SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + AMD Radeon RX 7600

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
93%
VS
GPU
89%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 235

46,062 Benchmark Score
Top 7% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

AMD Radeon RX 7600

15,171 Benchmark Score
Top 11% 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 Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 pairing represents a desktop configuration built around a 14-core Arrow Lake processor and a 2048-shader RDNA 3 graphics card. The CPU holds the 89th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 57th percentile, creating an asymmetric pairing where processing headroom substantially exceeds graphical throughput. The combined build percentile lands at 73, indicating a system that is stronger in computation than in frame rendering.

GPU Analysis

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the Navi 33 chip using TSMC's 6 nm process, containing 13,300 million transistors across a 204 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1720 MHz, a boost clock of 2655 MHz, and a game clock of 2250 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective transfer. These specifications place the RX 7600 in the mid-range segment, with the 57th percentile ranking reflecting its position relative to all GPUs.

The shading complex includes 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The GPU achieves a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance reaches 21.75 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations, indicating a 1:1 ratio for these precision levels. Ray tracing hardware is present with 32 RT cores, though the architecture does not include dedicated tensor cores. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compliance ensure modern API compatibility.

Benchmark results show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 88051 and 34401 respectively. The PassMark G3D score of 16634 and GPU compute score of 8790 provide additional performance context. The nearest rival comparisons show the RX 7600 within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM by 0.2% and the AMD Radeon 680M by 0.7%. These small deltas suggest the RX 7600 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

For rendering workloads, the 8 GB VRAM capacity with 288 GB/s bandwidth handles 1080p and 1440p textures adequately, though 4K ultra settings will stress the memory subsystem. The 21.75 TFLOPS compute throughput supports real-time effects and moderate ray tracing, but the absence of tensor cores means AI-accelerated features rely on standard shader operations. The dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector and 165 W TDP makes integration straightforward.

FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and what does it mean?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 89% of processors in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7600 holds the 57th percentile among all GPUs. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM by 0.2% and the AMD Radeon 680M by 0.7%, while leading the AMD Radeon Pro 560X by 0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti by 0.7%. These margins are negligible in real-world terms.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the CPU support?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is significantly lower than the GPU's 288.0 GB/s, though the CPU's memory bus serves different workload requirements.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the processor includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 execution units. This provides basic display output and light graphical tasks, but the discrete RX 7600 vastly outperforms it for gaming and rendering workloads.

Q: What is the combined system percentile?

A: The combined percentile for this CPU+GPU pairing is 73, reflecting that the system as a whole outperforms 73% of all tested configurations. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking pulls this upward from the GPU's 57th percentile.

Q: How many threads does the CPU support?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 has 14 cores and 14 threads, meaning it does not support simultaneous multithreading. Each core handles one thread, which affects heavily threaded workloads compared to processors with hyperthreading.

Q: What PCIe generation does the CPU support?

A: The processor provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU. The GPU, however, uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which may limit bandwidth in certain compute scenarios but is generally sufficient for gaming.

Gaming Performance

Measured frame rates at ultra settings reveal a GPU that excels at 1080p, performs capably at 1440p, and struggles at 4K. At 1920x1080, competitive titles show strong results: Valorant reaches 357 FPS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hits 344 FPS, and Roblox achieves 201 FPS. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege delivers 185 FPS, Call of Duty: Warzone runs at 176 FPS, and Counter-Strike 2 reaches 156 FPS. These figures indicate high-refresh gaming is achievable at 1080p for esports and light titles.

At 2560x1440, performance drops but remains playable for many games. Valorant maintains 305 FPS, Call of Duty: Warzone delivers 156 FPS, Counter-Strike 2 runs at 103 FPS, and Roblox hits 134 FPS. More demanding titles see significant reductions: Cyberpunk 2077 falls to 34 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 drops to 31 FPS, and Ark: Survival Ascended struggles at 14 FPS. The 1440p experience depends heavily on the game's optimization and graphical demands.

At 3840x2160, the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth limitations become apparent. Call of Duty: Warzone remains playable at 132 FPS, Valorant holds 243 FPS, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive reaches 140 FPS. However, most AAA titles fail to maintain 30 FPS: Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 23 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 21 FPS, and Ark: Survival Ascended at 8 FPS. The average FPS across all tested games at all resolutions is 101.6, though this figure skews upward due to the inclusion of lightweight titles.

The pairing ranks 2670th out of 3732 pairs by average FPS, placing it in the lower 28% of tested configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than CPU limitations. For 1080p ultra gaming, the RX 7600 delivers playable frame rates in the majority of titles, with only Ark: Survival Ascended (23 FPS) and The Medium (33 FPS) falling below 40 FPS. At 1440p, the GPU becomes the limiting factor for demanding games, while 4K gaming is only viable for esports and older titles.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data reveals a significant imbalance between CPU and GPU capabilities. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 57th percentile indicates that the processor has substantially more headroom than the graphics card can utilize. In CPU-bound scenarios such as competitive gaming at 1080p, the Core Ultra 5 235's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085) allows high frame rates, but the GPU often becomes the constraint in graphically intensive scenes.

