SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V + AMD Radeon 860M

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

89 / 100
HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 11% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio
Well Balanced
CPU
85%
VS
GPU
93%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 7 256V

21,112 Benchmark Score
Top 15% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

AMD Radeon 860M

26,401 Benchmark Score
Top 7% 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 7 256V and AMD Radeon 860M form a laptop-class pairing that sits at the 74th percentile overall among all tested CPU+GPU combinations. The processor, a Lunar Lake part built on a 3 nm TSMC process, delivers strong single-threaded performance, while the integrated Radeon 860M, based on RDNA 3.5, provides surprisingly competitive graphics capability for an IGP. This analysis walks through the benchmark data, platform characteristics, and workload implications step by step, using only the figures provided in the fact pack. No measured game frame rates exist for this exact combination, so all gaming discussion is framed as estimates derived from the CPU and GPU benchmark scores.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance tier of this CPU+GPU pairing?

A: The combinedPercentile is 74, meaning this laptop configuration outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested CPU and GPU pairings in the database. The CPU alone sits at the 75th percentile vs all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 72nd percentile vs all GPUs.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 21112, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (21133, deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (21088, deltaPct 0.1). It also sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155U (21174, deltaPct -0.3) and 0.2% of the Intel Core i3-1220P (21066, deltaPct 0.2). These are all effectively tied scores.

Q: What is the GPU’s average benchmark score and how does it rank?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M has an average benchmark score of 26401 from its Geekbench OpenCL (22759) and Vulkan (30043) results. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, scores 26421 (deltaPct -0.1), showing the Radeon 860M is essentially on par with that discrete mobile GPU.

Q: Does this CPU support overclocking?

A: No, the multiplierUnlocked field is false. The Core Ultra 7 256V is a locked mobile processor, so users cannot adjust the multiplier to push clock speeds beyond the factory boost of 4.80 GHz.

Q: What is the memory type and bandwidth for the GPU?

A: The Radeon 860M uses System Shared memory with a bus width of System Shared and bandwidth that is System Dependent. This means the GPU relies on the laptop’s main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, so performance scales with the memory configuration chosen by the system builder.

Q: What DirectX and Vulkan versions does the GPU support?

A: The Radeon 860M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. This includes hardware ray tracing capabilities via 8 RT cores, which is notable for an integrated GPU.

Q: Is the CPU production status active?

A: Yes, both the CPU and GPU are listed as Active in production status. The CPU was released on 2024-09-23, while the GPU was released on 2025-02-28.

Benchmark Performance

The combined picture from the benchmark data shows a laptop platform that excels in single-threaded tasks while maintaining respectable multi-threaded and graphics performance. The CPU’s Geekbench single-core score of 1990 is strong for a mobile part, and its Passmark single-thread score of 4029 reinforces this. In multi-core workloads, the CPU scores 8643 in Geekbench multicore and 10399 in Cinebench R23 multicore, placing it at the 75th percentile overall. The GPU’s average score of 26401 puts it at the 72nd percentile, which is remarkable for an integrated solution.

Looking at the nearest rival data, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 21112 is within 0.3% of four other processors: the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Intel Core i3-1220P, and Intel Core Ultra 7 155U. The deltaPct values range from -0.3 to 0.2, meaning the Core Ultra 7 256V is neither faster nor slower in any meaningful way compared to these established parts. On the GPU side, the Radeon 860M’s average score of 26401 is within 1.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (26331), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 (26683). The negative deltaPct values for the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (-0.6) and RTX A4000 (-1.1) indicate those GPUs score slightly higher, while the MX550 and RTX 5060 are essentially tied with the Radeon 860M.

When interpreting these scores together, the data indicates a balanced laptop platform. The CPU’s single-thread strength (Passmark single-thread 4029, Cinebench R23 single-core 1877.5) suggests responsive everyday use and solid performance in lightly-threaded applications. The multi-thread scores (Passmark multithread 19530, Cinebench R23 multicore 10399) show adequate parallelism for content creation tasks, though not class-leading. The GPU’s position at the 72nd percentile means this integrated solution can handle modern games and GPU-accelerated workloads at moderate settings, as discussed in later sections.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V is an 8-core, 8-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Lunar Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a TDP of 17 watts, making it a low-power mobile chip designed for thin-and-light laptops. The 3 nm TSMC process node is a key advantage, enabling high efficiency and sustained performance within the tight thermal envelope typical of ultraportables.

