SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000

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
91%
VS
GPU
90%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 225

36,938 Benchmark Score
Top 9% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000

17,789 Benchmark Score
Top 10% 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

# Usage Scenarios

The Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Quadro RTX 4000 occupies a distinct niche: a desktop platform with a modern CPU and a workstation-oriented GPU. For high-refresh gaming, the CPU's single-core strength — evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4412 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 — is more than adequate for driving high frame rates in esports titles. However, the GPU, sitting at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, will likely cap performance at 1080p high-refresh in many titles, particularly those with heavy geometry or effects workloads.

Streaming presents a mixed picture. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, provide a solid foundation for software encoding, but the GPU's Turing architecture includes dedicated tensor cores (288) and RT cores (36), which could offload encoding tasks if the software supports it. The Passmark data encryption score of 22285 suggests the CPU can handle the overhead of streaming while gaming, though the lack of hyperthreading means a single game plus encoder might strain the thread count.

Video editing workloads benefit from both components. The CPU's floating-point math score of 92038 in Passmark indicates strong number-crunching ability for effects and color grading, while the GPU's 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 416.0 GB/s memory bandwidth accelerate timeline rendering and GPU-accelerated effects. The 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM is workable for 1080p and some 1440p timelines, but longer projects with high-resolution source material could exceed it.

3D rendering leans heavily on the GPU, and here the Quadro RTX 4000's 2304 shading units and ray-tracing hardware provide meaningful acceleration. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1873 is modest by modern standards, but for architectural visualization or product design at moderate polygon counts, it remains serviceable. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 30459 ensures that CPU-based rendering fallbacks (e.g., in Blender's Cycles) are not a complete bottleneck, though the 10-thread limit will extend render times on complex scenes.

Software development benefits from the CPU's strong single-core performance and the platform's memory bandwidth. The Passmark single-thread score of 4412 is excellent for compilation tasks that are often single-threaded, while the data compression score of 302811 suggests fast rebuilds for large codebases. The GPU's compute capabilities (Passmark GPU compute score of 6176) can accelerate shader compilation and testing, though the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface on the GPU side limits data transfer rates compared to newer standards.

For student and office work, this configuration is overkill in the CPU department but underutilized in the GPU. The Core Ultra 5 225's 65 W TDP and 3.30 GHz base clock mean efficient operation for spreadsheets, document editing, and web browsing. The Quadro RTX 4000's workstation drivers and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs support multi-monitor setups common in productivity environments, but its 160 W TDP and single-slot design are more than typical office tasks require.

# Gaming Performance

The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this exact CPU-GPU combination — the measuredFpsUltraByGame field is empty and dataIsMeasured is false. Therefore, all frame rate discussion below is estimated from benchmark scores and should be treated as approximate expectations rather than verified results.

At 1080p ultra settings, the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 15117 places it in the lower-mid tier of modern graphics cards, roughly on par with the GeForce RTX 4060 (which has an average benchmark score 0.9% higher). For esports titles like Counter-Strike or Valorant, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (4412 in Passmark single-thread) should allow frame rates well above 144 FPS, as these games are typically CPU-bound at high frame rates. The GPU's 1545 MHz boost clock and 98.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for these lighter workloads.

For AAA titles at 1080p ultra, expectations must be tempered. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1873 suggests that modern DirectX 12 games with ray tracing enabled will struggle to maintain 60 FPS at high settings. The 36 RT cores provide some ray-tracing capability, but the Turing architecture's ray-tracing performance is several generations behind current designs. Without ray tracing, games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2 might hit 50-70 FPS at 1080p ultra, depending on scene complexity.

At 1440p, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit memory bus (416.0 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for 1440p textures in most titles, but the raw compute throughput (7.119 TFLOPS FP32) is insufficient for high-refresh 1440p gaming. Expect 30-50 FPS in demanding titles at ultra settings, with drops below 30 FPS in the most intensive scenes. The CPU would be largely idle in this scenario, as the GPU is saturated.

At 4K, the configuration is not viable for ultra settings in modern games. The GPU's 61st percentile rank and 17789 average benchmark score indicate that even 30 FPS would be a stretch in many titles. The 416.0 GB/s bandwidth is too low for 4K texture streaming, and the 8 GB VRAM would be exceeded by many games at 4K ultra. This pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming or 1440p at reduced settings.

# FAQ

Q: Does the Core Ultra 5 225 support DDR5 memory?

A: Yes, the CPU supports DDR5 memory, using a dual-channel memory bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. It does not support ECC memory.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 has a launch MSRP of 899 USD. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $246.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, while the Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945, a delta of 0%. They are effectively tied in overall performance.

Q: What PCIe version does the GPU use?

A: The Quadro RTX 4000 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only).

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes Intel Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units, which can serve as a display output if the discrete GPU is not needed.

Q: What is the power draw of each component?

A: The CPU has a TDP of 65 W, and the GPU has a TDP of 160 W. The suggested PSU for the GPU is 450 W.

Q: Is the CPU overclockable?

A: No, the multiplier is not unlocked, meaning the Core Ultra 5 225 cannot be overclocked via the standard multiplier adjustment.

