Intel Core 3 201E vs Intel Core Ultra 7 266V Comparison

The Intel Core 3 201E and the Intel Core Ultra 7 266V represent two distinct design philosophies from the same manufacturer, targeting different market segments. The Core 3 201E is a desktop processor built on the older Bartlett Lake architecture, while the Core Ultra 7 266V is a mobile chip from the Lunar Lake generation. The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but a closer look at the individual workloads reveals a nuanced picture where the desktop part still manages to claim a specific victory.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 7 266V dominates the head-to-head comparison, taking 16 of the 17 recorded benchmark wins. Its victories span both synthetic render tests and real-world application workloads. In the Cinebench suite, which measures CPU rendering performance, the Core Ultra 7 shows a consistent advantage across all versions. The data indicates a 23.8% lead in every Cinebench test, from R15 through R23, covering both single-core and multi-core scenarios. This performance is delivered with a 17 W TDP, highlighting the efficiency of the Lunar Lake architecture.

The Core Ultra 7 also excels in data processing tasks. It wins PassMark's data compression test with a 12.2% advantage, data encryption with a 35.4% lead, and extended instructions with a 30.7% margin. The most dramatic difference appears in the prime number finding test, where the Core Ultra 7 scores 191 against the Core 3's 57, a 70.2% difference. Floating point math also heavily favors the newer chip, with a 41.6% advantage, and physics calculations show a 29% lead.

The Intel Core 3 201E's sole win comes in PassMark's integer math test. It scores 43894 compared to the Core Ultra 7's 41558, a 5.6% margin. This is a notable result, as integer math is a fundamental component of many productivity and general computing tasks. While the overall benchmark averages favor the Core Ultra 7, which sits at the 76th percentile versus the Core 3's 73rd, the desktop chip demonstrates that its older architecture still holds a specific advantage in this particular workload.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from completely different design lineages. The Intel Core 3 201E uses the Bartlett Lake codename, built on a 10 nm process node at Intel's own fabs. It features 4 cores and 8 threads, relying on Hyper-Threading to reach that thread count. The Core Ultra 7 266V, on the other hand, uses the Lunar Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has 8 cores and 8 threads, with no hyper-threading, meaning each core corresponds to a single thread.

Cache configurations differ significantly. The Core 3 201E has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. The Core Ultra 7 266V has substantially larger caches: 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and the same 12 MB of shared L3. This larger cache hierarchy likely contributes to the Core Ultra 7's strong performance in single-threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

Memory support also separates the two. The Core 3 201E supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a recorded bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. It also supports ECC memory, a feature absent from the Core Ultra 7. The Core Ultra 7 uses LPDDR5X, with bandwidth depending on the motherboard, and its recorded memory bandwidth is 136.5 GB/s, nearly double that of the desktop chip.

The integrated graphics differ as well. The Core 3 201E includes UHD Graphics 730, while the Core Ultra 7 266V features the Arc 140V. The Core 3 is a desktop part on the Intel Socket 1700 platform with PCIe Gen 5 and 16 lanes from the CPU. The Core Ultra 7 is a mobile chip on Intel BGA 2833 with PCIe Gen 5 but only 4 lanes from the CPU. The Core 3 201E has a launch MSRP of $134 and was released in January 2025, while the Core Ultra 7 266V launched in September 2024.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results establish the Core Ultra 7's overall dominance. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Core Ultra 7 scores 1667 against the Core 3's 1271. The R15 single-core test shows 235 versus 179. These scores repeat the 23.8% delta seen throughout the Cinebench suite, including R20 multicore (6948 vs 5297), R20 single-core (980 vs 747), R23 multicore (16544 vs 12613), and R23 single-core (2335 vs 1780).

The PassMark tests provide a broader view of performance across different instruction types. The data encryption test shows the Core Ultra 7 at 13822 versus 8931 for the Core 3, a 35.4% gap. Extended instructions follow with 15928 versus 11035, a 30.7% difference. Floating point math results show 56923 against 33260, giving the Core Ultra 7 a 41.6% advantage. The physics test yields 1608 versus 1141, a 29% lead, and random string sorting shows 22905 versus 17783, a 22.4% margin.

The Core 3's integer math victory is the outlier. Its score of 43894 beats the Core Ultra 7's 41558 by 5.6%. This result suggests that in integer-heavy workloads, the desktop chip's higher base clock of 3.60 GHz, compared to the Core Ultra 7's 2.20 GHz, may provide an advantage. However, the Core Ultra 7's boost clock reaches 5.00 GHz, slightly higher than the Core 3's 4.80 GHz, which helps explain its strong single-threaded performance in other tests.

The single-threaded PassMark test shows a closer margin than the Cinebench results. The Core Ultra 7 scores 3943 against 3482 for the Core 3, an 11.7% difference. The multithread test shows a 23.8% gap, with 19461 versus 14839. The average benchmark scores reflect this overall trend: the Core Ultra 7 averages 23297, placing it near the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, while the Core 3 averages 19056, close to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has higher single-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 266V wins all single-threaded tests. It scores 2335 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus 1780 for the Core 3, and 3943 in PassMark single-thread versus 3482.

Q: Does the Core 3 201E win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the Core 3 wins the PassMark integer math test with a score of 43894, a 5.6% margin over the Core Ultra 7's 41558.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two processors?

A: The Core 3 201E has a TDP of 60 W, while the Core Ultra 7 266V has a TDP of 17 W.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The Core 3 201E supports ECC memory. The Core Ultra 7 266V does not support ECC.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures for each chip?

A: The Core 3 201E has a recorded memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. The Core Ultra 7 266V has a recorded memory bandwidth of 136.5 GB/s.

Q: How many cores and threads does each processor have?

A: The Core 3 201E has 4 cores and 8 threads. The Core Ultra 7 266V has 8 cores and 8 threads.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on nearly every core specification. The Core 3 201E has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Core Ultra 7 266V has 8 cores and 8 threads. Base clocks are 3.60 GHz for the Core 3 and 2.20 GHz for the Core Ultra 7. Boost clocks are 4.80 GHz and 5.00 GHz respectively. TDP ratings are 60 W for the desktop part and 17 W for the mobile part.

The process nodes are generations apart: 10 nm for the Core 3 versus 3 nm for the Core Ultra 7. The Core 3 uses the Bartlett Lake codename, while the Core Ultra 7 uses Lunar Lake. Foundries differ as well, with Intel producing the Core 3 and TSMC producing the Core Ultra 7. The die size for the Core 3 is 163 mm², while no die size is recorded for the Core Ultra 7.

Cache hierarchies are larger on the Core Ultra 7, with 192 KB L1 and 2.5 MB L2 per core versus 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core on the Core 3. Both share 12 MB of L3 cache. Memory support differs: the Core 3 supports DDR4 and DDR5, while the Core Ultra 7 supports LPDDR5X depending on the motherboard. ECC support is present only on the Core 3. PCIe lanes from the CPU are 16 for the Core 3 and 4 for the Core Ultra 7, both Gen 5. The integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 730 on the Core 3 and Arc 140V on the Core Ultra 7. The socket types are Intel Socket 1700 for the Core 3 and Intel BGA 2833 for the Core Ultra 7.