SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 125U + Intel Arc A550M

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

91 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 9% 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
85%
VS
GPU
96%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 125U

20,826 Benchmark Score
Top 15% 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

# Intel Core Ultra 5 125U + Intel Arc A550M: A Mobile Powerhouse Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U and Intel Arc A550M pairing represents a compelling laptop configuration that bridges the gap between ultraportable efficiency and dedicated graphics performance. This analysis draws exclusively from benchmark data to characterize what this combination delivers across productivity, creative, and gaming workloads. The data reveals a system that punches well above its modest 15W processor TDP, with the CPU landing in the 74th percentile of all processors and the GPU reaching the 86th percentile of all graphics cards. The combined percentile of 80 indicates a balanced, capable mobile platform that should handle a wide range of modern tasks with confidence.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is a 12-core, 14-thread processor built on Intel's Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 7nm process. It operates with a base clock of 1300 MHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, supported by a 12 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU features a dual-channel memory bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, though the memory support is listed as depending on the motherboard. This is a mobile-focused chip with a 15W TDP, designed for efficiency in thin-and-light laptops.

Benchmark results show a processor that delivers solid multi-threaded performance for its class. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 9799 in multi-core and 1561 in single-core tests. The multi-core score suggests capable sustained performance for productivity tasks, while the single-core score indicates responsive day-to-day operation. The Geekbench results reinforce this picture, with a multi-core score of 6308 and single-core score of 1493. Interesting, the PassMark suite provides a more granular view of specific workloads: integer math scores 57046, floating-point math scores 41331, and extended instructions score 11340. Data compression performance is particularly strong at 198858, while encryption throughput reaches 12231.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 20826 places it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close in aggregate performance. The Intel Xeon 6325P scores 20821, a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i5-12490F scores 20802, a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 268V scores 20897, a delta of -0.3%. This clustering suggests that the Core Ultra 5 125U delivers performance comparable to a range of desktop and server processors, which is impressive given its 15W TDP and mobile positioning.

The single-thread score of 3296 in PassMark is notable for everyday responsiveness. The physics score of 1082 and prime number finding score of 64 are more modest, suggesting that heavily physics-based simulations may not be this chip's primary strength. However, the floating-point and integer math scores indicate strong general computational capability. The random string sorting score of 21872 suggests efficient memory management and data handling. For real workloads, this CPU should handle office productivity, web development, light video editing, and general multitasking with ease, while the 12 cores provide headroom for parallel workloads like compilation or batch processing.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 20826, placing it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival is the Intel Xeon 6325P with a score of 20821 and a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845 (-0.1%), the Intel Core i5-12490F scores 20802 (+0.1%), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 268V scores 20897 (-0.3%). This indicates performance nearly identical to these disparate processors.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and who are its nearest competitors?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has an average benchmark score of 49737, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti with a score of 49957 and a delta of -0.4%. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 50001 (-0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 50951 (-2.4%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 48477 (+2.6%).

Q: What memory bandwidth does the CPU support?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U features a dual-channel memory bus with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. It supports DDR5 memory, though the specific type depends on the motherboard configuration.

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

A: The combined percentile for this build is 80, indicating that this laptop configuration outperforms 80% of all tested CPU and GPU combinations in the database.

Q: Are there measured gaming FPS figures for this exact combination?

A: No. The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this specific CPU and GPU pairing. All gaming performance discussion must be framed as estimates derived from the benchmark scores.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 125U and Intel Arc A550M. The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data, so all gaming performance figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations rather than verified results.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 49737 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, which is a strong indicator for gaming capability. The Arc A550M's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, scores 49957 with a delta of -0.4%, suggesting that the Intel GPU delivers performance within a fraction of a percent of this high-end NVIDIA card. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 50951, which is 2.4% ahead, while the RX 6800 XT scores 48477, which is 2.6% behind. This places the Arc A550M in the upper echelon of graphics performance, likely capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in most modern titles.

