SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 164U + Intel Arc A350M

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

Build Configuration

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PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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87 Score

Top 13% Ranking

87 / 100

HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 13% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

83%

GPU

92%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 7 164U

17,074 Benchmark Score

Top 17% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

Intel Arc A350M

24,647 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

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

# Balance and Bottleneck

The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U and Intel Arc A350M pairing presents an interesting study in component balance, though the data reveals that neither component consistently dominates the other across all workload types. The CPU holds a 71st percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 70th percentile among all graphics cards, suggesting a near-parity in overall capability tier. This alignment typically indicates a well-matched pairing, but the nature of the workloads matters significantly.

In CPU-bound tasks, the Core Ultra 7 164U demonstrates clear strengths. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 8766 places it in a competitive position against desktop-class rivals, sitting within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600's average score of 17035 (when comparing avgBenchmarkScore aggregates) and essentially matching the Intel Core i5-11400 at 17067. The single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 1590, shows the architecture's efficiency in lightly-threaded workloads. This suggests that in scenarios where the CPU is the primary driver, the 164U can hold its own without the GPU becoming a limiting factor.

However, the GPU's capabilities present a different picture for graphics-intensive workloads. The Arc A350M's average benchmark score of 24647 places it within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 590's 24744 and 0.5% of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile's 24763. This near-tie with the RX 590, a desktop card from an older generation, indicates that the A350M is a capable entry-level mobile GPU. In gaming scenarios, the 4 GB GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth will constrain performance at higher resolutions and texture settings, making the GPU the likely bottleneck in most modern titles.

The FPS scaling picture is less clear because no measured FPS data exists for this exact combination. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows, so all frame rate discussion must be framed as estimated from the benchmark scores rather than measured results. Based on the GPU's position relative to the RX 590 and GTX 1630 (which it leads by 1.5% in average score), the A350M should deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with medium settings, but will likely struggle at 1440p or with high-ultra presets.

The TDP figures reveal an interesting power dynamic: the CPU draws just 9 W while the GPU consumes 25 W. This substantial difference suggests that in thermally constrained laptop chassis, the GPU will generate more heat and potentially limit sustained performance more than the CPU. For productivity workloads that stress the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, the 164U's low power draw allows it to maintain boost clocks without excessive thermal throttling, but the same cannot be guaranteed for the GPU under sustained gaming loads.

# Usage Scenarios

High-Refresh Gaming: This pairing is not optimized for high-refresh gaming at demanding resolutions. The Arc A350M's position at the 70th GPU percentile, with performance comparable to the RX 590 and GTX 1630, suggests that 1080p high-refresh (144Hz+) gaming is largely out of reach for modern titles. Estimated frame rates would likely fall in the 40-60 FPS range for AAA games at medium settings, making 60Hz displays the practical ceiling. Competitive esports titles with lower graphical demands could potentially exceed 100 FPS, but this remains an estimate given the absence of measured data.

Streaming: The CPU's 12 cores and 14 threads provide adequate headroom for software encoding while gaming, though the overall system performance places it in the mid-range tier. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 8766 suggests sufficient processing power for x264 encoding at 1080p60, but the GPU's limitations in gaming will cap the overall streaming experience. Intel's Quick Sync via the integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU could offload encoding tasks, but the dedicated A350M's 25 W TDP means power is already constrained.

Video Editing: The combination of CPU multi-core performance and GPU acceleration makes this a viable entry-level video editing machine. The PassMark multi-thread score of 13296 and floating point math score of 33581 indicate solid number-crunching capability for rendering and effects. The GPU's 768 shading units and 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance provide hardware acceleration for preview rendering and GPU-accelerated effects in software like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. 1080p editing will be smooth, but 4K timelines may strain the 4 GB VRAM capacity.

