SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc A310

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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88 Score

Top 12% Ranking

88 / 100

HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 12% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

91%

GPU

85%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 225

36,938 Benchmark Score

Top 9% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

Intel Arc A310

7,550 Benchmark Score

Top 15% 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

Strong Performance

Excellent for 1440p gaming. Most games will run at high/ultra settings smoothly.

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

This pairing combines a modern 10-core Intel desktop processor with an entry-level discrete GPU. The CPU is a strong performer, sitting at the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is a modest component at the 40th percentile. This is a system built for productivity and light gaming, not for high-end graphical workloads.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: This system is not suited for high-refresh gaming. The Arc A310 GPU is the limiting factor, ranking in the 40th percentile for all GPUs. Its PassMark G3D score of 5433 is in the same performance class as older cards like the GTX 1650, which is a 1080p entry-level part. Expect frame rates to be modest, likely falling short of the high numbers needed for 144Hz or 240Hz displays in modern titles. The CPU, however, would not be the bottleneck in this scenario, as its single-threaded performance is excellent.

Streaming: The CPU’s strong multi-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, provides ample headroom for software encoding while gaming. The 10 cores and 10 threads can handle the encoding workload without crippling game performance. However, the GPU’s low performance will limit the game’s graphical settings and frame rate, which in turn will cap the quality of the stream. The lack of Tensor cores on the GPU means hardware-accelerated encoding features are not as robust as on competing architectures.

Video editing: The Core Ultra 5 225 is a capable processor for video editing. Its high multi-threaded performance (85th percentile) will help with timeline scrubbing and rendering. The Arc A310’s 4 GB of VRAM is a significant limitation for 4K video work or complex effects, as it can run out of memory. For lightweight 1080p projects, the system will be functional, but the GPU will not provide significant acceleration in effects-heavy workflows.

3D rendering: The CPU is the star here. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 puts it comfortably in the upper echelon for desktop processors, rivaling the performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Ryzen 5 5500X3D. This translates to solid performance in CPU-based rendering engines. The GPU, however, is a bottleneck for GPU-accelerated rendering, such as those using OptiX or similar. The Arc A310’s FP32 performance of 2.688 TFLOPS is low, making it unsuitable for production rendering.

Software development: This is a strong use case. The CPU’s high single-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655) ensures fast compilation of individual files and responsive IDE interactions. The multi-core score of 25891 will speed up full-project builds. The GPU is sufficient for standard desktop tasks and running a couple of 4K displays, but it is not necessary for development work unless building or testing graphics-intensive applications.

Student and office work: The system is more than adequate for these tasks. The high single-threaded and multi-threaded CPU scores ensure snappy performance in spreadsheets, word processors, and multitasking with dozens of browser tabs. The Arc A310’s PassMark G2D score of 625 indicates solid 2D performance for desktop rendering. This combination provides a responsive and efficient workstation for general academic and office duties.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 36938, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This is a very solid score, nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945. In multi-core workloads like Cinebench R23, it scores 25891, demonstrating strong parallel processing power. Single-core performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 score of 3655 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4412, ensuring responsive day-to-day use.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 7550, placing it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. This is a stark contrast to the CPU. It sits right next to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which has an average score of 7472, indicating the A310 is a very entry-level graphics solution. Its PassMark G3D score of 5433 confirms this classification. The combined system percentile is 63, reflecting the large gap between the high-performing CPU and the low-performing GPU.

Balance and Bottleneck

The performance imbalance is stark. In CPU-bound workloads such as video encoding, software compilation, and 3D scene preparation, the Core Ultra 5 225 will deliver top-tier performance, limited only by its own 85th percentile standing. The data shows the CPU is a clear strength.

In GPU-bound workloads, primarily gaming and GPU-accelerated rendering, the Arc A310 is the definitive bottleneck. Its 40th percentile ranking means it will struggle to keep up with the CPU. For example, while the CPU can easily handle the physics and game logic calculations, the GPU will be the component that determines the final frame rate, capping it at low levels. The result is a system where the CPU will often be waiting on the GPU, a classic mismatch for gaming but a sensible pairing for a CPU-centric workstation.

Who Should Build It

This build is for users who prioritize CPU performance above all else and have only light graphical needs. The target user is a software developer who benefits greatly from the strong multi-core and single-core scores for builds and code analysis. Similarly, a student or office worker dealing with large datasets in spreadsheets or running complex data analysis scripts will find the CPU's power beneficial. Content creators working primarily in CPU-based rendering or encoding, where the 10 cores can be fully utilized, will also find this to be a solid foundation. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU inside the CPU could even serve as a backup, but the discrete A310 provides a better experience for driving multiple displays.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A310 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, codenamed Alchemist, on a 6 nm process. It features 768 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. It has 6 dedicated ray tracing cores but no Tensor cores. The GPU operates at a consistent 1750 MHz and has a memory clock of 1937 MHz.

