Intel Core i7-10850H vs Intel Core Ultra 5 115U Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark comparison between the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U and the Intel Core i7-10850H shows a decisive overall victory for the newer Meteor Lake part, with the Ultra 5 115U winning 14 of the 17 recorded head-to-head tests. The margin in most computing tasks is substantial, often in the double digits. However, the older Comet Lake-H chip retains a few notable strengths in specific workloads, which prevents this from being a complete sweep.

In the Cinebench rendering suite, the Ultra 5 115U demonstrates a consistent advantage across every iteration. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Ultra 5 115U scores 10855 against 9786 for the i7-10850H, a 10.9% lead. The single-core delta is identical at 10.9%, with scores of 1532 and 1381 respectively. This pattern holds across older Cinebench versions as well: in R20 multi-core, the Ultra leads 4559 to 4110 (10.9% higher), and in R15 multi-core, it leads 1094 to 986 (11% higher). Even the single-core R15 test shows the Ultra ahead at 154 versus 139, a 10.8% margin. The consistency of these deltas suggests a fundamental per-clock efficiency advantage for the newer architecture rather than a workload-specific quirk.

PassMark results paint a more varied picture. The Ultra 5 115U wins the overall PassMark multithread test with 13024 points against 11643, an 11.9% advantage. Its single-thread score of 3057 tops the i7-10850H's 2668 by 14.6%. In floating-point math, the Ultra extends its lead to 21.1%, scoring 30538 versus 25216. The physics subtest shows a 25.1% gap in favor of the Ultra (898 to 718), and the prime number search test shows a 29.3% edge (53 to 41). Integer math is closer, with the Ultra winning 41043 to 39919, a modest 2.8% margin. The most dramatic single result comes in data encryption, where the Ultra's score of 8606 crushes the i7-10850H's 3890, a staggering 121.2% advantage. This likely reflects the newer chip's integrated cryptographic acceleration capabilities.

The i7-10850H, however, claims three wins, and they are noteworthy. In data compression, it scores 165882 against 141945, a 14.4% lead. In extended instructions (SIMD-heavy workloads), it wins 10381 to 8620, a 17% margin. The largest delta in either direction belongs to the i7 in random string sorting, where it posts 21537 versus 15124, a 29.8% advantage. These three wins share a common theme: they are memory-bandwidth or memory-latency sensitive, or they rely on mature optimization for the older core design. Despite losing most tests, the i7-10850H proves it is not obsolete in every domain.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design eras. The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U is built on the Meteor Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 7 nm process node, while the Intel Core i7-10850H uses the Comet Lake-H architecture on a 14 nm process. The process node difference alone explains part of the performance-per-watt gap: the Ultra 5 115U delivers higher scores across most benchmarks despite a TDP of 15 watts, compared to the i7-10850H's 45 watt TDP. The database shows three times the power budget for the older chip, yet it still loses in the majority of tests.

Core counts also diverge. The Ultra 5 115U has 8 cores and 10 threads, while the i7-10850H has 6 cores and 12 threads. The i7 leverages hyperthreading to reach 12 threads from 6 physical cores, whereas the Ultra uses a hybrid arrangement of performance and efficiency cores (implied by the 8-core/10-thread split) to achieve its thread count. In multi-threaded workloads, the Ultra's 10 threads are enough to outpace the i7's 12 threads, suggesting that the newer cores are significantly more efficient per thread.

Cache hierarchies differ substantially. The Ultra 5 115U has a larger L1 cache at 112 KB per core and a much larger L2 at 2 MB per core, compared to the i7-10850H's 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core. However, the i7 has a larger shared L3 cache at 12 MB versus the Ultra's 10 MB. The per-core L2 advantage of the Ultra is particularly relevant to its wins in integer math and floating-point operations, where locality of data matters. The i7's larger L3 may contribute to its wins in data compression and string sorting, which can benefit from a larger shared cache pool.

Memory support also differs. The Ultra 5 115U supports DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, while the i7-10850H supports DDR4 with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The near-doubling of memory bandwidth in the Ultra is a critical factor in its encryption win and many of its compute wins. The i7's PCIe implementation uses Gen 3 with 16 lanes, while the Ultra uses Gen 4 with 12 lanes; the newer standard offers higher per-lane throughput, though fewer total lanes. Integrated graphics also differ: the Ultra packs Arc Xe-LPG 48EU, while the i7 has a basic UHD Graphics solution. The Ultra launches on December 13, 2023, while the i7-10850H launched on April 1, 2020, a gap of over three years that explains the architectural leap.

