Inside

The Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 210th out of 3716 tested combos for Inside, placing it in the top 5.7% of all hardware pairings tested for this title. This is a dominant position that reflects the substantial headroom both components bring to a game that is not exceptionally demanding. The combo’s rank demonstrates that this pairing is overkill for achieving maximum performance, but it also ensures that the game will run flawlessly at any settings configuration, with the only limitations being the refresh rate of the connected display.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 210 out of 3716 is a strong indicator of top-tier performance. This places the combo in the 94th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of systems. The data shows a clear verdict: this pairing is built for extreme performance, and Inside is easily handled. The CPU is a significant contributor to this high ranking. The Intel Core i9-14900K scores in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 (a delta of -0.3%), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 79574 (-0.6%). This indicates the i9-14900K is at the very peak of consumer CPU performance, with only marginal differences separating it from its closest competitors.

The GPU, while powerful, is ranked in the 64th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19410. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB at 19334 (a delta of 0.4%), the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19177 (1.2%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 at 19602 (-1%). This ranking is based on a broad set of benchmarks and does not diminish its capability in this specific game. The combination of a top-5th-percentile CPU and a solidly performing GPU results in a system that sits comfortably near the top of the rankings for Inside. The data confirms that this is a high-end pairing that will not struggle with any part of this game’s rendering pipeline.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the primary driver of frame rate in Inside, and its specifications show why it is capable of delivering the high scores measured. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This large memory pool is far more than Inside requires, but it ensures that there are no memory-related bottlenecks at any resolution. The GPU’s clock speeds are high, with a base clock of 1929 MHz and a boost clock of 2498 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2365 MHz. These clocks allow the GPU to process the game’s visuals quickly, and the 6144 shading units provide ample compute power.

The RX 7900 XTX is a high-end card, as evidenced by its 355 W TDP and its performance in synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 6841. Its performance in this game scales predictably with resolution and settings. For example, at 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 242 FPS on Low to 115 FPS on Ultra. This shows that the GPU is still the main factor in performance scaling, even with a powerful CPU. The GPU’s 96 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate are present, but Inside is a 2D side-scroller and does not leverage these features, so the raw rasterization performance is what matters most here. Its benchmark percentile of 64th against all GPUs is a general metric; in this specific title, the measured FPS demonstrates it is more than adequate for the task.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Inside?*

A: The combo ranks 210th out of 3716 tested combinations. This places it in the top 5.7% of all systems tested for this game, indicating exceptional performance.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, scores 79371, which is a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, a 0.6% difference, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% behind.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, offering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This large capacity and high bandwidth prevent any memory bottlenecks, even at 4K resolution.

Q: At which settings does the combo achieve its highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is achieved on Low settings, with an average of 430 FPS. On Medium settings, it scores 397 FPS, and on High, it scores 268 FPS.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate on Low settings is 385 FPS. On Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 184 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 201 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Q: Does the data show a performance difference between the CPU and GPU in terms of their percentile rankings?

A: Yes. The CPU is ranked in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is ranked in the 64th percentile against all GPUs. This suggests the CPU is a more exceptional component relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own peers.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target refresh rate of the display. For a standard 60 Hz display, every settings configuration at every resolution provides a frame rate far exceeding the refresh rate, so the Ultra preset is the best choice for maximum visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is still well above 60 FPS. For 1440p and 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 184 FPS and 255 FPS, respectively, making it entirely viable.

For users with high-refresh-rate displays (144 Hz or higher), the Medium preset offers the best balance. At 3840x2160, Medium delivers an average of 194 FPS, which is above 144 Hz. At 2560x1440, it delivers 308 FPS, and at 1920x1080, it delivers 397 FPS. These frame rates are high enough to take advantage of even the fastest gaming monitors. The Low preset provides the absolute highest frame rates (430 FPS at 1080p) but offers diminishing returns in visual quality for a game like Inside, which has a distinct art style. The High preset sits between Medium and Ultra, but the data suggests that the jump from High to Ultra is small (e.g., 193 to 184 FPS at 1440p), so choosing Ultra over High is recommended for a better visual experience with a minimal performance cost.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 242 FPS on Low, 194 FPS on Medium, 121 FPS on High, and 115 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset also recorded a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 223 FPS, indicating smooth performance with no significant drops. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 127 FPS drop, which is a 52% reduction in performance, but even the lowest average of 115 FPS is exceptionally high for 4K.

At 2560x1440, performance is even stronger. The average frame rates are 385 FPS on Low, 308 FPS on Medium, 193 FPS on High, and 184 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 262 FPS and a maximum of 355 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 9 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 115 FPS, which is a significant step down. This suggests that the Ultra preset is not much more demanding than High, but the jump from Medium to High is substantial.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are the highest. The average frame rates are 430 FPS on Low, 397 FPS on Medium, 268 FPS on High, and 255 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 337 FPS and a maximum of 456 FPS. The performance delta between Low and Medium is 33 FPS, while the delta between Medium and High is 129 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is strong enough to handle the game at very high frame rates and that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rates scale consistently with the GPU load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K plays a supporting role in this pairing, providing the computational power to ensure the GPU is never starved of data. The CPU features 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. This high core count and clock speed are more than sufficient for Inside, a game that is not heavily multithreaded but benefits from fast single-core performance. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2262.5 in single-core, and 21697 in Geekbench multicore and 2655 in single-core. These scores place it in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, confirming its elite status.

The CPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is a key indicator of its capability. It trails the Intel Core i9-14900KF by only 0.3% in average benchmark score, a negligible difference. It is also within 1.2% of the AMD EPYC 7413, which is a server-class processor. This shows that the i9-14900K is at the absolute top of the consumer desktop market. For Inside, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle game logic and physics, and its 6.00 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded tasks are processed with minimal latency. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps by keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck; the frame rates are consistently high across all settings and resolutions, which would not be the case if the CPU were struggling to keep up with the GPU’s output. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in a system that delivers exceptional performance in this title.