SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + Intel Arc A550M

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

Build Configuration

Select your components

PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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95 Score

Top 5% Ranking

95 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 5% 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

94%

GPU

96%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-13980HX

50,398 Benchmark Score

Top 6% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

Intel Arc A550M

49,737 Benchmark Score

Top 4% 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

View All Games →

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

The Intel Core i9-13980HX paired with the Intel Arc A550M represents a high-end mobile configuration designed for demanding workloads. With a combined percentile rank of 88, this pairing sits firmly in the upper tier of laptop hardware, but its character is defined by a stark contrast: a flagship-class processor matched with a mid-to-high-range graphics solution. The data indicates a system optimized for CPU-intensive productivity and multitasking, where the GPU provides solid, but not class-leading, graphical performance.

Usage Scenarios

High-Refresh Gaming: The Intel Arc A550M, positioned in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, is capable of driving competitive esports titles at high frame rates. However, its 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth will be the limiting factors in the most demanding AAA titles at maximum settings. Gamers should expect excellent performance in less graphically intensive games, but may need to adjust settings to achieve very high refresh rates in modern titles.

Streaming: This configuration is well-suited for a single-PC streaming setup. The Core i9-13980HX, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, delivers a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30273, which provides massive headroom for encoding, overlays, and chat applications while the game runs simultaneously. The Arc A550M's modern Xe-HPG architecture with dedicated RT cores also offloads some rendering tasks, ensuring the stream remains smooth even during complex scenes.

Video Editing: The combination is potent for video editing workflows. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 46409 and its floating-point math score of 118645 will dramatically accelerate timeline scrubbing, effect rendering, and video encoding. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p editing, and its 2048 shading units provide hardware acceleration for effects and color grading, making this a responsive platform for non-linear editors.

3D Rendering: This workload heavily favors the processor. The i9-13980HX's strong multicore performance, evidenced by a 3DMark max threads score of 12601 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30273, is the primary engine for CPU-based rendering. The Arc A550M is capable of real-time viewport previews and GPU-accelerated rendering in compatible engines, but its FP32 performance of 8.397 TFLOPS means it is not the primary driver for final-frame renders; the CPU will be the workhorse here.

Software Development: The CPU is the star for developers. The high thread count and a Passmark single-thread score of 4252 ensure rapid compilation times and snappy IDE responsiveness. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed code and data close to the cores, reducing latency. The GPU is less critical here, but its support for modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility for developers working on graphics applications.

Student and Office Work: This hardware is overkill for basic tasks like word processing and spreadsheets, but it excels at more intensive academic work like data analysis and simulation. The CPU's 90th percentile rank means it can handle any spreadsheet, statistical model, or virtual machine with ease. The efficient 55 W TDP of the CPU, combined with the 60 W TDP of the GPU, means this is a powerful yet portable workstation for a demanding user.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data paints a picture of a system with exceptional processing power and solid graphics capability. The Intel Core i9-13980HX achieves an average benchmark score of 50398, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This performance is nearly identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370, which scores 50448, representing a mere 0.1% difference. It also edges out the Intel Core 9 273PE, which has an average score of 49845, putting the i9-13980HX 1.1% ahead.

The Intel Arc A550M delivers an average benchmark score of 49737, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. This puts it in a tight cluster with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (scoring 49957, a 0.4% lead over the Arc) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (scoring 50001, a 0.5% lead). The data shows the Arc A550M is 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which scores 48477, but trails the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT by 2.4%, which scores 50951.

The combined picture is one of a balanced system with a heavily CPU-skewed profile. The CPU's 90th percentile rank is significantly higher than the GPU's 86th percentile rank, indicating that the processor is the dominant component in this pairing. This suggests the system is designed to excel in tasks that leverage multi-threaded processing, while the GPU provides solid, though not top-tier, graphical performance.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A550M is built on the Xe-HPG architecture and uses the DG2-512 chip manufactured on a 6 nm process by TSMC. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. The GPU is equipped with 16 dedicated ray tracing cores, which enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing in supported games, a feature that was once exclusive to high-end discrete graphics cards.

Memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical specification; while sufficient for 1080p and many 1440p titles, it may become a limiting factor in games with large, high-resolution textures. The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 900 MHz and a boost of 2050 MHz, which contribute to a pixel rate of 131.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 262.4 GTexel/s.

In terms of compute performance, the Arc A550M delivers 8.397 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 16.79 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (with a 2:1 ratio). These figures, combined with its 86th percentile rank, indicate that the GPU is well-suited for 1080p gaming and content creation tasks like photo editing and light video work. Its benchmark scores, which are within 2.6% of the Radeon RX 6800 XT, suggest it offers competitive rasterization performance for its class, while the RT cores add a modern feature set. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring broad software compatibility.

Balance and Bottleneck

The performance balance in this system is clearly tilted toward the CPU. The Intel Core i9-13980HX, with its 90th percentile ranking, is a top-tier processor, while the Intel Arc A550M, at the 86th percentile, is a strong but lower-performing component. This creates a scenario where the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in gaming workloads; instead, the GPU will be the limiting factor for achieving maximum frame rates, especially at higher resolutions and graphical settings.

Benchmark results support this analysis. The CPU's massive multi-threaded scores, such as 12601 in the 3DMark max threads test and 46409 in Passmark multithread, far exceed what is needed for most current games. In contrast, the GPU's performance, while good, is bounded by its 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In CPU-intensive workloads like 3D rendering, video encoding, and software compilation, the i9-13980HX will be the primary driver, and the GPU's role becomes secondary. The data suggests the system is balanced for productivity but slightly GPU-limited for pure gaming performance, meaning the processor will often be waiting on the graphics card to finish its frame.

