SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX + Intel Arc A730M

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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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 265HX

63,173 Benchmark Score

Top 4% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

Intel Arc A730M

45,592 Benchmark Score

Top 4% Market Ranking

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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

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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

# CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread mobile processor built on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, representing Intel's Core Ultra Series 2 generation. Fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC, this chip packs 17,800 million transistors into a 243 mm² die. The CPU operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and can boost up to 5.30 GHz, with a thermal design power of 55 W. The cache hierarchy consists of 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 30 MB L3 cache.

Benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 40,642 points in multi-core and 5,737 in single-core tests. The R20 results follow a similar pattern: 17,069 multi-core and 2,409 single-core. Older R15 benchmarks show 4,096 multi-core and 578 single-core scores. These figures place the CPU in the 93rd percentile among all processors, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs currently tracked.

The PassMark suite reinforces this picture. The multithread score sits at 47,985, with single-thread at 4,500. Integer math achieves 126,954, floating-point math reaches 161,605, and extended instructions score 40,741. Data compression hits 511,817, while encryption manages 39,472. Random string sorting completes at 62,458, and physics processing scores 2,978. The find prime numbers test returns 406. The average benchmark score across all tests is 63,173.

Comparing to nearest rivals provides context. The Intel Core i7-13790F averages 63,080, a delta of 0.1% relative to the 265HX — essentially a statistical tie. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G scores 63,331, putting it 0.2% ahead. The AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 trails by 0.5% at 62,839. The closest sibling, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, scores 62,738, which is 0.7% behind. These margins are small, meaning the 265HX sits in a tightly contested performance band where workload-specific behavior will determine the winner.

For real workloads, the 20-core configuration with no hyperthreading means each core handles one thread. This design favors tasks with high instruction-level parallelism. Multi-core rendering in Cinebench shows the chip can sustain heavy loads, while the 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures snappy single-threaded response in applications that rely on one or two cores. The 30 MB shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing memory latency penalties.

The data compression and encryption scores indicate strong throughput for data-centric workloads. Floating-point math performance is particularly notable at 161,605, suggesting capable number-crunching for scientific or engineering simulations. The processor's 93rd percentile standing means it ranks among the top 7% of all CPUs in the database, a meaningful indicator of its overall capability.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX uses the Intel BGA 2114 socket, which is a ball-grid array design. This means the processor is soldered directly to the motherboard, so it is not user-upgradable in the traditional sense. The platform is a laptop build class, and the CPU is marked as an active production part with a release date of January 12, 2025. The multiplier is unlocked, which theoretically allows overclocking on supported platforms, though laptop thermal constraints typically limit practical gains.

Memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel memory bus. The memory bandwidth is rated at 102.4 GB/s. This is a fixed specification; there is no ECC memory support, so the platform targets consumer and professional workloads rather than mission-critical server applications. For PCIe, the CPU provides Gen 5 connectivity with 20 lanes available from the processor itself. This enables high-speed NVMe storage and discrete GPU connections, assuming the laptop design routes those lanes appropriately.

The integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units. This iGPU provides a fallback display output and basic acceleration even without the discrete GPU active. The CPU's TDP is 55 W, which is modest for a 20-core part, suggesting careful power management in mobile chassis. The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and the GPU has no suggested PSU listed because it is an integrated mobile part with a slot width of IGP, meaning it draws power from the motherboard rather than a separate power connector.

A sensible next upgrade path depends on the laptop's design. Since the CPU is BGA-mounted, upgrading the processor alone is not feasible. The realistic upgrade is the GPU or the entire system. The Arc A730M GPU is marked end-of-life, so future driver support may taper off. Users seeking better graphics performance would need a different laptop with a newer GPU. Alternatively, the DDR5 memory can be expanded if the laptop has accessible SODIMM slots, and the PCIe Gen 5 lanes support adding faster NVMe drives for storage bottlenecks.

The platform's power envelope is modest: 55 W CPU plus 80 W GPU equals 135 W combined TDP, which is manageable for a high-performance laptop cooling solution. The data shows a balanced power draw between the two main components, allowing sustained workloads without excessive thermal throttling in well-designed chassis.

# FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's core and thread count?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX has 20 cores and 20 threads, meaning it does not use simultaneous multithreading. Each core handles exactly one thread.

Q: How fast is the processor's memory?

A: The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. It does not support ECC memory.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective.

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

A: The 265HX averages 63,173 in benchmark scores, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13790F (63,080) and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX (62,738). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G by 0.2% (63,331).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The Arc A730M sits in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45,592. It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile.

Q: Is the CPU overclockable?

A: Yes, the multiplier is unlocked, allowing overclocking on supported platforms. However, the BGA socket and laptop form factor may limit practical implementation.

Q: What API support does the GPU provide?

A: The Arc A730M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering modern gaming and compute APIs.

