Inside

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers an exceptionally smooth experience in Inside, with performance that is limited almost entirely by the GPU at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combination ranks in the 70th percentile of all tested combos, placing it solidly in the upper echelon for this title. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of maxing out the game's Ultra preset at 1440p and even at 4K, where the average frame rate remains well above the threshold for a flawless experience.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.50 GHz, which provides substantial single-thread headroom. This is relevant for Inside, a puzzle platformer that typically relies on strong single-core performance for game logic and physics updates. The CPU's high boost clock ensures that these tasks are handled with minimal latency, preventing any potential bottleneck.

The processor's large cache hierarchy, which includes 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, further supports responsive gameplay by keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores. While the game's 2D side-scrolling perspective is not traditionally demanding on multi-core processors, the 24-core configuration ensures that background tasks and OS overhead do not interfere with frame pacing. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 5068 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 confirm its formidable single-core strength.

In the context of this specific benchmark, the CPU is never the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 387 FPS, a figure that would stress even the most powerful processors, yet the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus handles it without issue. The processor's performance in synthetic tests, such as a PassMark multithread score of 68574 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44253, places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it has ample headroom for any potential CPU-bound scenario. However, the measured frame rates in Inside suggest that this headroom is rarely, if ever, utilized.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 864 out of 2887 tested combos in Inside. This places the pairing in the 70th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms a significant majority of configurations. This is a strong result, but it is not at the very top, which suggests that while the hardware is capable, there are other combinations that extract slightly higher frame rates.

The rank is influenced by both components, but the data points to the GPU as the primary differentiator. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 96, indicating it is a top-tier performer. The GPU, however, has a percentile vs all GPUs of 67, which is respectable but not elite. This discrepancy explains why the combo rank is not higher; the CPU is capable of more, but the GPU holds the system back from reaching the highest echelons of the ranking table.

It is important to note that this rank is specific to Inside. The game's low graphical complexity means that even mid-range GPUs can achieve high frame rates, but the RX 7700 XT's performance is sufficient to place the combo in the top quartile. The result is a system that delivers a highly playable experience, but it is not the absolute fastest combination for this title. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield a significantly better rank, but as configured, the system performs admirably.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 193 FPS. When the resolution is increased to 1440p, the average drops to 139 FPS, a reduction of approximately 28%. This is a significant drop, but the frame rate remains high. Moving to 4K, the average falls to 87 FPS, a further reduction of about 37% from the 1440p result.

This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 387 FPS at 1080p to 278 FPS at 1440p, and then to 175 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 55%, which is substantial. This indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increasing pixel count, while the CPU has no trouble maintaining its output.

The fact that the frame rate scales so dramatically with resolution confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the limiting component in this system. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions, as the CPU's workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the data shows a consistent decline in performance as the GPU's workload increases, which is a textbook sign of GPU limitation. The RX 7700 XT, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is capable, but it cannot maintain the same frame rates at 4K as it does at 1080p.

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

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive breakdown of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the system delivers outstanding performance across the board. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 387 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 309 FPS, with a minimum of 263 FPS and a maximum of 356 FPS. High settings yield 193 FPS on average, while Ultra settings produce 184 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is capable of running the game at extremely high frame rates, even at the highest quality presets.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains very strong. Low settings produce an average of 278 FPS. The Medium preset averages 222 FPS, with a minimum of 189 FPS and a maximum of 256 FPS. High settings drop to 139 FPS on average, and Ultra settings deliver 132 FPS. These results show that the system is more than capable of handling 1440p gaming, with even the most demanding settings remaining well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 4K, the system begins to show its limits, but it still performs admirably. The Low preset averages 175 FPS, which is a playable frame rate. Medium settings average 140 FPS, with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS. High settings drop to 87 FPS on average, and Ultra settings produce 83 FPS. While the 4K results are lower than the lower resolutions, they are still perfectly playable. The data shows that the system can handle 4K with High or Ultra settings, though the frame rates will be closer to 85 FPS rather than the higher numbers seen at 1440p.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features the Navi 32 chip. It operates with a base clock of 1435 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Inside, which is not a VRAM-intensive title.

The GPU's compute capabilities are highlighted by its 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs, which contribute to a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 35.17 TFLOPS. These specifications are more than adequate for a 2D puzzle platformer, and the benchmark results confirm this. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 22547 places it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer.

In the context of Inside, the RX 7700 XT's performance is the primary factor determining the frame rates at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2544 MHz allows it to process the game's simple geometry and effects quickly, but the pixel fill rate becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is capable of delivering excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but its limitations become apparent at 4K, where the frame rates drop significantly. The 12 GB of VRAM is not a concern here, as the game's texture requirements are modest, but the GPU's raw compute power is the deciding factor in its performance scaling.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. With an average of 184 FPS, the system has more than enough performance to run the game at its highest quality without any compromise. The High preset offers a marginal increase to 193 FPS, but the visual improvement from High to Ultra is worth the small performance cost. There is no reason to use Medium or Low at this resolution, as the Ultra preset provides a flawless experience.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset is also recommended. The average frame rate of 132 FPS is well above the threshold for a smooth experience, and the minimum frame rate is not reported, but the average suggests there are no significant dips. The High preset offers a slightly higher average of 139 FPS, but the difference is not noticeable. The Ultra preset provides the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness, so it is the recommended choice for 1440p gaming.

At 4K, the decision is more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages 83 FPS, which is playable but not as fluid as the lower resolutions. The High preset averages 87 FPS, which is a marginal improvement. For most players, the Ultra preset is still the best option, as the visual difference is more impactful than the small frame rate increase. However, if the goal is to maximize frame rate, the Medium preset offers an average of 140 FPS, which is a significant improvement, though it comes with a noticeable reduction in visual quality. The data suggests that for the best balance of performance and visual fidelity, the High preset at 4K is a solid choice, but the Ultra preset remains viable for those who prioritize image quality. Given the game's deliberate pacing, an average of 83 FPS is more than adequate for the experience.