SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13950HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

Get a comprehensive performance analysis of your gaming rig with detailed benchmarks, bottleneck detection, and upgrade recommendations

93 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 7% of systems. Capable of 4K Ultra gaming and advanced rendering.

4K 60+ FPSVR ReadyRay Tracing

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio
Well Balanced
CPU
93%
VS
GPU
92%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-13950HX

44,342 Benchmark Score
Top 7% Market Ranking
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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

23,628 Benchmark Score
Top 8% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →

Market Position

How your build compares to others
Budget
0-30
Mid-Range
30-60
High-End
60-85
Enthusiast
85-100
Your Build

Game Performance Benchmarks

Real-world 4K FPS in popular titles
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Performance Insights

Tips to maximize your system

Optimal Performance

Your system is in the top tier. You can run any modern game at maximum settings.

4K Gaming Ready

Consider a 4K 144Hz monitor to fully utilize your hardware capabilities.

Compatible Games See what you can play Compare CPUs Find upgrades Compare GPUs Find upgrades

Performance Tiers Explained

90-100

Ultimate

4K Ultra gaming, VR ready, ray tracing enabled, professional workloads

4K 60+ FPS VR Ready
70-89

High-End

1440p Ultra or 4K High settings, excellent for modern AAA titles

1440p Ultra 4K High
50-69

Mid-Range

1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium, great value for most gamers

1080p Ultra 1440p Med
30-49

Entry Level

1080p Medium settings, suitable for eSports and older titles

1080p Med eSports
0-29

Legacy

Basic gaming, older titles, consider upgrading for modern games

720p-1080p Low Older Games

# Intel Core i9-13950HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile: A High-Performance Laptop Duo

This pairing combines Intel's top-tier 13th Generation mobile processor with NVIDIA's high-end Ampere-based graphics solution for laptops. The Intel Core i9-13950HX is a 24-core, 32-thread Raptor Lake-HX processor with a base clock of 2.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is an 8 nm Ampere chip with 6,144 shading units, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Together they represent a 79th-percentile combined system, placing it firmly in the upper tier of laptop configurations, though the CPU notably outpaces the GPU in relative standing among their respective categories.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-13950HX is a Raptor Lake-HX architecture processor designed for mobile workstations and high-performance gaming laptops. Its 24 cores and 32 threads represent the hybrid design that combines performance and efficiency cores, allowing the processor to handle heavily threaded workloads while maintaining reasonable power consumption under the 55 W TDP. The base clock of 2.20 GHz with a boost capability up to 5.50 GHz provides substantial single-thread headroom, which is critical for responsiveness in everyday tasks and gaming. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache, giving the processor ample fast memory for frequently accessed data.

Benchmark results confirm the processor's strength across various workloads. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score of 28,681 demonstrates excellent sustained performance for rendering and video encoding tasks, while the single-core score of 2,096 indicates strong per-thread performance. The 3DMark thread scaling tests show a progression from 1,102 in single-thread to 11,926 in max-threads, with the 16-thread score of 8,903 highlighting that performance scales well as more threads are utilized. The PassMark multi-thread score of 41,614 further reinforces the processor's multitasking capabilities, while the single-thread score of 3,899 shows competitive per-core efficiency.

The processor's percentile ranking at 88 among all CPUs places it in the top tier of available processors, which is notable for a mobile part. Its average benchmark score of 44,342 puts it in close competition with several desktop and mobile rivals. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, scores 44,309, which is only 0.1% behind the Intel part, indicating near-parity in overall performance. The Intel Core i5-13600 desktop processor scores 44,240, trailing by 0.2%, while the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H leads by 0.3% with a score of 44,466. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D scores 44,573, edging ahead by 0.5%. These narrow margins suggest that the i9-13950HX competes effectively with both desktop and next-generation mobile processors despite being a laptop part.

