SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

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

93 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 7% 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
92%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 235

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

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

23,172 Benchmark Score
Top 8% 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 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 form a desktop pairing that sits at the 79th percentile overall, a strong mid-to-high tier configuration. The CPU, a 14-core Arrow Lake part, delivers an average benchmark score of 46062, while the GPU, an Ampere-based card with 10 GB of memory, posts an average of 23172. The measured frame rates across a wide range of titles confirm this is a competent 1440p machine, with solid 4K capabilities in less demanding games.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming at 1080p, the data shows this pairing excels, with esports titles delivering exceptional results. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hits 537 FPS at 1920x1080, while Valorant reaches 557 FPS, and Counter-Strike 2 manages 243 FPS. Even at 1440p, these titles remain far above the 144 Hz threshold, with Valorant at 476 FPS and CS:GO at 370 FPS. This makes the build a very strong choice for competitive shooters where high frame rates are paramount.

Streaming and content creation benefit from the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 places the CPU at the 89th percentile among all processors, nearly matching the Intel Core i9-13900HX and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in average score. The PassMark multi-thread score of 37816 provides ample headroom for background encoding tasks, while the RTX 3080's NVENC hardware handles video encoding without heavily impacting gaming performance.

Video editing workloads are well-served by this combination. The CPU's single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, ensures responsive timeline scrubbing and effects previews. The GPU's 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power accelerates rendering effects and exports, while the 10 GB of GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth handles 4K video timelines with room to spare.

3D rendering performance is driven by the combination of the CPU's multi-core capability and the GPU's compute throughput. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6202 indicates strong CPU-based rendering, while the RTX 3080's 8704 shading units and 272 tensor cores accelerate GPU-accelerated renderers. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 confirms the GPU handles modern graphics APIs efficiently, making this a viable workstation for moderate rendering tasks.

Software development workflows see benefits from the CPU's balanced architecture. The PassMark data compression score of 390711 and extended instructions score of 32752 show strong performance in compile tasks and data processing. The 14 threads handle parallel builds effectively, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient memory throughput for large codebases and virtual machines.

Student and office work is handled with significant headroom. The PassMark single-thread score of 4516 ensures snappy application launches and responsive productivity software, while the integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU provides a fallback display output. The CPU's 65 W TDP keeps power consumption reasonable for all-day computing, and the RTX 3080, while not needed for basic tasks, accelerates any GPU-accelerated office applications.

FAQ

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235 compare to the Intel Core i9-13900HX?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the Core Ultra 5 235 scoring 46062 against the i9-13900HX's 46098, a delta of -0.1%. This means the desktop Ultra 5 essentially matches a high-end mobile i9 in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the RTX 3080's standing among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 3080 sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172. While not a top-tier card in current terms, it remains ahead of roughly two-thirds of all graphics cards in the database.

Q: Can this system run Cyberpunk 2077 at playable frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, the game runs at 72 FPS, which is playable. At 2560x1440, it drops to 54 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 35 FPS. For smoother high-resolution play, you would need to lower settings or use upscaling.

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

A: The RTX 3080 features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This is sufficient for 1440p gaming and most 4K scenarios, though the 10 GB capacity can be a limiting factor in heavily textured titles at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU perform in single-threaded tasks?

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2085, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4516. This places it comfortably in the upper echelon for single-core performance, which benefits gaming and lightly-threaded applications.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 still a viable GPU for modern gaming?

A: Benchmark results show it handles modern titles well. For example, Call of Duty: Warzone runs at 176 FPS at 1080p, and Red Dead Redemption 2 runs at 65 FPS at 1080p. Its 68th percentile standing confirms it remains a capable GPU, though not at the modern.

Q: What is the combined performance rank of this pairing?

A: The pair ranks 1053 out of 3732 pairs tested, with an average FPS across all tested games of 155.6. This places it in the top 28% of all CPU and GPU combinations in the database.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture and uses the GA102 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and its memory runs at an effective 19 Gbps. The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for high-resolution textures and data-intensive workloads.

