Intel Core i5-14401E vs Intel Core Ultra 9 288V Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two processors along clear lines. The Intel Core i5-14401E wins five of the six head-to-head Cinebench comparisons, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V takes a single victory. That lone win, however, is significant: it occurs in Cinebench R15 single-core, where the Ultra 9 scores 301.5 against the i5's 258, a 14.4% edge. This indicates the Lunar Lake part holds a genuine advantage in lightly threaded, short-duration workloads that depend on raw single-core responsiveness.

Every other recorded benchmark favors the desktop chip. In multi-core tests, the i5-14401E leads by margins that grow with workload duration. The Cinebench R15 multicore result shows a 15.6% gap (1830 versus 1583), while R20 multicore narrows to 7.9% (7627 versus 7069). The most dramatic separation appears in R23 multicore, where the i5 delivers 18161 against the Ultra 9's 10178, a 78.4% advantage. This pattern suggests that sustained multi-threaded rendering is the i5's home turf, and the gap widens as the test becomes more demanding and longer running.

The single-core R20 and R23 results also favor the i5, counter to the R15 single-core outcome. In R20 single-core, the i5 posts 1076 versus 997 (7.9% ahead), and in R23 single-core it reaches 2564 versus 1950, a 31.5% lead. So the Ultra 9's single-core win is confined to the older R15 test, while the newer R20 and R23 single-threaded runs show the desktop part pulling ahead. The data therefore points to the i5-14401E as the stronger choice for both multi-core throughput and modern single-threaded workloads, with the Ultra 9 only claiming supremacy in legacy single-core scenarios.

The average benchmark score further separates the two. The i5-14401E averages 5253 across its recorded tests, placing it at the 60th percentile among all CPUs. The Ultra 9 288V averages 23219, which lands at the 76th percentile. That large gap in average scores stems from the Ultra 9's additional PassMark tests (data compression, encryption, extended instructions, prime numbers, floating point, integer math, multithread, physics, string sorting, and single-thread), which the i5 does not have recorded. The percentile ranking, however, gives the Ultra 9 a notable standing: 76th percentile versus 60th, meaning the mobile chip sits higher relative to the broader CPU population despite losing the Cinebench head-to-head.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports a straightforward split. The Intel Core i5-14401E is the processor for sustained multi-core work. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18161 crushes the Ultra 9's 10178 by 78.4%, and it also leads in R15 and R20 multicore by 15.6% and 7.9% respectively. For desktop users running rendering, compilation, or any long-running parallel workload, the i5 is the clear pick.

The Ultra 9 288V wins only one head-to-head test, but that win matters for specific scenarios. Its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 301.5 beats the i5's 258 by 14.4%, indicating superior responsiveness in short, single-threaded bursts. Additionally, the Ultra 9's overall percentile (76th versus 60th) and its much higher average benchmark score (23219 versus 5253) reflect a broader suite of recorded tests, including strong PassMark results such as 19810 in multithread and 4274 in single-thread. Those numbers suggest the Ultra 9 handles a wider variety of tasks competently, especially in mobile contexts.

For a desktop workstation or a system where multi-core Cinebench performance is the priority, the i5-14401E is the choice. For a thin-and-light laptop or a device where single-core responsiveness in legacy tests and a high overall percentile matter more, the Ultra 9 288V fits better. The data does not show one chip as universally superior; it shows two different design targets, one optimized for raw desktop throughput and the other for efficient mobile versatility.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the Intel Core i5-14401E comes in Cinebench R23 multicore. The i5 scores 18161, while the Ultra 9 manages 10178, a delta of 78.4%. This is the single most lopsided result in the dataset and confirms that the i5's six cores with twelve threads, running at a 65W TDP on the Raptor Lake architecture, deliver far more sustained multi-threaded compute than the Ultra 9's eight cores with eight threads at 30W. The R15 multicore test shows a smaller but still clear 15.6% lead (1830 versus 1583), and R20 multicore gives the i5 a 7.9% edge (7627 versus 7069). The narrowing gap from R23 to R15 suggests that shorter multi-core bursts favor the Ultra 9 more, but any workload extending past a few seconds will see the i5 pull away.

On the single-core side, the results are mixed. The Ultra 9 wins R15 single-core with 301.5 versus 258, a 14.4% margin. That is its only head-to-head victory. But in R20 single-core, the i5 reverses the result, scoring 1076 against the Ultra 9's 997 (7.9% ahead). In R23 single-core, the i5 extends that lead to 31.5%, posting 2564 versus 1950. Interpreting this pattern requires caution: the R15 single-core test is older and shorter, and the Ultra 9's higher boost clock of 5.10 GHz versus the i5's 4.70 GHz likely explains its win there. The newer R20 and R23 single-core tests, which are longer and more demanding, show the i5's higher sustained clock behavior and larger cache (20 MB shared L3 versus 12 MB shared L3) taking over.

