Intel Core i5-11500 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 266V Comparison

The Intel Core i5-11500 and Intel Core Ultra 7 266V represent two very different design philosophies from the same manufacturer. The i5-11500 is a 14 nm desktop part with 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Ultra 7 266V is a 3 nm mobile chip with 8 cores but no hyperthreading. Benchmark data shows the newer chip dominates most workloads, but the older desktop part holds surprising leads in specific integer-heavy tasks. Here is the data-driven breakdown.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 266V wins 14 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons, and it does so with consistent margins across multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Ultra 7 scores 16544 against the i5-11500’s 14513, a 12.3% advantage. That same 12.3% delta repeats across Cinebench R15 multi-core (1667 vs 1462) and R20 multi-core (6948 vs 6095). The pattern is remarkably consistent: the Ultra 7’s lead is nearly identical in every Cinebench multi-core test, suggesting a fundamental architectural efficiency advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

Single-core performance tells a similar story. The Ultra 7 scores 2335 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus 2049 for the i5-11500, a 12.2% lead. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the gap is 235 vs 206 (12.3%), and in R20 it is 980 vs 860 (12.2%). PassMark’s single-thread test shows an even larger margin: 3943 vs 3131, a 20.6% advantage for the Ultra 7. This suggests the Lunar Lake architecture delivers substantially higher instructions-per-clock, despite the i5-11500’s higher 4.60 GHz boost clock versus the Ultra 7’s 5.00 GHz.

The Ultra 7’s biggest wins come in specialized math workloads. In PassMark find prime numbers, it scores 191 versus just 51 for the i5-11500 — a 73.3% difference. Floating-point math is similarly lopsided: 56923 vs 34422, a 39.5% lead. Physics simulation shows a 48.8% gap (1608 vs 823). Data encryption favors the Ultra 7 by 23.4% (13822 vs 10592). Even extended instructions, which measure SIMD throughput, go to the Ultra 7 by 5.1% (15928 vs 15111). These results indicate that the Ultra 7’s newer cores and likely wider execution units handle mathematical workloads far more efficiently.

However, the i5-11500 fights back in integer-heavy PassMark tests. The most dramatic reversal is in integer math: the i5 scores 58352 versus 41558 for the Ultra 7, a 40.4% advantage. This is the single largest margin in either direction across all benchmarks. The i5 also wins data compression (210796 vs 187050, a 12.7% lead) and random string sorting (24505 vs 22905, a 7% edge). These wins are noteworthy because they show the older chip’s 12 threads provide a real advantage in parallel integer workloads that scale well with thread count.

The overall PassMark multithread score goes to the Ultra 7 at 19461 versus 17107, a 12.1% lead. This suggests that despite losing integer math by 40.4%, the Ultra 7’s other strengths compensate. The average benchmark scores tell a nuanced story: the i5-11500 averages 23718, while the Ultra 7 averages 23297 — a difference of roughly 1.8% in favor of the older chip. Both sit at the 76th percentile of all CPUs, and their nearest rivals reflect this parity: the i5-11500 trades blows with AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8540U (delta 0%) and Intel Xeon 6333P (-0.4%), while the Ultra 7 sits 0.1% ahead of AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and 0.2% ahead of Intel Core i9-11900F.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher multi-core performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 266V leads in every Cinebench multi-core test. It scores 16544 in R23 versus 14513 for the i5-11500, a 12.3% advantage. PassMark multithread confirms this with 19461 vs 17107, a 12.1% lead.

Q: Does the i5-11500 win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins three of 17 head-to-head tests. Its largest victory is PassMark integer math (58352 vs 41558, a 40.4% lead). It also wins data compression (210796 vs 187050, 12.7%) and random string sorting (24505 vs 22905, 7%).

Q: How do the single-core scores compare?

A: The Ultra 7 266V leads in all single-core tests. Cinebench R23 single-core shows 2335 vs 2049 (12.2%), and PassMark single-thread shows 3943 vs 3131 (20.6%). The Ultra 7’s 5.00 GHz boost clock helps here.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the Ultra 7 scores 191 versus 51 for the i5-11500 — a 73.3% difference. The i5-11500’s biggest win is integer math, where it leads by 40.4%.

Q: Are these CPUs comparable in overall performance?

A: Despite the Ultra 7 winning 14 of 17 benchmarks, the average benchmark scores are close: 23718 for the i5-11500 and 23297 for the Ultra 7. Both rank at the 76th percentile of all CPUs. The i5-11500’s integer math win nearly offsets the Ultra 7’s other advantages.

