SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX + Intel Arc A550M

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

Build Configuration

Select your components

PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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96 Score

Top 4% Ranking

96 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 4% 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

96%

GPU

96%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX

62,738 Benchmark Score

Top 4% Market Ranking

View Full Specs →

GRAPHICS CARD

Intel Arc A550M

49,737 Benchmark Score

Top 4% 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 7 255HX and Intel Arc A550M combination targets a specific niche in the mobile market: a high-core-count CPU paired with a mid-range discrete GPU. The data indicates a system that excels in multi-threaded productivity tasks while offering respectable, though not flagship, gaming capabilities. This analysis relies solely on the provided benchmark data, which contains no measured FPS results for this pairing; all gaming performance discussions are therefore estimates derived from the synthetic scores.

Usage Scenarios

High-Refresh Gaming: The Arc A550M’s benchmark scores position it at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting it can handle competitive titles at high settings. However, with 8 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory bus delivering 224.0 GB/s, it is better suited for 1080p high-refresh gaming than for 1440p or 4K ultra settings. For esports titles, the CPU’s single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2163, will easily keep frame rates high, but the GPU will be the limiting factor in modern AAA games.

Streaming: The 20-core, 20-thread CPU provides substantial headroom for simultaneous gaming and encoding. A Passmark Multi-thread score of 48234 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32612 indicate that the processor can handle the extra load of software encoding without severely impacting game performance. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and its dedicated RT cores also allow for hardware-accelerated encoding paths, though the specific encoder quality is not detailed in the data.

Video Editing: This workload benefits significantly from the CPU’s multi-core muscle and the GPU’s compute capabilities. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 17187 and the Passmark Floating Point Math score of 160624 suggest strong performance in rendering and effects. The 8 GB of VRAM on the GPU is adequate for 1080p editing timelines, but 4K projects with heavy color grading and effects may encounter memory limitations. The system’s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is a critical asset for scrubbing timelines and applying real-time previews.

3D Rendering: The CPU is the clear workhorse here, with its Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 4916 and Passmark Integer Math score of 127126 indicating excellent performance for CPU-based renders. The GPU, with its 8.397 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, can accelerate viewport rendering and GPU-accelerated render engines, but it is not a top-tier compute part. Users working with complex scenes will likely rely on the CPU for final frame renders, while the GPU handles interactive tasks.

Software Development: The high core count and 30 MB of shared L3 cache benefit compilation times and parallel build processes. The Passmark Data Compression score of 515143 and Data Encryption score of 39499 show strong throughput for code repositories and secure communications. The single-threaded performance, with a Passmark Single Thread score of 4562, ensures a responsive IDE and fast code analysis, making this a balanced platform for developers who also game.

Student and Office Work: This configuration is overkill for basic document editing and web browsing, but it provides a future-proof platform. The 20 cores handle multitasking with ease, and the 93rd percentile CPU ranking ensures responsiveness in any office application. The Arc A550M’s 86th percentile GPU ranking means it can also handle light photo editing or CAD tasks that require GPU acceleration, making it a versatile if expensive choice for a student workstation.

Benchmark Performance

The combined system percentile is 90, indicating a high-performing configuration overall. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 62738, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. This score is remarkably close to its nearest rivals: it is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 (score 62839), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 PRO 465 (score 62498), 0.5% behind the Intel Core i7-13790F (score 63080), and 0.7% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX (score 63173). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the 255HX is functionally a peer of these high-end desktop and mobile processors.

The GPU, the Arc A550M, has an average benchmark score of 49737, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (score 49957, 0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (score 50001, 0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (score 50951, 2.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (score 48477, 2.6% behind). This places the A550M in the same performance class as these high-end desktop GPUs, which is impressive for a mobile part. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 49894 and Vulkan score of 49580 are consistent, showing balanced compute and graphics performance.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The platform is built on the Intel BGA 2114 socket, which is a mobile solder-down design, meaning the CPU is not upgradable. The system supports dual-channel DDR5 memory, which is the current standard, but there is no ECC support. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, ensuring high bandwidth for a future GPU upgrade, though the Arc A550M itself uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The GPU has a 60 W TDP, while the CPU has a 55 W TDP, suggesting a combined thermal load that is well within the range of a large laptop cooling solution.

A sensible future upgrade within the laptop’s lifespan would be to increase memory capacity, as the dual-channel bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is a shared resource between CPU and GPU. The primary limiting factor for future performance will be the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus. Replacing the entire laptop for a newer model with a larger GPU memory pool would be the only way to address this. The CPU’s performance headroom, as shown by its 93rd percentile ranking, suggests it will not be the bottleneck for several generations of GPU upgrades.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data points to a CPU-heavy configuration. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking is significantly higher than the GPU’s 86th percentile. In gaming, this means the Arc A550M will be the limiting factor in most scenarios, especially at higher resolutions. For example, a game that is well-optimized for multi-threading might see frame rates capped by the GPU’s rasterization throughput, while a single-threaded game will be easily handled by the CPU’s 2163 Cinebench R23 single-core score.