# Balance and Bottleneck

In this dual-component system, the bottleneck shifts depending on workload type. For gaming, the GPU is the limiting factor. The Quadro RTX 4000's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the CPU's 85th percentile among all CPUs. This 24-point gap indicates the GPU will cap frame rates in most gaming scenarios, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS scaling evidence, though not measured, would show improved performance with a stronger GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom — its Passmark single-thread score of 4412 is far above what most games require.

For CPU-bound workloads like software compilation, data compression, or single-threaded applications, the CPU becomes the limiting component. The Passmark data compression score of 302811 and integer math score of 65345 are strong, but the 10-thread limit (10 cores, 10 threads) means heavily threaded workloads that exceed 10 threads will see diminishing returns. The GPU's compute capability (6176 Passmark GPU compute) could offload some parallel tasks, but the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface adds latency that may negate benefits for small transfer sizes.

In mixed workloads like video editing, the bottleneck alternates. The CPU's floating-point math score (92038) handles effects and encoding, while the GPU's 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 performance accelerates previews and rendering. The 8 GB VRAM and 416.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p timelines, but 4K projects would shift the bottleneck to the GPU's memory capacity. Similarly, 3D rendering with ray tracing would be GPU-bound due to the 36 RT cores, while CPU-based rendering would be limited by the 10-thread CPU.

The platform itself introduces a bottleneck consideration: the GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes. This means the GPU is limited to PCIe 3.0 bandwidth (approximately 16 GB/s), which is sufficient for its 416.0 GB/s memory bandwidth but leaves performance on the table for data-intensive workloads like machine learning inference that could benefit from PCIe 4.0 or 5.0.

# Benchmark Performance

The Core Ultra 5 225 delivers an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945 with a delta of 0%, indicating near-identical overall performance. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D trails by 0.2% (score 37018), and the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.4% behind (37093). The Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.5% lower (37112). This clustering shows the Core Ultra 5 225 sits in a highly competitive mid-range CPU tier.

Specific CPU benchmarks reinforce this position. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 is substantial for a 10-thread processor, while the single-core score of 3655 is excellent and competitive with higher-end parts. The Passmark multithread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 confirm balanced performance across both threaded and single-threaded workloads. The data encryption score of 22285 indicates robust security-related processing, while the extended instructions score of 27162 shows strong SIMD performance.

The Quadro RTX 4000 has an average benchmark score of 17789, placing it at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666 with a delta of 0.7%, meaning the Quadro is slightly faster. The GeForce RTX 4060 scores 17639, a 0.9% deficit, and the Radeon 780M scores 17588, 1.1% behind. The Radeon Pro 560 trails by 1.4% (17551). This tight grouping indicates the Quadro RTX 4000 performs near the level of entry-level modern GPUs.

The GPU's individual benchmarks show its strengths and weaknesses. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 74540 and Vulkan score of 78844 are respectable, indicating good compute performance. The Passmark G3D score of 15117 is moderate, while the Passmark GPU compute score of 6176 is lower than expected, suggesting compute-heavy workloads may underperform relative to gaming. The DirectX 12 score of 52 is notably weak, reflecting the Turing architecture's age compared to modern DirectX 12 Ultimate requirements.

The combined percentile for this pairing is 73, indicating that as a system, it outperforms about 73% of desktop configurations. This suggests the CPU's strength partially compensates for the GPU's mid-tier position, but the GPU remains the weaker link in the overall package.

# Who Should Build It

This configuration targets users who need strong CPU performance for productivity tasks but have modest GPU requirements. Gamers at 1080p who prioritize high refresh rates in esports titles will find the CPU's single-thread performance (4412 Passmark) enables high frame rates, while the GPU's 61st percentile ranking handles lighter games well. For 1440p gaming, the pairing is viable at medium settings, but users seeking ultra settings at that resolution should consider a stronger GPU.

Content creators working in 1080p video editing will benefit from the CPU's floating-point math score (92038) and the GPU's 8 GB VRAM for timeline acceleration. The Quadro RTX 4000's workstation drivers and single-slot design make it suitable for small form factor builds. Software developers compiling code will appreciate the CPU's data compression score (302811) and single-thread performance, while the GPU's compute capabilities can accelerate shader compilation and testing.

Students in engineering, architecture, or design programs will find the combination adequate for CAD and 3D modeling software that leverages GPU acceleration. The 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores provide some ray-tracing and AI capabilities, useful for visualization and machine learning coursework. The 65 W CPU TDP and 160 W GPU TDP mean the system is relatively energy-efficient for a desktop, suitable for dorm rooms or shared spaces.

Small business workstations handling document processing, accounting, or database management will be well served by the CPU's strong multithread performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891) and the GPU's multi-display support (3x DisplayPort 1.4a). The 8 GB VRAM is overkill for office tasks but provides headroom for future GPU-accelerated applications. The single-slot GPU design leaves expansion options open in the chassis.

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake-S architecture using TSMC's 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU contains 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, reflecting the density of the 3 nm process.

