Intel Core i7-10700K vs Intel Core Ultra 5 228V Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark record splits this comparison into two distinct personalities. The Intel Core i7-10700K wins 10 of the 17 head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V takes 7. That raw count, however, hides a clear thematic divide. The i7-10700K dominates workloads that scale with thread count and raw cache bandwidth. The Ultra 5 228V counters in efficiency-oriented and single-thread-light tasks.

The i7-10700K is the multi-core brute. Its largest victories come in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it scores 15727 against 9932, a 58.3% advantage. PassMark integer math shows a 68% lead, and random string sorting swings 72.4% in its favor. Data compression is similarly lopsided at 69.9%. These are throughput-heavy tasks that reward the 16 threads of the Comet Lake part. The 10th Gen desktop chip also wins the multithread PassMark aggregate by a narrow 2.1%, suggesting that overall threaded performance remains on its side.

The Ultra 5 228V wins where IPC and architecture efficiency matter more than thread count. PassMark single-thread shows 3836 versus 3043, a 20.7% edge. Physics simulation favors the Lunar Lake part by 39.3%. Floating-point math goes to the Ultra 5 by 22.5%. The most striking wins come from data encryption, where the Ultra 5 scores 13032 against 6468, a 50.4% margin, and prime number finding, where it nearly triples the i7-10700K at 168 versus 55. These results point to a chip with stronger per-core efficiency and modern instruction execution.

The split is clean. For rendering, encoding, compression, and integer-heavy desktop workloads, the i7-10700K is the clear choice. For single-thread responsiveness, encryption, physics, and floating-point math, the Ultra 5 228V leads. The Cinebench R15 single-core test is the outlier in this pattern: the Ultra 5 wins by 16.5%, but in R20 and R23 single-core, the i7-10700K actually pulls ahead by 1.7% and 26.3%, respectively. That inconsistency across Cinebench versions suggests workload-specific scaling rather than a universal single-core victory for either chip.

Architecture Differences

These two processors come from opposite ends of Intel's design roadmap. The i7-10700K is built on Comet Lake, a 14 nm process manufactured by Intel. It uses the Intel Socket 1200 platform and targets the desktop market. The Ultra 5 228V is a Lunar Lake part built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, uses Intel BGA 2833, and is aimed at mobile systems. The process node gap is enormous: 14 nm versus 3 nm, which explains much of the efficiency difference.

Core counts match at 8, but threading does not. The i7-10700K supports 16 threads via Hyper-Threading, while the Ultra 5 228V runs 8 threads across its 8 cores. That doubling of threads is the primary reason the older chip wins multi-threaded benchmarks. Clock speeds also favor the i7-10700K, with a base of 3.80 GHz and boost of 5.10 GHz versus 2.10 GHz base and 4.50 GHz boost for the Ultra 5. The TDP difference is stark: 125 W for the desktop part versus 17 W for the mobile part, a reflection of the process and power targeting.

Cache layouts differ substantially. The i7-10700K has 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 16 MB shared L3. The Ultra 5 228V has 192 KB L1 per core, 2.5 MB L2 per core, and only 8 MB shared L3. The Lunar Lake part compensates with much larger per-core L1 and L2, which aids single-thread and latency-sensitive workloads, while the Comet Lake chip relies on a larger shared L3 pool for multi-core data sharing.

Memory and I/O also diverge. The i7-10700K uses DDR4 with dual-channel support and a memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The Ultra 5 228V also uses dual-channel memory, but the specific type depends on the motherboard, and no bandwidth figure is recorded. PCIe capability flips generations: the i7-10700K offers Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes, while the Ultra 5 228V offers Gen 5 with 4 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ as well, with UHD Graphics 630 on the older chip versus Arc 130V on the newer one. The i7-10700K has an unlocked multiplier; the Ultra 5 228V does not.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench suite gives the i7-10700K its most decisive multi-core win. In R23 multi-core, 15727 versus 9932 is a 58.3% margin. R15 multi-core is closer at 1585 versus 1502.5, a 5.5% edge. R20 multi-core narrows further to 1.8%, with 6605 against 6491. Single-core results flip depending on version. In R15, the Ultra 5 wins 267 to 223, a 16.5% lead. In R20, the i7-10700K takes it 932 to 916, just 1.7%. In R23 single-core, the i7-10700K extends to 2220 versus 1758, a 26.3% advantage. The older chip's higher boost clock likely drives that R23 gap.

