured FPS at 1080p Low — 257 FPS — is a direct reflection of the i9-14900K's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates without becoming a bottleneck. The single-thread performance, evidenced by the 2,262.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4,697 PassMark single-thread score, is particularly relevant because puzzle platformers often rely on a few heavily loaded threads for physics, collision detection, and scene management.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i9-14900K sits at 0.3% below the Intel Core i9-14900KF in average benchmark score, 0.6% below the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, and 1.2% below the AMD EPYC 7413. It is 1.7% above the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. These deltas are all within a narrow band, meaning the i9-14900K is essentially performance-equivalent to its closest competitors in aggregate CPU benchmarks. However, Inside's frame rate results are far more dependent on the GPU at higher resolutions, so the CPU's headroom is only fully exercised at 1080p.

The boost clock of 6.00 GHz is the standout specification for this game. At 1080p, where the GPU is not the primary constraint, the high single-core boost allows the CPU to process game logic quickly enough to sustain 257 FPS on Low and 206 FPS on Medium. The 24 cores and 32 threads are largely underutilized in Inside, but the architecture's strong per-core performance ensures that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck, the CPU never drags the average below 55 FPS. The data shows no scenario where CPU limitations manifest as a frame rate collapse; the worst measured result, 55 FPS at 4K Ultra, is still a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's pixel rate is 159.4 GPixel/s, texture rate is 279.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS.

Synthetic benchmarks for the RX 6600 include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,492, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 67,623, and an OpenCL score of 28,850. In PassMark, the G3D score is 15,096, with a GPU compute score of 6,554. The average benchmark score is 19,036, placing the GPU in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 0% delta, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at -0.1%, the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at -0.3%, and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation at +0.4%. These are all essentially identical in aggregate performance, meaning the RX 6600 sits in a tightly contested performance tier.

In Inside, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS result shows the GPU has ample headroom at the lowest pixel count and simplest rendering settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 122 FPS, a 135 FPS reduction that demonstrates how much of the GPU's throughput is consumed by higher-quality shadows, lighting, and post-processing effects. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this title at all measured settings and resolutions, as Inside's art style uses relatively simple textures and limited high-resolution assets.

The 4K results reveal the GPU's hard limits. At 4K Low, the RX 6600 manages 116 FPS, which is still smooth. At 4K Medium, it drops to 93 FPS with a min of 79 FPS. At 4K High, the average falls to 58 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is 55 FPS. The narrow 3 FPS gap between High and Ultra at 4K — 58 versus 55 — indicates that the GPU is fully saturated and the additional settings in Ultra do not meaningfully change the workload because the pixel fill rate is the limiting factor. The 4K Medium min FPS of 79 is notably higher than the 4K High average of 58, which suggests that Medium settings leave enough GPU headroom to avoid the most severe frame time spikes.

The boost clock of 2491 MHz is the key specification for this game's frame rates. Inside's 2D side-scrolling perspective with 3D-rendered elements does not heavily tax the GPU's compute units, so the RX 6600 can sustain near-boost clocks across most scenes. The 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, and even at 4K, the game's modest texture sizes prevent bandwidth from becoming a critical constraint. The data shows the GPU is the limiting component at 4K High and Ultra, but the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution — the 1080p Low result of 257 FPS confirms that neither component is holding the other back at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Inside with this combo?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates across all settings, ranging from 122 FPS at Ultra to 257 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, all presets remain above 88 FPS, which is still smooth. At 3840x2160, only Low (116 FPS) and Medium (93 FPS) are above 60 FPS, while High (58 FPS) and Ultra (55 FPS) fall below that threshold.

