SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core Ultra X9 388H + Intel Arc A350M

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

93 / 100
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Apex Performer

Top 7% 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%
VS
GPU
92%
PROCESSOR

Intel Core Ultra X9 388H

44,466 Benchmark Score
Top 7% 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
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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.

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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 X9 388H + Intel Arc A350M: A Curious Mobile Pairing

This build pairs Intel's newest Panther Lake-H flagship mobile CPU with an end-of-life entry-level Arc GPU. The combination is unusual: a processor that ranks in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, paired with a graphics chip that sits at the 70th percentile against all GPUs. No measured FPS data exists for this exact combination in the database, so all gaming performance figures discussed here are estimates derived from the CPU and GPU benchmark scores, not direct measurements. This creates an interesting analytical challenge—the data suggests a machine that can handle heavy compute workloads with ease, while gaming potential remains constrained by the modest graphics component.

FAQ

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

A: The build holds a combined percentile of 79, indicating it outperforms roughly 79% of all recorded laptop configurations in the database, despite the GPU being end-of-life.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D's score of 44573. The delta is negligible, making these effectively equivalent in overall CPU performance.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and how does it rank?

A: The Intel Arc A350M achieves an average benchmark score of 24647 across Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, placing it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: No, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H does not support ECC memory, which limits its suitability for mission-critical workstation environments that require error correction.

Q: What is the process node for each component?

A: The CPU is built on Intel's 3 nm process, while the GPU uses TSMC's 6 nm process. The CPU is manufactured in-house by Intel, and the GPU is fabbed by TSMC.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The Intel Arc A350M has 112.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, delivered through a 64-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 14 Gbps effective speed.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H boosts up to 5.10 GHz from a base clock of 2.10 GHz, with a TDP of 25 watts.

Gaming Performance

The FACT PACK contains no measured FPS rows for this CPU+GPU combination, so all gaming performance statements here are estimates inferred from benchmark scores. The Arc A350M's Geekbench OpenCL score of 24546 and Vulkan score of 24747 suggest entry-level 1080p gaming capability. With the CPU's single-thread score of 4280 in PassMark, frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios should be strong, but the GPU's 3.379 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth will cap overall throughput.

At 1080p with ultra settings, this pairing would likely deliver playable but not high-refresh experiences in esports titles, while demanding AAA games would require settings reductions. The GPU's 4 GB VRAM is a limiting factor for modern textures at higher resolutions. The CPU's 88th percentile standing ensures it won't bottleneck the GPU in most gaming workloads—the constraint will be the GPU itself. For 1440p or 4K gaming, the Arc A350M's 64-bit memory bus and 4 GB frame buffer would become severe limitations, pushing the experience toward low or medium settings at best.

The gap between CPU and GPU capability is stark: the processor ranks near the top of mobile CPUs, while the graphics chip sits at the 70th percentile. In gaming, this means the GPU will be the primary determinant of frame rates, and the CPU's headroom will go largely unused in most titles. For competitive gaming at low settings, the combination could deliver high frame rates in lighter titles, but the data does not support expectations of ultra-quality 1440p gaming.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 3, built on the Panther Lake architecture with a 3 nm process. It has no hyperthreading, so 16 threads match the 16 cores exactly. Base clock is 2.10 GHz, boosting to 5.10 GHz, with a 25-watt TDP that is remarkably low for a 16-core mobile chip. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache.

Benchmark results show a processor that excels across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R23, it scores 18911 multi-core and 2200.5 single-core. The PassMark single-thread score of 4280 indicates strong per-core performance, which matters for legacy applications and lightly-threaded games. Multi-threaded throughput is equally impressive: PassMark multithread score of 36811, integer math at 90882, and floating-point math at 112550.

The CPU's 88th percentile ranking places it among the top 12% of all recorded CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, scores 44573 on average, just 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i9-13950HX sits 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 is 0.4% behind. This clustering suggests the Ultra X9 388H is positioned at the upper edge of mainstream mobile performance, trading blows with desktop-class parts. The PassMark data compression score of 361763 and encryption score of 28490 indicate strong performance in data-intensive tasks, while the extended instructions score of 29943 supports heavy SIMD workloads.