3D Rendering: This workload favors the CPU, and the 164U delivers respectable results. Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1304 and R20 score of 4488 show consistent scaling across render benchmarks. For CPU-based rendering in Blender or similar applications, the 12-core/14-thread configuration will handle moderate scenes efficiently. GPU-accelerated rendering will benefit from the A350M's Xe-HPG architecture and 6 RT cores, but the 4 GB memory limit and 64-bit bus will cap texture complexity and render resolution.

Software Development: The CPU's balanced performance makes this a solid developer machine. PassMark data compression score of 137133 and integer math score of 50387 indicate strong performance for compilation tasks, code analysis, and database operations. The single-thread score of 2996 in PassMark ensures snappy IDE responsiveness and fast code navigation. The 12 MB shared L3 cache provides decent locality for frequently accessed code segments.

Student and Office Work: The 9 W CPU TDP and 25 W GPU TDP combine for exceptional power efficiency, extending battery life in laptop form factors. PassMark random string sorting score of 15131 indicates capable performance for spreadsheet operations and document processing. The low power draw means the system can run cool and quiet during typical office workloads, with the integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU handling 4K display output when the dedicated GPU is idle.

# FAQ

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 164U compare to the AMD Ryzen 5 3600?

A: The 164U's average benchmark score of 17074 is within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 3600's 17035, making them effectively performance peers in aggregate benchmarks. However, the 164U achieves this with a dramatically lower TDP of 9 W compared to the desktop Ryzen's power draw.

Q: What is the GPU's performance relative to the NVIDIA GTX 1630?

A: The Arc A350M's average benchmark score of 24647 is 1.5% higher than the GTX 1630's 24277, placing it slightly ahead of this entry-level desktop GPU. The A350M also leads the RX 590 by 0.4% and trails the RTX A5000 Mobile by 0.5%.

Q: Can this system handle 4K video playback?

A: The Arc A350M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, and its 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than sufficient for hardware-accelerated 4K video decode and playback. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory provides adequate bandwidth for video buffering.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance like?

A: The 164U achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1590 and a PassMark single-thread score of 2996, indicating strong performance for lightly-threaded applications such as web browsing, office tasks, and legacy software.

Q: Is the GPU suitable for ray tracing?

A: The A350M includes 6 dedicated RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing. However, the 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 4 GB memory will limit ray-traced workloads to low or medium quality settings in modern games.

Q: What memory does the CPU support?

A: The 164U supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the exact capacity depends on the motherboard. ECC memory is not supported.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to the EPYC 7573X?

A: The 164U's average score of 17074 is essentially tied with the EPYC 7573X's 17070, showing a 0% delta. This is notable given the massive TDP and platform differences between a mobile CPU and a server processor.

# Who Should Build It

This laptop-class pairing targets users who need a balance of CPU and GPU performance without the power draw of high-end gaming hardware. The Core Ultra 7 164U's 9 W TDP makes it ideal for professionals who prioritize battery life and portability while still requiring capable multi-threaded performance. The 71st CPU percentile and 70th GPU percentile rankings place this system solidly in the upper-midrange tier for mobile computing.

Gamers at 1080p with moderate settings expectations will find this system adequate, particularly for esports titles and older AAA games. The GPU's performance parity with the RX 590 and GTX 1630 suggests it can handle most games at 1080p with medium presets, but users should not expect high-ultra settings at 1440p. For content creators working with 1080p video or moderate 3D scenes, the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 8766 and the GPU's 6.758 TFLOPS FP16 performance provide solid acceleration for rendering workflows.

Software developers will appreciate the CPU's balanced performance, with PassMark integer math score of 50387 and data encryption score of 8838 supporting compilation and security-related tasks. The 12 MB L3 cache and 14 threads handle concurrent builds and test execution efficiently. Students and office workers benefit from the low power consumption, which translates to longer battery life and quieter operation in classrooms and meeting rooms.

Small business workstations that require moderate compute capabilities without the expense or power draw of desktop systems will find this pairing suitable. The 12-core configuration handles virtualization, database queries, and office productivity with ease. The A350M's 4 GB VRAM supports dual 4K displays for multi-monitor productivity setups, though the "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs mean connectivity varies by laptop implementation.