The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support available for workstation applications. It features PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU, enabling fast connectivity for storage and discrete graphics. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a fallback display solution when the discrete GPU is not required. The unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking in systems with adequate cooling, and the processor was released on January 3, 2023, with a launch MSRP of $590.

Benchmark Performance

The combined benchmark picture reveals a system where the CPU operates at a significantly higher tier than the GPU. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all processors contrasts with the GPU's 69th percentile among all graphics cards, creating an interesting dynamic where the processor has more headroom than the graphics solution in many workloads.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,644 provides a modern DirectX 12 gaming metric, while the Geekbench OpenCL score of 104,831 and Vulkan score of 104,066 show strong compute capabilities across different APIs. The PassMark G3D score of 16,321 places the GPU in respectable territory, though the PassMark GPU compute score of 7,276 indicates that compute-heavy workloads may not be the card's primary strength. In the legacy DirectX tests, the GPU scores 170 in DirectX 9, 146 in DirectX 11, and 72 in DirectX 12, while the DirectX 10 score is 120. These lower legacy scores are typical for modern architectures optimized for current API versions.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 23,628 puts it in close competition with several interesting rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 23,736, leading by 0.5%, which is notable given that the TITAN Z is a dual-GPU desktop card from an older generation. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 23,518, trailing by 0.5%, indicating that the RTX 3080 Mobile holds a modest advantage over its lower-tier sibling. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 scores 23,877, leading by 1%, while the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 scores 23,315, trailing by 1.3%. These close margins suggest that the RTX 3080 Mobile performs similarly to a range of both desktop and mobile GPUs from different generations.

The system's combined percentile of 79 reflects a configuration that is above average but not at the very top of the laptop performance spectrum. The CPU's strong showing in multi-threaded benchmarks, combined with the GPU's solid but not exceptional performance, creates a balanced system that excels in CPU-intensive tasks while providing competent graphics capability.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination, so all gaming frame rate expectations must be estimated from the benchmark scores rather than direct measurements. The data is characterized as unmeasured, and frame rate figures should be treated as estimates based on the relative performance of the components.

Based on the CPU's 88th percentile ranking and the GPU's 69th percentile, gaming performance will likely be constrained by the graphics card in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and graphics settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient memory bandwidth for 1080p and 1440p gaming, though 4K gaming may stress the memory capacity in texture-heavy titles. The 48 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and the 192 tensor cores provide DLSS support, which can significantly boost frame rates in supported titles.

At 1080p resolution with ultra settings, the system should deliver high frame rates in most games, with the CPU capable of feeding the GPU efficiently given its strong single-thread performance. At 1440p, the GPU will become the primary bottleneck, with performance scaling based on the game's graphics demands. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with the latest gaming features, while Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 provide broad API coverage. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 72, while low in absolute terms, reflects the specific workload of that test rather than overall gaming capability. Users should expect playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in most titles, with 4K gaming requiring settings adjustments or DLSS to maintain smooth performance.

Who Should Build It

This CPU+GPU pairing targets users who need strong multi-threaded CPU performance in a laptop form factor. The 24-core, 32-thread processor with a 36 MB L3 cache makes this system particularly well-suited for content creators who work with video editing, 3D rendering, and software compilation. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,681 indicates that rendering tasks will complete relatively quickly, while the PassMark data compression score of 510,258 and encryption score of 30,805 suggest strong performance in data-intensive workflows.

Gamers who play at 1080p or 1440p resolutions with high refresh rates will find the system capable of delivering smooth gameplay, with the CPU ensuring minimal frame pacing issues in CPU-bound titles. The GPU's 69th percentile ranking means it handles modern games well at these resolutions, though users seeking maximum settings at 4K may need to adjust expectations. The system also suits software developers who need fast compilation times, as the PassMark integer math score of 147,091 and floating point score of 105,553 demonstrate strong computational throughput.

