SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 5 235H + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh

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

83 / 100
HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 17% 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%
VS
GPU
74%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 5 235H

37,522 Benchmark Score
Top 9% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh

0 Benchmark Score
Top 26% 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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235H paired with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh represents a laptop configuration that sits firmly in the upper-midrange tier of the benchmark database, with a combined percentile of 68. This pairing combines a modern 14-core Arrow Lake-H processor with a professional-grade Turing-based GPU, creating a system that excels in multi-threaded productivity tasks while offering competent, though not class-leading, graphics performance. The data indicates a machine built for sustained workloads rather than pure gaming supremacy, and the following analysis breaks down exactly what the numbers show.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance tier of this CPU+GPU combination?

A: The build achieves a combined percentile of 68, placing it above the majority of laptop configurations in the database, though it does not reach the top tier.

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

A: The Core Ultra 5 235H scores an average benchmark of 37522, which is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13900HK and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225F, while trailing the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 435 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-13600K by 0.4%.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile position?

A: The Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, indicating exactly average performance relative to the rest of the database.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU comes with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the CPU’s core and thread configuration?

A: The CPU has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz.

Q: Is there measured FPS data available for this specific build?

A: No, the FACT PACK contains no measured FPS rows for this exact combination; all FPS discussions are estimates derived from benchmark scores.

Q: What process node is the CPU built on, and who manufactures it?

A: The CPU is fabricated by TSMC on a 3 nm process node, while the GPU uses TSMC’s 12 nm process.

Usage Scenarios

For high-refresh gaming, this build is a mixed proposition. The CPU’s single-core performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 score of 3613, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking most game engines. However, the GPU’s 50th percentile standing and 5.299 TFLOPS FP32 throughput limit the system to 1080p high-refresh gaming at best, with 1440p requiring reduced settings. Frame rates at ultra settings are estimated to be moderate, not exceptional.

Streaming and content creation benefit significantly from the CPU’s multi-threaded muscle. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25598 puts this processor in a class that can handle simultaneous game capture, encoding, and broadcast software without major hiccups. The PassMark multithread score of 30091 further supports this, indicating robust parallel processing for encoding workloads.

Video editing is a strong suit for this pairing. The CPU’s 14 cores and 18 MB of shared L3 cache, combined with the GPU’s 240 tensor cores for AI-accelerated effects, create a capable editing workstation. The PassMark floating-point math score of 93509 suggests smooth handling of color grading and effects rendering, while the 336.0 GB/s GPU bandwidth ensures large timelines remain responsive.

3D rendering workloads will favor the CPU heavily. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 10751 and R15 multi-core score of 2580 indicate that CPU-based rendering engines will perform admirably. The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 120 TMUs provide additional acceleration for GPU-accelerated renderers, though the 6 GB VRAM may limit scene complexity.

Software development is well-served by this configuration. The high single-thread score of 4359 in PassMark single-thread tests ensures fast compilation of single-threaded tooling, while the multi-core prowess handles parallel builds. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5/LPDDR5X support provide ample headroom for large codebases and virtual machines.

For student and office work, this is overkill in the best way. The CPU’s efficiency, with a 28 W TDP, means sustained productivity sessions without thermal throttling. The integrated Arc Graphics 140T provides a fallback for basic display tasks when the discrete GPU is idle, and the overall 85th percentile CPU standing means spreadsheet, document, and browser workloads will feel instantaneous.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 37522 places it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, a strong showing for a mobile processor. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HK, scores 37425, a delta of just 0.3% — effectively a statistical tie. The Core Ultra 5 235H also edges out the Core Ultra 5 225F (37313, +0.6%) but falls slightly behind the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 435 (37762, -0.6%) and the Core i5-13600K (37685, -0.4%). This positions the 235H as a mid-range champion that trades blows with desktop-class chips.

In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score of 25598 demonstrates exceptional sustained performance for a 28 W part. The single-core score of 3613 is equally impressive, indicating strong IPC from the Arrow Lake architecture. The PassMark data compression score of 301979 and encryption score of 23121 show specialized strengths in data-intensive tasks, while the extended instructions score of 23354 confirms robust SIMD performance.