Q: Which CPU has better physics simulation performance?

A: The Ultra 7 266V dominates PassMark physics with a score of 1608 versus 823 for the i5-11500, representing a 48.8% advantage. This suggests much stronger FPU and simulation throughput.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split. The Intel Core Ultra 7 266V is the superior processor for the majority of workloads. It wins 14 of 17 benchmarks, including all Cinebench tests, all single-thread tests, data encryption, floating-point math, physics, and extended instructions. Its 12.1–12.3% lead across all Cinebench multi-core tests indicates consistent architectural efficiency gains. The 73.3% margin in find prime numbers and 48.8% in physics are decisive for users running math-heavy or simulation workloads.

The Intel Core i5-11500, however, is not obsolete. Its 40.4% lead in PassMark integer math is substantial, and its wins in data compression (12.7%) and random string sorting (7%) show it handles integer-heavy parallel tasks well. This is likely due to its 12 threads versus 8 on the Ultra 7. The i5-11500 also edges the Ultra 7 in average benchmark score (23718 vs 23297) and matches its nearest rivals more closely.

For a desktop user whose primary workloads involve integer math, compression, or sorting, the i5-11500’s wins are meaningful. For nearly everything else — single-threaded responsiveness, floating-point math, physics, encryption — the Ultra 7 266V is the clear choice. The Ultra 7 also carries the advantages of a much newer process node and active production status, while the i5-11500 is end-of-life. Users should select based on workload: the Ultra 7 for general-purpose and math-heavy use, the i5-11500 for integer-parallel tasks where its thread count and specific architecture prevail.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ in nearly every fundamental specification. The i5-11500 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Ultra 7 266V has 8 cores and 8 threads — the Ultra 7 lacks hyperthreading. Base clocks are 2.70 GHz for the i5 and 2.20 GHz for the Ultra 7, but boost clocks reverse the order: 4.60 GHz versus 5.00 GHz. Thermal design power differs dramatically: 65 W for the i5 versus 17 W for the Ultra 7.

The i5-11500 uses Intel Socket 1200, while the Ultra 7 uses Intel BGA 2833. The i5 is a desktop part; the Ultra 7 is mobile. Memory support also diverges: the i5 uses DDR4, while the Ultra 7 uses LPDDR5X. Memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s for the i5 versus 136.5 GB/s for the Ultra 7. PCIe lanes differ: the i5 offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while the Ultra 7 offers Gen 5 with only 4 lanes.

Integrated graphics differ as well: the i5 has UHD Graphics 750, while the Ultra 7 has Arc 140V. The i5-11500 has a launch MSRP of $192; the Ultra 7 has no listed launch MSRP. Both CPUs have locked multipliers. The i5 was released in March 2021 and is end-of-life; the Ultra 7 was released in September 2024 and remains active.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The i5-11500 uses Rocket Lake architecture on Intel’s 14 nm process, built at Intel’s own foundry. The Ultra 7 266V uses Lunar Lake architecture on a 3 nm process, fabricated by TSMC. This process shrink is the foundation for the Ultra 7’s efficiency: its 17 W TDP versus 65 W for the i5, while delivering higher performance in most tests.

Cache hierarchy differs significantly. The i5-11500 has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, with 12 MB of shared L3. The Ultra 7 has 192 KB of L1 per core and 2.5 MB of L2 per core, also with 12 MB of shared L3. The Ultra 7’s larger L1 and L2 caches likely contribute to its 20.6% lead in PassMark single-thread performance.

The i5-11500 uses Rocket Lake-S, a desktop architecture with a 276 mm² die size. The Ultra 7’s die size is not listed. The i5’s 14 nm process and 65 W TDP reflect an older, power-hungry design. The Ultra 7’s 3 nm TSMC process and 17 W TDP represent a modern, power-efficient mobile architecture. The foundry difference — Intel versus TSMC — also highlights the strategic shift in Intel’s manufacturing approach.

The memory architecture is another key divergence. The i5 supports dual-channel DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The Ultra 7 supports dual-channel LPDDR5X with 136.5 GB/s bandwidth — more than 2.6 times the bandwidth. This memory advantage likely supports the Ultra 7’s strong performance in data encryption (23.4% lead) and floating-point math (39.5% lead), where memory throughput matters.