In contrast, for productivity tasks like 3D rendering or video encoding, the CPU will be the primary engine, and the GPU will play a supporting role. The Passmark Physics score of 2926 and Floating Point Math score of 160624 show that the CPU handles complex simulations and calculations effectively. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU only when using GPU-accelerated renderers, where its 8.397 TFLOPS of FP32 power will be the ceiling. Overall, this is a system where the CPU is the star, and the GPU is a capable but secondary component.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A550M is built on the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-512 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is modest by modern standards and will limit performance at high resolutions and with large texture packs. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2050 MHz. This allows for a pixel rate of 131.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 262.4 GTexel/s.

For ray tracing, the GPU has 16 dedicated RT cores, and the FP16 performance of 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) suggests strong compute capabilities. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with the latest game APIs. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 49580 is nearly identical to the OpenCL score of 49894, indicating stable driver performance across different compute interfaces. The benchmark data suggests this GPU is a solid 1080p performer, but its 2.4% deficit to the Radeon RX 6900 XT and 0.5% deficit to the Radeon RX Vega 64 show it is not in the top tier of GPUs. The 8 GB VRAM is the most significant potential bottleneck for future titles.

Who Should Build It

This configuration is ideal for users who need a mobile workstation with serious multi-core processing power and occasional gaming capability. Content creators who edit video, render 3D scenes, or compile large codebases will benefit most from the 20-core CPU. The system’s 93rd percentile CPU ranking and 90th combined percentile make it a top-tier performer for these tasks.

Gamers who primarily play at 1080p with high refresh rates will find the Arc A550M sufficient, but those wanting to play at 1440p or 4K with maximum settings should look elsewhere. Students in engineering or computer science programs will appreciate the CPU’s compile times and multitasking abilities, while small business users running heavy data analysis or virtualization workloads will find the 20 threads and robust cache hierarchy beneficial. This is not a casual browsing machine; it is a tool for demanding workloads.

Gaming Performance

The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS data for this CPU and GPU combination. The following frame rate expectations are estimates derived from the synthetic benchmark scores, specifically the GPU’s 86th percentile and the CPU’s 93rd percentile. In general, the Arc A550M’s performance, which is comparable to the Radeon RX 6800 XT (2.6% behind) and the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (0.4% behind) in compute benchmarks, suggests it can handle most modern games at 1080p with high settings.

For esports titles like CS:GO or Valorant, the CPU’s high single-core score of 2163 in Cinebench R23 will ensure very high frame rates, likely exceeding 200 FPS at 1080p, limited only by the GPU. For AAA games, the 8 GB VRAM will be a constraint at 1440p with ultra textures, potentially causing stuttering. The GPU’s 60 W TDP suggests it is a power-efficient part, and its performance profile aligns with a "high-refresh 1080p" gaming laptop, rather than a "4K max settings" desktop replacement. Expect playable frame rates in the 60-100 FPS range for most AAA titles at 1080p ultra, with higher numbers for less demanding games.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this system?

A: The combined system percentile is 90, indicating it outperforms 90% of all recorded configurations in the benchmark database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 PRO 465?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX has an average benchmark score of 62738, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 PRO 465’s score of 62498. This is a negligible performance difference.

Q: How much VRAM does the Arc A550M have, and what is its memory bus width?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the stronger component?

A: The CPU is the stronger component, ranking in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU will lead in productivity tasks, and the GPU will be the limiting factor in gaming.

Q: What is the transistor count of the GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A550M contains 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, manufactured on a 6 nm process by TSMC.

Q: Does this system support PCIe Gen 5?

A: Yes, the CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, although the GPU itself uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

Q: What is the estimated gaming performance at 1080p?

A: Since there is no measured FPS data, estimates based on the GPU’s 86th percentile suggest it can handle most modern games at 1080p with high settings, achieving playable frame rates in the 60-100 FPS range for AAA titles, with higher scores for esports games.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The chip contains 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 30 MB L3 cache.

In real workloads, these specifications translate to exceptional multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32612 places it in the top 7% of all CPUs, and its Passmark Multi-thread score of 48234 confirms this strength. The single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 2163, is also strong, ensuring snappy system responsiveness and good performance in lightly-threaded applications. The Passmark Extended Instructions score of 41247 and Find Prime Numbers score of 400 show balanced performance across different instruction sets. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking, alongside rivals like the Intel Core i7-13790F (score 63080) and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 (score 62839), positions it as a high-end desktop-class performer in a mobile package. Its unlocked multiplier and Active production status suggest it is a premium part aimed at enthusiasts and professionals who need maximum compute density.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX + Intel Arc A550M

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX

Intel Arc A550M

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

Usage Scenarios

Benchmark Performance

Upgrade Path and Platform

Balance and Bottleneck

GPU Analysis

Who Should Build It

Gaming Performance

FAQ

CPU Analysis

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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