SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + Intel Arc A350M

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

92 / 100
ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 8% 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
91%
VS
GPU
92%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

35,670 Benchmark Score
Top 9% 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

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

This is a laptop pairing built around Intel’s flagship mobile Meteor Lake processor and a modest entry-level Arc GPU. The Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread part with a 45 W TDP, while the Arc A350M is a 25 W GPU with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. The data shows a system that is heavily CPU-dominant, with the processor delivering top-tier multi-threaded performance while the GPU serves as a capable but secondary component for gaming and graphics tasks. Benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy: this is a productivity-first machine that can handle light to moderate gaming, but the GPU will be the limiting factor in graphically intensive scenarios.

Balance and Bottleneck

The performance balance of this pairing is strongly skewed toward the CPU. The Core Ultra 9 185H sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc A350M ranks at the 70th percentile among all GPUs. This means the processor is the stronger component relative to its peers, and in most gaming and creative workloads, the GPU will be the first part to reach its limit. The combined percentile for the entire build is 78, which reflects the GPU pulling the overall score down from the CPU’s higher position.

Looking at specific workload types, the CPU’s PassMark multithread score of 29376 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 indicate exceptional parallel processing capability. In contrast, the GPU’s Geekbench scores — 24546 in OpenCL and 24747 in Vulkan — are respectable but place it in the mid-range tier. For a game running at high settings, the Arc A350M will likely cap frame rates well before the CPU’s processing power becomes a factor. The CPU’s single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1794 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 1810.5, is strong enough to feed the GPU in most scenarios, meaning the bottleneck will almost always be the graphics card.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support are adequate for the GPU’s needs, but the GPU’s own 112.0 GB/s bandwidth and 64-bit bus are narrow by modern standards. This creates a situation where the CPU can process frames faster than the GPU can render them. In CPU-bound tasks like data compression, where the PassMark score is 339489, the system will feel exceptionally fast. In GPU-bound tasks like 3D rendering or high-resolution gaming, the A350M will dictate performance. The deltaPct values against nearest rivals show the CPU is virtually tied with AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (-0.1%) and Intel Core 7 250H (-0.2%), so there is no meaningful performance gap between these processors.

Benchmark Performance

The Core Ultra 9 185H delivers a strong set of benchmark numbers across the board. In Cinebench R23, it scores 17984.5 multi-core and 1810.5 single-core. The R20 scores are 10356 multi-core and 1462 single-core, while R15 results show 2801.5 multi-core and 264.5 single-core. These scores place the CPU at the 85th percentile, which means it outperforms roughly 85% of all tested CPUs. The average benchmark score for the CPU is 35670, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, averages 35719, a delta of -0.1%. This places the Intel part in a dead heat with its closest competition.

The GPU’s benchmark presence is thinner, with only Geekbench OpenCL (24546) and Vulkan (24747) scores recorded. The average benchmark score for the Arc A350M is 24647, which puts it at the 70th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 590, scores 24744, a delta of -0.4%. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is also close at 24763 (-0.5%), while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT sits at 24442 (0.8%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 at 24277 (1.5%). This places the A350M in the same performance bracket as older desktop GPUs, which is notable for a mobile part with a 25 W TDP.

Combining the two components, the CPU’s PassMark scores show specific strengths: integer math at 98302, floating-point math at 73270, and extended instructions at 20272. The data encryption score of 19827 and prime number finding score of 123 round out the picture. These numbers indicate a processor that handles a wide variety of compute tasks with ease. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 3.379 TFLOPS and texture rate of 105.6 GTexel/s are modest but sufficient for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings. The overall picture is a system that excels in CPU-heavy workloads while offering entry-level discrete graphics performance.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination — the FACT PACK contains no measuredFps data. All frame rate discussions here are estimates based on the benchmark scores of the CPU and GPU. The Arc A350M’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 24747 suggests it can handle modern games at 1080p with adjusted settings, but users should expect to lower graphical presets to achieve smooth playable frame rates.