The cache hierarchy is substantial: 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L2 allocation per core is a hallmark of the Lunar Lake design, helping to reduce memory latency and improve single-threaded responsiveness. The CPU supports dual-channel memory, though the fact pack notes memory support is "unknown" and depends on the motherboard, which in this laptop context means the system integrator’s choice of RAM speed and capacity directly impacts performance.

Benchmark results show the CPU’s character clearly. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1877.5 and Geekbench single-core score of 1990 indicate strong per-thread performance, ideal for tasks like web browsing, office productivity, and software compilation that often rely on single-threaded responsiveness. The multi-core scores — Cinebench R23 multicore 10399, Geekbench multicore 8643, and Passmark multithread 19530 — show that the 8 threads can handle moderate parallel workloads, though the lack of hyperthreading (8 threads for 8 cores) limits scaling in heavily threaded applications compared to parts with more threads per core.

The Passmark sub-tests provide additional insight. The floating point math score of 58576 and integer math score of 43358 indicate balanced arithmetic performance, useful for scientific and financial calculations. The data encryption score of 13998 and data compression score of 184985 suggest the CPU handles security and file compression tasks capably. The extended instructions score of 15643 shows good support for modern SIMD instruction sets, which benefits multimedia encoding and decoding. The random string sorting score of 22481 and find prime numbers score of 192 round out the picture of a processor that is versatile but not specialized for any single extreme workload.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 256V is statistically indistinguishable in average score. This means users upgrading from a Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 5 7530U laptop will see no meaningful CPU performance difference in most applications. The real differentiation comes from the integrated GPU pairing, which we analyze next.

Who Should Build It

This laptop-class pairing targets users who need a single device for both productivity and light-to-moderate gaming or GPU-accelerated work. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking and strong single-thread scores make it suitable for students and office workers who run spreadsheets, word processors, web browsers, and video conferencing tools — all of which benefit from the Passmark single-thread score of 4029 and Geekbench single-core score of 1990.

Software developers will find the 8-core, 8-thread configuration adequate for local builds and testing. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10399 and Geekbench multicore score of 8643 suggest that compiling code or running unit tests will not feel sluggish, though larger parallel builds might benefit from more threads. The data encryption score of 13998 also indicates the CPU can handle secure communication and VPN workloads without bottlenecking.

Content creators working with 1080p or 1440p video editing, photo manipulation, or 2D animation will appreciate the combination of CPU multi-thread performance and the GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking. The GPU’s Vulkan score of 30043 and OpenCL score of 22759 show it can accelerate rendering previews and effects in applications that support GPU offloading. However, for heavy 3D rendering or 4K video editing, the 17W CPU TDP and integrated GPU will likely become limiting factors, pushing such users toward dedicated GPU laptops.

Gamers at 1080p with medium or low settings are a target audience, given the GPU’s performance class matching the NVIDIA GeForce MX550. Esports titles and older games should run smoothly, while newer AAA games will require careful settings management. The laptop form factor (buildClass is laptop) means this is a portable solution, not a desktop replacement, so users should expect a trade-off between performance and mobility.

GPU Analysis

The AMD Radeon 860M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm TSMC process. It is part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile and uses the Krackan Point chip. The GPU has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units, with 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. Its base clock is 600 MHz with a boost clock of 3000 MHz, which is a high boost for an integrated part, helping to explain its strong benchmark showing.

Memory is system shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM. The GPU draws from the laptop’s main system memory, with bandwidth listed as system dependent. This is a critical limitation: the GPU’s performance will vary significantly based on the RAM speed and whether the system uses dual-channel configuration. A laptop with slower or single-channel memory will see reduced GPU performance, even though the GPU’s raw compute capabilities are fixed.