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U represents the first generation of Intel's Core Ultra Series 1, built on the Meteor Lake architecture with a 7 nm process node from Intel's own foundry. This mobile processor features 12 cores and 14 threads, a configuration that pairs performance cores with efficiency cores to balance power consumption and throughput. The base clock of 1100 MHz is conservative, but the boost clock reaches 4.80 GHz, allowing the CPU to scale up significantly under load.

The cache hierarchy provides 112 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports the low 9 W TDP by keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing the need to access slower main memory. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support, while dependent on motherboard implementation, provides ample bandwidth for most productivity workloads.

Benchmark results show a well-rounded performer. The Cinebench R20 scores of 4488 multi-core and 633 single-core demonstrate solid scaling across threads, while the R15 scores of 1304 and 225 follow the same pattern. The PassMark suite reveals specific strengths: floating point math at 33581 and integer math at 50387 indicate strong arithmetic capability, while data compression at 137133 shows excellent throughput for archival and data processing tasks. The find prime numbers score of 56 is notably low, suggesting that certain specialized workloads may underperform.

The CPU's 71st percentile ranking among all processors places it ahead of the majority of CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 17074 puts it in direct competition with the AMD EPYC 7573X (17070), Intel Core i5-11400 (17067), and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (17035), all within a 0.3% delta. This is remarkable for a mobile processor with a 9 W TDP, as these rivals are desktop or server parts with significantly higher power envelopes. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU graphics provide a fallback display solution when the dedicated GPU is not in use, and the PCIe Gen 4 with 8 lanes (CPU only) offers sufficient bandwidth for the A350M's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.

# Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U paired with the Intel Arc A350M. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows for this combination, so all frame rate figures cited here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores rather than empirical results.

Based on the GPU's average benchmark score of 24647 and its position relative to the AMD Radeon RX 590 (24744, -0.4% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277, +1.5% delta), the Arc A350M should deliver playable performance at 1080p with medium graphical settings in most modern titles. The RX 590 was a popular 1080p gaming card in its era, and the A350M's near-parity suggests similar capabilities. Estimated frame rates for AAA games at 1080p medium would likely range from 40-60 FPS, with lighter titles or esports games potentially reaching 80-100+ FPS.

At 1440p resolution, the 4 GB GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a significant limitation. The memory bandwidth is roughly half of what modern 1080p-focused GPUs typically offer, and the 4 GB capacity will force texture quality reductions in memory-intensive titles. Estimated 1440p performance would drop to 25-40 FPS for demanding games, making 1080p the practical resolution for this system.

The GPU's 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs provide a baseline of 52.80 GPixel/s pixel fill rate and 105.6 GTexel/s texture rate. These specifications support 1080p gaming at moderate settings. The 6 RT cores enable ray tracing, but the 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance means ray-traced effects will exact a heavy toll on frame rates. Users should expect to disable or minimize ray tracing for acceptable performance. The 2:1 FP16 ratio of 6.758 TFLOPS offers some headroom for games that utilize FP16 compute, but this is not a standard optimization in most titles.

# Benchmark Performance

The combined benchmark picture for this CPU+GPU pairing indicates a system positioned at the 71st percentile overall, matching the CPU's individual percentile and slightly exceeding the GPU's 70th percentile. This alignment suggests the pair is well-matched, with neither component dramatically outperforming the other to create a bottleneck.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 17074 places it in a tight cluster with three rivals: the AMD EPYC 7573X at 17070 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-11400 at 17067 (0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 at 17035 (0.2% ahead). The AMD EPYC 7H12 at 17120 trails the 164U by 0.3%. This grouping around the 17000-17100 score range indicates that the 164U delivers desktop-class multi-threaded performance in a 9 W mobile package.