The GPU's compute configuration includes 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It also features 68 RT cores for ray tracing and 272 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The FP32 compute throughput is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 29.77 TFLOPS (1:1). The pixel rate is 164.2 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 465.1 GTexel/s. This hardware supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Benchmark scores for the GPU show a PassMark G3D score of 25086 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 14397. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it achieves 4407, while GeekBench OpenCL returns 152423 and Vulkan returns 33620. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23172 places it at the 68th percentile, meaning it outperforms most GPUs but is not at the top tier.

For rendering workloads, the RTX 3080's combination of 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores makes it a competent performer for both ray-traced scenes and AI-accelerated effects. The 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth ensures texture streaming is rarely a bottleneck, though the 10 GB VRAM capacity can be a constraint in very large scenes or at 4K with ultra textures. The GPU's 320 W TDP requires robust cooling, and the suggested PSU is 700 W.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data indicates a well-balanced pairing where the bottleneck shifts depending on resolution and workload. At 1920x1080, the CPU's single-thread strength (4516 PassMark single-thread) ensures it can feed the GPU in most titles, but the high frame rates in esports titles like Valorant (557 FPS) and CS:GO (537 FPS) suggest the GPU is the primary limiter even at this resolution, as these numbers are below what the CPU alone could theoretically push.

At 2560x1440, the balance tilts more toward the GPU. The frame rates drop significantly across all titles, with Cyberpunk 2077 falling from 72 to 54 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 from 65 to 49 FPS. This resolution-dependent decline indicates the RTX 3080's rendering throughput becomes the limiting factor. The GPU's 68th percentile standing versus the CPU's 89th percentile supports this conclusion—the CPU has more relative headroom than the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Most titles see frame rates below 60 FPS, with demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 35 FPS and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 32 FPS. The CPU's 14 cores and high single-thread performance are not the constraint; rather, the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM and 29.77 TFLOPS compute are insufficient for consistently smooth 4K gaming in AAA titles.

For compute-heavy workloads, the CPU's multi-core scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 14769) and the GPU's compute scores (PassMark GPU compute of 14397) are both strong, but the GPU's 68th percentile versus the CPU's 89th percentile suggests the GPU is the more likely bottleneck in GPU-accelerated tasks. Conversely, in CPU-bound tasks like data compression (390711 PassMark) or extended instructions (32752), the CPU is the definitive performer.

Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 achieves an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, delta 0.1%), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, delta -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970, delta 0.2%), and the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960, delta 0.2%). These deltas are all within 0.2%, indicating the Ultra 5 235 is statistically tied with these other processors in overall performance.

Specific CPU benchmark scores include Cinebench R23 multi-core at 14769 and single-core at 2085, Cinebench R20 multi-core at 6202 and single-core at 875, and Cinebench R15 multi-core at 1488 and single-core at 210. PassMark results show multi-thread at 37816, single-thread at 4516, integer math at 87948, floating-point math at 117951, data compression at 390711, data encryption at 29293, extended instructions at 32752, and physics at 2570.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves an average benchmark score of 23172, placing it at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, delta -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, delta -0.4%). These deltas are all negative for the RTX 3080, meaning it scores slightly lower than these rivals.

GPU benchmark scores include 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 4407, GeekBench OpenCL at 152423, GeekBench Vulkan at 33620, PassMark G3D at 25086, PassMark GPU compute at 14397, and PassMark DirectX 11 at 207. The combined picture shows a CPU that is near the top of the performance charts and a GPU that is solidly mid-to-high tier, with the pairing's combined percentile at 79.

Who Should Build It

Gamers targeting 1440p high-refresh gameplay are the primary audience for this build. The measured FPS data shows most titles at 2560x1440 exceeding 60 FPS, with esports titles like Valorant (476 FPS), CS:GO (370 FPS), and Rainbow Six Siege (190 FPS) far exceeding 144 Hz. Even demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 (54 FPS) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (49 FPS) are playable, though not at maximum settings.

