Intel Core 7 350 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 235T Comparison

Intel Core 7 350 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 235T: a 6-core mobile processor against a 14-core desktop part. The benchmark data shows a decisive, though not unexpected, victory for the Core Ultra 5 235T across every recorded test. The Core 7 350 still holds relevance in its specific mobile segment, but the performance gap between these two tiers of Intel silicon is substantial.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Core Ultra 5 235T wins all 17 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The margin of victory varies dramatically by workload, from a narrow single-thread lead to a crushing multi-core advantage.

The most extreme gap appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core. The Core Ultra 5 235T scores 26232, while the Core 7 350 manages only 8030. That is a delta of -69.4% for the Core 7 350, meaning the Ultra 5 delivers over three times the multi-threaded rendering performance. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows a similar pattern: the Ultra 5 scores 2644 versus 1220 for the Core 7, a 53.9% shortfall for the mobile chip. Cinebench R20 multi-core follows with 11017 against 5373, a 51.2% gap.

Single-thread performance is closer but still favors the desktop part. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Ultra 5 scores 3703 against 2046, a 44.7% deficit for the Core 7. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 1555 versus 758, a 51.3% gap. Cinebench R15 single-core is the narrowest Cinebench margin: 373 against 292, a 21.7% difference. The PassMark single-thread test confirms the trend with 4339 versus 4100, but the delta shrinks to just 5.5%, the smallest gap in the entire comparison.

Synthetic compute workloads show consistent Ultra 5 dominance. PassMark integer math scores 84244 versus 33734, a 60% lead. Floating-point math shows 106546 against 42809, a 59.8% advantage. Extended instructions score 23212 versus 12045, a 48.1% gap. Find prime numbers delivers 318 against 107, a 66.4% advantage. Data encryption shows 23457 versus 10933, a 53.4% gap, while data compression scores 295100 versus 143123, a 51.5% difference. Random string sorting completes the sweep: 35377 against 17238, a 51.3% gap. PassMark multi-thread shows 30918 versus 15170, a 50.9% advantage, and physics scores 2157 versus 1173, a 45.6% gap.

The average benchmark score reflects this overall picture. The Core Ultra 5 235T averages 38561, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. The Core 7 350 averages 17779, sitting at the 71st percentile. The Ultra 5's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14500 (avg 38531, delta 0.1%), Intel Xeon w3-2525 (avg 38392, delta 0.4%), Intel Core 9 270H (avg 38335, delta 0.6%), and Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (avg 38312, delta 0.7%). The Core 7 350 sits near the Intel Core 5 221TE (avg 17860, delta -0.5%), AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT (avg 17891, delta -0.6%), and Intel Core 5 120U (avg 17898, delta -0.7%).

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T boosts to 5.00 GHz, while the Intel Core 7 350 boosts to 4.80 GHz.

Q: How many cores does each processor have?

A: The Intel Core 7 350 has 6 cores and 6 threads. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T has 14 cores and 14 threads.

Q: What is the L3 cache difference between the two?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T has 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core 7 350 has 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. Neither the Intel Core 7 350 nor the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T supports ECC memory.

Q: Which processor was released earlier?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T was released on 2025-01-06. The Intel Core 7 350 was released on 2026-04-15.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T has a dual-channel memory bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Core 7 350 has a single-channel memory bus with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235T wins every benchmark category in the database. Its most dominant areas are heavily multi-threaded workloads: Cinebench R23 multi-core shows the largest relative advantage, followed by PassMark prime number finding and floating-point math. Rendering, encryption, compression, and physics simulation all favor the Ultra 5 by margins between 45.6% and 69.4%.

The Intel Core 7 350 does not win any recorded test. Its closest performance to the Ultra 5 comes in PassMark single-thread, where it trails by only 5.5%. This suggests the single-core architecture of the Core 7 350 is relatively competitive, even though it cannot match the Ultra 5's peak frequency or newer core design. The Core 7 350 also draws far less power with a 15 W TDP against the Ultra 5's 65 W TDP, making it the appropriate choice for thin-and-light mobile systems where sustained multi-core performance is less critical than thermal headroom and battery life.

