Inside

The Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 pairing in Inside is a study in extreme hardware headroom. The data shows that this 2016 puzzle platformer is thoroughly dominated by both components, with frame rates reaching into the hundreds at nearly every tested configuration. This analysis walks through the measured performance, component roles, and scaling characteristics to illustrate how this combination behaves under the game's modest graphical demands.

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

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 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 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and it includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the discrete GPU handles all rendering here.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. Its Geekbench scores are 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score reaches 58674, with a single-thread score of 4697. These numbers place the CPU in the 95th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 79097. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 79574 (0.6% higher). The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041 (1.2% higher), while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 trails at 77740 (1.7% lower).

For Inside, the CPU's role is minimal because the game's puzzle-platformer mechanics rely on simple physics and object interactions rather than complex simulation. The measured FPS data shows that even at the highest settings and resolutions, the frame rates are never limited by the processor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 353 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays. This indicates the i9-14900K's single-core performance, as evidenced by its 4697 PassMark single-thread score, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The 24 cores and 32 threads are largely idle in this workload, as Inside does not scale across that many threads. The CPU's high boost clock of 6.00 GHz ensures that any single-threaded bottleneck is effectively eliminated, leaving the GPU as the sole determinant of frame rate at lower resolutions.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a chip codenamed Wheat Nas featuring 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz, a boost clock of 2459 MHz, and a game clock of 2041 MHz. Memory operates at 2438 MHz with 19.5 Gbps effective speed across a 256-bit bus, yielding 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 40 ray-tracing cores. Its theoretical peak performance includes 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s.

In benchmark results, the RX 7700 scores 20974 in PassMark G3D and 106028 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2865. The GPU sits in the 58th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 (1.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 (1.7% higher).

For Inside, the GPU's role is more significant than the CPU's, but still not demanding. The game's visual style uses a dark, atmospheric palette with simple geometry and 2D-like rendering. The RX 7700's 16 GB of VRAM is far beyond what Inside requires; the game's textures and assets are small by modern standards. The 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is also excessive for this workload, as the game does not generate heavy memory traffic. The GPU's 2459 MHz boost clock and 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the key factors driving frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 353 FPS, which suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter even at that resolution, since the CPU could theoretically push higher. However, the scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows that the GPU's workload increases with settings, and the frame rate drops accordingly. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 76, indicating that the GPU's compute and pixel throughput are being taxed more heavily, though still delivering a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The measured data places this combination at rank 1161 out of 2887 tested combinations in Inside. This ranking reflects the overall frame rate performance across all tested resolutions and settings. The rank of 1161 out of 2887 puts this combo in roughly the 60th percentile of all tested combos, meaning about 40% of combinations achieve higher average frame rates.

This rank may seem modest given the hardware's capabilities, but it is important to consider the context. Inside is a lightweight game, and many tested combinations likely use less powerful CPUs and GPUs that still hit very high frame rates due to the game's low requirements. The i9-14900K and RX 7700 are both high-end parts, but the game's ceiling for frame rate is not bounded by hardware in the same way as a AAA 3D title. The combo's rank is determined by how it performs across the tested matrix, and the data shows that at 1080p Low, it achieves 353 FPS, which is near the top of what any combination might achieve. However, at 4K Ultra, the 76 FPS average is lower than what some other combos with more powerful GPUs might deliver, which could push this combo down in the rankings. The rank also reflects that the RX 7700 is a mid-range GPU in the overall hierarchy, as evidenced by its 58th percentile ranking among GPUs, while the CPU is in the 95th percentile. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-tier GPU means the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, which prevents the combo from ranking higher.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 353 FPS on Low settings, 282 FPS on Medium, 177 FPS on High, and 168 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but still a very smooth experience. The drop from Low to Ultra is 185 FPS, which is a 52.4% reduction, showing that settings have a substantial impact on this GPU at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 254 FPS on Low, 203 FPS on Medium, 127 FPS on High, and 121 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting at 1440p shows a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at each setting level is consistent: Low drops from 353 to 254 FPS (a 28% decrease), Medium drops from 282 to 203 FPS (a 28% decrease), High drops from 177 to 127 FPS (a 28% decrease), and Ultra drops from 168 to 121 FPS (a 28% decrease). This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary factor, and the game's workload scales evenly with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 160 FPS on Low, 128 FPS on Medium, 80 FPS on High, and 76 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting at 4K shows a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced: Low drops from 254 to 160 FPS (a 37% decrease), Medium drops from 203 to 128 FPS (a 37% decrease), High drops from 127 to 80 FPS (a 37% decrease), and Ultra drops from 121 to 76 FPS (a 37% decrease). This larger percentage drop at 4K is expected, as the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K, and the GPU's fill rate becomes the limiting factor.