The 18 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores, and while it is not as large as some desktop parts, it is sufficient for the 16-core configuration. The 3 nm process node from Intel's own foundry contributes to the 25-watt TDP, making this a highly efficient chip for laptops. The dual-channel LPDDR5X memory support with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the CPU's needs, though it will not match the bandwidth of desktop platforms.

Balance and Bottleneck

The balance here is heavily skewed toward the CPU. The processor's 88th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 70th percentile creates a clear bottleneck situation in graphics-bound workloads. In gaming, the Arc A350M will be the limiting factor in nearly all scenarios—the CPU has far more headroom than the GPU can utilize. The GPU's average benchmark score of 24647 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 590 (24744, 0.4% faster) and NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763, 0.5% faster), while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT trails by 0.8% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 trails by 1.5%.

In compute-heavy workloads such as video encoding, 3D rendering, or data processing, the CPU will dominate the equation, and the GPU's role diminishes. The CPU's Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 13101 and R15 multi-core score of 2955 demonstrate substantial computational throughput that can handle professional workloads without GPU acceleration. However, if the workload uses GPU compute via OpenCL or Vulkan, the Arc A350M's 24546 and 24747 scores respectively will become the constraint.

The FPS scaling evidence is absent since no measured FPS data exists, but the percentile gap—88th for CPU versus 70th for GPU—quantifies the imbalance. For users who prioritize gaming, this pairing underutilizes the CPU. For users who prioritize CPU-intensive tasks, the GPU is nearly irrelevant. The TDP of both components is identical at 25 watts, which is unusual and suggests the system is designed for thermal efficiency rather than raw graphics throughput.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score is 44466, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D at 44573 (-0.2%), Intel Core i9-13950HX at 44342 (+0.3%), AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 at 44309 (+0.4%), and Intel Core i5-13600 at 44240 (+0.5%). The spread is less than one percent across all four rivals, indicating the Ultra X9 388H sits in a highly competitive performance tier where small differences determine ranking.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 24647, placing it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 590 at 24744 (-0.4%), NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile at 24763 (-0.5%), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT at 24442 (+0.8%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 at 24277 (+1.5%). The GPU's percentile position is notably lower than the CPU's, reinforcing the imbalance. The combined percentile of 79 reflects the overall system tier, dragged down by the GPU's lower standing.

In Cinebench R15, the CPU scores 2955 multi-core and 309.5 single-core. In R20, it scores 13101 multi-core and 1849 single-core. The R23 scores are 18911 multi-core and 2200.5 single-core. These progressive increases across R15, R20, and R23 show consistent scaling in multi-threaded workloads. The PassMark physics score of 3226 and prime number finding score of 358 indicate solid but not exceptional performance in those specific workloads. Random string sorting at 44010 shows strong data manipulation capability.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The CPU uses the Intel BGA 2540 socket, which is a soldered mobile platform, meaning the CPU itself cannot be upgraded in most laptop designs. The platform supports LPDDR5X memory in a dual-channel configuration with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth, and ECC memory is not supported. PCIe connectivity is Gen 5 with 4 lanes from the CPU only, which limits expansion options for discrete GPUs or NVMe storage to a single high-speed lane configuration.

The GPU is integrated and uses the PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface, with a TDP of 25 watts and no suggested PSU figure provided. Since this is a laptop build (as indicated by the build class), the upgrade path is essentially limited to memory and storage, assuming the laptop design allows access. The GPU is end-of-life, with a release date of March 2022, and the CPU is active with a release date of January 2026. This mismatch in lifecycle stages suggests the platform is forward-looking on the CPU side but uses a legacy graphics component.

A sensible next upgrade would focus on the GPU if the laptop design permits external graphics via Thunderbolt or similar, though the PCIe Gen 5 x4 CPU lanes could support a high-speed external enclosure. However, the 25-watt TDP of the current GPU and the CPU's 25-watt TDP indicate a power-constrained design that may not accommodate a significantly more powerful discrete GPU without thermal or power delivery changes. The 4 GB VRAM on the GPU is a clear limitation for future titles, and any upgrade path would need to address that constraint.

GPU Analysis

The Intel Arc A350M is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, codenamed Alchemist, using TSMC's 6 nm process. It has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, with a transistor density of 45.9 million per square millimeter. The GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with 6 ray tracing cores. Clock speeds range from 1150 MHz base to 2200 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 4 GB GDDR6 memory operates on a 64-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Pixel rate is 52.80 GPixel/s and texture rate is 105.6 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 3.379 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 6.758 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers modern API requirements. Display outputs are portable device dependent, meaning the laptop manufacturer determines the physical connectors. The GPU is end-of-life, with a release date of March 2022, and it uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface.