Individual CPU benchmarks show consistent performance across different testing methodologies. Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1304 and R20 score of 4488 demonstrate scaling across the 12-core/14-thread configuration. The R23 multi-core score of 8766 represents the most modern rendering workload. Single-core scores of 225 (R15), 633 (R20), and 1590 (R23) indicate that lightly-threaded performance scales appropriately with the boost clock of 4.80 GHz.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 24647 comes from Geekbench OpenCL (24546) and Vulkan (24747) tests. The near-parity between these scores suggests consistent performance across different compute APIs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 590 at 24744 (-0.4% delta), NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile at 24763 (-0.5% delta), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT at 24442 (0.8% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 at 24277 (1.5% ahead). This positioning places the A350M in the entry-level to mid-range GPU tier, competitive with several-year-old desktop parts.

# Build Overview

This build pairs the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U mobile processor with the Intel Arc A350M mobile graphics card in a laptop-class configuration. The CPU, part of the Core Ultra Series 1 with Meteor Lake architecture, represents Intel's push into low-power high-efficiency mobile computing. The GPU, based on the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-128 chip, is part of Intel's Alchemist generation for Arc 3 Mobile.

The system's 71st combined percentile places it in the upper-midrange tier of laptop configurations. The CPU's 71st percentile and GPU's 70th percentile are remarkably close, indicating a balanced platform where neither component significantly outstrips the other. This balance is unusual in mobile systems, where manufacturers often pair high-end CPUs with underpowered GPUs or vice versa.

The 9 W CPU TDP and 25 W GPU TDP combine for a total of 34 W of thermal design power, which is exceptionally low for a system with dedicated graphics. This efficiency makes the build suitable for thin-and-light laptops that prioritize portability and battery life over raw performance. The production status of the CPU is Active, while the GPU is End-of-life, which may affect future availability and driver support.

The CPU's launch MSRP is $448, reflecting its positioning as a premium low-power processor. The GPU has no launch MSRP listed. The build class is explicitly laptop, confirming that this is not a desktop configuration. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG 64EU graphics within the CPU provide a secondary display solution and power-saving option when the dedicated A350M is not needed.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U uses the Intel BGA 2551 socket, which is a ball-grid-array design soldered directly to the motherboard. This means the CPU itself is not upgradeable in the traditional sense; users cannot swap the processor for a different model. The socket supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the exact capacity depends on the motherboard implementation. ECC memory is not supported.

The system provides PCIe Gen 4 with 8 lanes from the CPU, and the GPU connects via PCIe 4.0 x8. This bandwidth is sufficient for the Arc A350M's 112.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, as the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface can theoretically deliver up to 16 GB/s in each direction. The GPU's slot width is listed as "IGP," indicating it is integrated into the laptop's design rather than a replaceable MXM module.

Memory upgrades are the most practical path for improving system performance. Increasing DDR5 capacity and speed can benefit memory-sensitive workloads, though the dual-channel configuration means users should install memory in pairs to maintain bandwidth. The 12 MB shared L3 cache reduces some memory pressure, but applications that exceed available RAM will benefit from capacity increases.

The suggested PSU is null, which is typical for laptop components where the power adapter is determined by the complete system design rather than individual components. The combined 34 W TDP of CPU and GPU is modest, suggesting that a 65W or 90W power adapter would be sufficient for most laptop implementations. Users should consult their laptop manufacturer's specifications for the correct power adapter.

For users seeking a more substantial upgrade, the laptop platform itself would need to be replaced, as both the CPU and GPU are soldered or integrated. The GPU's End-of-life production status means that driver support may eventually taper off, making a new laptop with a newer GPU the more sensible long-term upgrade path. The CPU's Active status suggests continued availability, but its BGA socket limits its use to the original motherboard. The most realistic upgrade is moving to a different laptop with a higher-tier GPU and/or CPU, as the current platform has limited expansion options.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 164U + Intel Arc A350M

Power Build

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 7 164U

Intel Arc A350M

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

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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