SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + 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

91%

GPU

96%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

35,670 Benchmark Score

Top 9% 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

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Performance Insights

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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.

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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

# Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + Intel Arc A550M: Mobile Performance Analysis

This pairing combines Intel's top-tier Meteor Lake mobile processor with Intel's Arc A550M discrete GPU, creating a laptop platform that targets the upper-middle tier of mobile computing. The CPU sits in the 85th percentile of all processors, while the GPU achieves an 86th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, giving the combined system an overall percentile of 86. No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination, so all frame rate discussion is estimated from the individual benchmark scores rather than direct game testing.

GPU Analysis — VRAM, Bandwidth, Clocks, RT/Tensor Hardware, and What the Benchmark Scores Mean for Rendering

The Intel Arc A550M is built on the DG2-512 chip using the Xe-HPG architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 6 nm process. The die contains 21,700 million transistors across a 406 mm² area, resulting in a transistor density of 53.4M per mm². This is a full Alchemist-generation mobile GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective transfer rate.

Clock speeds are respectable for a mobile part, with a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz. The GPU packs 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. For ray tracing, there are 16 dedicated RT cores, though the data does not list tensor core counts. The pixel rate reaches 131.2 GPixel/s, while texture rate hits 262.4 GTexel/s. Compute performance is rated at 8.397 TFLOPS for FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS for FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. The GPU consumes 60 W of power and connects via PCIe 4.0 x16.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc A550M scores 49894 in Geekbench OpenCL and 49580 in Geekbench Vulkan, averaging 49737. This places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals show interesting positioning: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti scores 49957, a mere 0.4% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 50001, just 0.5% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT leads by 2.4% with 50951, and the RX 6800 XT trails by 2.6% with 48477. This means the Arc A550M sits in a performance band occupied by high-end desktop GPUs from previous generations, despite being a mobile part with a 60 W power envelope.

For rendering workloads, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and most 1440p textures, though 224.0 GB/s bandwidth could constrain highly texture-heavy scenes. The 16 RT cores provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but the FP32 throughput of 8.397 TFLOPS indicates that compute-heavy rendering tasks will perform at a mid-range level. The API support is modern, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with current and near-future titles.

Benchmark Performance — Exact CPU and GPU Scores, Percentile Positions, and What the Combined Picture Is

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H delivers strong multi-threaded performance across several benchmark suites. In Cinebench R15, it scores 2801.5 multicore and 264.5 singlecore. Cinebench R20 results show 10356 multicore and 1462 singlecore. The R23 run produces 17984.5 multicore and 1810.5 singlecore. Geekbench returns 11657 multicore and 1794 singlecore. PassMark scores include 29376 multithread, 3697 single thread, 98302 integer math, 73270 floating point math, 339489 data compression, 19827 data encryption, 20272 extended instructions, 123 find prime numbers, 1956 physics, and 39598 random string sorting.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 35670, placing it in the 85th percentile of all processors. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719 (-0.1%), the Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728 (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802 (-0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909 (-0.7%). This clustering indicates that the Ultra 9 185H sits at a performance plateau where several competing chips are within 1% of each other, making synthetic score differences effectively negligible for real-world use.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 49737 places it in the 86th percentile, nearly matching the CPU's percentile position. The combined percentile of 86 reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other. With no measured FPS data available for this combination, estimated gaming performance suggests that the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities will not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios, given that the GPU's nearest rivals include desktop parts like the RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT. The CPU's single-core score of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-thread performance that should feed the GPU adequately in CPU-bound titles.

CPU Analysis — Cores, Clocks, Architecture, and What the Benchmark Scores Mean for Real Workloads

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 7 nm process. It belongs to the Core Ultra Series 1 generation and targets the mobile market segment. The base clock runs at 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, providing substantial frequency headroom for burst workloads. The processor carries a 45 W TDP, which is typical for high-performance mobile parts. It is not multiplier unlocked, meaning overclocking is not supported.

Cache configuration includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with capacity depending on the motherboard, running dual-channel with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. ECC memory is not supported. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes (CPU only), which is notable for a mobile platform. Integrated graphics are provided by Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 128 execution units. The processor uses the Intel BGA 2049 socket and was released on December 13, 2023, with a launch MSRP of $640.

The benchmark scores reveal a processor that excels at multi-threaded productivity. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 represents strong sustained performance for a 45 W mobile chip, while the single-core score of 1810.5 indicates competitive per-thread speed. The PassMark multithread score of 29376, combined with integer math at 98302 and floating point at 73270, suggests robust general-purpose compute. Data compression at 339489 and encryption at 19827 show solid throughput for archival and security workloads.

