Intel Core i5-14600 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, which wins 15 of the 17 recorded comparisons against the Intel Core i5-14600. The average benchmark score of 93,785 for the Ultra 7 stands far above the i5's 44,889, placing the Ultra 7 in the 96th percentile of all CPUs versus the i5's 89th percentile. However, the two single-core tests where the i5 wins reveal a notable split in workload behavior.

The largest margins belong to the Ultra 7 in compute-intensive tasks. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Ultra 7 scores 6,656 against the i5's 3,070, a 53.9% advantage. Cinebench R20 multi-core shows a 47.7% gap (24,461 versus 12,794), and Cinebench R23 multi-core delivers a 31.2% lead (44,253 versus 30,464). PassMark floating point math is another standout: the Ultra 7's 229,491 dwarfs the i5's 85,759 by 62.6%. Prime number finding shows the largest relative difference, with the Ultra 7 at 615 versus the i5 at 155, a 74.8% delta.

The i5's two wins are both in Cinebench single-core tests, but the results are contradictory. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the i5 scores 433 versus 354 for the Ultra 7, a 22.3% lead. Yet in Cinebench R23 single-core, the i5's 4,300 exceeds the Ultra 7's 2,439 by 76.3%. The Ultra 7 wins Cinebench R20 single-core decisively (3,453 versus 1,806, a 47.7% margin) and PassMark single-thread tests by 17.8% (5,068 versus 4,167). These discrepancies suggest the two processors respond very differently to the specific instruction mixes and scaling methods used by each benchmark version.

Other PassMark workloads heavily favor the Ultra 7. Data compression shows 804,322 versus 434,620 (46% lead), data encryption 59,097 versus 25,082 (57.6% lead), extended instructions 63,506 versus 25,674 (59.6% lead), integer math 175,986 versus 117,078 (33.5% lead), multithread 68,574 versus 35,848 (47.7% lead), physics 4,064 versus 2,330 (42.7% lead), and random string sorting 96,945 versus 48,043 (50.4% lead). The consistency of these margins across different workload families indicates a broad multi-threaded performance advantage for the Ultra 7, not a narrow specialization.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different Intel generations and use fundamentally different designs. The i5-14600 is part of the Core 14th Gen series, built on Raptor Lake architecture with the Raptor Lake-R codename. It uses a 10 nm process node fabricated by Intel. The Ultra 7 270K Plus belongs to Core Ultra Series 2, with the Arrow Lake Refresh codename, built on a 3 nm process node from TSMC. The Ultra 7's transistor count is listed at 17,800 million, while the i5's transistor count is not recorded. Die sizes are close: 257 mm² for the i5 and 243 mm² for the Ultra 7.

Core counts differ substantially. The i5 has 14 cores and 20 threads, indicating a hybrid arrangement with some cores supporting hyper-threading. The Ultra 7 has 24 cores and 24 threads, meaning it uses no hyper-threading across its cores. The i5's base clock is 2.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The Ultra 7 runs at a 3.70 GHz base and 5.50 GHz boost, so it is faster at both ends of the clock range.

Cache hierarchies are also different per core. The i5 lists 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. The Ultra 7 has 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. The larger per-core caches and total L3 capacity on the Ultra 7 align with its higher core count and thread workload advantage.

Memory support diverges as well. The i5 supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, while the Ultra 7 supports DDR5 only. Both use a dual-channel memory bus, but the Ultra 7 records a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, a figure not listed for the i5. Both processors support ECC memory. PCIe connectivity differs: the i5 offers Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the Ultra 7 offers Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only).

Integrated graphics are different tiers. The i5 uses UHD Graphics 770, while the Ultra 7 uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, a more capable integrated GPU. The i5 has a locked multiplier, while the Ultra 7 has an unlocked multiplier, permitting overclocking. Sockets differ as well: the i5 uses Intel Socket 1700, and the Ultra 7 uses Intel Socket 1851. Release dates are separate, with the i5 arriving earlier and the Ultra 7 later, though specific dates are recorded in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-14600 wins only in the Cinebench R15 and R23 single-core tests. These are short-duration, lightly threaded workloads that appear to favor the i5's clock behavior or its specific microarchitecture tuning. The i5's single-core scores of 433 and 4,300 in those two tests are the only benchmark victories it records. Notably, the i5 does not win PassMark single-thread, where the Ultra 7 leads by 17.8%, so the i5's advantage is not universal across all single-threaded scenarios.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus wins every other recorded benchmark, including all multi-core Cinebench versions, all PassMark compute workloads, and the PassMark single-thread tests. The data indicates a dominant position in multi-threaded rendering, compression, encryption, extended instruction sets, prime number search, floating point math, integer math, physics simulation, and string sorting. The Ultra 7's 24 cores with no hyper-threading still deliver far higher throughput than the i5's 14 cores with 20 threads, likely due to the newer 3 nm node, higher clocks, and larger caches.

For users or workloads where single-core performance in specific legacy Cinebench versions matters, the i5 shows an edge. For any workload that scales across multiple cores, or for modern single-thread benchmarks that reflect newer instruction usage, the Ultra 7 is the clear performer. The Ultra 7's 96th percentile ranking versus the i5's 89th percentile reinforces that the Ultra 7 sits in a higher performance tier overall.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93,785, while the Intel Core i5-14600 has an average of 44,889.

Q: How many benchmark wins does each processor record?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus wins 15 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks. The Intel Core i5-14600 wins the remaining 2.

Q: In which tests does the Intel Core i5-14600 outperform the Ultra 7?

A: The i5-14600 wins Cinebench R15 single-core (433 versus 354) and Cinebench R23 single-core (4,300 versus 2,439).

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two processors?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the Ultra 7 scores 615 versus the i5's 155, a 74.8% advantage for the Ultra 7.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-14600 and the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus list ECC memory support as true.

Q: Which processor has more PCIe lanes?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus offers Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel Core i5-14600 offers Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only).

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every recorded specification. The i5-14600 uses a 10 nm process node from Intel, while the Ultra 7 270K Plus uses a 3 nm process node from TSMC. The i5 has 14 cores and 20 threads; the Ultra 7 has 24 cores and 24 threads. Base clocks are 2.70 GHz for the i5 and 3.70 GHz for the Ultra 7. Boost clocks are 5.20 GHz for the i5 and 5.50 GHz for the Ultra 7. Thermal design power is 65 watts for the i5 and 125 watts for the Ultra 7.

Socket types differ: Intel Socket 1700 for the i5, Intel Socket 1851 for the Ultra 7. The i5 uses Raptor Lake architecture with codename Raptor Lake-R, while the Ultra 7 uses Arrow Lake Refresh (architecture not listed). Cache per core is larger on the Ultra 7: 192 KB L1 versus 80 KB L1, 3 MB L2 versus 2 MB L2, and 36 MB shared L3 versus 24 MB shared L3. The Ultra 7 records 17,800 million transistors; the i5 has no transistor count listed.

Memory support differs: the i5 supports DDR4 and DDR5, while the Ultra 7 supports only DDR5. Memory bandwidth is listed as 115.2 GB/s for the Ultra 7, while no figure is recorded for the i5. PCIe connectivity is Gen 5 with 16 lanes for the i5 and Gen 5 with 20 lanes for the Ultra 7. Integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 770 for the i5 and Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU for the Ultra 7. The i5 has a locked multiplier; the Ultra 7 has an unlocked multiplier. The i5 launch MSRP is $255, while the Ultra 7 launch MSRP is $299. Part numbers are SRN44 for the i5 and SA4V6 for the Ultra 7. The i5 releases earlier, with the Ultra 7 releasing later per the recorded dates.