SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus + NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile

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

86 / 100
HIGH-END

Power Build

Top 14% of systems. Excellent for 1440p Ultra or 4K High gaming.

1440p Ultra4K High

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio
GPU Bottleneck
CPU
97%
VS
GPU
74%

Your GPU is limiting system performance. Consider upgrading to a more powerful graphics card to better utilize your CPU.

PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus

79,574 Benchmark Score
Top 3% Market Ranking
View Full Specs →
GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile

0 Benchmark Score
Top 26% 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.

Bottleneck Detected

GPU Bottleneck - Upgrading the weaker component will improve overall performance.

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 9 290HX Plus paired with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile is a laptop configuration with a significant performance gap between its components. The CPU is a top-tier mobile processor, while the GPU is an older professional workstation part. This analysis examines the platform, balance, and benchmark data to define what this build can and cannot do.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The motherboard and socket dictate the upgrade ceiling for this laptop. The CPU is mounted on the Intel BGA 2114 socket, which is a ball-grid array package. This means the processor is soldered directly to the motherboard, making it non-upgradeable in the field. The platform is designed for a specific generation of Intel mobile processors, specifically the Arrow Lake-HX Refresh architecture under the Core Ultra Series 2 umbrella. A sensible next upgrade would therefore involve replacing the entire laptop, rather than swapping the processor.

Memory support is limited to DDR5 in a Dual-channel configuration. The system memory bandwidth is rated at 102.4 GB/s, which is the maximum throughput the CPU can handle for RAM access. This is a critical figure for workloads that are memory-bandwidth sensitive, such as large data set manipulation or certain scientific computing tasks. The platform also supports ECC memory, which is a notable feature for a mobile platform, offering error correction for data integrity in professional workstation use cases.

For expansion and peripheral connectivity, the CPU provides Gen 5, 20 Lanes (CPU only) for PCIe. This is the latest standard for connecting high-bandwidth devices like NVMe SSDs. However, the discrete GPU in this system, the Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile, connects via a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. This creates a potential bandwidth bottleneck for GPU-to-CPU communication, as the GPU is limited to the older standard while the CPU can support newer devices. The integrated graphics are the Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, which provides a fallback display output and can handle basic desktop tasks independently of the discrete GPU.

Power delivery is a critical consideration for a laptop. The CPU has a 55 W TDP, while the GPU has a 110 W TDP. The combined thermal and power budget for these two components alone is substantial, and the system will require a robust cooling solution and a high-capacity power adapter. The suggestedPsu field is null, but the data indicates that the power supply must be capable of handling the combined draw of these components under load. The GPU has no power connectors listed, as it is an IGP slot width, meaning it is integrated into the motherboard design and draws power through the board itself.

Balance and Bottleneck

The data reveals a stark imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU is a 24-core powerhouse with an average benchmark score that places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is faster than 95% of processors. In contrast, the GPU sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, placing it squarely in the middle of the pack. This configuration is heavily CPU-bound in most scenarios.

The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 59439 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39684 demonstrate exceptional parallel processing capability. Meanwhile, the GPU's specifications, while from a professional line, are based on the Turing architecture from 2019. This means that in any workload that stresses the GPU—such as 3D rendering, video encoding, or modern gaming—the GPU will reach its limit long before the CPU does. The CPU will be waiting on the GPU to finish its work, creating a bottleneck.

In CPU-intensive tasks like data compression, encryption, and code compilation, the CPU will dominate. The Passmark data compression score of 658724 and data encryption score of 50008 show that this processor can chew through heavy multi-threaded workloads. However, in GPU-accelerated tasks like 3D rendering in Blender or playing a modern AAA game at high settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The FPS scaling in games is directly tied to the GPU's capability, and the CPU's performance headroom will be unused in those scenarios. For a balanced system, the GPU would need to be significantly more powerful to match the CPU's output.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's performance is excellent, as reflected in its benchmark scores. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39684 puts it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rivals are the Intel Core i9-14900KF with an average score of 79371, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD EPYC 7413 with a score of 80041, a -0.6% difference. This indicates the 290HX Plus performs almost identically to a top-tier desktop processor from the previous generation. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2356 is also strong, reflecting the 5.50 GHz boost clock. The Passmark single thread score of 4951 reinforces this, showing excellent per-core performance.

The GPU has no benchmark scores listed in the pack, with an avgBenchmarkScore of 0. Its performance must be inferred from its specifications. It has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The FP32 performance is rated at 9.400 TFLOPS, which is a measure of its raw compute power. This is a mid-range level of performance for a modern GPU, despite its professional designation. The combinedPercentile for the build is 73, which is weighted heavily by the CPU's strong showing. The overall picture is a system with exceptional processing power but only average graphics capabilities, making it a specialist tool for CPU-heavy professional work rather than a balanced gaming or rendering machine.

Who Should Build It

This configuration is not for a general-purpose user. The performance profile dictates a specific set of users who prioritize CPU throughput over graphics performance.

