SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

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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94 Score

Top 6% Ranking

94 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 6% 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

94%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-13980HX

50,398 Benchmark Score

Top 6% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

33,170 Benchmark Score

Top 6% 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

Balance and Bottleneck

The pairing of the Intel Core i9-13980HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile creates a pronounced imbalance in workload distribution. The CPU sits at the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU holds the 78th percentile among all graphics cards. This 12-point gap in percentile ranking indicates that the GPU will become the limiting factor in most graphically intensive scenarios, while the CPU will frequently remain underutilized.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate extraordinary headroom. In Cinebench R23, the processor achieves a multi-core score of 30273 alongside a single-core score of 2110, producing a multi-to-single ratio of roughly 14.3. This scaling efficiency shows that the 24-core, 32-thread configuration can handle heavily threaded workloads with minimal contention. The 3DMark thread scaling data reinforces this: the max-threads score of 12601 is 5.7 times the 2-threads score of 2207, indicating robust parallel scaling across the hybrid core layout.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 421 places it in a distinctly lower performance tier. With only 2048 shading units and a 128-bit memory bus, the RTX 3050 Mobile delivers 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For modern gaming at high settings, this bandwidth ceiling will constrain frame rates long before the CPU's processing capabilities become relevant. The FPS scaling evidence, while not directly measured for this combination, can be inferred from the delta between component percentiles: the GPU's 78th percentile versus the CPU's 90th percentile suggests that frame rates will scale almost linearly with GPU clock adjustments, while CPU frequency changes would produce negligible FPS movement in GPU-bound titles.

In CPU-bound workloads such as data compression, encryption, and software compilation, the bottleneck reverses. The PassMark data compression score of 588306 and data encryption score of 35332 demonstrate that the CPU can saturate its memory subsystem and sustain high throughput. Conversely, in gaming scenarios at 1080p with ultra settings, the GPU's 5.501 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput will be the binding constraint. The practical implication is that users will see excellent performance in productivity tasks, but gaming frame rates will match what the RTX 3050 Mobile can deliver, regardless of the CPU's substantial reserves.

Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core i9-13980HX achieves an average benchmark score of 50398 across all tests, placing it at the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370, scores 50448, a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i7-13850HX trails by 0.7% with a score of 50761, while the Intel Core 9 273PE leads by 1.1% at 49845. These tight margins indicate that the i9-13980HX sits at the apex of mobile processor performance, with no meaningful separation from its closest competitors.

In single-threaded tests, the CPU posts a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2110 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1145. The PassMark single-thread result of 4252 further confirms strong per-core performance. Multi-threaded results are substantially stronger: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 30273, while the 3DMark max-threads score of 12601 and PassMark multithread score of 46409 illustrate the scaling potential of the 24-core design.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile, by contrast, posts an average benchmark score of 33170, placing it at the 78th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA T550 Mobile, scores 33161 for a 0% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro 570 trails by 0.1% at 33207. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 50038 and Vulkan score of 49051 show consistent performance across compute APIs, but the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 421 reveals the GPU's modest gaming ceiling.

The combined percentile for this pairing is 84th, reflecting the CPU's dominant contribution to the overall performance profile. The gap between the CPU's 90th percentile and the GPU's 78th percentile creates a system that excels in CPU-intensive benchmarks but delivers only mid-range graphics performance. For users selecting this configuration, the benchmark data suggests they are paying for a flagship CPU that will rarely be the performance limiter.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination — the FACT PACK contains no measuredFps data. All FPS figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores of each component. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 421 and its 78th percentile ranking provide the primary reference for expected gaming performance.

At 1080p with ultra settings, the RTX 3050 Mobile's 5.501 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth suggest playable frame rates in esports titles, likely exceeding 60 FPS in games optimized for GeForce hardware. For AAA titles with demanding graphics, the 4 GB GDDR6 VRAM and 128-bit bus will cause performance to dip below 60 FPS at ultra settings, particularly in scenes with heavy texture streaming or high-resolution assets. The GPU's pixel rate of 42.98 GPixel/s and texture rate of 85.95 GTexel/s indicate that fill-rate-bound scenarios will be the first to show strain.

At 1440p, the estimates become more conservative. The GPU's bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s is modest for higher resolutions, and the 4 GB VRAM capacity may be insufficient for modern titles at ultra detail. Frame rates would likely drop below 30 FPS in demanding games, while lighter titles might maintain 40-50 FPS. The CPU's performance at these resolutions becomes even less relevant, as the GPU saturates well before the i9-13980HX reaches its limits.