The Geekbench OpenCL score of 24546 and Vulkan score of 24747 are closely matched, suggesting consistent performance across different compute APIs. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 590 (0.4% faster), NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (0.5% faster), and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.8% slower). This places the Arc A350M in the same performance tier as desktop GPUs from several generations ago. For rendering workloads, the 6 RT cores provide hardware ray tracing support, but the 3.379 TFLOPS FP32 compute will limit complex scenes. The 112.0 GB/s bandwidth is the primary bottleneck for texture-heavy workloads.

Build Overview

This build is a laptop-class system pairing a flagship mobile CPU with an entry-level mobile GPU. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H represents the top of the Panther Lake-H mobile lineup, while the Intel Arc A350M is the lowest tier of the Alchemist Arc 3 mobile series. The combined percentile of 79 indicates the system outperforms 79% of all recorded laptop configurations, but this is driven almost entirely by the CPU's 88th percentile standing, with the GPU's 70th percentile pulling the overall rank down.

The tier is decidedly mid-range overall, with a CPU that punches well above its class and a GPU that anchors the system to entry-level graphics performance. The 25-watt TDP of both components suggests a thin-and-light laptop design with tight thermal constraints, not a gaming-focused machine. The CPU's 16 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock make this a compute powerhouse, while the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and 64-bit bus limit it to 1080p gaming at best. This is a workstation-leaning laptop with gaming as a secondary capability.

Who Should Build It

This pairing targets users who need substantial CPU performance in a mobile form factor without requiring high-end graphics. Software developers compiling large codebases would benefit from the 16 cores and 18911 Cinebench R23 multi-core score. Students in engineering or data science programs running simulations or data analysis would see strong performance in CPU-bound tasks. Small business workstations handling spreadsheets, databases, or office productivity would find the CPU's PassMark multithread score of 36811 more than sufficient.

Content creators working with video editing or 3D rendering would see mixed results: the CPU handles encoding and rendering well, but the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and 3.379 TFLOPS will slow GPU-accelerated effects. Gamers at 1080p with medium settings would find the Arc A350M adequate for esports and older titles, but not for modern AAA games at high quality. The CPU's single-thread score of 4280 ensures responsive everyday use, and the 88th percentile CPU ranking means this machine will stay relevant for years in compute tasks, even as the GPU ages.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread score of 4280 support high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, but the GPU's 70th percentile ranking and 4 GB VRAM limit the system to 1080p at medium settings for most titles. Esports games at low settings could approach high refresh rates, but the data does not support expectations of 144Hz gaming in demanding titles.

Streaming: The 16 cores provide ample headroom for simultaneous game encoding and streaming via software x264 encoding, with the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 handling the extra load. However, the GPU's limited performance means games must run at lower settings to maintain stream quality, and the 4 GB VRAM could cause issues with game capture buffers.

Video editing: The CPU's PassMark integer math score of 90882 and floating-point math score of 112550 accelerate timeline editing and export, but the GPU's 112.0 GB/s bandwidth and 3.379 TFLOPS will slow effects rendering and color grading. The 25-watt TDP of both components suggests sustained workloads may cause thermal throttling in thin laptop chassis.

3D rendering: CPU-based rendering in applications like Blender or Cinema 4D would leverage the 16 cores effectively, with Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 13101 indicating strong performance. GPU-based rendering would be limited by the Arc A350M's 4 GB VRAM and 6 RT cores, making it unsuitable for complex scenes or high-resolution outputs.

Software development: The 16 threads and 18 MB L3 cache provide fast compilation times, with the PassMark data compression score of 361763 and encryption score of 28490 supporting build and package management tasks. The dual-channel LPDDR5X with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for most development workloads.

Student and office work: The CPU's single-thread score of 4280 delivers snappy application launches and document processing, while the 25-watt TDP ensures long battery life potential. The GPU is largely irrelevant for office tasks, and the 88th percentile CPU ranking ensures the system will handle multitasking with dozens of browser tabs, office applications, and communication tools simultaneously.