The GPU’s 4 GB of VRAM is a limiting factor for newer titles, particularly those with high-resolution textures. Games that demand more than 4 GB of video memory will either fail to load or require significant texture quality reductions. The 64-bit memory bus and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth further restrict performance in memory-heavy scenes. For esports titles and older games, the A350M should provide adequate performance, likely exceeding 60 FPS at 1080p with medium settings. For AAA releases from recent years, the estimate drops to 30-50 FPS at 1080p with low to medium settings.

The CPU’s strong single-thread performance — a PassMark single-thread score of 3697 and Geekbench single-core of 1794 — ensures that frame pacing will be consistent, with no CPU-induced stutters in most games. The bottleneck will be the GPU, which will cap frame rates in graphically intensive scenes. The pixel rate of 52.80 GPixel/s and ROP count of 24 are low, meaning fill-rate-limited scenarios will show the most significant performance drops. Users targeting high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p or above will find this GPU inadequate for modern titles.

Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who prioritize CPU performance for work tasks but still want discrete graphics for occasional gaming. The Core Ultra 9 185H’s 85th percentile ranking makes it suitable for content creators, developers, and students who run multi-threaded applications like video encoders, compilers, or data analysis tools. The GPU’s 70th percentile position means it can handle light gaming, basic 3D modeling, and video playback, but it is not designed for hardcore gaming at high resolutions.

For gamers at 1080p, this system will run most titles at playable frame rates, but it is not a high-refresh-rate machine. Content creators who work with 4K video editing or 3D rendering will benefit from the CPU’s multi-core strength — the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 is particularly strong — but should be aware that the GPU will slow down GPU-accelerated renders. Software developers will appreciate the PassMark multithread score of 29376 for parallel builds and the extended instructions score of 20272 for SIMD-heavy workloads.

Students and small business users who need a laptop for office work, web browsing, and light productivity will find this more than adequate. The CPU’s single-thread scores ensure responsive application launching and smooth multitasking. The GPU’s 4 GB VRAM is enough for dual-monitor setups and basic CAD work but not for professional-grade rendering. This is a workstation-oriented laptop with gaming as a secondary feature, not the other way around.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 45 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration allows for strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5.

The CPU’s single-thread performance is equally impressive, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1794 and a Cinebench R23 single-core of 1810.5. This places it in the top 15% of all CPUs, making it suitable for tasks that rely on per-core performance, such as gaming, spreadsheet calculations, and web browsing. The PassMark single-thread score of 3697 confirms this, showing that the processor handles single-threaded workloads with ease.

Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The CPU does not support ECC memory, which is typical for mobile processors. PCIe support is Gen 5 with 8 lanes from the CPU, which provides ample bandwidth for a discrete GPU and NVMe storage. The integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG with 128 execution units, which can serve as a fallback if the discrete GPU is disabled or for power-saving modes. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 35670 place it in the upper echelon of mobile processors, only 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The Arc A350M’s 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 52.80 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for high-refresh gaming at 1080p in modern titles. Esports games like CS:GO or Valorant may hit 144 FPS at low settings, but AAA games will struggle to maintain 60 FPS. The CPU’s single-thread strength will prevent frame drops, but the GPU will cap performance.

Streaming: The CPU’s multi-thread score of 29376 in PassMark and Cinebench R23 multi-core of 17984.5 provide headroom for software encoding while gaming. The Arc A350M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes hardware-accelerated encoding features, but the GPU’s limited resources mean streaming at high bitrates may impact game performance. A 720p stream at medium bitrate is feasible.

Video editing: The CPU’s PassMark data compression score of 339489 and integer math score of 98302 indicate strong performance for codecs and filters. The GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth are enough for 1080p editing in software like Premiere Pro, but 4K timelines will require proxy workflows. The CPU’s extended instructions score of 20272 helps with AVX-512 workloads, speeding up certain effects.