  • Software Developers and Compiler Users: The CPU's multi-core might is ideal for compiling large codebases. The Passmark integer math score of 164839 and floating point math score of 201773 show high arithmetic throughput, which is critical for build times. The extended instructions score of 51290 also supports workloads that use SIMD instructions.
  • Data Scientists and Analysts: The ECC memory support is a key feature for long-running data processing tasks where data integrity is paramount. The Passmark data compression score of 658724 is massive, indicating fast handling of large datasets. The CPU's ability to manage complex calculations will be the primary driver for this user.
  • Students in STEM Fields: For coursework involving simulation, mathematical modeling, or heavy data analysis, this CPU provides ample power. The Passmark physics score of 3387 is a specific indicator of performance in physics calculations. The GPU is sufficient for basic visualization but is not a primary asset.
  • Small Business Workstations: For tasks like financial modeling, database management, or server virtualization, the high core count and thread count (24 threads) are beneficial. The Passmark multithread score of 59439 is a strong indicator of performance in these parallel workloads. The professional Quadro GPU offers certified drivers for stability in professional applications, though its performance is not a highlight.
  • Not for Gamers: At 1080p or 1440p, the GPU will be the limiting factor. While the CPU can handle any game, the Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile's performance at the 50th percentile of all GPUs means it will struggle with high-refresh-rate gaming or high-detail settings in modern titles.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor. It lacks hyper-threading, meaning the core count equals the thread count. It is built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, which is a leading-edge manufacturing node. The processor package contains 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The architecture is Arrow Lake-HX Refresh, and it is part of the Core Ultra Series 2. The base clock is 2.70 GHz, which can boost up to 5.50 GHz under load. It also has an unlocked multiplier, though this is less relevant in a laptop form factor due to thermal constraints.

The cache hierarchy is substantial. It has 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The total L3 cache is 36 MB shared across all cores. This large cache helps keep frequently used data close to the cores, reducing latency and improving performance in many workloads.

The benchmark results show a processor that is competitive with high-end desktop parts. The Cinebench R15 multicore score of 5981 and single-core score of 340 are in line with the other Cinebench results. The Passmark find prime numbers score of 519 is a more specific test of integer performance. The Passmark random string sorting score of 80327 indicates strong performance in data organization tasks. The avgBenchmarkScore of 79574 places it at the 95th percentile, and its nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which it edges out by 0.3%. This is a formidable mobile processor that delivers desktop-class performance.

FAQ

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

A: The combinedPercentile for this build is 73, which is a weighted measure of the CPU and GPU performance relative to all other builds.

Q: Does the GPU have a higher or lower performance percentile than the CPU?

A: The GPU has a percentileVsAllGpus of 50, which is significantly lower than the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 95.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of this platform?

A: The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a total memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count for the CPU?

A: The CPU is manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC and contains 17,800 million transistors.

Q: Is the GPU based on a modern architecture?

A: No, the GPU is based on the Turing architecture from 2019, which is an older design compared to the CPU's latest architecture.

Q: What is the TDP for the CPU and GPU?

A: The CPU has a 55 W TDP, and the GPU has a 110 W TDP.

Q: Is there any measured FPS data for this combination?

A: No, there is no measured FPS data available for this specific CPU and GPU combination.

GPU Analysis

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile is a professional workstation GPU. It is based on the Turing architecture and uses the TU104 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die. Despite being a "Quadro" part, it is listed under the GeForce 50-series series in the data, which is a discrepancy but reflects the naming data provided. It is an end-of-life product, released in 2019.

The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1035 MHz with a boost clock of 1530 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz (or 14 Gbps effective). It has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. For hardware acceleration, it includes 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 tensor cores for AI workloads. The pixel rate is 97.92 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 293.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is 9.400 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance at 18.80 TFLOPS (2:1).

The GPU's connectivity is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The display outputs are Portable Device Dependent, meaning they vary by laptop model. The GPU is at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, indicating average performance. For rendering, the 9.400 TFLOPS of FP32 power is the raw compute available for shading. The 384 tensor cores provide a boost for AI-accelerated features like DLSS (if supported by the software) and other neural network tasks, but they are from an older generation. The 48 RT cores allow for some ray tracing, but the performance will be lower than modern GPUs due to the older architecture and lower percentile ranking.

Build Overview

This is a laptop build that pairs a top-tier mobile CPU with a mid-range professional mobile GPU. The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, is a 24-core processor that ranks at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, making it one of the fastest mobile processors available. The GPU, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile, is a professional part but ranks at only the 50th percentile of all GPUs, making it an average performer by modern standards. The overall build is at the 73rd percentile, which is a solid score but heavily skewed by the CPU's dominance. This is not a balanced system; it is a specialized tool for CPU-intensive tasks where GPU performance is secondary.

Gaming Performance

There are no measured FPS rows for this exact combination in the data. The measuredFpsUltraByGame field is empty, and dataIsMeasured is false. Therefore, all frame rate expectations are estimates based on the GPU's benchmark percentile and specifications.

The GPU's 50th percentile ranking means it is an average performer. With 16 GB of VRAM and a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, it has enough memory for high-resolution textures, but the raw compute power is limited. For gaming at 1080p, the Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile would be expected to handle many titles at medium to high settings, but it will likely struggle with high-refresh-rate esports titles or the latest AAA games at maximum settings. At 1440p, performance would be more strained, and you would likely need to lower settings to achieve smooth frame rates. At 4K, this GPU is not a viable option for modern gaming without significant settings compromises. The CPU will not be a limiting factor in any gaming scenario, as its performance is far beyond what any game requires. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU. These are estimates, and actual performance will vary by game title and driver optimization.