The 2 MB L2 per core and 24 MB shared L3 provide ample cache for demanding applications. The dual-channel DDR5 memory at 89.6 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for most mobile workloads, though it may limit certain memory-intensive tasks compared to desktop platforms with quad-channel support. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures responsive single-threaded performance for applications that rely on high clock speeds rather than core count.

Usage Scenarios — Grounded in the Scores

High-Refresh Gaming: The Arc A550M's 86th percentile GPU ranking, with average score 49737, positions this platform for 1080p high-refresh gaming at medium-to-high settings. The CPU's single-core score of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 should prevent most CPU-related frame drops in esports titles. Estimated frame rates would be competitive with desktop GPUs like the RX 6800 XT, which scores 48477 (2.6% lower), though the 60 W power envelope may limit sustained performance in longer sessions.

Streaming: The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5, provide ample headroom for software encoding while gaming. The PassMark extended instructions score of 20272 suggests AVX-512 or similar instruction set efficiency for encoding workloads. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 128EU could offload lightweight encoding tasks, while the discrete GPU handles rendering.

Video Editing: The combination of high multi-threaded CPU performance (Cinebench R20 multicore 10356) and a GPU with 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth supports 1080p and 1440p timeline editing. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 8.397 TFLOPS accelerates effects and color grading. The 89.6 GB/s system memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 ensure smooth scrubbing in most editing software.

3D Rendering: CPU rendering benefits from the 17984.5 Cinebench R23 multicore score, which rivals desktop processors like the Ryzen 7 7700X (0.7% higher average score). GPU rendering leverages the Arc A550M's 16 RT cores and 2048 shading units, though the 8 GB VRAM may limit scene complexity. The 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 performance is useful for half-precision compute in some render engines.

Software Development: The PassMark multithread score of 29376 and integer math of 98302 indicate strong compilation performance. Data encryption at 19827 supports secure development environments. The 22 threads handle parallel builds efficiently, while the 5.10 GHz boost clock keeps interactive response times low during coding and testing.

Student and Office Work: The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and the GPU's 86th percentile are far beyond the requirements for document processing, spreadsheets, and web browsing. The 45 W CPU TDP and 60 W GPU TDP combined create a reasonably efficient platform for all-day battery use in a laptop form factor. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics provide a fallback for basic tasks when the discrete GPU is idle.

Balance and Bottleneck — Which Component Limits Which Workload

The CPU and GPU percentiles are nearly identical at 85 and 86 respectively, indicating a well-matched pairing for most workloads. In gaming scenarios, the GPU's average score of 49737 versus the CPU's 35670 suggests that the Arc A550M will be the limiting factor in graphically intensive titles, particularly at higher resolutions where the 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM become constraints. The CPU's single-core performance is strong enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most games, given that its nearest rival, the Ryzen 7 7700X, is a respected desktop gaming processor.

In CPU-bound workloads like software compilation, data compression (339489 PassMark score), or physics simulations (1956 PassMark score), the processor will be the primary constraint, though the GPU can assist in some compute tasks. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is a potential system-level bottleneck for memory-intensive applications, as it is lower than what desktop platforms with similar CPUs might offer. The PCIe Gen 5 x8 CPU interface provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 connection, so no bottleneck exists there.

The TDP difference (45 W CPU, 60 W GPU) means the GPU consumes more power, which could lead to thermal throttling in thin laptop chassis. Estimated FPS scaling from the benchmark scores suggests that at 1080p, the GPU will be the limiting factor in modern AAA titles, while at lower resolutions or in esports titles, the CPU's per-core performance becomes more relevant. The data does not include measured FPS values, so these are estimates based on the synthetic benchmark positions relative to known desktop parts.

Who Should Build It — Target Users and Industries

This platform targets mobile users who need strong multi-threaded CPU performance and solid discrete GPU capabilities in a laptop form factor. Gamers playing at 1080p with medium-to-high settings will find the Arc A550M's 86th percentile performance sufficient for most titles, with the CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock ensuring responsive gameplay. The GPU's proximity to the RX 6800 XT (2.6% higher average score) suggests 1080p ultra and 1440p high settings are feasible for less demanding games.

Content creators working with video editing, 3D modeling, and graphic design will benefit from the 16-core/22-thread CPU and the GPU's 8 GB VRAM. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 supports reasonable render times for CPU-based workflows, while the GPU's 16 RT cores and 2048 shading units accelerate GPU-accelerated effects. Software developers compiling large codebases will appreciate the PassMark multithread score of 29376 and integer math performance of 98302.