Its memory subsystem is a key limitation: 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 124.0 GB/s. This is quite low by modern standards and will limit performance in high-resolution textures and memory-intensive applications. The FP32 performance is rated at 2.688 TFLOPS. In benchmarks, its PassMark G3D score of 5433 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 28964 place it in the entry-level segment, comparable to a GTX 1650. For rendering, the 4 GB VRAM and low compute power mean it is only suitable for light, 2D workloads or very basic 3D tasks.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data is available for this specific CPU-GPU combination. The following frame rate expectations are estimates based on the GPU's benchmark scores and should be treated as such.

The Arc A310 is an entry-level GPU, and its performance in games will reflect that. Its PassMark DirectX 12 score of 29 and DirectX 11 score of 33 are extremely low, indicating poor performance in modern APIs. At 1080p with ultra settings, this system will struggle to maintain playable frame rates in most modern titles. It is more realistic to expect playable performance at 1080p with low to medium settings, and even then, newer or more demanding games may require further reductions or a lower resolution. The GPU's 40th percentile ranking and similarity to the GTX 1650 suggest it is best suited for e-sports titles and older games, where it can hit higher frame rates. For the latest AAA games, expect significant compromises.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It features a substantial cache hierarchy, including 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

Its benchmark scores show a processor with a very balanced set of skills. The PassMark scores for integer math (65345) and floating-point math (92038) are both strong, indicating solid general-purpose and scientific computing performance. The data compression score of 302811 and encryption score of 22285 show that it handles data-heavy tasks well. The multi-threaded score of 30459 in PassMark and 25891 in Cinebench R23 confirm its strength in parallel workloads. This is a versatile chip that excels in anything from code compilation to video encoding, making it a powerful engine for a workstation.

FAQ

Q: Is this a good PC for playing the latest AAA games?

A: No. The Intel Arc A310 GPU is an entry-level component, ranking in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its low DirectX 11 and 12 scores suggest it will not provide playable frame rates at high settings in modern titles. The CPU is powerful, but the GPU will be the limiting factor.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and slightly better than the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, a -0.2% delta) and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, a -0.5% delta). This places it in a highly competitive performance tier.

Q: What is the most significant limitation of the GPU?

A: The most significant limitation is its 4 GB of VRAM and 64-bit memory bus, which provides a bandwidth of only 124.0 GB/s. This is insufficient for modern game textures and will cause performance stuttering or failure to load assets in many titles.

Q: Can this system handle video editing?

A: Yes, for basic to moderate editing. The CPU's strong multi-core performance (85th percentile) will handle the workload well. However, the GPU's low memory and compute power will be a bottleneck for heavy effects, 4K timelines, or GPU-accelerated exports.

Q: What kind of software development is this best suited for?

A: It is well-suited for any development that benefits from fast single-threaded performance (IDE responsiveness) and strong multi-core performance (compilation, running test suites). The high PassMark scores for integer math and data compression also make it good for backend and data processing tasks.

Q: Does the GPU support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A310 has 6 dedicated ray tracing cores. However, given the GPU's overall low performance level, ray tracing is more of a feature checklist item than a practical capability. Enabling it would likely result in very low frame rates.

Q: What is the upgrade path for the GPU?

A: The CPU is powerful enough to support a much faster GPU. The system uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface for the GPU, and the CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes. Upgrading to a modern mid-range or high-end GPU would remove the system’s main bottleneck and transform it into a very capable gaming or rendering machine.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The system is built on the Intel Socket 1851 platform, supporting the Core Ultra Series 2 processors. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. It also offers PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU, ensuring high-speed connectivity for future storage devices.

The most impactful upgrade is the graphics card. The current Arc A310 has a suggested power supply of only 200 W, and the CPU has a TDP of 65 W. This system has enormous power headroom. The PCIe 4.0 x8 slot is electrically capable of handling significantly more powerful cards. Swapping the A310 for a higher-end GPU with a recommended PSU in the 500-600 W range would be a straightforward and transformative change. The platform is solid and forward-looking, with the main limitation being the entry-level GPU. The next sensible step is to replace the GPU to unlock the full potential of the Core Ultra 5 225.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc A310

Power Build

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 5 225

Intel Arc A310

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Strong Performance

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

Usage Scenarios

Benchmark Performance

Balance and Bottleneck

Who Should Build It

GPU Analysis

Gaming Performance

CPU Analysis

FAQ

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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