Inside

Inside is a 2016 puzzle platformer that scales remarkably well on modern hardware, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shows a combo that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of how this specific processor and graphics card interact with the game’s engine, revealing distinct performance tiers across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the data is how average frame rates collapse as resolution increases, which is a textbook indicator of GPU limitation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 295 FPS, but this drops to 212 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 133 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the lowest preset, showing that the RX 7600 XT’s rendering pipeline becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count grows.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 147 FPS at 1080p, to 106 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 67 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly pronounced, with the 4K figure being roughly 37% lower than the 1440p result. This steep drop-off at 4K indicates that the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game, but the compute throughput of the 2048 shading units becomes the limiting factor.

Interestingly, the difference between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the difference between 1440p and 4K at most settings. For Medium, the 1080p average is 236 FPS, while 1440p yields 170 FPS, a 28% reduction. However, moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium reduces the average from 170 FPS to 107 FPS, a 37% drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that while the CPU can easily feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the graphics card’s fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are increasingly taxed as the render target expands.

The data supports a clear conclusion: this is a GPU-bound scenario at 1440p and 4K, with the CPU having ample headroom. At 1080p, the frame rates exceed 140 FPS even on Ultra, which means the Intel Core Ultra 7 265’s 20 cores are not a constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS versus the 4K Low result of 133 FPS also shows that the game’s visual effects have a significant cost, but the resolution itself is the dominant factor in performance scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Inside, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT holds a rank of 1767 out of 2887 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the field, which is surprising given the high frame rates measured. The rank reflects the overall distribution of results across all hardware combinations tested, and the fact that many other setups achieve even higher averages likely stems from more powerful GPUs that are not as constrained at 4K.

The combo’s percentile positioning is worth examining against the individual components. The CPU itself sits in the 93rd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64823 and is only 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64438 and is 0.3% slower. This indicates the 265 is a top-tier processor for this game, but the GPU’s 60th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average score of 17083, pulls the overall combo rank down.

Looking at the GPU’s nearest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208 and is 0.7% faster, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 and is 0.3% slower. The RX 7600 XT is clearly positioned in a competitive mid-range segment, and its performance in Inside aligns with this. The 1767th rank out of 2887 combos suggests that while the frame rates are playable, there are many combinations that deliver higher averages, likely due to stronger graphics cards that can maintain higher FPS at 4K.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s high percentile and the combo’s middling rank reinforces the GPU-bound nature of this game. The data shows that the processor is not the limiting factor, and any ranking improvements would require a more powerful graphics card rather than a faster CPU. The measured results for this specific pairing are consistent with what the component-level benchmarks would predict for a game like Inside, which is not particularly demanding on CPU resources.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 295 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This demonstrates the combo’s ability to deliver extremely high frame rates when the resolution and visual fidelity are reduced.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 or the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Low, the average drops to 133 FPS from 295 FPS at 1080p Low, while the CPU’s high percentile ranking (93rd) and the GPU’s lower percentile (60th) suggest the graphics card limits performance as resolution increases.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 63 FPS. This is the lowest average in the entire dataset, showing that the most demanding configuration is still playable but leaves little headroom for dips.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 212 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 101 FPS. This represents a 52% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings at that resolution.

Q: Does the 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 7600 XT appear to be a limiting factor?

A: The benchmark results do not show any VRAM-related stuttering or anomalies, and the game runs smoothly at all settings. The 16 GB capacity is more than sufficient for Inside, as the data shows consistent average frame rates without indication of memory swapping.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1767th out of 2887 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle range, which is consistent with the GPU’s mid-range performance class despite the CPU being in the top percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting at 1920x1080, the combo delivers outstanding performance across all presets. At Low settings, the average is 295 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 236 FPS, with a minimum of 201 FPS and a maximum of 271 FPS, showing a tight performance band. High settings produce 147 FPS on average, while Ultra settings yield 140 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is minimal, only 7 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are not heavily taxing at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages scale down proportionally. Low settings deliver 212 FPS, which is still exceptionally high and only 28% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 170 FPS, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS, indicating that the game remains smooth even in demanding scenes. High settings produce 106 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 101 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 5 FPS, similar to the 1080p pattern, showing that the Ultra preset’s impact is consistent across these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. Low settings average 133 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 55% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS, meaning the game stays above 60 FPS but with less headroom. High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra settings average 63 FPS. The 4K results show that the Ultra preset is barely playable, while Low and Medium remain comfortable for most display refresh rates.