3D rendering: The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 is excellent for CPU-based rendering in Blender or similar software. The GPU’s 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 performance is far below desktop rendering GPUs, so GPU-accelerated renders will be slow. The 6 RT cores provide some ray tracing capability, but the 4 GB VRAM is a hard limit for complex scenes.

Software development: The CPU’s 22 threads and 85th percentile ranking make it ideal for compiling large codebases. The PassMark multithread score of 29376 and floating-point math score of 73270 support heavy build processes. The 24 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency, improving compiler and linker performance. The GPU is irrelevant for most development tasks.

Student and office work: The CPU’s single-thread score of 3697 in PassMark ensures snappy response in word processors, spreadsheets, and web browsers. The 45 W TDP is manageable for a laptop cooling solution, and the integrated GPU can extend battery life when the discrete GPU is idle. The 4 GB VRAM is more than enough for dual-monitor office setups.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A350M is based on the Xe-HPG architecture, codenamed Alchemist, and built on TSMC’s 6 nm process. It has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, with 6 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 1150 MHz with a boost clock of 2200 MHz. The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, effective 14 Gbps.

The GPU’s FP32 performance is 3.379 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 6.758 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The texture rate is 105.6 GTexel/s, and the pixel rate is 52.80 GPixel/s. These numbers place the A350M at the 70th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24647. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 24546 and Vulkan score of 24747 show consistent performance across different APIs.

The 4 GB VRAM is the most significant limitation. Modern games at 1080p with high textures often require more than 4 GB, leading to stuttering or texture pop-in. The 64-bit memory bus further limits memory bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing. The 6 RT cores provide entry-level ray tracing, but the low FP32 throughput means ray tracing will be limited to 1080p with performance-heavy settings. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with current and near-future titles.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The CPU uses the Intel BGA 2049 socket, which is a soldered, non-upgradeable mobile socket. The system’s memory support is DDR5, with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The PCIe interface is Gen 5 with 8 lanes from the CPU, which is sufficient for the current GPU but also supports faster GPUs if the laptop design allows for upgrades. The GPU is marked as end-of-life, meaning no successor is planned, and the 25 W TDP is fixed.

The CPU has a 45 W TDP, and the GPU has a 25 W TDP, for a combined thermal envelope of 70 W. This is modest for a laptop, suggesting the cooling solution has headroom. The suggested PSU is not specified, but a typical laptop power adapter of 90-130 W would be sufficient. The GPU’s bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8, which matches the CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 lanes, though the GPU will run at Gen 4 speeds.

A sensible next upgrade would be a more powerful discrete GPU, provided the laptop chassis supports it. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking means it will not bottleneck a faster GPU in most scenarios. However, the 4 GB VRAM of the current GPU is a hard limit, and any upgrade should target at least 8 GB. The CPU’s 24 MB L3 cache and 22 threads will remain competitive for several years. The platform is mature, and the CPU’s production status is active, but the GPU is end-of-life, so long-term driver support may taper off.

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance percentile of this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The combined percentile is 78, which reflects the CPU’s 85th percentile and the GPU’s 70th percentile. The GPU pulls the overall score down.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 185H compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350?

A: The Intel CPU has an average benchmark score of 35670, while the AMD rival scores 35719, a delta of -0.1%. They are statistically tied in performance.

Q: Is the Arc A350M suitable for modern gaming at 1080p?

A: The GPU’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 24747 and 4 GB VRAM suggest it can run modern titles at 1080p with low to medium settings. The 64-bit memory bus and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth limit high-texture scenarios.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock and how does it affect single-thread performance?

A: The boost clock is 5.10 GHz, contributing to a PassMark single-thread score of 3697 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1794. This ensures fast response in single-threaded applications.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported. The memory support is DDR5, dual-channel, with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the GPU’s transistor count and die size?

A: The Arc A350M has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, with a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². It is built on TSMC’s 6 nm process.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it enough for 1440p gaming?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. For 1440p gaming, 4 GB is generally insufficient for modern titles with high textures, and the 64-bit bus will also bottleneck performance.