Gaming Performance

Note: No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination. All frame rate discussions in this section are estimates derived from the benchmark scores of the individual components and should be treated as expectations, not measured results.

Based on the Intel Arc A550M's 86th percentile rank and its benchmark scores, which put it in the same performance class as the Radeon RX 6800 XT, this system is expected to deliver very good 1080p gaming performance. At 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth may become a constraint in the most demanding titles, likely requiring adjustments to texture quality or anti-aliasing settings to maintain smooth frame rates. The CPU's exceptional performance ensures that frame pacing will be consistent, with minimal risk of processor-related stutters, even in open-world games that are heavily reliant on CPU physics and AI.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The platform is built around the Intel BGA 1964 socket, which means the processor is soldered to the motherboard. This is a mobile platform (build class: laptop), so traditional desktop-style upgrades of the CPU or GPU are not possible. The i9-13980HX supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, allowing for a choice between the two memory types depending on the laptop manufacturer's design. It also supports ECC memory, which is a notable feature for workstation-class mobile systems.

For storage and expansion, the CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, ensuring high-speed connectivity for the latest NVMe SSDs. The GPU connects via a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The combined TDP of the CPU (55 W) and GPU (60 W) is relatively modest for a high-performance laptop, totaling 115 W. This suggests that a well-designed laptop with a robust cooling solution should be able to sustain the performance of both components under load without excessive thermal throttling. Given the "End-of-life" status of the GPU, a future upgrade would necessitate a new laptop or system, but the CPU's active production status and high performance mean the platform remains relevant for years to come.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-13980HX is the flagship mobile processor from Intel's 13th Gen Core series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture and manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It is a 24-core, 32-thread processor, a configuration that provides immense parallel processing capability. The CPU has a base clock of 2.20 GHz and can boost up to 5.60 GHz, allowing it to scale from efficient low-load operation to high-speed single-threaded performance when needed.

The cache hierarchy is substantial, with 80 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, plus a large 36 MB shared L3 cache. This helps minimize memory latency and keeps data flowing to the cores efficiently. The processor supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and its ECC memory support is a key feature for professional users requiring data integrity. The CPU also includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, providing a fallback display output and hardware acceleration for media tasks.

Benchmark results confirm its dominance. It scores 30273 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2110 in single-core, showcasing its strength in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Passmark data encryption score of 35332 and data compression score of 588306 highlight its capability for security-related tasks and file archiving. With a 90th percentile ranking and an average score of 50398, it is statistically tied with the top CPUs in the database, making it an exceptional choice for any CPU-bound workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance tier of this CPU and GPU?

A: The pairing has a combined percentile rank of 88, placing it in the upper tier of all laptop hardware configurations.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-13980HX compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370?

A: The benchmark data shows they are nearly identical in performance. The i9-13980HX has an average score of 50398, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370's score of 50448.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the Intel Arc A550M, and how much VRAM does it have?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a total bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A550M support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, it features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores as part of its Xe-HPG architecture, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the primary bottleneck for gaming performance?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor for gaming. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 86th percentile, suggesting the graphics card will be the first component to reach its limit in games.

Q: What type of memory does the Intel Core i9-13980HX support?

A: It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it also supports ECC memory.

Q: What is the process node and architecture of the Intel Arc A550M?

A: It is built on the Xe-HPG architecture and uses the DG2-512 chip, manufactured on a 6 nm process by TSMC.

Who Should Build It

This configuration is an ideal choice for professionals and power users who prioritize CPU performance above all else. Software developers will find the 24 cores and 32 threads invaluable for parallel builds and running multiple virtual machines, with the high single-thread score of 4252 ensuring a responsive IDE. Video editors and 3D animators working with complex timelines or CPU-based renders will see significant time savings thanks to the processor's 30273 Cinebench R23 multicore score.

Data scientists and researchers running simulations or processing large datasets will benefit from the ECC memory support and massive computational throughput. For gamers, this system is best suited for those who play at 1080p or 1440p and also engage in other demanding tasks like streaming or content creation. The Arc A550M provides a solid gaming experience, but it is not the primary strength of this build. Students in STEM fields and small business owners running engineering or financial software will find this a highly capable mobile workstation.

Build Overview

This is a laptop-class build (build class: laptop) that pairs Intel's top-tier mobile processor with a mid-to-high-range discrete graphics card. The Intel Core i9-13980HX, a 24-core Raptor Lake part, is the clear centerpiece, delivering performance that rivals the best desktop processors from a few years ago. The Intel Arc A550M, based on the older Alchemist architecture and now End-of-life, provides competent, modern graphics features like ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate support.

Overall, this system sits in the 88th percentile of all hardware configurations, marking it as a high-performance machine. Its character is defined by its extreme processing power, making it a top choice for productivity, development, and creative work. While the GPU is capable, it is the CPU that defines this pairing, offering a unique value proposition for users who need a mobile workstation that can also handle modern games.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + Intel Arc A550M

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-13980HX

Intel Arc A550M

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

Usage Scenarios

Benchmark Performance

GPU Analysis

Balance and Bottleneck

Gaming Performance

Upgrade Path and Platform

CPU Analysis

FAQ

Who Should Build It

Build Overview

4K Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1440p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1080p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

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