Intel Core Ultra 5 225T vs Intel Core Ultra 7 265 Comparison

Intel Core Ultra 5 225T and Intel Core Ultra 7 265 are both desktop processors from Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture and produced on a 3 nm process at TSMC. The two chips share the same 65 W TDP, the same Intel Socket 1851, and the same dual-channel DDR5 memory interface with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, yet the benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy that is not uniform across all tests. The Core Ultra 7 265 dominates the majority of recorded workloads, while the Core Ultra 5 225T surprisingly claims victory in a specific pair of Cinebench R20 results, creating an interesting anomaly in the dataset.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive wins for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 appear in the Cinebench suite, where it posts 4255 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core versus 2214 points for the Core Ultra 5 225T, a 48% gap. The single-core R15 result follows the same pattern: 600 points compared to 312 points, again a 48% deficit for the smaller chip. Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 42216 points for the Ultra 7 265 against 21971 points for the Ultra 5 225T, another 48% difference. The R23 single-core test delivers 5960 points versus 3101 points, maintaining that consistent 48% margin. These results indicate that the Ultra 7 265 roughly doubles the Ultra 5 225T’s rendering throughput in the newer Cinebench versions.

The PassMark suite reinforces the Ultra 7 265’s lead across nearly every measured category. Data compression shows 522983 points against 233998 points, a 55.3% advantage. Data encryption records 40456 points versus 18289 points, a 54.8% gap. Extended instructions score 41478 points compared to 20083 points, a 51.6% difference. Integer math delivers 134773 points versus 59543 points, the largest relative gap in the entire dataset at 55.8%. Floating point math shows 172776 points against 82751 points, a 52.1% margin. Random string sorting records 63833 points versus 28774 points, a 54.9% difference. Multi-thread performance follows with 49682 points versus 25358 points, a 49% gap. Physics simulation scores 2923 points against 2053 points, a 29.8% margin. Prime number finding posts 418 points versus 284 points, a 32.1% gap.

The single-thread PassMark results are much closer. The Ultra 7 265 scores 4689 points while the Ultra 5 225T scores 4348 points, a 7.3% difference. This narrow margin suggests that per-core architectural efficiency is similar between the two chips, and the larger multi-core advantages come primarily from the Ultra 7 265’s doubled core and thread count.

The anomaly in the dataset appears in Cinebench R20. The Ultra 5 225T scores 9227 points in multi-core while the Ultra 7 265 scores 6268 points, giving the Ultra 5 225T a 47.2% win. The R20 single-core test shows 1302 points for the Ultra 5 225T versus 884 points for the Ultra 7 265, a 47.3% win. These two R20 results directly contradict the trend established by R15 and R23, where the Ultra 7 265 leads by exactly 48% in both versions. The recorded data thus contains an inconsistency: the same processors reverse their relative standing in R20 compared to adjacent Cinebench releases.

The Verdict

The data shows that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is the faster processor in 15 of the 17 recorded head-to-head comparisons, with wins in every PassMark test and in both Cinebench R15 and R23 variants. Its average benchmark score of 64640 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 225T achieves an average score of 30468 and sits in the 82nd percentile. The nearest rivals for the Ultra 7 265 include the AMD EPYC 4464P at 64823 points (0.3% higher) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at 64438 points (0.3% lower), indicating that the Ultra 7 265 sits within a tight cluster of high-end server and desktop parts. The Core Ultra 5 225T’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-11980HK at 30422 points (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS at 30390 points (0.3% higher), placing it in the company of mobile and older high-end processors.

Users who rely on Cinebench R20 as their primary benchmark, however, would see the Core Ultra 5 225T as the clear winner with a 47.2% margin in multi-core and a 47.3% margin in single-core. That result is isolated to R20 and does not extend to R15 or R23. The Ultra 7 265 also carries a launch MSRP of $394, which is a factual detail from the database but not a factor in the performance analysis.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 wins 15 of the 17 recorded comparisons. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T wins only the two Cinebench R20 tests.

Q: How large is the single-thread performance gap in PassMark?

A: The Ultra 7 265 scores 4689 points in PassMark single-thread while the Ultra 5 225T scores 4348 points, a 7.3% difference.

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

A: The largest gap is in PassMark integer math, where the Ultra 7 265 scores 134773 points against 59543 points, a 55.8% advantage.

Q: Do the two processors share the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, both support dual-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each processor?

A: The Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, while the Ultra 5 225T has an average benchmark score of 30468.

Q: Are both processors on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are built on a 3 nm process at TSMC with 17,800 million transistors and a 243 mm² die size.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in core and thread counts. The Ultra 5 225T has 10 cores and 10 threads, while the Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and 20 threads. Base clocks differ slightly: 2.50 GHz for the Ultra 5 225T versus 2.40 GHz for the Ultra 7 265. Boost clocks show a larger gap, with the Ultra 5 225T reaching 4.90 GHz and the Ultra 7 265 reaching 5.30 GHz. The shared L3 cache differs as well: 20 MB on the Ultra 5 225T versus 30 MB on the Ultra 7 265. The integrated graphics differ, with the Ultra 5 225T using Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units and the Ultra 7 265 using Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units. The Ultra 7 265 has a known part number (SRQCX) while the Ultra 5 225T’s part number is listed as unknown. The release dates differ, with the Ultra 5 225T released on 2024-12-31 and the Ultra 7 265 released on 2025-01-06. The Ultra 7 265 has a launch MSRP of $394 while the Ultra 5 225T has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

Both processors are based on the same Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-S codename, manufactured on the 3 nm process at TSMC. Transistor count (17,800 million) and die size (243 mm²) are identical. Per-core L1 cache is 192 KB and per-core L2 cache is 3 MB on both chips. The L3 cache is the differentiating cache feature: 20 MB shared on the Ultra 5 225T versus 30 MB shared on the Ultra 7 265. Neither chip supports ECC memory, and both use the same PCIe configuration of Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU. The integrated graphics differ in execution unit count, with the Ultra 7 265 offering double the EU count of the Ultra 5 225T. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 wins in all standard multi-threaded workloads recorded in the database, including Cinebench R15 and R23, PassMark multi-thread, data compression, data encryption, extended instructions, integer math, floating point math, physics, prime number finding, and random string sorting. Its 20 cores and 30 MB of L3 cache provide a substantial advantage in throughput-oriented tasks. The single-thread PassMark result also favors the Ultra 7 265, though by a narrower 7.3% margin, meaning it also handles lightly threaded applications better.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T wins exclusively in the two Cinebench R20 tests, both multi-core and single-core, with 47.2% and 47.3% margins respectively. This isolated result suggests that the Ultra 5 225T has a specific advantage in that benchmark version, possibly related to driver or firmware behavior, but the effect does not carry over to the other Cinebench releases. For any workload represented by R15, R23, or the PassMark suite, the Ultra 7 265 is the stronger processor.