The Verdict

The recorded data does not paint a balanced picture. The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U is the superior processor for the vast majority of workloads. Its wins in every Cinebench test, all PassMark compute tests except three, and its 121.2% encryption advantage make it the clear recommendation for users who prioritize general productivity, content creation, cryptographic tasks, and single-threaded responsiveness. The fact that it achieves this with a 15 W TDP against a 45 W TDP makes the result even more emphatic: users get better performance in a lower-power envelope, which is critical for mobile devices where thermals and battery life matter.

The Intel Core i7-10850H, however, is not without merit. Its wins in data compression (14.4% higher), extended instructions (17% higher), and random string sorting (29.8% higher) show that in narrowly defined, memory-heavy or SIMD-optimized workloads, the older architecture still holds an edge. These tests are not trivial: they represent real-world tasks like file archiving, database sorting, and certain scientific or engineering simulations. A user whose workflow is dominated by these specific operations might prefer the i7, especially if the software has been tuned for the older AVX-512-like instruction set extensions (though the database does not explicitly list AVX-512 support for either chip, the extended instructions test shows a clear i7 advantage).

The average benchmark score for the Ultra 5 115U sits at 16753, placing it in the 70th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i5-1235U (delta -0.1%) and AMD Ryzen 3 8440U (delta 0.5%). The i7-10850H averages 16204, also in the 70th percentile, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i5-10600KF (delta -0.2%) and AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (delta -0.8%). The average scores differ by roughly 3.4%, which is smaller than the head-to-head deltas suggest, indicating that the i7-10850H's three dominant wins bring its overall average closer to the Ultra. Still, the Ultra's 14 wins out of 17 tests, combined with its lower TDP, make it the default choice for most buyers.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-10850H has a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U boosts to 4.20 GHz. Despite the lower boost clock, the Ultra wins all single-core Cinebench and PassMark tests, indicating its architecture delivers more work per clock.

Q: How do the two chips compare in multi-threaded performance?

A: The Ultra 5 115U wins the PassMark multithread test with 13024 against 11643, an 11.9% margin. It also wins Cinebench R23 multi-core by 10.9% (10855 versus 9786). This occurs despite the i7 having 12 threads to the Ultra's 10 threads.

Q: What explains the i7-10850H's wins in data compression and string sorting?

A: The i7-10850H scores 165882 in data compression (14.4% higher) and 21537 in random string sorting (29.8% higher). The database indicates this likely stems from the larger 12 MB shared L3 cache, which can reduce memory access penalties for workloads with large working sets, although the Ultra's higher memory bandwidth (89.6 GB/s versus 46.9 GB/s) might have been expected to help.

Q: Is the Ultra 5 115U more power-efficient?

A: Yes, the Ultra 5 115U has a TDP of 15 watts, while the i7-10850H has a TDP of 45 watts. The Ultra achieves higher scores in 14 of 17 benchmarks while consuming a third of the power budget, making it the more efficient part per watt.

Q: What are the socket requirements for each processor?

A: The Ultra 5 115U uses Intel BGA 2049, while the i7-10850H uses Intel BGA 1440. These sockets are not interchangeable, so motherboard compatibility is determined by the chipset and socket generation.

Q: Which processor has better integrated graphics?

A: The Ultra 5 115U integrates Arc Xe-LPG 48EU, which is a more capable graphics solution than the UHD Graphics found on the i7-10850H. While no graphics benchmark scores are in the database, the architectural difference suggests the Ultra offers better GPU performance for tasks like video playback and light gaming.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U is the clear winner in general-purpose computing. It wins every Cinebench rendering test, all single-threaded tests, floating-point math, integer math, physics simulation, prime number calculation, and data encryption. Its 121.2% lead in encryption makes it the obvious choice for VPN workloads, secure file transfers, or any application that relies on AES-NI or similar acceleration. The 25.1% physics advantage and 21.1% floating-point lead indicate strong performance in simulation and scientific workloads. For users who run a mix of office productivity, web browsing, code compilation, and media encoding, the Ultra 5 115U wins in nearly every scenario.

The Intel Core i7-10850H wins three specific domains. Its 14.4% lead in data compression makes it the better choice for file archiving tools like 7-Zip or WinRAR. Its 17% lead in extended instructions points to specialized SIMD-heavy code, such as certain audio processing, image filters, or legacy scientific applications that were compiled with older instruction sets. Its 29.8% lead in random string sorting is relevant for database operations that frequently sort variable-length text fields, log processing, or any workload that involves shuffling large arrays of strings in memory. These are narrow but real niches.

The overall verdict from the data: the Ultra 5 115U is the better processor for nearly everyone, offering higher performance in most tests at a fraction of the power. The i7-10850H remains a viable option only for users whose workflows are exclusively or predominantly centered on the three workloads where it excels. For everything else, the newer Meteor Lake design is the superior choice, evidenced by its 14-3 win count in head-to-head benchmarks.