Content creators working with video and 3D rendering will find the CPU's 89th percentile performance and the GPU's compute capabilities sufficient for moderate workloads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 ensures efficient rendering, while the RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS accelerates GPU-based effects and exports. The 10 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p video editing timelines.

Software developers benefit from the CPU's strong integer math (87948 PassMark) and data compression (390711) scores, which speed up compilation and data processing. The 14 threads handle parallel builds effectively, and the DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides ample memory throughput for virtual machines and large projects.

Students and office users will find this build overkill for basic tasks, but the high single-thread performance (4516 PassMark) ensures snappy application responsiveness. The integrated GPU provides a backup display output, and the 65 W CPU TDP keeps power consumption reasonable. For small business workstations handling spreadsheet, database, or light content creation tasks, this pairing offers substantial headroom for future workloads.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process node from TSMC. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and uses the Intel Socket 1851. The die size is 243 mm², containing 17,800 million transistors.

The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, though ECC memory is not supported. It provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU, and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 execution units. The CPU is not multiplier unlocked, meaning overclocking is limited. It was released in January 2025 with a launch MSRP of $257.

Benchmark results show the CPU's strengths in both single and multi-threaded workloads. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2085 single-core and 14769 multi-core indicate strong performance in both areas, with the multi-core score being particularly notable for a 65 W part. The PassMark multi-thread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 confirm this balance.

The process node and architecture details suggest efficient power delivery, with the 3 nm process from TSMC allowing for high clock speeds within the 65 W TDP envelope. The 89th percentile standing among all CPUs means this processor outperforms the vast majority of available processors, matching or exceeding the performance of high-end mobile parts and server processors in the nearest rivals list.

Build Overview

This is a desktop build combining the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. The CPU is a recent Arrow Lake part, while the GPU is from the older Ampere generation, now marked as end-of-life. The pairing's combined percentile is 79, indicating it outperforms 79% of all tested CPU and GPU combinations.

The CPU brings modern architecture and efficiency, while the GPU brings proven high-end performance from the previous generation. The pair ranks 1053 out of 3732 pairs, with an average FPS across all tested games of 155.6. This places it in the top 28% of pairs, making it a strong performer for the hardware class.

In terms of overall tier, the CPU sits at the 89th percentile and the GPU at the 68th percentile, creating a system where the CPU has more relative headroom than the GPU. The combined 79th percentile reflects a balanced system that is slightly CPU-heavy in terms of relative performance. This pairing is most appropriate for high-refresh 1440p gaming and moderate content creation workloads.

Gaming Performance

The measured FPS data is based on direct testing and covers a wide range of titles at three resolutions. At 1920x1080, esports and competitive titles deliver exceptional results: Valorant hits 557 FPS, CS:GO reaches 537 FPS, and Rainbow Six Siege runs at 289 FPS. Counter-Strike 2 achieves 243 FPS, and Roblox runs at 314 FPS. Even demanding titles are playable, with Cyberpunk 2077 at 72 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 65 FPS, and Call of Duty: Warzone at 176 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong for most titles. Valorant leads at 476 FPS, with CS:GO at 370 FPS and Rainbow Six Siege at 190 FPS. Counter-Strike 2 runs at 161 FPS, and Minecraft at 151 FPS. More demanding games see notable drops: Cyberpunk 2077 falls to 54 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 to 49 FPS, and Ark: Survival Ascended to 22 FPS. Most titles still achieve 60+ FPS, making 1440p the sweet spot for this build.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Valorant still runs at 380 FPS, and CS:GO at 218 FPS, but most AAA titles fall below 60 FPS. Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 35 FPS, Red Dead Redemption 2 at 32 FPS, and Call of Duty: Warzone at 132 FPS. Lighter titles like Dave The Diver (102 FPS) and Roblox (119 FPS) remain smooth. For 4K gaming, settings will need to be reduced or upscaling used for demanding titles.