Inside

Inside, the 2016 puzzle platformer from Playdead, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600. The benchmark data for this combination shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable of delivering a fluid experience, with performance scaling that is highly dependent on the selected preset and resolution. The measured frame rates indicate that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for this title, though the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher visual fidelity settings. This analysis will break down the measured FPS data, contextualize the system's rank among other tested combinations, and examine the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in achieving these results.

FAQ

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

A: The combo is ranked 2223 out of 2887 tested combinations, placing it in the 23rd percentile of all systems tested for this specific game. This indicates that while it performs admirably, there are many other hardware pairings that achieve higher frame rates.

Q: What is the best-case scenario for frame rates at 1080p with this hardware?

A: At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the combo achieves its highest measured average frame rate of 257 FPS. This demonstrates the system's immense headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors when graphical settings are reduced.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution for Inside?

A: Yes, it can. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 55 FPS on the Ultra preset to 116 FPS on the Low preset. The High preset yields an average of 58 FPS, making it playable but close to the lower bounds of what is typically considered smooth.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785. This is virtually identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93786, and it is slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 4564P, which scores 95183, by a margin of -1.5%.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. Its average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, which scores 19030.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo at 1440p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 2560x1440 is 185 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset. This shows that even at a higher resolution, the system can deliver very high performance if visual fidelity is lowered.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the settings presets affect performance. For the best experience, the High preset offers the most balanced combination of visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 129 FPS, which is nearly double the refresh rate of a standard 60Hz monitor and well-suited for 120Hz displays. Moving up to 2560x1440, the High preset still maintains a very smooth average of 92 FPS, which is excellent for a puzzle platformer where precision is not as time-critical as in a fast-paced shooter.

The Ultra preset provides only a marginal increase in visual quality over High, but the performance cost is significant. At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 122 FPS, a reduction of only 7 FPS compared to High. However, at 1440p, the gap widens, with Ultra dropping to 88 FPS, a 4 FPS difference from High. The most dramatic drop occurs at 4K, where the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS, while High averages 58 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset is not optimized for this hardware and resolution, making High the superior choice for a consistent experience.

While the Medium preset offers a substantial performance boost over High, with averages of 206 FPS at 1080p and 148 FPS at 1440p, the visual downgrade is not worth the extra frames for this genre. The game's atmospheric art style and lighting are key components of its experience, and the Medium preset likely sacrifices some of that visual fidelity. For players who prioritize maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear winner, with an exceptional 257 FPS at 1080p and 185 FPS at 1440p. This preset is best suited for competitive play or for users with very high refresh rate monitors who want to maximize smoothness. However, for the majority of players, the High preset represents the sweet spot, providing a visually rich and consistently smooth experience across all resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset results in an average FPS drop from 129 to 92, a reduction of 28.7%. This scaling is directly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which goes from approximately 2.07 million pixels at 1080p to 3.69 million at 1440p, a 78% increase. The GPU is working harder to fill the additional pixels, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing. On the High preset, the average FPS falls from 92 to 58, a 37% decrease. This is because 4K (3840x2160) has 8.3 million pixels, which is more than double the pixel count of 1440p. The RX 6600's 8 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the raw processing power of the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

These results indicate that the system is not CPU-limited at any resolution. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, with its high core count and clock speeds, is more than capable of feeding the GPU. The consistent frame rate drops across all settings as resolution increases point to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 as the primary bottleneck. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced system where the CPU has ample headroom, and the GPU's workload scales with resolution. The game is not demanding on the CPU, so the performance is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's ability to render pixels at the target resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 achieves a rank of 2223 out of 2887 tested combinations for Inside. This places it in the lower 23% of all systems tested, which may seem underwhelming given the high frame rates observed. However, this rank is relative to all other combos, many of which are equipped with far more powerful and expensive GPUs. The rank reflects the absolute performance ceiling of the combo, not its efficiency or value.

The CPU itself is a high-end processor, ranking in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 93785 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, and it is slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 4564P. This indicates that the processor is not holding the system back. The GPU, however, is a mid-range part, ranking in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. This is the component that drags the combo's rank down relative to other systems with high-end graphics cards.

The data suggests that this combo is designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it excels. At 4K, it is only marginally playable on the High preset. The rank of 2223 is a consequence of the GPU's mid-range positioning. If the system were paired with a more powerful GPU, the rank would be substantially higher, as the CPU has significant headroom. This makes the combo a strong choice for gamers who prioritize high frame rates at mainstream resolutions over 4K capability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 plays the central role in determining the frame rates for Inside. The data shows that its performance is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's specs, including its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are adequate for this game, which is not particularly demanding on memory. The 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the actual pixel processing, and these are the components that struggle at 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1626 MHz and a boost of 2491 MHz, are relatively high, but they cannot compensate for the sheer number of pixels at 4K. The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p High, the GPU can produce 129 FPS, but at 4K High, it only manages 58 FPS. This is a direct result of the GPU being oversaturated with work. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as its Passmark G3D score of 15096, place it in the 63rd percentile, reinforcing its mid-range status.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 28 ray tracing cores are features that are not heavily utilized by this 2016 title, which uses an older DirectX 11 renderer. This means the GPU's modern features are largely irrelevant here, and its raw rasterization performance is what matters. In this context, the RX 6600 is a capable performer for 1080p and 1440p, but it is not powerful enough to deliver a high frame rate experience at 4K. The 8 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor, as the game's textures are modest by modern standards, but the GPU's compute units are simply outmatched at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves a staggering average of 257 FPS, highlighting the CPU and GPU's ability to work efficiently when the graphical load is minimal. The Medium preset is also very fast, with an average of 206 FPS, and it provides a minimum of 175 FPS. The High preset, with an average of 129 FPS, is the recommended setting for a balance of quality and speed. The Ultra preset yields 122 FPS, showing that the performance hit from High to Ultra is minimal at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable. The Low preset averages 185 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset delivers a solid 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 92 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset drops to 88 FPS, showing a larger performance gap from High at this resolution compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that offers a high refresh rate experience, with an average of 116 FPS. The Medium preset averages 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS, which is still playable. The High preset averages 58 FPS, which is right at the threshold for 60Hz displays. The Ultra preset averages 55 FPS, which is the lowest recorded. This breakdown clearly shows that for 4K gaming, users should stick to the Low or Medium presets to maintain a smooth frame rate, while High and Ultra are best reserved for lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus plays a supporting role in this game, but it is a critical one. Its 24 cores and 24 threads are more than enough for a title like Inside, which is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that the game's main thread is processed with minimal latency, preventing any potential bottleneck that could limit the GPU. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is extremely powerful, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is impressive. It is essentially tied with the Intel Xeon 6520P, which has an average score of 93786, and it is only 1.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4564P. This high level of performance means that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game. Even at 1080p with the Low preset, where the GPU is producing 257 FPS, the CPU is able to keep up without causing frame drops.

The CPU's large L3 cache of 36 MB shared across the cores helps to reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial for game logic and asset streaming. The 3 nm process node and TSMC foundry also contribute to its efficiency, allowing it to maintain high clock speeds without excessive power draw. In this specific game, the CPU's primary job is to ensure that the GPU is fed with draw calls and game state data. The data shows that it performs this task flawlessly, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, with no evidence of CPU-induced stuttering or frame time spikes. The CPU is a high-end component that provides a solid foundation for the GPU to operate at its full potential.