Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics for Inside, a 2016 puzzle platformer. The data reveals a system where the modern 20-core processor is largely untaxed, leaving the graphics card as the definitive arbiter of frame rates across all tested configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the ranking, and interprets what the numbers mean for the overall experience.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process node. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its substantial cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and it includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units.

For a game like Inside, which is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer, the computational demands are typically modest compared to modern 3D titles. The benchmark results strongly suggest that the CPU is not a limiting factor. With a PassMark single-thread score of 4904 and a multithread score of 58838, the 265K possesses immense headroom for the game's logic and physics simulation. The game's reliance on a single or few threads is easily satisfied by the processor's high boost clock and strong single-core performance. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 278.1 FPS, a figure that is far more likely to be constrained by the GPU's geometry throughput than by the CPU. The CPU's 97th percentile ranking among all CPUs further reinforces its capability, but its nearest rivals (Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, Intel Core i9-14900KF) show negligible performance deltas, indicating that this class of processor is far beyond the requirements of this specific game. The CPU's role here is to stay out of the way, and the measured FPS numbers indicate it does so effectively, allowing the GPU to be the primary performance driver.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average frame rate is 278.1 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 135.3 at 1920x1080 to 59.5 at 3840x2160. This represents a significant reduction of approximately 56% as the GPU is forced to render four times the number of pixels.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K a limiting factor in this game?

A: No, the data suggests it is not. The CPU benchmarks show high performance (e.g., a PassMark multithread score of 58838), and the frame rates scale significantly with resolution changes, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested system combinations for this game?

A: The combo is ranked 1138 out of 1671 tested combinations, placing it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, has an average score of 27956, making the AMD card 0.1% faster.

Q: Can this system maintain a 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: Yes, it can, but with caveats. At 4K with High settings, it averages 64.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 59.5 FPS, which is just below that mark.

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

The resolution scaling data provides clear evidence of a GPU-limited system. Examining the High settings preset, the average FPS declines from 143.2 at 1920x1080, to 99.0 at 2560x1440, and finally to 64.9 at 3840x2160. This is a classic progression: as the resolution increases, the pixel fill rate demand on the GPU grows exponentially, causing frame rates to fall in a predictable manner. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 44.2 FPS (a 31% reduction), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 34.1 FPS (a 34% reduction). The consistency of these relative drops indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the primary bottleneck.

This pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 278.1 FPS at 1080p, 203.5 FPS at 1440p, and 125.0 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the FPS scales down significantly with resolution confirms that the Radeon RX 6600 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus and a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, is the component that determines the performance ceiling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the CPU's processing power tops out. Instead, the FPS increases consistently as resolution decreases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload. This behavior is expected for a game like Inside, which has simple 2D graphics that do not place heavy demand on the CPU's processing threads, allowing the GPU to become the sole performance constraint.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT achieves a rank of 1138 out of 1671 tested combos for Inside. This places the system in the 68th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that while it performs well, it is not at the top echelon of systems tested for this game. The ranking is reflective of the GPU's positioning, as the CPU is not a significant factor in this game's performance. The RX 6600 XT sits in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, which aligns closely with the combo's overall ranking. This suggests that the combo's rank is primarily a function of the GPU's capability.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance tier. The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (27883). However, it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 by 0.9% (which scores 28238). The deltaPct values are very small, indicating that these GPUs perform within a narrow band of each other in synthetic benchmarks. In a lightweight game like Inside, these small deltas in GPU compute capability translate into the observed FPS differences. The combo's rank of 1138 suggests that many other tested systems feature significantly more powerful GPUs, such as higher-tier RDNA 2 or Ampere cards, which can push frame rates higher, particularly at 4K Ultra settings where the RX 6600 XT begins to struggle.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. All figures are average FPS values.

1920x1080:

• Low: 278.1 FPS
• Medium: 226.9 FPS
• High: 143.2 FPS
• Ultra: 135.3 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 203.5 FPS
• Medium: 164.2 FPS
• High: 99.0 FPS
• Ultra: 96.0 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 125.0 FPS
• Medium: 101.1 FPS
• High: 64.9 FPS
• Ultra: 59.5 FPS

The data reveals a few interesting patterns. First, the jump from Low to Medium settings is relatively small in terms of FPS cost, with only a 51.2 FPS drop at 1080p (from 278.1 to 226.9). However, the jump from Medium to High is much more substantial, costing an additional 83.7 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that the High preset introduces a significantly more demanding rendering feature, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing effects. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal, with only a 7.9 FPS drop at 1080p, indicating that Ultra adds marginal visual fidelity for a small performance cost. At 4K, the system is clearly pushed to its limits, with the Ultra preset barely holding above 60 FPS at 59.5 FPS, while the High preset manages a more comfortable 64.9 FPS. The Low preset at 4K is the only configuration that offers a substantial headroom above 60 FPS, achieving 125.0 FPS.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a standard 60 FPS target, the system is capable at all settings except for 4K Ultra, which falls just short at 59.5 FPS. For 1080p and 1440p displays, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering 143.2 FPS and 99.0 FPS respectively, which are both well above 60 FPS and provide a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at these resolutions (135.3 FPS and 96.0 FPS) offers a marginal performance hit for presumably minimal visual gains, making High the more sensible choice for higher refresh rate monitors.

For 4K resolution, the High preset is the recommended sweet spot, as it is the only preset that consistently remains above 60 FPS (64.9 FPS). The Ultra preset dips to 59.5 FPS, which, while only slightly below 60 FPS, could cause noticeable stutter on a 60 Hz display. The Medium preset at 4K offers a huge performance boost to 101.1 FPS, but it may compromise visual quality significantly. Given that Inside is a puzzle platformer with a strong atmospheric art style, maintaining a high visual quality is likely a priority. Therefore, the High preset at 4K offers the best balance of fidelity and performance, ensuring a locked 60 FPS experience with minimal compromises. At 1080p and 1440p, the High preset is also recommended, as it provides a large performance buffer that can take advantage of high refresh rate displays without forcing the player to sacrifice visual quality.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration for Inside. Based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and the Navi 23 chip, the GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. It operates at a base clock of 1968 MHz, a game clock of 2359 MHz, and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. The card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its compute capabilities include an FP32 throughput of 10.60 TFLOPS. The GPU has a TDP of 160 W and requires a 450 W power supply.

In the context of Inside, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering of the game's 2D environments and effects. The game's release in 2016 means its graphical requirements are not extreme by modern standards, but the data shows that the RX 6600 XT is still the bottleneck. The significant FPS drops at higher resolutions and settings are directly tied to the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is rendering over 8 million pixels per frame, and the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 165.7 GPixel/s pixel rate become strained, resulting in the 59.5 FPS average. The GPU's 71st percentile ranking and its benchmark scores (e.g., PassMark G3D score of 16461) indicate it is a mid-range performer, which is consistent with its observed behavior in this game. The 8 GB VRAM is not a constraint in Inside, as the game's textures are unlikely to exceed this capacity, even at 4K Ultra. The performance difference between the High and Ultra presets is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional features are not particularly taxing on the GPU's core, but the overall resolution scaling confirms that the RX 6600 XT is working near its limit at 4K.