# Balance and Bottleneck

The combined percentile for this CPU+GPU pairing is 89, placing it above most systems in the database. The CPU's 93rd percentile is notably higher than the GPU's 84th percentile, indicating the processor is the stronger component relative to its peers. This suggests the GPU will be the limiting factor in most workloads, particularly graphics-intensive tasks like gaming at high resolutions.

For gaming at 1080p, the CPU's high single-thread score of 4,500 in PassMark and 5,737 in Cinebench R23 ensures it can feed the GPU adequately. However, the GPU's 12.60 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 12 GB of VRAM will cap frame rates in demanding titles. The GPU's 196.8 GPixel/s pixel rate and 393.6 GTexel/s texture rate provide solid rasterization throughput, but the 80 W TDP limits sustained clocks compared to higher-wattage desktop parts.

In compute-heavy workloads, the balance shifts. The CPU's strong multi-core scores (40,642 in Cinebench R23) can handle CPU-bound tasks like physics simulation or code compilation, while the GPU's 3,072 shading units handle parallel graphics or compute workloads. The GPU's 24 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, though performance will be modest given the 84th percentile standing.

The memory subsystem shows a potential imbalance. The CPU's 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is modest compared to the GPU's 336.0 GB/s, but they serve different roles — the CPU needs low-latency access for general computation, while the GPU requires high-bandwidth for texture and geometry data. The 12 GB VRAM on the GPU is generous for a mobile part, reducing the need to spill to system memory in most games and rendering tasks.

The FPS data is not measured for this exact combination, so bottleneck analysis relies on the benchmark scores. The CPU's 0.1% delta to the nearest rival and the GPU's 0.5% delta to its nearest rival indicate both components are well-positioned within their respective tiers. The combined 89th percentile suggests a balanced system where neither component drastically underperforms the other, though the GPU's lower percentile makes it the more likely constraint in graphics-bound scenarios.

# GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A730M is a mobile graphics processor based on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the Alchemist generation under the Arc 7 Mobile family. The chip is designated DG2-512 and fabricated on a 6 nm process by TSMC, containing 21,700 million transistors across a 406 mm² die. The transistor density is 53.4 million per mm².

The GPU runs at a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz. Memory operates at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective on 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The compute configuration includes 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. There are 24 ray tracing cores dedicated to hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The pixel rate is 196.8 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 393.6 GTexel/s.

Raw compute performance is rated at 12.60 TFLOPS for FP32 and 25.19 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, covering the full modern API stack. The TDP is 80 W, and the slot width is IGP, meaning it is integrated into the motherboard rather than a discrete card.

Benchmark results show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,732. In Geekbench, the OpenCL score is 70,352, and the Vulkan score is 64,693. The average benchmark score across all tests is 45,592, placing the GPU in the 84th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT with an average score of 45,384 (0.5% behind), the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation at 45,972 (0.8% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile at 45,152 (1% behind), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 at 46,043 (1% ahead). The margins are all within 1%, indicating the A730M performs in a tight competitive band.

For rendering workloads, the 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for large textures and complex scenes at 1080p and 1440p. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth enables smooth texture streaming, and the 24 RT cores provide entry-level ray tracing capability. The FP16 performance at 25.19 TFLOPS is useful for AI inference and compute tasks that leverage reduced precision, though the GPU does not list dedicated tensor cores, so machine learning acceleration relies on the standard shading units.

# Who Should Build It

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the Intel Arc A730M targets users needing a balanced mobile workstation with strong CPU performance and capable GPU acceleration. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking makes it suitable for professionals running multi-threaded applications like video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation. The 20 cores handle parallel workloads efficiently, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40,642.

Gamers at 1080p and 1440p will find the GPU's 84th percentile performance adequate for modern titles at medium to high settings, though not for maximum settings at high refresh rates. The 12 GB VRAM future-proofs against increasing texture memory demands. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,732 indicates entry-level DX12 gaming performance.

Content creators benefit from the combination of strong CPU multi-threading and GPU compute. Video editors can leverage the CPU's 20 threads for timeline scrubbing and export, while the GPU accelerates effects and color grading through OpenCL and Vulkan. The 161,605 floating-point math score suggests capable physics simulation for visual effects work.

Software developers will appreciate the CPU's compilation speed. The PassMark integer math score of 126,954 shows strong integer throughput, and the 511,817 data compression score speeds up build artifacts and version control operations. The 30 MB L3 cache helps with frequently accessed code and data structures.

Students and small business users gain a single system that handles coursework, office productivity, and light content creation without requiring a separate desktop. The CPU's single-thread score of 4,500 in PassMark ensures responsive application launches and spreadsheet calculations, while the GPU accelerates presentation graphics and basic video editing.

# Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,737, ensuring minimal bottleneck in CPU-bound titles. However, the GPU's 84th percentile ranking and 12.60 TFLOPS FP32 performance suggest that high-refresh 1080p gaming is achievable in esports titles, while AAA games will likely run at lower frame rates. The 12 GB VRAM prevents memory-related stutters in most current games.

Streaming: The 20-core CPU can handle game encoding via software x264 while maintaining playable frame rates, given the 40,642 Cinebench R23 multi-core score. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 3,072 shading units provide hardware acceleration for rendering the game itself. The combined 89th percentile system ranking indicates adequate headroom for simultaneous gaming and encoding.

Video editing: Timeline performance benefits from the CPU's high multi-core throughput, with PassMark multithread score of 47,985. Export times are reduced by the 20 cores, and the GPU's 25.19 TFLOPS FP16 performance accelerates effects rendering. The 336.0 GB/s GPU bandwidth handles high-resolution footage, while the 12 GB VRAM allows multiple effects layers without spilling to system memory.

3D rendering: CPU-based rendering in Cinebench R23 at 40,642 multi-core points provides solid performance for Blender or Maya CPU renders. GPU-accelerated rendering via OpenCL at 70,352 Geekbench score offers an alternative path for compatible engines. The 12 GB VRAM accommodates moderately complex scenes, though very large scenes may exceed this capacity.

Software development: Compilation tasks benefit from the 20 cores and the 126,954 integer math score in PassMark. The 511,817 data compression score speeds up packaging and deployment. The 30 MB L3 cache reduces compilation times for large codebases by keeping hot code paths cached.

Student and office work: The CPU's 4,500 PassMark single-thread score ensures responsive productivity applications. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 EU provides display output for everyday tasks, while the discrete GPU accelerates any graphics work. The 55 W CPU TDP enables all-day battery life in well-designed laptops, and the 80 W GPU TDP is modest for a discrete mobile GPU.

# Build Overview

This build pairs the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX with the Intel Arc A730M in a laptop form factor. The CPU is a 20-core, 20-thread mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 2 generation, based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. The GPU is a mobile discrete graphics part from the Alchemist generation, built on the Xe-HPG architecture with 3,072 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.

The system's combined percentile is 89, placing it above 89% of all tracked CPU+GPU combinations. The CPU alone ranks in the 93rd percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 84th percentile. This indicates a high-tier mobile platform where the CPU outperforms the GPU relative to their respective peers. The build class is laptop, meaning all components are integrated into a portable chassis.

The CPU's production status is active, with a release date of January 12, 2025. The GPU is marked end-of-life, which may affect future driver support and availability. The combined TDP of 135 W (55 W CPU + 80 W GPU) is manageable for a performance laptop, though sustained loads will require adequate cooling.

# Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX achieves an average benchmark score of 63,173 across all CPU tests. This places it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13790F, scores 63,080, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G leads by 0.2% with 63,331, while the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 trails by 0.5% at 62,839. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX is 0.7% behind at 62,738.

The Intel Arc A730M averages 45,592 across its benchmark suite, placing it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45,384 (0.5% behind), the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation scores 45,972 (0.8% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45,152 (1% behind), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 scores 46,043 (1% ahead).

The combined picture shows a system where the CPU is the stronger component, ranking 9 percentile points higher than the GPU. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40,642 and single-core score of 5,737 indicate a high-end mobile processor. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,732 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 70,352 indicate a mid-range mobile GPU. The overall 89th percentile ranking reflects a system that excels in CPU-bound workloads while providing adequate graphics performance for most tasks.

# Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination. The FACT PACK contains no measuredFps rows for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the Intel Arc A730M. Therefore, all frame rate figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores, not measured results.

Based on the GPU's 84th percentile ranking and 12.60 TFLOPS FP32 compute, gaming performance at 1080p should be solid for esports titles like CS:GO or Valorant, where the CPU's 5,737 Cinebench R23 single-core score ensures high frame rates. At 1440p, the GPU's 196.8 GPixel/s pixel rate will handle moderate settings in AAA games, though the 80 W TDP may limit sustained clocks.

The 12 GB VRAM is generous for mobile gaming, preventing texture pop-in in memory-hungry titles at 1080p ultra settings. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth supports high-resolution textures without bottlenecking the 3,072 shading units. The 24 RT cores enable ray tracing at reduced resolutions or with DLSS-like upscaling, though the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,732 suggests ray tracing performance is modest.

For 1080p gaming at high settings, the GPU's 84th percentile ranking implies it outperforms 84% of GPUs in the database. This should translate to playable frame rates in most modern titles, though not at maximum settings with ray tracing enabled. At 1440p, users should expect to dial back settings to high or medium for demanding games. The CPU's high percentile ensures it will not be the limiting factor in most gaming scenarios, making the GPU the primary determinant of frame rates.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX + Intel Arc A730M

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX

Intel Arc A730M

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

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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