The average benchmark scores place the Ultra 9 far ahead in raw points, 23219 versus 5253, but that comparison is skewed by the test sets. The Ultra 9 has seventeen recorded benchmark entries, including PassMark workloads like integer math (44019), floating point math (59536), and data compression (186521). The i5 has only six Cinebench entries. The percentile ranking corrects for this somewhat: the Ultra 9 sits at the 76th percentile of all CPUs, while the i5 sits at the 60th. That means the Ultra 9, despite losing most head-to-head Cinebench tests, outperforms a larger fraction of the overall CPU population than the i5 does, likely because its PassMark scores are strong across many categories.

The nearest rivals in the database further contextualize both chips. The i5-14401E's average score of 5253 sits within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-13400T (5210), 0.2% of the Intel Core i9-10850K (5240), and 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-11700B (5241), with the Intel Xeon E5-2699A v4 (5259) just 0.1% ahead. The Ultra 9 288V's average of 23219 is within 0.3% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 266V (23297), 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 4124P (23167), and 0.2% of the Intel Core i9-11900F (23254), with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (23277) 0.2% ahead. These deltas are all under 1%, indicating that both processors perform very close to their immediate competitors in average terms.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 288V boosts to 5.10 GHz, while the Intel Core i5-14401E boosts to 4.70 GHz.

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

A: The i5-14401E has 6 cores and 12 threads. The Ultra 9 288V has 8 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Which chip wins in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The i5-14401E wins by a large margin, scoring 18161 against the Ultra 9's 10178, a 78.4% difference.

Q: Does the Ultra 9 288V win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Cinebench R15 single-core with a score of 301.5 versus the i5's 258, a 14.4% lead.

Q: What is the process node for each processor?

A: The i5-14401E uses Intel's 10 nm process. The Ultra 9 288V uses TSMC's 3 nm process.

Q: Which CPU has a higher overall percentile ranking?

A: The Ultra 9 288V ranks at the 76th percentile of all CPUs, while the i5-14401E ranks at the 60th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design lineages. The Intel Core i5-14401E belongs to the Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture (codename Raptor Lake-R) and fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. It uses a 215 mm² die and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode. Its cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a 20 MB shared L3 cache. The chip supports ECC memory and uses Intel Socket 1700. It provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes and integrates UHD Graphics 730. The TDP is 65W, and the base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost of 4.70 GHz.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 288V comes from the Core Ultra Series 2, using the Lunar Lake architecture (codename Lunar Lake) and fabricated on TSMC's 3 nm process. It is a mobile chip on Intel BGA 2833, with a TDP of just 30W. Its memory support is limited to LPDDR5X with a dual-channel bus and a recorded bandwidth of 136.5 GB/s. The cache structure differs markedly: 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and a smaller 12 MB shared L3. It does not support ECC memory. PCIe connectivity drops to Gen 5 with only 4 CPU lanes. The integrated graphics are the Arc 140V, a much more capable iGPU compared to the UHD Graphics 730 on the i5. The base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost of 5.10 GHz.

The core count and threading model also diverge. The i5 uses 6 cores with 12 threads, relying on Hyper-Threading to double the thread count. The Ultra 9 uses 8 cores with 8 threads, indicating no Hyper-Threading and a focus on efficiency through a wider core count at lower power. The process node difference (10 nm Intel versus 3 nm TSMC) explains the Ultra 9's much lower TDP (30W versus 65W) while still reaching a higher boost clock. The larger L1 and L2 caches per core on the Ultra 9 (192 KB and 2.5 MB respectively) support its single-core performance in short bursts, while the i5's larger shared L3 (20 MB versus 12 MB) benefits sustained multi-core workloads by providing more aggregate cache for all threads to use.

The memory bandwidth specification is only recorded for the Ultra 9 (136.5 GB/s), which is typical for LPDDR5X integrated into a mobile package. The i5's memory bandwidth is not recorded, but its support for DDR4 and DDR5 suggests flexibility for desktop builders. The PCIe lane counts reflect their market segments: the i5 is a desktop chip with 16 CPU lanes for discrete GPUs and expansion, while the Ultra 9 is a mobile part with 4 CPU lanes, sufficient for integrated graphics and limited connectivity. The release dates place the i5 at June 30, 2024, and the Ultra 9 at September 23, 2024, meaning the Ultra 9 is the newer design by nearly three months. Both processors are currently active in production and have locked multipliers.