SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 356H + Intel Arc A550M

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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94 Score

Top 6% Ranking

94 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 6% 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

93%

GPU

96%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 7 356H

41,215 Benchmark Score

Top 7% Market Ranking

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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

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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 356H is a 16-core, 16-thread mobile processor built on Intel's 3 nm Panther Lake architecture, part of the Core Ultra Series 3 generation. It operates with a base clock of 1.90 GHz and boosts up to 4.70 GHz, with a thermal design power of 25 W. The chip features a hybrid cache layout: 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a notable configuration — 16 threads on 16 cores means no hyperthreading, which shifts performance burden onto the physical cores and the memory subsystem.

Benchmark data shows a strong all-round performer. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 18,395 in multi-core and 2,040 in single-core. The multi-core figure is substantial for a 25 W mobile part, indicating that the Panther Lake architecture extracts high throughput per watt. The single-core score of 2,040 is competitive for modern laptop workloads, placing it in a range where everyday responsiveness, compile times, and lightly-threaded applications will feel snappy. Cinebench R20 results follow the same pattern: 12,153 multi-core and 1,715 single-core, while R15 shows 3,055 multi-core and 303 single-core.

PassMark results further characterize the chip. The multithread score is 33,978, which is strong for a mobile CPU. Data compression hits 336,177, encryption reaches 26,345, and extended instructions score 27,898. Floating-point math is particularly impressive at 103,128, while integer math sits at 83,111. Physics simulation scores 2,895, and random string sorting hits 40,990. Single-thread performance in PassMark is 4,072, which aligns with the Cinebench single-core results — this is a CPU that handles both bursty single-threaded tasks and sustained multi-threaded loads without a major compromise.

The average benchmark score of 41,215 places this CPU at the 87th percentile among all processors. That is a high ranking, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are telling: the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41,208 (a 0% delta), the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41,263 (0.1% faster), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X scores 41,376 (0.4% faster), and the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H scores 40,967 (0.6% slower). The 356H is essentially neck-and-neck with a desktop Ryzen 9 5900X from a previous generation, which is remarkable for a 25 W laptop chip. In practical terms, this means the CPU will not be the limiting factor in most mobile workloads — it sits in a performance tier that rivals older high-end desktop parts.

# Balance and Bottleneck

Understanding the balance between the CPU and GPU in this laptop build requires looking at their respective percentile rankings and benchmark scores. The CPU holds an 87th percentile position, and the GPU (Intel Arc A550M) also sits at the 86th percentile. This near-identical percentile placement suggests a well-matched pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other. The combined percentile for the build is 87, reinforcing that the system as a whole is balanced.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 41,215, while the GPU's average benchmark score is 49,737. The GPU scores roughly 20% higher in raw benchmark terms, but these are different types of benchmarks — CPU tests focus on compute and integer/fp workloads, while GPU tests (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan) measure graphics and parallel compute. The key takeaway is that neither component falls far behind the other in relative standing. In CPU-bound scenarios like physics simulation, data compression, or heavy multitasking, the 356H will carry the load. In GPU-bound scenarios like 3D rendering or gaming, the Arc A550M will be the primary driver.

There is no measured FPS scaling data for this exact combination, so precise bottleneck analysis at specific resolutions is not possible from the fact pack. However, the percentile data provides a clear picture: both components rank within one percentile point of each other (87 vs 86), which implies that workload distribution will be even. For tasks that are purely computational — code compilation, spreadsheet crunching, or video encoding — the CPU will be the workhorse, and its 25 W TDP means it can sustain high clocks without excessive thermal pressure. For graphics-heavy tasks, the GPU's 60 W TDP and 8 GB VRAM will handle the visual load, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance (4,072 in PassMark single-thread) ensures it can feed the GPU without stalling.

The memory subsystem plays a role in balance as well. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 or LPDDR5X with a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. The GPU has its own dedicated 8 GB GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. This separation means the CPU and GPU do not compete for the same memory pool, which is a common bottleneck in integrated graphics systems. The PCIe Gen 5 interface on the CPU (12 lanes) and the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 bus provide ample bandwidth for data transfer between the two components. In practice, this is a balanced laptop platform where the CPU and GPU are in the same performance tier, and the bottleneck will shift depending on the workload rather than being permanently stuck on one side.

# Benchmark Performance

The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H delivers a comprehensive benchmark suite that establishes it as a top-tier mobile CPU. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18,395 is the headline number — it places the chip at the 87th percentile among all CPUs, which is a strong indicator of sustained multi-threaded performance. The single-core score of 2,040 in the same test is equally important, as it shows the chip is not just a multi-core brute but also excels in lightly-threaded tasks like web browsing, office applications, and legacy software. The Cinebench R20 scores (12,153 multi-core, 1,715 single-core) and R15 scores (3,055 multi-core, 303 single-core) follow the expected scaling pattern, confirming consistency across benchmark versions.