Evidence from FPS scaling supports this analysis. At 1080p, Valorant achieves 357 FPS, while at 1440p it drops to 305 FPS and at 4K to 243 FPS. The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p (14.6%) suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. Conversely, Cyberpunk 2077 shows a steeper decline: 46 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p (26.1% drop) to 23 FPS at 4K (50% drop from 1080p), indicating GPU-bound behavior in this title.

The PassMark multithread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 show strong CPU performance across both metrics. The CPU's 14 cores without hyperthreading handle parallel workloads efficiently, as evidenced by Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769. However, the GPU's 21.75 TFLOPS and 16634 PassMark G3D score limit overall system throughput in graphics-heavy applications. For productivity tasks like data compression (390711 PassMark score) and encryption (29293 score), the CPU dominates, making the system well-balanced for compute workloads but GPU-limited for gaming.

The bottleneck shifts depending on workload. In productivity and content creation, the CPU is the primary driver, with the GPU providing acceleration where applicable. In gaming, the GPU is almost always the limiting factor, especially at resolutions above 1080p. The 8 GB VRAM capacity further constrains 4K gaming, where texture memory demands exceed available capacity in modern titles.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is built on the Arrow Lake architecture using TSMC's 3 nm process, containing 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The processor features 14 cores and 14 threads, with no hyperthreading support, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3 cache. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1851 compatibility make it suitable for standard desktop builds.

Benchmark results demonstrate strong computational performance. Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 indicate solid multi-threaded and single-threaded capabilities. The R20 results show 6202 multicore and 875 single-core, while R15 shows 1488 multicore and 210 single-core. PassMark tests reveal a multithread score of 37816, single-thread score of 4516, and strong performance in specific workloads: floating-point math at 117951, integer math at 87948, and extended instructions at 32752.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking places it above most processors, with nearest rivals showing tight competition. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% higher), and both AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 score within 0.2% of the Core Ultra 5 235. This indicates the CPU competes with high-end mobile and server processors despite its desktop 65 W design.

Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, though ECC memory is not supported. The processor provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, enabling fast storage and expansion. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 EU offers basic display capabilities. The processor launched with a $257 MSRP and remains in active production, with the part number SRQAS.

For real-world workloads, the 14 cores handle content creation tasks efficiently. The high single-thread score benefits applications that rely on single-core performance, such as gaming and legacy software. The multithread score supports video editing, 3D rendering, and software compilation. The PassMark data compression score of 390711 indicates strong archival and file management performance, while the find prime numbers score of 371 shows moderate integer throughput in specific algorithms.

Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who prioritize CPU-intensive workloads over maximum gaming performance. The 89th percentile CPU ranking makes it suitable for professionals and enthusiasts who need strong multi-threaded performance for content creation, software development, and data processing. The 14 cores and 14 threads handle video editing, 3D modeling, and compilation tasks effectively, as evidenced by Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and PassMark multithread score of 37816.

Gamers at 1080p with high-refresh monitors will find this build adequate for esports and competitive titles. The measured FPS at 1920x1080 shows Valorant at 357 FPS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at 344 FPS, and Rainbow Six Siege at 185 FPS, making it suitable for 144Hz or 240Hz displays in these games. However, gamers seeking 1440p or 4K performance at high settings will be limited by the GPU's 57th percentile ranking and 8 GB VRAM.

Content creators working with video, 3D rendering, or large datasets benefit from the CPU's strong compute scores. The PassMark floating-point math score of 117951 and integer math score of 87948 support scientific computing and financial modeling. The data encryption score of 29293 aids secure file operations. Students and small business workstations benefit from the balanced performance across productivity tasks, with the CPU handling office applications, web development, and data analysis efficiently.

The system is less suited for enthusiasts seeking maximum gaming performance or professionals requiring GPU compute acceleration. The RX 7600's 21.75 TFLOPS and 8 GB VRAM limit AI training, complex simulations, and 4K gaming. Users with these requirements should consider a higher-tier GPU, though the CPU provides ample headroom for future upgrades.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming at 1080p is the strongest gaming scenario for this build. Measured FPS at 1920x1080 shows Valorant at 357 FPS, Counter-Strike 2 at 156 FPS, and Call of Duty: Warzone at 176 FPS, all exceeding 144Hz refresh rates. Fortnite runs at 75 FPS and Grand Theft Auto V at 71 FPS, providing solid mid-range performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 supports high frame rates in CPU-bound titles.

Streaming benefits from the CPU's 14 cores and strong PassMark multithread score of 37816, allowing simultaneous game capture and encoding. The GPU's hardware encoding capabilities, while not explicitly benchmarked, work alongside the CPU to handle streaming workloads. The combination supports 1080p streaming at high frame rates, though the GPU's 57th percentile may limit encoding quality at higher resolutions.