The CPU's gaming-related scores provide context for esports and CPU-light titles. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 7290 and 16-thread score of 9440 indicate that the processor can feed the GPU efficiently in scenarios with many draw calls or physics calculations. However, the GPU remains the definitive bottleneck: no game that stresses the RTX 3050 Mobile at high settings will benefit from the CPU's 30% multi-core advantage over the i7-13850HX, since the GPU's rendering pipeline will cap output first.

FAQ

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

A: The combined percentile is 84th among all builds, driven primarily by the CPU's 90th percentile ranking, while the GPU sits at the 78th percentile.

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

A: The i9-13980HX has an average benchmark score of 50398, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370's score of 50448, making them effectively performance equals.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity and memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-13980HX supports ECC memory, and it also supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory types over a dual-channel bus.

Q: What is the GPU's architecture and process node?

A: The GPU uses the NVIDIA Ampere architecture (chip GA107) manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process, with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock speed and TDP?

A: The CPU has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz with a TDP of 55 W, running on Intel's BGA 1964 socket.

Q: Is the GPU's production status active or end-of-life?

A: The RTX 3050 Mobile has an end-of-life production status, released on 2021-05-10, while the CPU remains active with a release date of 2023-01-03.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: This pairing is not suited for high-refresh gaming at 1080p ultra settings. The RTX 3050 Mobile's 421 Steel Nomad score and 78th percentile indicate that frame rates will hover around 60 FPS in esports titles but fall short in AAA games. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1145 ensures minimal CPU-related frame drops, but the GPU's 5.501 TFLOPS throughput caps the refresh ceiling.

Streaming: The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for encoding and streaming overlays. The PassMark multithread score of 46409 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30273 mean that x264 encoding at moderate presets will have minimal impact on gaming frame rates, though the GPU's modest rendering performance will still limit overall quality.

Video editing: The i9-13980HX excels in this workload, with Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 16187 and PassMark integer math score of 166455. Timeline scrubbing, export rendering, and effects processing will be fast. The GPU's 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate acceleration for GPU-accelerated effects, but complex 4K projects may see GPU-related slowdowns.

3D rendering: CPU-based rendering will be outstanding, with the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30273 placing the processor near the top of mobile offerings. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 16 RT cores can handle basic viewport rendering and light CUDA-accelerated workloads, but its 5.501 TFLOPS FP32 throughput will extend render times for complex scenes compared to higher-tier GPUs.

Software development: Compilation and code analysis benefit from the CPU's high multi-threaded performance. The PassMark data compression score of 588306 and random string sorting score of 66125 indicate fast build pipelines and efficient test execution. The GPU's capabilities are sufficient for UI rendering and basic testing, making this a capable development machine.

Student and office work: The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by the PassMark single-thread score of 4252, handles document processing, spreadsheets, and web browsing with ease. The GPU is more than adequate for office applications, and the system's overall 84th percentile ranking ensures a responsive experience for daily tasks.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA107 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. The die contains 8,700 million transistors across 200 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1343 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration consists of 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest allocation for a 2021-era mobile GPU, and the 4 GB capacity will be a limiting factor in modern games with high-resolution textures. The pixel rate of 42.98 GPixel/s and texture rate of 85.95 GTexel/s indicate that the GPU can handle 1080p rendering efficiently but will struggle with higher resolutions.

The GPU includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The FP32 performance of 5.501 TFLOPS is identical to FP16 (5.501 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio), which is a departure from some Ampere parts that offer boosted FP16 rates. For rendering workloads, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 421 places the GPU in the lower tier of modern graphics cards, roughly equivalent to the NVIDIA T550 Mobile (score 33161, 0% delta) and slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 570 (score 33207, -0.1% delta).

The benchmark results indicate that this GPU is suited for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings, light 3D modeling, and CUDA-accelerated compute tasks that fit within its 4 GB memory footprint. The 78th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests it outperforms the majority of integrated and entry-level discrete graphics solutions, but it is well behind mid-range and high-end mobile GPUs.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-13980HX is a 13th-generation Raptor Lake processor built on Intel's 10 nm process, with a die size of 257 mm². It features 24 cores and 32 threads, combining performance cores with efficiency cores to balance throughput and power consumption. The base clock is 2.20 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and the multiplier is unlocked for enthusiast tuning. The TDP is rated at 55 W, which is modest for a 24-core mobile processor, indicating that power management is a key design consideration.

The cache hierarchy consists of 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 pool benefits workloads that exhibit data reuse across cores, such as database queries and scientific simulations. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, with ECC memory supported for reliability-critical applications. PCIe connectivity includes Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU, enabling fast NVMe storage and discrete GPU connections.