The GPU’s compute throughput is 3.072 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio), with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. These numbers place it in the range of entry-level discrete GPUs. The benchmark scores confirm this: the Geekbench OpenCL score of 22759 and Vulkan score of 30043 yield an average of 26401, which is 72nd percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, with a deltaPct of -0.1, meaning the Radeon 860M is effectively tied with that discrete mobile GPU. The fact that it also matches the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (deltaPct 0.3) in this synthetic average is notable, though the RTX 5060’s dedicated VRAM and drivers would likely give it an edge in real gaming workloads.

The 8 RT cores provide hardware ray tracing support, which is uncommon in integrated GPUs. Combined with DirectX 12 Ultimate support, this allows the Radeon 860M to run ray-traced effects in games at reduced quality settings. The Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 support ensure compatibility with a wide range of modern games and professional applications. For rendering workloads, the 3.072 TFLOPS FP32 performance means the GPU can accelerate tasks like Blender’s Cycles renderer or Adobe Premiere’s GPU effects, though users should expect longer render times than with a mid-range discrete GPU.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The platform is built around the Intel BGA 2833 socket, which is a soldered mobile socket, meaning the CPU cannot be upgraded or replaced. The Core Ultra 7 256V is permanently attached to the motherboard, so any future CPU upgrade would require replacing the entire laptop. The GPU is similarly integrated as an IGP, with no upgrade path beyond what the system builder provides.

Memory support is listed as "unknown" and depends on the motherboard, but the CPU supports dual-channel memory. In a laptop context, this means the system’s RAM configuration is fixed at purchase. For optimal performance, particularly for the integrated GPU, a dual-channel configuration with fast RAM is essential, but the fact pack does not specify maximum supported speeds or capacities. The PCIe support is Gen 5 with 4 lanes from the CPU only, which is primarily for connecting storage devices like NVMe SSDs. The GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which is a separate connection from the chipset.

The CPU’s TDP is 17 watts, and the GPU’s TDP is 15 watts, indicating a combined thermal budget of roughly 32 watts for the core silicon. The fact pack lists no suggested PSU for the GPU, and the GPU has no power connectors, confirming this is a laptop IGP solution. The upgrade path for this platform is therefore limited to storage, memory (if the laptop allows it), and external peripherals. A sensible next upgrade would be adding a larger or faster NVMe SSD using the PCIe Gen 5 lanes, or investing in an external GPU enclosure if the laptop supports Thunderbolt or similar interfaces, though the fact pack does not confirm such connectivity.

Balance and Bottleneck

The balance between CPU and GPU is unusual because both are integrated into the same package, sharing power and thermal budgets. The CPU’s 75th percentile and GPU’s 72nd percentile are closely matched, suggesting neither component dramatically outperforms the other. This is a well-balanced pairing for the laptop class, where both components are designed to work together within the same power envelope.

However, bottlenecks will appear depending on the workload. In CPU-intensive tasks like software compilation or spreadsheet calculations, the GPU plays no role, and the CPU’s 8-thread limit becomes the constraint. The Passmark multithread score of 19530 is adequate but not exceptional; users pushing heavy parallel workloads will see the CPU as the limiting factor. In GPU-intensive tasks like 3D rendering or gaming, the Radeon 860M’s shared memory bandwidth and 16 ROPs become the bottleneck. The 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate limits fill rate, which is why high-resolution gaming at ultra settings would strain the GPU.

The benchmark scores show a CPU that is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U in average score, meaning any CPU bottleneck is comparable to that established processor. The GPU is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, again a marginal difference. The combined percentile of 74 indicates that the pairing performs slightly better than the individual percentiles might suggest, likely because the CPU’s strong single-thread performance helps in gaming and interactive tasks where GPU load is intermittent. For 1080p gaming, the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU in most titles, given the GPU’s performance class; instead, the shared memory bandwidth will be the primary limiter. For productivity tasks, the GPU is rarely the constraint, and the CPU’s single-thread speed determines responsiveness.