The GPU, by contrast, has no benchmark scores in the FACT PACK and sits at the 50th percentile with an average benchmark score of 0. This means the GPU’s performance must be inferred from its hardware specifications rather than direct measurements. Its FP32 throughput of 5.299 TFLOPS and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth suggest it is a competent mid-range part from the Turing era, but it is clearly the weaker link in this pairing. The combined percentile of 68 reflects this imbalance — the CPU pulls the system up, while the GPU holds it back from higher overall rankings.

Who Should Build It

This configuration targets users who prioritize CPU-heavy workloads above all else. Video editors working with 4K timelines will benefit from the 25598 Cinebench R23 multi-core score, which handles proxy generation and export encoding efficiently. The 240 tensor cores in the GPU provide hardware acceleration for AI-based editing tools, though the 6 GB VRAM may require careful proxy management for very large projects.

Software developers, particularly those working on large C++ or Rust codebases, will find the 85th percentile CPU performance transformative. The 4359 PassMark single-thread score ensures fast IDE responsiveness, while the 30091 multithread score accelerates parallel builds. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth supports multiple containerized development environments without swap thrashing.

Students in engineering or data science programs will appreciate the CPU’s floating-point math score of 93509, which handles numerical simulations and statistical analysis quickly. The 14 cores provide ample headroom for running MATLAB, Python, or R workloads alongside documentation tools. The 28 W TDP means this can run on battery for extended library sessions without performance collapse.

Small business workstations that run database queries, financial modeling, or moderate CAD work will find this pairing adequate. The CPU’s data encryption score of 23121 and compression score of 301979 indicate strong performance for secured file operations and backup tasks. The GPU’s professional Quadro lineage suggests driver stability for ISV-certified applications, though its 50th percentile performance means it is not suited for heavy 3D CAD or simulation workloads.

Gamers at 1080p with medium-to-high settings will find this system serviceable, but it is not a high-refresh gaming machine. The GPU’s 50th percentile ranking places it below contemporary gaming GPUs, and the estimated FPS in modern titles at ultra settings will hover in the playable-but-not-competitive range. This is a workstation first, gaming machine second.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data clearly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor in most workloads. The CPU’s 85th percentile performance versus the GPU’s 50th percentile creates a significant imbalance. In gaming scenarios, the GPU will be the bottleneck at any resolution above 1080p, as its 5.299 TFLOPS and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep pace with modern game engines’ demands. The CPU’s 3613 Cinebench R23 single-core score is more than sufficient for gaming physics and AI, meaning the GPU will be pegged at 100% while the CPU idles.

In productivity tasks, the bottleneck shifts depending on the application. For CPU-bound tasks like video encoding, compression, or compilation, the GPU is largely irrelevant, and the CPU’s 25598 multi-core score will drive performance. Conversely, for GPU-accelerated rendering or AI inference, the GPU’s 240 tensor cores and 1920 shading units become the constraint, limiting throughput to what a mid-range Turing part can deliver.

The memory subsystem presents another consideration. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5/LPDDR5X with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for its 14 cores. The GPU’s 192-bit bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are similarly matched to its compute capabilities. Neither component appears starved for memory bandwidth in its respective workloads, suggesting the balance issue is purely compute-bound rather than memory-bound.

The 68th combined percentile reflects this imbalance — the system is greater than the sum of its parts for CPU-heavy tasks, but less than the sum for GPU-heavy ones. Users who understand this and tailor their workloads accordingly will extract maximum value from the pairing.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination, so all gaming figures here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores. The GPU’s 50th percentile standing and 5.299 TFLOPS FP32 throughput suggest it can handle esports titles like CS:GO or Valorant at 1080p with high frame rates, potentially exceeding 144 FPS on competitive settings. For AAA titles, the estimates are more conservative — expect playable frame rates at 1080p medium-to-high settings, with dips below 60 FPS in the most demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. Modern games with high-resolution textures will exceed 6 GB VRAM, forcing texture quality reductions. The 88.32 GPixel/s pixel rate and 165.6 GTexel/s texture rate indicate the GPU can fill frames quickly, but the raw compute of 5.299 TFLOPS will struggle with modern rendering techniques like ray tracing, despite the presence of 30 RT cores.

The CPU’s gaming performance is not the constraint. With a 5.00 GHz boost clock and 4359 PassMark single-thread score, the 235H can feed frames to the GPU without bottlenecking in most scenarios. The 18 MB shared L3 cache reduces memory latency in game logic, and the 14 cores handle background tasks like Discord or browser tabs without impacting frame times.