Students and professionals who require a portable workstation for engineering, scientific computing, or data analysis will benefit from the ECC memory support and the CPU's multithreaded performance. Small business workstations that run virtualization environments or database applications can leverage the 32 threads and the PassMark multithread score of 41,614. The mobile form factor with a 55 W CPU TDP and 115 W GPU TDP suggests a system that requires adequate cooling but remains portable compared to desktop alternatives.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: At 1080p and 1440p, the combination of the CPU's 88th percentile processing power and the GPU's 69th percentile graphics capability should deliver frame rates well above 60 FPS in most titles, with the CPU's strong single-thread score of 3,899 in PassMark ensuring minimal bottlenecking in CPU-intensive games.

Streaming: The CPU's 24 cores provide ample headroom for encoding video while gaming, with the PassMark multithread score of 41,614 indicating that simultaneous gaming and streaming workloads can be handled without significant performance degradation. The GPU's 192 tensor cores also enable hardware-accelerated encoding features.

Video editing: The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 14,462 and R23 score of 28,681 demonstrate strong rendering performance for video exports, while the 36 MB L3 cache helps with timeline scrubbing and preview rendering. The GPU's compute capabilities, shown by the Geekbench OpenCL score of 104,831, can accelerate effects and color grading.

3D rendering: The CPU's core count and high multi-threaded scores make it well-suited for CPU-based rendering engines, while the GPU's 18.98 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides capable GPU-accelerated rendering. The combination allows flexibility in choosing rendering workflows.

Software development: The PassMark integer math score of 147,091 and extended instructions score of 29,779 indicate strong performance in code compilation and execution. The 32 threads allow for parallel builds, reducing iteration times for large projects.

Student and office work: For everyday productivity tasks, the CPU's single-thread performance ensures responsive application usage, while the 32 threads handle background tasks without noticeable slowdown. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 provides a power-efficient mode for battery-conscious usage when the discrete GPU is unnecessary.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-13950HX uses the Intel BGA 1964 socket, which is a soldered mobile platform, meaning the CPU cannot be upgraded in place. This is a fundamental limitation of the mobile form factor, as the processor is permanently attached to the motherboard. The GPU is similarly soldered and non-upgradeable, making this a complete system purchase rather than a component-based build.

The platform supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory available for workstation use. This flexibility allows users to choose between more affordable DDR4 or higher-performance DDR5 depending on system design. The PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes from the CPU enables fast NVMe storage and potentially external GPU connections through appropriate enclosures. The GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x16, which is fully compatible with the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 capability.

The CPU's 55 W TDP and the GPU's 115 W TDP indicate a combined thermal design power of 170 W for the primary components, suggesting that the system requires robust cooling and a power supply capable of handling the peak demands. The GPU's power connectors are listed as "None," indicating that it draws power directly from the motherboard, which is typical for laptop designs. Given the soldered nature of both components, the upgrade path is limited to memory and storage, with the system's performance ceiling set by the initial configuration.

A sensible next upgrade for this system would be maximizing memory capacity and speed, as the dual-channel DDR5 support can improve bandwidth-sensitive workloads. Storage upgrades through PCIe Gen 5 NVMe drives would also provide tangible benefits for loading times and data-intensive applications. However, the core CPU and GPU performance are fixed, so users should consider this a long-term system purchase.

Balance and Bottleneck

The benchmark data reveals an interesting balance between the CPU and GPU, with the processor operating at the 88th percentile while the graphics card sits at the 69th percentile. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU will rarely be the limiting factor in most workloads, and the GPU will constrain performance in graphics-intensive tasks such as gaming at high resolutions and GPU-accelerated rendering.

In gaming scenarios, the CPU's strong single-thread performance and high clock speeds ensure that frame rates are not CPU-limited in most titles. The GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions and graphics settings, as its 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth may struggle with 4K textures and demanding effects. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 72, while not directly comparable to gaming FPS, suggests that the GPU's raw performance is moderate relative to the CPU's capabilities.