The CPU's single-thread score of 3296 in PassMark and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1561 suggest that the processor can keep up with the GPU in gaming scenarios. The 12-core configuration with 14 threads provides ample processing power for game logic and physics calculations. However, the modest physics score of 1082 in PassMark may indicate some limitations in heavily physics-based games. The combination of a high-percentile GPU with a mid-to-high percentile CPU suggests that gaming at 1080p with high settings should produce smooth experiences, with the potential for 1440p gaming at reduced settings. At 4K, the 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth may become limiting factors, though the GPU's overall compute capability suggests playable frame rates in less demanding titles.

Who Should Build It

This laptop configuration targets users who need a balance of CPU and GPU performance without the bulk of a full desktop replacement. The CPU's 74th percentile ranking and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking create a system that excels in several specific use cases.

Gamers who play at 1080p or 1440p with high settings will find this combination compelling, given the GPU's proximity to the RTX 5070 Ti in benchmark scores. Content creators working with video editing software will appreciate the CPU's strong multi-core score of 9799 in Cinebench R23 and the GPU's 16.79 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, which accelerates rendering tasks. Software developers will benefit from the 12 cores and 14 threads for parallel compilation, while the data compression score of 198858 suggests efficient handling of large codebases. Students and office workers will find the 15W CPU TDP and integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU graphics sufficient for everyday tasks, while having the discrete GPU available for more demanding applications. Small business workstations that require occasional 3D rendering or GPU-accelerated computation will find this configuration hits a sweet spot between performance and portability.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score is 20826, placing it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. This is a strong result for a 15W mobile processor. The GPU's average benchmark score is 49737, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. In Geekbench, the GPU scores 49894 in OpenCL and 49580 in Vulkan, showing consistent performance across different compute APIs.

The combined percentile for this build is 80, indicating that this pairing outperforms 80% of all tested configurations. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6325P, scores 20821 with a 0% delta, showing that this mobile chip matches a server-class processor in aggregate benchmarks. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, scores 49957 with a -0.4% delta, indicating that the Intel Arc A550M is essentially on par with one of NVIDIA's latest high-end graphics cards.

The data presents a picture of a well-matched pair. The CPU's 74th percentile and GPU's 86th percentile are close enough that neither component dramatically overshadows the other. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 17417 and the GPU's FP32 performance of 8.397 TFLOPS indicate a system that can handle both compute and graphics workloads with competence. The 12 MB L3 cache on the CPU and 8 GB GDDR6 on the GPU provide adequate memory resources for most applications, though very large datasets or textures may push these limits.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A550M is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-512 chip, manufactured on a 6nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, with a transistor density of 53.4M per mm². The GPU operates with a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective.

The GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. For ray tracing, it has 16 dedicated RT cores. The pixel rate is 131.2 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 262.4 GTexel/s. Compute performance is rated at 8.397 TFLOPS for FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is moderate by modern standards but adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with the latest graphics APIs. The benchmark scores show a GPU that performs exceptionally well in compute workloads, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 49894 and 49580 respectively. The average benchmark score of 49737 places it in the 86th percentile, with the nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at -0.4% delta. The 16 RT cores suggest capable ray tracing performance, though the 8 GB VRAM may limit ray tracing at higher resolutions. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is a potential bottleneck for texture-heavy workloads, but the high pixel and texture rates indicate strong fill-rate performance for rasterization.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data reveals a system where the GPU is the stronger component relative to its respective market. The GPU sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. This 12-percentage-point gap suggests that in many workloads, the CPU may be the limiting factor, particularly in gaming scenarios where high frame rates require strong single-thread performance.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1561 and PassMark single-thread score of 3296 indicate solid but not exceptional single-thread performance. In games that are heavily CPU-bound, such as competitive shooters or real-time strategy titles, the CPU may prevent the GPU from reaching its full potential. However, the CPU's multi-core score of 9799 in Cinebench R23 shows that it can handle multi-threaded workloads effectively, which is beneficial for modern games that utilize multiple cores.