PassMark results add depth to the performance profile. The multithread score of 33,978 is robust, but the component scores are more revealing. Data compression at 336,177 indicates strong performance in file archiving and database workloads. Encryption at 26,345 shows capable AES and cryptographic throughput, useful for VPNs and secure communications. Extended instructions at 27,898 and floating-point math at 103,128 highlight the CPU's ability to handle scientific computing and media processing. Integer math at 83,111 and random string sorting at 40,990 round out the compute picture. The physics score of 2,895 is moderate, suggesting that the CPU can handle basic physics simulations in games and engineering software, though it is not a specialist in this area.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc A550M scores 49,894 in Geekbench OpenCL and 49,580 in Geekbench Vulkan, with an average benchmark score of 49,737. This places the GPU at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are interesting: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti scores 49,957 (0.4% faster), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 50,001 (0.5% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 50,951 (2.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 48,477 (2.6% slower). This positions the Arc A550M squarely between the RX 6800 XT and the RX 6900 XT, which are both high-end desktop cards from the previous generation. For a mobile GPU, this is exceptional — it suggests the A550M can deliver desktop-class graphics performance in a laptop form factor.

The combined picture is a laptop that ranks at the 87th percentile overall. The CPU and GPU are within one percentile point of each other, which is rare in mobile builds where one component typically dominates the other. Benchmark results indicate that this system is suitable for demanding workloads across the board, from CPU-intensive compilation and data analysis to GPU-intensive rendering and gaming. The data does not include measured FPS figures for this exact combination — no measuredFps rows exist in the fact pack — so all gaming performance estimates are derived from the benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations.

# Upgrade Path and Platform

The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H is built on the Intel BGA 2540 socket, which is a ball-grid array design soldered directly to the motherboard. This means the CPU is not upgradable in a traditional sense — users cannot swap it for a different processor. The socket is specific to Intel's Panther Lake platform, and the chip itself is part of the Ultra 7 (Panther Lake-H) generation. The production status is listed as "Active," indicating that Intel is still manufacturing this part, but the socket's BGA nature limits any CPU-level upgrades to a full motherboard replacement, which is rarely practical in a laptop.

Memory support includes DDR5 and LPDDR5X in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. This is a modern memory setup that allows for high-speed RAM, but the dual-channel limitation means users cannot add more channels. ECC memory is not supported, so this is not a platform for mission-critical error-correcting workloads. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 12 lanes, which is a forward-looking interface that supports fast NVMe SSDs and other high-bandwidth peripherals. The integrated graphics is Intel Xe3 Graphics, which provides a fallback display output even if the discrete GPU is disabled.

The GPU, an Intel Arc A550M, is also soldered onto the motherboard — its slot width is listed as "IGP," meaning it is integrated into the laptop board. The GPU uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface, which is a generation behind the CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support but still provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory. The Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, and the CPU has a TDP of 25 W, bringing the combined thermal envelope to roughly 85 W for the core components. No suggested PSU is listed, and since this is a laptop (buildClass is "laptop"), the power delivery is handled by the system's internal power supply and battery, not a desktop PSU. The GPU's production status is "End-of-life," which means Intel has discontinued this specific GPU model, but it remains a capable part for the lifetime of the laptop.

For a sensible next upgrade, the data points to the memory and storage as the most accessible components. The dual-channel DDR5/LPDDR5X support means users can upgrade RAM capacity, provided the laptop has accessible slots or soldered options. The PCIe Gen 5 interface on the CPU supports the fastest NVMe SSDs available, so upgrading storage to a Gen 5 drive would maximize data transfer rates. The GPU and CPU are not upgradable, so users should consider this laptop as a fixed-performance platform. The platform's strength lies in its balance — both the CPU and GPU are in the high 80th percentile, so there is no obvious weak point to address with a partial upgrade.

# FAQ

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H has 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 1.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz.

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

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 41,215 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (41,208, 0% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (41,263, 0.1% faster). It is also within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) and a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Is the CPU upgradable?

A: No, the CPU uses the Intel BGA 2540 socket, which is a ball-grid array soldered to the motherboard, making it non-upgradable in a laptop.

Q: What memory types does the CPU support?

A: The CPU supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. ECC memory is not supported.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all GPUs?

A: The GPU is at the 86th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 49,737. It is 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and 2.4% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT.

Q: Is there measured gaming FPS data for this exact CPU+GPU combination?

A: No, the fact pack contains no measuredFps data for this combination. All gaming performance estimates are derived from the benchmark scores and are approximations.

# GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A550M is a mobile graphics processor built on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the Alchemist generation for Arc 5 Mobile. It uses the DG2-512 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 6 nm process, with 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 53.4 million per mm². The GPU has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a solid memory configuration for a mobile GPU, providing enough capacity for modern game textures and compute workloads at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's compute resources include 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It also features 16 ray tracing cores, which enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing in supported games and applications. The pixel rate is 131.2 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 262.4 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 8.397 TFLOPS for FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS for FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio). These numbers indicate a GPU that is capable of handling modern DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) workloads, as well as OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Benchmark scores place the Arc A550M at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 49,894, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 49,580, with an average of 49,737. The nearest rivals are a mixed bag: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 0.4% faster, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 is 0.5% faster, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is 2.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is 2.6% slower. This places the A550M in the upper mid-range to high-end tier of GPUs, comparable to enthusiast desktop cards from a few generations ago. The TDP is 60 W, which is efficient for the performance level, though the production status is "End-of-life," so it is no longer actively manufactured.