In productivity workloads, the balance shifts depending on the application. CPU-bound tasks such as video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation will fully utilize the processor's 24 cores, making the CPU the primary driver of performance. GPU-accelerated tasks such as machine learning inference or GPU rendering will depend on the graphics card's compute capabilities, where the 18.98 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides reasonable but not exceptional throughput.

The combined percentile of 79 reflects a system where the CPU is the stronger component, and users should be aware that the GPU may limit performance in graphics-heavy scenarios. This is not necessarily a negative, as the CPU's headroom ensures smooth multitasking and prevents stuttering in CPU-bound situations. However, users seeking maximum gaming performance may find the GPU to be the constraining factor.

Build Overview

This is a laptop-class build combining a high-end mobile processor with a high-end mobile graphics card. The Intel Core i9-13950HX represents the top of Intel's 13th Generation mobile lineup, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile was a flagship mobile GPU at its release. The system's 79th combined percentile places it in the upper tier of laptop configurations, though the CPU's 88th percentile versus the GPU's 69th percentile creates an asymmetric performance profile.

The build targets users who prioritize CPU-heavy workloads such as content creation, software development, and data processing, while still requiring capable graphics for gaming and GPU-accelerated tasks. The 24-core processor with 32 threads provides workstation-class processing in a portable form factor, while the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth handles modern gaming and creative applications. This system represents a strong choice for professionals and enthusiasts who need maximum CPU performance in a laptop, with graphics capability that is competent but not the absolute fastest available.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this CPU+GPU system?

A: The system achieves a combined percentile of 79, placing it in the upper tier of laptop configurations where the CPU's 88th percentile and GPU's 69th percentile combine to create an above-average overall system.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-13950HX compare to its nearest rival?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 44,342 is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44,309) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13600 (44,240), while trailing the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D by 0.5%.

Q: What memory types does the i9-13950HX support?

A: The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support available for workstation applications that require error correction.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Q: Does this system support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the GPU includes 48 RT cores dedicated to hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) which includes ray tracing APIs and other advanced features.

Q: What is the CPU's socket and can it be upgraded?

A: The CPU uses the Intel BGA 1964 socket, which is a soldered mobile platform. This means the processor is permanently attached to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded in place.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 23,628, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's score of 23,518, indicating a modest performance advantage.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture using the GA104 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The GPU features 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, providing a substantial amount of parallel processing power. The 48 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, while 192 tensor cores provide AI acceleration for DLSS and other machine learning workloads. The base clock of 1110 MHz boosts to 1545 MHz, delivering 18.98 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 18.98 TFLOPS of FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio.

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, running at 1750 MHz for an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. This configuration yields 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is adequate for most gaming and creative workloads at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The pixel rate of 148.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 296.6 GTexel/s indicate strong fill rate capabilities for high-resolution rendering. The GPU operates at a TDP of 115 W, which is moderate for a high-performance mobile GPU, and connects via PCIe 4.0 x16.

Benchmark performance places the GPU at the 69th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 23,628. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,644 provides a modern gaming metric, while the Geekbench OpenCL score of 104,831 and Vulkan score of 104,066 demonstrate strong compute performance across different APIs. The PassMark G3D score of 16,321 is respectable, though the GPU compute score of 7,276 suggests that compute-heavy workloads may not be the card's primary strength. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, scores 23,736, leading by 0.5%, which is notable given the TITAN Z's dual-GPU desktop design from an older generation. The RTX 3070 Mobile trails by 0.5% with a score of 23,518, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 leads by 1% with 23,877 and the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 trails by 1.3% with 23,315.

The GPU's production status is end-of-life, having been released on January 11, 2021, and it succeeds the GeForce 20 Mobile series. The display outputs are dependent on the portable device design, which is typical for laptop GPUs. The API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with modern games and applications. The 192 tensor cores enable DLSS, which can significantly improve gaming performance by rendering at lower resolutions and upscaling with AI, helping to mitigate the GPU's limitations in demanding scenarios.