The GPU's performance relative to the RTX 5070 Ti suggests that in GPU-bound scenarios, this laptop can deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The FPS scaling from the benchmark scores indicates that the GPU is capable of significantly higher output than the CPU can feed in some scenarios. For productivity applications that are GPU-accelerated, such as video editing or 3D rendering, the balance is more favorable, as these workloads leverage both CPU multi-threading and GPU compute capabilities. The combined percentile of 80 reflects a system where the components work well together, even if the GPU has more headroom than the CPU.

Build Overview

This build represents a laptop-class system combining the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U mobile processor with the Intel Arc A550M discrete graphics card. The build class is explicitly listed as "laptop," confirming this is a mobile configuration rather than a desktop setup.

The CPU is a 12-core, 14-thread Meteor Lake processor with a 15W TDP, designed for thin-and-light laptops that prioritize battery life without sacrificing too much performance. The GPU is an Intel Arc A550M with a 60W TDP, built on the Xe-HPG architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking places it among the top 14% of all graphics cards, while the CPU's 74th percentile places it in the top quarter of all processors.

The combined percentile of 80 indicates that this pairing outperforms 80% of all tested CPU and GPU combinations. This is a strong result for a laptop configuration, suggesting that users can expect high performance across a variety of workloads. The system is positioned as a high-end mobile solution, capable of handling demanding tasks like 3D rendering, video editing, and high-refresh-rate gaming, while maintaining the portability of a laptop form factor.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U uses the Intel BGA 2049 socket, which is a ball-grid-array package that is soldered to the motherboard. This means that CPU upgrades are not possible in the traditional sense; the processor is permanently attached to the board. The memory support is listed as DDR5, with a dual-channel bus providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The specific memory configuration depends on the motherboard, but dual-channel DDR5 is the expected standard for this platform.

The CPU supports PCIe Gen 4 with 12 lanes from the CPU itself, while the GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. This provides ample bandwidth for both the discrete GPU and NVMe storage devices. The system's power requirements are modest, with the CPU at 15W and the GPU at 60W, though no suggested PSU is listed for this mobile configuration. The GPU has no power connectors listed, as it is designed to draw power from the laptop's power delivery system.

For a sensible next upgrade, the primary path is likely through the GPU, though in a laptop this is often not feasible. The 8 GB VRAM may become a limitation for future games, but the current configuration should remain viable for several years. The CPU's 15W TDP and 12 cores provide a solid foundation that should not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios. Memory upgrades are possible if the laptop has accessible SO-DIMM slots, and storage can be expanded via the PCIe Gen 4 lanes. The platform is mature, with the GPU listed as end-of-life, but the overall system should provide a long service life for its intended use cases.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The GPU's 86th percentile ranking and proximity to the RTX 5070 Ti in benchmark scores suggest this laptop can drive high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The CPU's single-thread score of 3296 should support high-refresh gaming in most titles, though physics-heavy games may see lower performance.

Streaming: The CPU's 12 cores and 14 threads, combined with the GPU's 16 RT cores and 8.397 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, provide adequate resources for encoding and streaming gameplay. The data compression score of 198858 indicates efficient handling of streaming workloads.

Video editing: The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 9799 and the GPU's 16.79 TFLOPS of FP16 performance make this a capable video editing machine. The 8 GB VRAM handles 1080p and 1440p editing timelines well, and the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth supports smooth scrubbing and playback.

3D rendering: The GPU's Geekbench OpenCL score of 49894 and the CPU's PassMark multithread score of 17417 indicate strong rendering performance. The 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs provide ample geometry and texture processing capability for moderate rendering workloads.

Software development: The CPU's 12 cores and 14 threads, combined with the 12 MB L3 cache, support fast compilation times. The integer math score of 57046 and floating-point score of 41331 suggest strong computational throughput for code execution and testing.

Student and office work: The CPU's single-thread performance and 15W TDP make this an efficient platform for everyday tasks. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU graphics provide a fallback for light graphics work, while the discrete GPU is available for more demanding applications. The system's 80th combined percentile ensures it handles all productivity software with ease.