The data reveals that Medium settings offer the best combination of visual quality and performance, particularly at 1440p where it delivers 170 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset’s 107 FPS average is more than 60% higher than the Ultra preset’s 63 FPS, making it the recommended choice for high-resolution gaming with this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial data storage for game logic, and the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on a dual-channel DDR5 interface ensures the CPU can feed data to the GPU efficiently.

In Inside, the CPU’s role is minimal due to the game’s relatively simple physics and puzzle mechanics. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the frame rates exceed 140 FPS even at Ultra settings. This indicates that the 265’s high single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960, is more than sufficient for the game’s threading model.

The processor’s PassMark multithread score of 49682 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, but these strengths are not fully utilized by Inside. The data shows that the frame rates at 1080p Low (295 FPS) versus 4K Low (133 FPS) are determined by GPU load, not CPU capability. The 265’s 20 cores are largely idle during gameplay, as the game is not designed to scale across that many threads.

The CPU’s integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units is present, but the discrete RX 7600 XT handles all rendering. The processor’s boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides quick response times for game logic, but the measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this pairing, even at the highest frame rates observed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 236 FPS on average, which is 60 FPS higher than High settings and 96 FPS higher than Ultra settings. The minimum of 201 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain above 200 FPS, providing a smooth experience on any high-refresh-rate monitor.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 170 FPS on average, with a minimum of 144 FPS. This is a significant improvement over High settings (106 FPS) and Ultra settings (101 FPS), while still maintaining a frame rate that exceeds 144 Hz. For users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p is the optimal choice, as it provides a 60% performance boost over High with minimal visual degradation in a game like Inside.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings average 107 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays. The minimum of 91 FPS means the game occasionally dips below 100 FPS, but it remains above 60 FPS throughout. Low settings at 4K provide 133 FPS on average, which is a better option for 4K gaming if the user prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as the 63 FPS average leaves little headroom and may cause noticeable drops in complex scenes.

The data suggests that users should default to Medium settings for the best experience across all resolutions. For 1080p and 1440p, Medium provides exceptional performance with no compromise on playability. For 4K, Medium is acceptable, but Low settings offer a safer margin for maintaining high frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, featuring 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. Its boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz drive a peak FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS, which is reflected in the game’s frame rates. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Inside’s textures and scene data.

The GPU’s performance in Inside is characterized by its scaling with resolution. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the 295 FPS average at Low settings. The pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s are more than adequate for the game’s 2D-style visuals. However, as resolution increases to 4K, the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors.

The 4K results show the GPU’s limitations. At Low settings, the 133 FPS average is only 45% of the 1080p Low result, indicating that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is saturated. The Ultra preset at 4K yields 63 FPS, which is below the 60th percentile ranking of the GPU among all cards. This aligns with the GPU’s nearest rival data, where the RTX 3070 is 0.7% faster, and the GTX 690 is 0.3% slower, confirming that the RX 7600 XT is a mid-range card that struggles with 4K Ultra settings in more demanding scenarios.

The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM never appears to be a constraint, as the game’s memory footprint is well within this capacity. The measured FPS data shows consistent performance without any dips that would indicate memory swapping. The GPU’s role is clearly the dominant factor in the combo’s performance at higher resolutions, and its 60th percentile ranking is the primary reason the overall combo rank is 1767th out of 2887.