PassMark tests show a similar pattern of trade-offs. The i7-10700K wins integer math 66642 to 39679, a 68% edge. Random string sorting goes 36633 to 21254, a 72.4% margin. Data compression is 295418 versus 173924, a 69.9% lead. Extended instructions favor the i7-10700K by 31%, at 19387 versus 14801. The multithread aggregate is close, 18609 to 18227, a 2.1% win for the i7-10700K.

The Ultra 5 228V counters in specific domains. Data encryption is its largest win: 13032 versus 6468, a 50.4% margin. Prime number finding shows 168 versus 55, a 67.3% lead. Floating-point math goes 53310 to 41306, a 22.5% edge. Physics simulation favors the Ultra 5 by 39.3%, with 1538 against 933. Single-thread PassMark is 3836 versus 3043, a 20.7% win. The repeated single-thread result confirms the Ultra 5's per-core strength.

The overall averages reflect this balance. The i7-10700K posts an average benchmark score of 22230, while the Ultra 5 228V sits at 21440. Both land at the 75th percentile among all CPUs. The i7-10700K's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 220 at 22289 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core i5-13500H at 22468 (1.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X at 21992 (1.1% lower), and the Intel Core i7-11700F at 21988 (1.1% lower). The Ultra 5 228V sits near the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 at 21484 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i9-11900H at 21367 (0.3% lower), the Intel Xeon D-1746TER at 21635 (0.9% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9454 at 21223 (1% lower). Both chips cluster tightly with their respective peers.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core rendering?

A: The Intel Core i7-10700K leads in Cinebench R23 multi-core with 15727 versus 9932, a 58.3% advantage. It also wins R15 multi-core by 5.5% and R20 multi-core by 1.8%.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V win any single-thread tests?

A: Yes. It wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 16.5% and PassMark single-thread by 20.7%. However, the i7-10700K wins Cinebench R20 single-core by 1.7% and R23 single-core by 26.3%.

Q: How do the core and thread counts compare?

A: Both have 8 cores. The i7-10700K has 16 threads, while the Ultra 5 228V has 8 threads.

Q: What explains the Ultra 5 228V's encryption win?

A: PassMark data encryption shows 13032 for the Ultra 5 against 6468 for the i7-10700K, a 50.4% margin. The Lunar Lake architecture's per-core efficiency and modern instruction support likely drive this result.

Q: Are these processors in the same performance tier?

A: Both sit at the 75th percentile among all CPUs. The i7-10700K has an average benchmark score of 22230, and the Ultra 5 228V has 21440.

Q: Which chip is better for integer-heavy work?

A: The i7-10700K wins PassMark integer math by 68% and random string sorting by 72.4%, making it the stronger choice for those workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i7-10700K | Intel Core Ultra 5 228V |

|---|---|---|

| Series | Core 10th Gen | Core Ultra Series 2 |

| Threads | 16 | 8 |

| Base clock | 3.80 GHz | 2.10 GHz |

| Boost clock | 5.10 GHz | 4.50 GHz |

| TDP | 125 W | 17 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1200 | Intel BGA 2833 |

| Architecture | Comet Lake | Lunar Lake |

| Process node | 14 nm | 3 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 192 KB (per core) |

| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2.5 MB (per core) |

| L3 cache | 16 MB (shared) | 8 MB (shared) |

| Memory support | DDR4 | Depends on motherboard |

| Memory bandwidth | 46.9 GB/s | Not recorded |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 5, 4 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated graphics | UHD Graphics 630 | Arc 130V |

| Market segment | Desktop | Mobile |

| Release date | 2020-04-29 | 2024-09-23 |

| Multiplier unlocked | Yes | No |

| Part number | SRH72 | SRPMVSRPMU |