The cache hierarchy consists of 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This arrangement provides low-latency access to frequently used data, contributing to the strong single-thread score of 3655 in Cinebench R23 and 4412 in Passmark. The 20 MB L3 is modest compared to some rivals, but the fast L2 compensates in many workloads.

Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, which is adequate for the CPU's 10-thread workload. The lack of ECC support limits use in error-sensitive server environments but is standard for consumer desktop CPUs. PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes (CPU only) provides high-bandwidth connectivity for modern NVMe drives and future GPU upgrades.

The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 EU provides basic display output and hardware acceleration for video playback, though it is not intended for gaming. The CPU's market segment is desktop, with a production status of Active and a release date of January 6, 2025. Its launch MSRP is $246, and the multiplier is locked, preventing overclocking.

Benchmark results show balanced performance: Cinebench R15 multi-core scores 2609, R20 multi-core scores 6317, and R23 multi-core scores 25891. Single-core scores progress similarly: R15 at 368, R20 at 891, and R23 at 3655. Passmark results include a multithread score of 30459, physics score of 2342, and random string sorting score of 36590. The floating-point math score of 92038 and integer math score of 65345 indicate strong arithmetic processing, while the find prime numbers score of 358 is relatively low, reflecting the lack of hyperthreading in this workload.

# Build Overview

This build pairs a modern desktop CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with an end-of-life workstation GPU, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000, in a desktop class configuration. The CPU represents the latest Arrow Lake architecture, while the GPU uses the Turing architecture from 2018. The combined percentile of 73 indicates the system outperforms nearly three-quarters of desktop builds in the benchmark database.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs positions it as a strong mid-range to upper-mid-range processor, while the GPU's 61st percentile places it in the lower-mid range of graphics cards. This creates an asymmetric build where the CPU has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades. The average benchmark scores reflect this: the CPU's 36938 average is far above the GPU's 17789 average.

The build class is desktop, meaning both components are designed for stationary tower or workstation systems. The GPU is single-slot and 241 mm long, fitting most mid-tower cases, while the CPU's 65 W TDP allows for compact air coolers. The system's overall tier, based on the 73rd combined percentile, is solidly mid-range, suitable for mainstream gaming and productivity tasks.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The CPU uses Intel Socket 1851, which is specific to the Core Ultra Series 2 (Arrow Lake-S) processors. This socket supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with a maximum bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The platform provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU, enabling high-speed NVMe storage and future graphics cards that support PCIe 5.0.

The GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x16, which is backward compatible with the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 slots, so the current GPU functions without issue. However, upgrading to a modern GPU would take full advantage of the PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 bandwidth available from the CPU. The suggested PSU for the GPU is 450 W, which is modest given the CPU's 65 W TDP, leaving headroom for a more powerful graphics card in the future.

A sensible next upgrade would be replacing the Quadro RTX 4000 with a modern GPU that supports PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 and DirectX 12 Ultimate fully. The CPU's 85th percentile performance would complement a GPU in the 80th percentile or higher, creating a more balanced system. The 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide sufficient bandwidth for even the fastest current GPUs, and the 65 W CPU TDP means the power supply has ample capacity for a higher-wattage GPU.

The memory subsystem, with dual-channel DDR5 at 102.4 GB/s, is adequate for current workloads but could be a bottleneck if the user upgrades to a high-end GPU and engages in memory-intensive tasks. The lack of ECC support limits professional reliability features, but this is standard for consumer platforms. The locked multiplier on the CPU restricts overclocking, but the 4.90 GHz boost clock already provides high single-thread performance.

# GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is a workstation GPU based on the Turing architecture, built on TSMC's 12 nm process with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die. It has a base clock of 1005 MHz and a boost clock of 1545 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 416.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1625 MHz, or 13 Gbps effective.

The GPU contains 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It includes 36 RT cores for ray tracing and 288 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The pixel rate is 98.88 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 222.5 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 7.119 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 14.24 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The TDP is 160 W, with a single-slot design and one 8-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 450 W.

In benchmark results, the GPU scores 1873 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), 74540 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 78844 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark results include a G3D score of 15117, a G2D score of 846, and a GPU compute score of 6176. The DirectX 10 score of 108, DirectX 11 score of 128, and DirectX 12 score of 52 show that the GPU's performance varies significantly across API generations, with older APIs performing relatively better.

For rendering workloads, the 2304 shading units and 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 provide moderate compute capability, adequate for 1080p and some 1440p rendering in applications like Blender or Maya. The 36 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but the Turing architecture's RT performance is modest compared to Ampere or Ada Lovelace generations. The 288 tensor cores support AI-accelerated features like DLSS, though the GPU's overall performance may limit their usefulness.

The GPU's 61st percentile ranking and 17789 average benchmark score place it slightly above the GeForce RTX 4060 (0.9% difference) and the AMD Radeon 780M (1.1% difference). This indicates that despite its age and workstation orientation, the Quadro RTX 4000 performs competitively with entry-level modern GPUs in overall benchmark scores. However, its DirectX 12 performance, as shown by the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1873, lags behind newer architectures in modern gaming workloads.