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

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals which component is the bottleneck at each resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, with Low settings hitting 353 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is still the primary limiter, as the CPU could theoretically push higher frame rates, but the GPU's rendering pipeline is saturated. The 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings is proportional to the 1.77x increase in pixel count, which indicates that the GPU's pixel fill rate is the limiting factor. The fact that the percentage drop is identical across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings at this resolution transition suggests that the game's shader complexity does not change the scaling behavior — the GPU is purely pixel-bound.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a 37% drop in frame rates, which is less than the 2.25x increase in pixel count might suggest. This indicates that the GPU is not purely pixel-bound at 4K; other factors such as memory bandwidth or shader execution begin to play a role. The RX 7700's 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is being utilized more heavily at 4K, and the 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 compute is also taxed. The fact that the drop from 1440p to 4K is 37% rather than the 55% that a pixel-bound scenario would predict suggests that the GPU still has some headroom in its compute resources, but the memory subsystem is becoming a secondary bottleneck.

Across all settings, the CPU shows no signs of being a limiting factor. The i9-14900K's high single-core performance, as measured by its 4697 PassMark score, ensures that even at 1080p Low with 353 FPS, the CPU can deliver draw calls and game logic without becoming a bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiter, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at a certain level regardless of resolution, but the data shows a clear decrease with increasing resolution, confirming the GPU is the primary constraint.

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

Looking at the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 282 FPS average with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS. This frame rate range is well above the refresh rate of any standard monitor, and the minimum of 240 FPS ensures no visible stutter. At 1440p Medium, the average is 203 FPS with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS, which is still extremely smooth. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The High preset at 4K drops to 80 FPS average, which is still playable but shows more variation. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 76 FPS, which is the lowest measured average in the dataset. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 4 FPS (80 vs 76), suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit while incurring a performance cost. At 1080p, the difference between High and Ultra is 9 FPS (177 vs 168), which is also minimal.

For players with a 1080p or 1440p display, the Medium preset is recommended because it provides frame rates that far exceed the display refresh rate, and the minimum FPS is high enough to prevent any noticeable frame pacing issues. For players with a 4K display, the Medium preset at 128 FPS average is the best choice, as it delivers smooth gameplay with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 160 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is likely noticeable in Inside's atmospheric lighting and shadows, making Medium the better trade-off. The Ultra preset offers no meaningful advantage in this game, as the measured frame rates are still high, but the incremental improvement over High is minimal.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Inside with this hardware?*

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium provides 203 FPS average with a minimum of 173 FPS, which offers a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 4K Medium, the average is 128 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS, which is also excellent for a 4K display.

Q: Does the Intel Core i9-14900K bottleneck the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results show that frame rates decrease consistently with increasing resolution, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 353 FPS, and the CPU's single-core performance of 4697 in PassMark is more than sufficient for this game's workload.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, in this game?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher. In Inside, this translates to a small performance difference, but the measured FPS data for this combo shows that both GPUs would achieve well over 100 FPS at most settings.

Q: What is the impact of the Ultra preset on performance?

A: The Ultra preset shows the lowest measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average is 76 FPS, which is only 4 FPS lower than High at 80 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra reaches 168 FPS compared to 177 FPS on High, indicating that Ultra provides minimal visual benefit over High in this game.

*Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM necessary for Inside?*

A: No. The game's simple visuals and low texture requirements mean that even a fraction of the 16 GB would be sufficient. The RX 7700's 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM is far more than needed for this title, and the 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is also excessive.

Q: How does this combo's rank of 1161 out of 2887 reflect its performance?

A: The rank places this combo in the 60th percentile of tested combinations. This is because Inside is not demanding, and many combos with less powerful GPUs achieve high frame rates. The RX 7700 is a mid-range GPU (58th percentile), while the CPU is top-tier (95th percentile), and the GPU limits the combo at higher resolutions, preventing a higher rank.