The Core 7 350's market segment is explicitly mobile, using the Intel BGA 1516 socket. The Ultra 5 235T is a desktop part on Intel Socket 1851. The data confirms the Core 7 350 belongs in low-power laptops and compact devices, while the Ultra 5 235T targets desktop towers and workstations where performance per watt is less constrained.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every fundamental specification. The Core 7 350 has 6 cores and 6 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 235T has 14 cores and 14 threads. Neither supports simultaneous multithreading, so thread counts equal core counts. Base clocks differ: the Core 7 runs at 1.50 GHz, the Ultra 5 at 2.20 GHz. Boost clocks are closer, with the Ultra 5 reaching 5.00 GHz versus 4.80 GHz for the Core 7.

Thermal design power differs substantially: the Core 7 350 is rated at 15 W, the Ultra 5 235T at 65 W. Sockets are incompatible: Intel BGA 1516 for the Core 7, Intel Socket 1851 for the Ultra 5. Memory support diverges clearly. The Core 7 supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X over a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth. The Ultra 5 supports only DDR5 over a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth.

PCIe connectivity differs as well. The Core 7 350 provides Gen 4 with 6 lanes (CPU only). The Ultra 5 235T provides Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only). Integrated graphics also differ: the Core 7 uses Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores, while the Ultra 5 uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 execution units.

Market segments and release dates are distinct. The Core 7 350 is a mobile part released on 2026-04-15. The Ultra 5 235T is a desktop part released on 2025-01-06. The launch MSRP for the Core Ultra 5 235T is $247. The launch MSRP for the Core 7 350 is $469. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different Intel design lineages. The Core Ultra 5 235T uses the Arrow Lake architecture, specifically the Arrow Lake-S die, with the codename Wildcat Lake absent from its description. The Core 7 350 uses the Wildcat Lake codename and belongs to the Core 5 (Wildcat Lake) generation. The Ultra 5 belongs to the Ultra 5 (Arrow Lake) generation and the Core Ultra Series 2 family.

Both are built on a 3 nm process node, but the foundries differ. The Core 7 350 is fabricated by Intel itself. The Core Ultra 5 235T is fabricated by TSMC. The Ultra 5 has disclosed transistor and die data: 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The Core 7 350 has no recorded transistor count or die size in the database.

Cache hierarchies share the same L1 design at 192 KB per core, but diverge beyond that. The Core 7 350 has 2.5 MB of L2 per core and 6 MB of shared L3. The Ultra 5 235T has 3 MB of L2 per core and 24 MB of shared L3. The larger L2 and four times the L3 cache on the Ultra 5 contributes to its substantial multi-threaded and even single-threaded advantages, particularly in cache-sensitive workloads like data compression and encryption.

The integrated GPU architectures differ as well. The Core 7 350 uses Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores, a newer generation design. The Ultra 5 235T uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 execution units. The Ultra 5's iGPU has more execution resources, while the Core 7's iGPU is part of a newer graphics architecture generation.

The memory controller design reflects the divergent market positions. The Core 7 350's single-channel memory bus limits memory bandwidth to 59.7 GB/s, which constrains multi-core scaling. The Ultra 5 235T's dual-channel bus provides 102.4 GB/s, nearly double the bandwidth, allowing its 14 cores to feed data more effectively. The Ultra 5 also supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, while the Core 7 is limited to Gen 4 with 6 lanes, making the Ultra 5 far more suitable for discrete GPUs and high-speed NVMe storage.

The production status for both is active, but the release cadence shows the Core 7 350 as a newer design by over a year. The 14-core Ultra 5 represents Intel's high-core-count desktop approach, while the 6-core Core 7 targets efficiency-focused mobile designs. The benchmark results indicate the Core 7 350's architectural advantages, such as its newer Xe3 graphics and lower power envelope, cannot compensate for the Ultra 5's superior core count, cache capacity, memory bandwidth, and clock speeds in compute-heavy workloads.