Intel Core i5-11400 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 164U Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U and Intel Core i5-11400 are separated by more than just their release dates; they represent two fundamentally different design philosophies from Intel. The data shows they land at nearly the same average benchmark score—17074 for the Ultra 7 164U and 17067 for the i5-11400—placing both at the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Yet the path to that parity is starkly different. The Core Ultra 7 164U is a 12-core, 14-thread Meteor Lake mobile processor with a 9W TDP, while the Core i5-11400 is a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake desktop chip with a 65W TDP. The former wins 5 head-to-head tests, the latter wins 12, but the nature of those victories tells a more nuanced story about workload suitability than the raw win count suggests.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Core i5-11400 is the clear choice for sustained multi-threaded and compute-heavy desktop workloads. It wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core test by 38%, scoring 14132 versus the Ultra 7 164U's 8766. This is not a marginal difference; it is a decisive advantage in rendering, video encoding, and other heavily parallel tasks. The i5-11400 also leads in PassMark data compression by 33.7% (206952 vs 137133) and in extended instructions by 46.9% (14901 vs 7918), making it the superior part for any application that leverages AVX or other instruction set extensions.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, however, is the better choice for a different class of user. Its wins in Cinebench R15 single-core (12.5% ahead, 225 vs 200) and PassMark physics (15.8% ahead, 918 vs 793) show it has genuine single-threaded and latency-sensitive strengths. More importantly, the data shows it achieves near-parity in single-thread PassMark (2996 vs 2990, a 0.2% delta) and floating-point math (33581 vs 34004, a 1.2% deficit) while drawing a fraction of the power—9W versus 65W. For a mobile, fanless, or battery-constrained system, the Ultra 7 164U is the only rational selection despite its multi-core deficit. The i5-11400 is end-of-life and desktops only; the Ultra 7 164U is active and mobile only. Buyers should choose based on platform first, then performance expectations.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on different process nodes and microarchitectures, which explains much of their performance divergence. The Core Ultra 7 164U uses Intel's 7 nm process and the Meteor Lake architecture, while the Core i5-11400 uses the older 14 nm process and Rocket Lake architecture. This node difference is reflected in the TDP: 9W for the Ultra 7 164U versus 65W for the i5-11400. The Ultra 7 164U packs 12 cores and 14 threads, a configuration that implies a mix of performance and efficiency cores, whereas the i5-11400 has a simpler 6-core, 12-thread layout.

Cache hierarchies also differ notably. The Ultra 7 164U has 112 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 per core, with 12 MB of shared L3. The i5-11400 has 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core, also with 12 MB of shared L3. The Ultra 7 164U's larger per-core L2 is a significant advantage for workloads that exhibit high data locality. The i5-11400 has a larger die size at 276 mm² compared to the Ultra 7 164U's unspecified die, which is consistent with the older, less dense process. Memory support diverges: the Ultra 7 164U uses DDR5 (with the exact speed depending on the motherboard), while the i5-11400 uses DDR4 with a stated bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The integrated graphics differ as well: the Ultra 7 164U features Arc Xe-LPG 64EU, while the i5-11400 has UHD Graphics 730. The i5-11400 offers more PCIe lanes from the CPU—20 Gen 4 lanes versus 8 Gen 4 lanes for the Ultra 7 164U.

Where Each One Wins

The Core i5-11400 dominates in almost every multi-threaded and throughput-oriented benchmark. Its Cinebench R20 multi-core score is 5935 versus 4488 for the Ultra 7 164U, a 24.4% lead. The same 24.4% delta appears in Cinebench R20 single-core, where the i5-11400 scores 837 versus 633. In PassMark integer math, the i5-11400 is 12.5% ahead (57601 vs 50387), and in multithread it leads by 20.3% (16690 vs 13296). The i5-11400 also wins data encryption by 13.9% (10264 vs 8838) and random string sorting by 36.9% (23974 vs 15131). These are all signs of a processor that can sustain high clocks across all cores.

The Core Ultra 7 164U wins a smaller but meaningful set of tests. Its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 225 beats the i5-11400's 200 by 12.5%. In PassMark physics, it scores 918 versus 793, a 15.8% advantage. It also wins PassMark find prime numbers by 14.3% (56 vs 49) and edges out the i5-11400 in PassMark single-thread by a hair (2996 vs 2990, 0.2%). The Ultra 7 164U's wins are concentrated in tests that favor low-latency, single-threaded execution or specific instruction patterns, not raw throughput. For a mobile user running interactive applications, these wins matter. For a desktop user rendering or compiling, they do not.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U has an average benchmark score of 17074, while the Intel Core i5-11400 scores 17067. The difference is 0.04%, effectively a tie, and both sit at the 71st percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How much faster is the i5-11400 in multi-core Cinebench R23?

A: The i5-11400 scores 14132 versus the Ultra 7 164U's 8766, which is a 38% advantage for the i5-11400.

Q: Does the Ultra 7 164U win any single-core tests?

A: Yes. It wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 12.5% (225 vs 200) and PassMark single-thread by 0.2% (2996 vs 2990). However, it loses Cinebench R23 single-core by 20.3% (1590 vs 1995).

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

A: The Ultra 7 164U has a TDP of 9W, while the i5-11400 has a TDP of 65W. This is a sevenfold difference in rated power draw.

Q: Which processor is for mobile and which is for desktop?

A: The Ultra 7 164U is in the mobile market segment and uses the Intel BGA 2551 socket. The i5-11400 is in the desktop segment and uses Intel Socket 1200.

Q: Are the i5-11400's integrated graphics stronger than the Ultra 7 164U's?

A: No. The Ultra 7 164U has Arc Xe-LPG 64EU, while the i5-11400 has UHD Graphics 730. The benchmark data does not include iGPU scores, but the model names indicate different tiers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the Intel Core i5-11400 comes in PassMark extended instructions, where it scores 14901 against the Ultra 7 164U's 7918—a 46.9% lead. This is the single biggest delta in the entire comparison. It is followed closely by the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, where the i5-11400's 14132 beats the Ultra 7 164U's 8766 by 38%. The pattern continues in PassMark random string sorting (23974 vs 15131, a 36.9% win for the i5-11400) and PassMark data compression (206952 vs 137133, a 33.7% win). These are not close contests; the i5-11400 is categorically superior in these throughput-heavy workloads.

The Core Ultra 7 164U's biggest wins are smaller in magnitude but still notable. It takes PassMark physics by 15.8% (918 vs 793) and PassMark find prime numbers by 14.3% (56 vs 49). Its Cinebench R15 single-core win is 12.5% (225 vs 200), and its PassMark single-thread win is a mere 0.2% (2996 vs 2990). The closest overall contest is in PassMark floating-point math, where the i5-11400 wins by only 1.2% (34004 vs 33581). The data shows a clear split: if the workload is multi-threaded, instruction-heavy, or memory-bandwidth-bound, the i5-11400 wins by double-digit margins. If the workload is latency-sensitive, single-threaded, or physics-based, the Ultra 7 164U holds an edge, but its advantages are narrower and less consistent across Cinebench versions—it wins R15 single-core but loses R20 and R23 single-core by 24.4% and 20.3%, respectively.