Video editing performance is driven by the CPU's multicore capabilities. Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and PassMark floating-point math score of 117951 support timeline scrubbing, effects processing, and export rendering. The 24 MB L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth facilitate smooth multi-track editing. The GPU accelerates effects and color grading, though its 8 GB VRAM may limit 4K project complexity.

3D rendering benefits from the CPU's 14 cores, which excel in CPU-based renderers. The Cinebench R20 multicore score of 6202 and R15 score of 1488 demonstrate scalable performance across threads. GPU-accelerated renderers using the RX 7600's 21.75 TFLOPS can handle moderate workloads, but the 8 GB VRAM restricts scene complexity. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking ensures rendering tasks complete efficiently.

Software development leverages the CPU's strong single-thread and multithread performance. The PassMark integer math score of 87948 and extended instructions score of 32752 support compilation, testing, and virtual machine workloads. The 14 cores handle parallel builds, while the 5.00 GHz boost clock accelerates single-threaded tooling. The PCIe Gen 5 lanes enable fast storage for large codebases.

Student and office work is more than adequately served by this configuration. The CPU's single-thread score of 4516 in PassMark handles productivity applications smoothly, while the integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics provides fallback display output. The 65 W TDP keeps power consumption reasonable for all-day use. The GPU's 16634 PassMark G3D score supports light graphical tasks and web browsing without strain.

Build Overview

This desktop build pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the AMD Radeon RX 7600, creating a system where the CPU significantly outpaces the GPU. The processor's 89th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 57th percentile creates a 32-percentage-point gap, making this a CPU-first configuration. The combined percentile of 73 indicates the system outperforms 73% of all tested pairings, though the GPU represents the primary bottleneck for graphics-intensive tasks.

The Core Ultra 5 235 is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on Arrow Lake architecture with 14 cores and 14 threads. The RX 7600 is a desktop GPU from the Radeon RX 7000 series, using RDNA 3.0 architecture with 2048 shading units. Both components are in active production, with the CPU releasing on January 6, 2025, and the GPU on May 24, 2023. The build class is desktop, targeting mid-range to upper-mid-range performance with a focus on compute workloads.

The system's tier is defined by its component percentiles. The CPU's 89th percentile places it among high-end processors, while the GPU's 57th percentile sits at the mid-range boundary. This asymmetry makes the build ideal for users who need strong processing power but do not require advanced graphics. The 65 W CPU TDP and 165 W GPU TDP keep thermal and power requirements manageable, with a suggested 450 W PSU.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile among all processors. This score is remarkably close to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 at 46030 (0.1% difference), the Intel Core i9-13900HX at 46098 (0.1% difference), and both AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 at 45970 and 45960 respectively (both 0.2% difference). These margins are within measurement noise, indicating the Core Ultra 5 235 performs equivalently to these high-end alternatives.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 15171 places it in the 57th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show minimal performance deltas: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 15082 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti scores 15063 (0.7% lower). The RX 7600 sits in a tightly clustered performance band where component choice has minimal impact on average scores.

The combined picture shows a system with exceptional CPU performance and average GPU performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310 and PassMark G3D score of 16634 confirm the GPU's mid-range positioning. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 14769 multicore and 2085 single-core demonstrate its high-end compute capabilities. The pair's performance ranking of 2670 out of 3732 by average FPS reflects the GPU's limiting role in gaming scenarios.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 uses Socket 1851, which supports the Arrow Lake platform. The processor supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, though ECC memory is not supported. The CPU provides 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, enabling high-speed storage and expansion cards. The platform does not support multiplier unlocking, limiting overclocking potential.

The RX 7600 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which is backward compatible with PCIe 5.0 slots but may limit bandwidth in certain compute workloads. The GPU requires a single 8-pin power connector and has a 165 W TDP. The suggested PSU is 450 W, which provides headroom for the 65 W CPU and standard system components. The GPU's dual-slot design and 204 mm length fit most mid-tower cases.

A sensible next upgrade would focus on the GPU, as the CPU provides substantial headroom. The 89th percentile CPU ranking means it can support significantly faster graphics cards without becoming a bottleneck. Upgrading to a GPU with higher VRAM and bandwidth would enable 1440p and 4K gaming at higher settings. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support ensures compatibility with next-generation GPUs, though the current GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface may not fully utilize future bandwidth.

Memory upgrades are possible within the dual-channel DDR5 framework, with the 102.4 GB/s bandwidth potentially improved with faster kits. The 24 MB L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core provide adequate caching for most workloads. Storage expansion benefits from the 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, allowing multiple high-speed NVMe drives. The platform's active production status ensures ongoing driver and BIOS support, while the 65 W CPU TDP keeps cooling requirements modest for future upgrades.