Benchmark performance is exceptional across the board. The 3DMark max-threads score of 12601 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30273 place the CPU in the top tier of mobile processors. The PassMark multithread score of 46409 and integer math score of 166455 demonstrate strong sustained throughput for compilation and rendering tasks. Single-thread performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2110 and PassMark single-thread score of 4252.

The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370, posts an average score of 50448, just 0.1% higher than the i9-13980HX's 50398. This statistical tie means that buyers should not base decisions on benchmark differences alone. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking confirms it is among the fastest mobile processors available, with only the Intel Core 9 273PE (1.1% higher) and AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (0.6% higher) showing any measurable advantage.

Build Overview

This build pairs the flagship Intel Core i9-13980HX mobile processor with the entry-to-mid-range NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile GPU in a laptop configuration. The build class is "laptop," meaning all components are designed for mobile deployment with integrated packaging and thermal solutions. The combined percentile of 84th reflects a system that is stronger in CPU-bound tasks than in GPU-bound tasks, with the processor's 90th percentile ranking pulling the overall score upward.

The CPU's launch MSRP is $668, which positions it as a premium mobile processor. The GPU has no listed launch MSRP, and its end-of-life production status suggests it is a mature product that has been in the market since May 2021. This pairing is unusual in that it couples a 2023-era flagship CPU with a 2021-era entry-level GPU, creating a system that will appeal to users who prioritize processing power over gaming graphics.

From a tier perspective, the combined percentile of 84th places this build in the upper-midrange of all configurations. The CPU's performance is top-tier, but the GPU's 78th percentile ranking anchors the overall tier. This is a system that can handle demanding productivity workloads with ease while providing competent but not exceptional gaming performance.

Who Should Build It

The target user for this configuration is a professional or power user who requires maximum CPU throughput for work-related tasks and accepts moderate gaming performance as a secondary consideration. Content creators who edit video, compile code, or run simulations will benefit from the i9-13980HX's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30273 and PassMark multithread score of 46409, which translate to faster render times and shorter build pipelines.

Software developers working with large codebases will appreciate the CPU's data compression score of 588306 and integer math score of 166455, which accelerate compilation and test execution. The 24-core configuration ensures that background tasks such as indexing, virtualization, and container orchestration do not impact foreground responsiveness.

Students in engineering, computer science, or data science programs will find this build capable of handling MATLAB simulations, Python data processing, and CAD workloads. The GPU's 4 GB VRAM is sufficient for learning-level machine learning tasks, and the CPU's 90th percentile ranking ensures that computational assignments complete quickly.

Small business workstations that run accounting software, database management tools, or moderate virtualization workloads will perform admirably. The CPU's multithreaded capabilities handle concurrent office applications without slowdown, while the GPU's 78th percentile ranking is more than adequate for business graphics and video conferencing. The ECC memory support adds a layer of data integrity that benefits financial or research applications.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core i9-13980HX uses the Intel BGA 1964 socket, which is a mobile-specific package that is typically soldered to the motherboard. This means the CPU itself is not upgradeable in most laptop designs, and any future processor upgrades would require a new laptop. The platform supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and the ECC memory capability is a notable feature for workstation-class usage.

The GPU connects via PCIe 4.0 x8, which is sufficient for the RTX 3050 Mobile's bandwidth requirements. The GPU's TDP is 45 W, and no suggested PSU is listed, as this is a laptop component with integrated power delivery. The CPU's TDP of 55 W, combined with the GPU's 45 W, gives a combined thermal envelope of 100 W plus supporting components, which is typical for a high-performance laptop.

The PCIe Gen 5 interface on the CPU provides 20 lanes, enabling fast NVMe storage and future expansion options within the laptop chassis. The memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 gives manufacturers flexibility in system design, though DDR5 is the more modern choice for maximizing bandwidth.

A sensible next upgrade for this platform would be the GPU, but since the RTX 3050 Mobile is soldered in most laptops, this would also require a new laptop purchase. Users seeking higher gaming frame rates would need to consider a system with a more powerful GPU, such as an RTX 3060 or higher, while users prioritizing CPU performance would find the i9-13980HX's 90th percentile ranking difficult to improve upon in a mobile form factor. The platform's production status is active for the CPU, while the GPU is end-of-life, suggesting that future driver support for the GPU may diminish over time.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-13980HX

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

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

Balance and Bottleneck

Benchmark Performance

Gaming Performance

FAQ

Usage Scenarios

GPU Analysis

CPU Analysis

Build Overview

Who Should Build It

Upgrade Path and Platform

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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