Students and professionals in office environments will find this platform vastly overqualified for typical productivity tasks, but the headroom ensures longevity for future software demands. Small business workstations requiring data encryption (19827 PassMark score) and compression (339489) capabilities for file management and backup tasks will perform admirably. The laptop form factor, indicated by the build class, makes this suitable for mobile professionals who need desktop-class performance on the go.

Upgrade Path and Platform — Socket, Memory Support, PCIe, PSU Headroom, and Next Steps

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H uses the Intel BGA 2049 socket, which is a soldered mobile platform, meaning CPU upgrades are not possible without replacing the entire motherboard or laptop. The memory support is DDR5 with capacity depending on the motherboard, running dual-channel at 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. Users should ensure they configure adequate RAM at purchase, as the soldered nature of the platform limits post-purchase upgrades.

The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes, while the GPU connects via PCIe 4.0 x16. This configuration provides ample bandwidth for the Arc A550M and leaves headroom for faster storage devices. The GPU's TDP is 60 W, and the CPU's TDP is 45 W, totaling 105 W for the core components. No suggested PSU value is provided in the data, but the combined power draw is modest for a laptop platform, and the 60 W GPU TDP indicates that the discrete GPU is power-efficient.

Given the soldered CPU and end-of-life production status of the Arc A550M, the upgrade path is limited to external peripherals and storage. Users could add external GPUs via Thunderbolt or USB4 if the laptop chassis supports it, though the integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics (128EU) provides a fallback if the discrete GPU fails. A sensible next upgrade would be a new laptop platform with newer CPU and GPU generations, as both components in this build are from the previous generation (Meteor Lake and Alchemist).

Build Overview — What This CPU+GPU Pairing Is, Its Class, and Overall Tier

This configuration pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, a 16-core/22-thread mobile processor from the Meteor Lake generation, with the Intel Arc A550M, a DG2-512-based discrete GPU from the Alchemist generation. The build class is laptop, making this a mobile computing platform rather than a desktop system. The combined percentile of 86 places this pairing in the upper tier of mobile systems, though not at the absolute top.

The CPU achieves an 85th percentile ranking with an average benchmark score of 35670, while the GPU achieves an 86th percentile ranking with an average score of 49737. These near-identical percentile positions indicate a balanced platform where both components perform at a similar level relative to their respective markets. The CPU's nearest rivals include desktop parts like the Ryzen 7 7700X (0.7% higher average score), demonstrating that mobile performance has reached desktop-class levels.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (2.4% higher), both of which are desktop GPUs. This suggests that the Arc A550M, despite being a mobile part with a 60 W TDP, delivers performance comparable to high-end desktop graphics cards from previous generations. The overall tier is upper-mid-range for laptops, suitable for demanding workloads and modern gaming at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The combined percentile is 86, with the CPU at 85th percentile and the GPU at 86th percentile among all processors and graphics cards respectively.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X has an average benchmark score of 35909, which is 0.7% higher than the Ultra 9 185H's 35670, making them effectively equivalent in synthetic performance.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the Arc A550M GPU?

A: The GPU provides 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth through 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 1750 MHz memory clock and 14 Gbps effective transfer rate.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, ECC memory is not supported by the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. It supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, depending on the motherboard.

Q: What is the ray tracing capability of the Arc A550M?

A: The GPU includes 16 dedicated RT cores, providing hardware-accelerated ray tracing support. The API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which mandates ray tracing features.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H had a launch MSRP of $640. The GPU has no listed launch MSRP in the data.

Q: What is the production status of the Arc A550M GPU?

A: The Arc A550M is listed as end-of-life production status, meaning it is no longer actively manufactured. The CPU is listed as active in production.

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + Intel Arc A550M

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

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

GPU Analysis — VRAM, Bandwidth, Clocks, RT/Tensor Hardware, and What the Benchmark Scores Mean for Rendering

Benchmark Performance — Exact CPU and GPU Scores, Percentile Positions, and What the Combined Picture Is

CPU Analysis — Cores, Clocks, Architecture, and What the Benchmark Scores Mean for Real Workloads

Usage Scenarios — Grounded in the Scores

Balance and Bottleneck — Which Component Limits Which Workload

Who Should Build It — Target Users and Industries

Upgrade Path and Platform — Socket, Memory Support, PCIe, PSU Headroom, and Next Steps

Build Overview — What This CPU+GPU Pairing Is, Its Class, and Overall Tier

FAQ

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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