For rendering and compute workloads, the 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 performance is substantial for a laptop GPU. The 16 ray tracing cores provide hardware RT support, which will accelerate ray-traced effects in games and 3D rendering software. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for most 1080p and 1440p workloads, though very high-resolution textures or large scenes may exceed this capacity. The display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the physical ports vary by laptop model, but the GPU is capable of driving external displays through the system's ports.

# Gaming Performance

The fact pack contains no measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H paired with the Intel Arc A550M — no measuredFpsUltraByGame entries exist. As a result, all gaming performance figures discussed here are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations rather than measured results. The dataIsMeasured flag is set to false, confirming that these are not empirical test results.

Based on the GPU's benchmark performance, which places it at the 86th percentile and within 2.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, the Arc A550M should handle most modern games at 1080p with high to ultra settings. The 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 compute power and 8 GB VRAM are the key factors for gaming — 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p ultra textures in most titles, and the 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures textures stream efficiently. At 1440p, the GPU will still be playable but may require reducing settings to high or medium in demanding titles, especially those with heavy ray tracing where the 16 RT cores will be taxed.

The CPU's strong single-thread performance (2,040 in Cinebench R23 single-core, 4,072 in PassMark single-thread) ensures that frame pacing will be stable in CPU-bound scenarios. The 16 cores and 25 W TDP mean the CPU can maintain high clocks during gaming sessions, avoiding the frame drops that occur when a weaker CPU struggles to keep up with the GPU. For esports titles like competitive shooters or MOBAs, the CPU's single-core strength will push high frame rates, likely exceeding 100 FPS at 1080p. For AAA single-player games, the GPU will be the primary constraint, and players should expect 60 FPS at 1080p with high settings, or 60 FPS at 1440p with medium settings. Ray tracing will be possible but likely at reduced performance, given the RT core count and the GPU's overall tier.

# Build Overview

This build pairs the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H with the Intel Arc A550M in a laptop form factor, as indicated by the buildClass of "laptop." The combined percentile for the system is 87, placing it in the top 13% of all builds in the database. The CPU's individual percentile is 87, and the GPU's is 86, meaning this is a balanced pairing where both components are in the same performance tier. The CPU is a 16-core, 16-thread Panther Lake part with a 25 W TDP, and the GPU is an Arc 5 Mobile Alchemist part with a 60 W TDP and 8 GB GDDR6 memory.

The overall tier of this build is high-end for a laptop. The CPU's average benchmark score of 41,215 rivals desktop processors like the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, and the GPU's average score of 49,737 sits between the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and the RX 6900 XT. This is a system that can handle demanding workloads without compromise — it is not a budget or entry-level laptop, but rather a performance-oriented mobile workstation or gaming machine. The 87th combined percentile confirms that this build outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database, making it a strong choice for users who need desktop-class performance in a portable package.

The balance between the CPU and GPU is the defining feature of this build. Many laptops pair a strong CPU with a weak GPU or vice versa, creating a bottleneck. Here, the near-identical percentile rankings (87 vs 86) mean that the system is well-suited for a wide range of tasks. Whether the workload is CPU-heavy (compilation, data analysis, video encoding) or GPU-heavy (3D rendering, gaming, machine learning inference), the system will allocate resources effectively. The 25 W CPU TDP and 60 W GPU TDP keep the total power draw manageable, which is important for battery life and thermal management in a laptop chassis.

# Who Should Build It

This CPU+GPU pairing is designed for users who need high performance in a laptop form factor without sacrificing portability. The 16-core Intel Core Ultra 7 356H with its 87th percentile ranking is ideal for content creators who work with video editing, 3D modeling, or software development — tasks that benefit from multi-threaded compute. The PassMark data compression score of 336,177 and floating-point math score of 103,128 indicate strong performance in data-heavy and scientific workloads, making this a suitable platform for engineers, researchers, and data analysts.

The Intel Arc A550M, with its 86th percentile GPU ranking and 8 GB VRAM, targets gamers who play at 1080p or 1440p. The GPU's performance is comparable to desktop cards like the RX 6800 XT, so gamers can expect high settings in most titles at 1080p and medium to high settings at 1440p. The 16 ray tracing cores provide hardware RT support, which is a plus for gamers who want to enable ray-traced effects. The laptop form factor means this is not a desktop replacement for extreme gaming, but rather a system that balances performance and mobility.

Students in STEM fields will benefit from the CPU's processing power for simulations and data analysis, while the GPU can handle visualization and rendering projects. Small business workstations that run database applications, virtualization, or office productivity suites will find the CPU's multithread score of 33,978 and encryption score of 26,345 more than adequate. The build is also suitable for developers who compile large codebases — the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18,395 indicates fast compilation times, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support at 115.2 GB/s bandwidth reduces memory bottlenecks. In short, this is a versatile high-performance laptop for users who demand more from their hardware than the average consumer.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 7 356H + Intel Arc A550M

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 7 356H

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

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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