For users seeking high-refresh gaming, this build will disappoint at 1440p or with ultra settings in modern titles. At 1080p with adjusted settings, it delivers a solid, if unremarkable, gaming experience. The estimated frame rates are competitive with mid-range laptops from the Turing era, but fall well short of contemporary gaming laptops with higher-percentile GPUs.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh is a Turing-architecture professional GPU built on TSMC’s 12 nm process, with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 945 MHz and boost clock of 1380 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s bandwidth at an effective 14 Gbps.

The GPU includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI inference. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with the latest graphics APIs, while Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 provide broad software support. The pixel rate of 88.32 GPixel/s and texture rate of 165.6 GTexel/s indicate solid fill-rate performance for its class.

The FP32 throughput of 5.299 TFLOPS places this GPU in the upper-midrange of Turing mobile parts, but its 50th percentile standing among all GPUs reveals it is average by today’s standards. The FP16 performance of 10.60 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) is useful for AI workloads but not exceptional. The 80 W TDP suggests it can sustain boost clocks under load, though the MXM form factor means thermal performance depends heavily on the laptop chassis.

For rendering workloads, the 1920 shading units provide adequate rasterization performance for moderate scene complexity, though the 6 GB VRAM will limit texture resolution and scene size. The 240 tensor cores accelerate denoising and AI-based upscaling in supported applications, which can offset some of the raw compute limitations. The professional Quadro driver support ensures stability in ISV-certified applications, making this a reasonable choice for entry-level workstation tasks despite its age.

Build Overview

This build pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 235H, a 14-core Arrow Lake-H mobile processor, with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile Refresh, a Turing-architecture professional GPU. The system is classified as a laptop (buildClass: laptop) and achieves a combined percentile of 68, indicating upper-midrange performance relative to all configurations in the database. The CPU’s 85th percentile is the standout feature, while the GPU’s 50th percentile drags the overall score down.

The CPU is built on TSMC’s 3 nm process, a significant efficiency advantage over the GPU’s 12 nm process. This mismatch in process nodes highlights the generational gap between the two components — the CPU is current-generation technology, while the GPU is end-of-life (production status: End-of-life) and was released in 2019. The result is a system that feels modern in CPU-bound tasks but dated in GPU-bound ones.

The 28 W CPU TDP and 80 W GPU TDP indicate a balanced power budget for a laptop, with total system draw likely manageable in a mid-size chassis. The CPU’s integrated Arc Graphics 140T provides a low-power fallback for basic tasks, potentially extending battery life when the discrete GPU is unnecessary. The overall tier is best described as a "productivity-first" laptop that can game on the side, rather than a gaming laptop that can do productivity.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235H is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-H codename. It operates at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and boosts to 5.00 GHz, with a 28 W TDP that allows deployment in thin-and-light laptops. The CPU is fabricated by TSMC on a 3 nm process, a leading-edge node that contributes to its strong performance-per-watt.

The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides ample on-die storage for frequently accessed data, reducing memory latency. The CPU supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a theoretical bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s — sufficient for its 14 cores. It also features PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes from the CPU, enabling fast NVMe storage.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU’s strengths. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25598 is exceptional for a mobile part, rivaling desktop processors. The single-core score of 3613 reflects strong IPC from the Arrow Lake architecture. PassMark scores further illustrate the CPU’s capabilities: 30091 in multithread, 4359 in single-thread, 93509 in floating-point math, and 74247 in integer math. The data compression score of 301979 and encryption score of 23121 indicate specialized strengths in data manipulation.

The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking places it ahead of the vast majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HK, scores 37425 — a mere 0.3% difference, indicating these two chips are effectively interchangeable in real-world performance. The 235H also matches the desktop Core i5-13600K (37685, -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 435 (37762, -0.6%), demonstrating that modern mobile processors have closed the gap with desktop parts.

For real workloads, this CPU excels at multi-threaded tasks like video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation. Its 14 cores handle parallel workloads efficiently, while the high boost clock ensures snappy single-threaded responsiveness. The 28 W TDP means it can sustain these workloads without excessive heat, making it ideal for laptops that need desktop-class performance in a portable form factor.