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

A: The combo ranks 2,869 out of 3,716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This ranking reflects the RX 6600's mid-tier performance tier — it sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs — and the i9-14900K's 95th percentile CPU performance does not compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset should I use at 4K to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 4K Medium is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 93 FPS and a minimum of 79 FPS. 4K Low is even faster at 116 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary constraint — the 257 FPS Low result shows the CPU can drive very high frame rates. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting component. The 37% frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings confirms that pixel throughput is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19,036 is essentially identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (-0.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla K20m (-0.3%). It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation. These deltas are within measurement noise, so the RX 6600 is performance-equivalent to these rivals.

Q: Does the i9-14900K's high core count help in Inside?

A: The 24 cores and 32 threads are likely underutilized in this puzzle platformer, but the CPU's strong single-core performance — evidenced by a 2,262.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score and a 6.00 GHz boost clock — ensures that game logic is never a bottleneck. The measured frame rates at 1080p (up to 257 FPS) demonstrate that the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K plus AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination ranks 2,869 out of 3,716 tested combos for Inside. This places the combo in the bottom 23% of all tested configurations. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance tier — the RX 6600 sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, which is mid-range. The CPU is at the 95th percentile, but Inside's frame rates are more sensitive to GPU performance at the resolutions where this combo struggles.

In the context of the database, a rank of 2,869 out of 3,716 means there are 847 combos that perform worse. The combo's position reflects that many tested configurations include higher-tier GPUs that achieve better 4K results. However, the i9-14900K's presence ensures that this combo does not fall further in the rankings, because the CPU prevents any CPU-bound frame rate collapse at 1080p. The measured 1080p results — 257 FPS Low, 206 FPS Medium, 129 FPS High, 122 FPS Ultra — are all above what the RX 6600 would achieve with a weaker CPU in a CPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's nearest rival deltas are all within ±1.7%, meaning the i9-14900K is interchangeable with its closest competitors for this game's purposes. The GPU's nearest rival deltas are all within ±0.4%, confirming that the RX 6600 is in a performance cluster with several other mid-range cards. The combo's rank is therefore determined more by the GPU's absolute tier than by any specific pairing advantage or disadvantage.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience with this combo. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with Ultra at 122 FPS and Low at 257 FPS. The 1080p Medium result of 206 FPS with a min of 175 FPS is the most balanced choice — it offers a substantial improvement over Low's visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Medium as the best balance. The 1440p Medium average of 148 FPS with a min of 126 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a significant visual upgrade over Low. The 1440p High preset at 92 FPS is also acceptable, but the 56 FPS gap between High and Medium — 92 versus 148 — makes Medium the more sensible choice for maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the options narrow considerably. The 4K Low result of 116 FPS is the only preset that provides a large margin above 60 FPS, while 4K Medium at 93 FPS is still comfortable. The 4K High average of 58 FPS and 4K Ultra average of 55 FPS both fall below 60 FPS, which is the typical threshold for smooth gameplay. For a puzzle platformer where frame pacing matters for precise timing, 4K Medium at 93 FPS is the recommended settings for 4K displays, as it stays above 60 FPS with headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are as follows: Low settings deliver 257 FPS, Medium delivers 206 FPS with a min of 175 FPS and max of 237 FPS, High delivers 129 FPS, and Ultra delivers 122 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with complete min/max data, showing a 62 FPS spread between minimum and maximum frame times.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 185 FPS, Medium produces 148 FPS with a min of 126 FPS and max of 170 FPS, High produces 92 FPS, and Ultra produces 88 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 44 FPS spread between min and max, which is narrower than at 1080p. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is just 4 FPS — 92 versus 88 — indicating that Ultra's additional settings have minimal impact at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, Low settings deliver 116 FPS, Medium delivers 93 FPS with a min of 79 FPS and max of 107 FPS, High delivers 58 FPS, and Ultra delivers 55 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 28 FPS spread between min and max, narrower still than at lower resolutions. The 4K High and Ultra results are within 3 FPS of each other, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated at these settings. The complete data set shows a monotonic decrease in FPS as both resolution and settings increase, with the only anomaly being the relatively small gap between High and Ultra at 4K.