Build Overview

This is a laptop build (buildClass is laptop) pairing the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V with the AMD Radeon 860M as an integrated solution. The CPU is a Lunar Lake mobile processor with 8 cores and 8 threads, a 2.20 GHz base clock, 4.80 GHz boost clock, and 17W TDP. The GPU is an RDNA 3.5 integrated part with 512 shading units, 8 RT cores, and a 3000 MHz boost clock. Together, they occupy the 74th percentile among all tested CPU+GPU pairings, placing this configuration in the upper-mid tier of laptop performance.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 21112 places it at the 75th percentile, while the GPU’s average score of 26401 places it at the 72nd percentile. These are closely aligned, indicating the system is balanced rather than skewed toward one component. The fact that the GPU matches the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (a discrete mobile GPU) is noteworthy, as it means users do not sacrifice graphics capability for the convenience of an integrated solution. The CPU ties with several established parts like the Ryzen 5 5600G and Ryzen 5 7530U, so there is no performance penalty from choosing this newer Intel part. Overall, this pairing represents a capable mainstream laptop configuration suitable for a wide range of tasks, from office work to moderate gaming.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact CPU+GPU combination in the fact pack. Therefore, all gaming performance figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not actual measured frame rates. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 26401, matching the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, suggests that this system can handle 1080p gaming at medium to low settings in most modern titles. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 4029 in Passmark and 1877.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core means it will not hold back the GPU in most gaming scenarios, as games typically rely heavily on single-threaded CPU performance.

For esports titles like Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, or Valorant, which are more CPU-bound and less demanding on the GPU, the Radeon 860M’s 3.072 TFLOPS and 16 ROPs should deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with high settings. The high boost clock of 3000 MHz helps maintain consistent performance in these lightly-threaded scenarios. For AAA games released in recent years, users should expect to lower settings to medium or low to achieve smooth frame rates. The 8 RT cores enable ray tracing, but the GPU’s overall compute power suggests ray tracing would be practical only at low resolutions and with significant upscaling, though the fact pack does not provide specific FPS data to confirm this.

The Vulkan score of 30043 is particularly encouraging for Vulkan-based games, which often scale well on AMD hardware. The OpenCL score of 22759 indicates the GPU can also handle compute-heavy game effects like particle simulations or physics. However, the system shared memory and system dependent bandwidth mean that gaming performance will vary based on the laptop’s RAM configuration. A dual-channel, high-speed memory setup is essential to avoid severe bandwidth bottlenecks. In summary, this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium settings, with esports titles likely running at high settings, and newer AAA games requiring careful optimization.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The GPU’s performance class, matching the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, suggests 1080p at medium settings can achieve frame rates in the 60 FPS range for many titles, though high-refresh (120Hz+) displays would require esports games or reduced settings. The CPU’s single-thread strength (Passmark 4029) ensures minimal frame pacing issues in fast-paced games.

Streaming: The CPU’s 8 threads and the GPU’s integrated encoder (implied by the RDNA 3.5 architecture, though not explicitly listed) can handle 1080p streaming at moderate bitrates. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10399 shows enough headroom for encoding while gaming at medium settings, though simultaneous heavy tasks may cause frame drops.

Video editing: The combination of CPU multi-thread performance (Passmark multithread 19530) and GPU acceleration (OpenCL 22759) supports 1080p video editing in software like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Timeline scrubbing and basic effects will be smooth, but 4K editing or heavy color grading will strain the system.

3D rendering: The GPU’s 3.072 TFLOPS and 8 RT cores allow for hardware-accelerated rendering in Blender or similar applications, but render times will be significantly longer than with discrete GPUs. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10399 provides an alternative CPU renderer path for smaller scenes.

Software development: The CPU’s strong single-core Geekbench score of 1990 and 8 threads handle code compilation, Git operations, and IDE responsiveness well. The data encryption score of 13998 ensures secure connections and package managers do not become bottlenecks.

Student and office work: The low 17W CPU TDP and integrated GPU mean long battery life is plausible, while the Passmark single-thread score of 4029 handles spreadsheets, documents, and web browsing with ease. The GPU’s Vulkan support ensures smooth rendering of modern web content and productivity apps.