Intel Core Ultra 5 228V vs Intel Core Ultra 7 155U Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V and Intel Core Ultra 7 155U represent two distinct philosophies in Intel's mobile lineup. The 228V is a Lunar Lake part with a 3 nm process and 8 threads, while the 155U is a Meteor Lake chip on a 7 nm node with 14 threads. The benchmark data reveals a fascinating reversal of expectations: the smaller, lower-core-count chip dominates most tests, while the larger chip clings to a few specific victories. The data strongly suggests that architectural efficiency trumps raw core count in this matchup.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in the PassMark extended instructions test, where the 228V scores 14801 against the 155U's 9903, a 49.5% advantage. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational leap in instruction-level throughput. Similarly, the 228V crushes the 155U in prime number finding with a 158.5% delta (168 vs 65), and in floating-point math it leads by 32.4% (53310 vs 40256). These are compute-heavy workloads where the Lunar Lake architecture's efficiency shines.

The single-core results reinforce this narrative. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the 228V wins 267 to 238.5, an 11.9% margin. The R20 single-core test shows a 12.7% lead (916 vs 813), and R23 single-core is 5.5% ahead (1758 vs 1666). PassMark single-thread confirms the trend with a 13.8% win (3836 vs 3372). The 228V also dominates in PassMark physics with a 41.9% margin (1538 vs 1084), suggesting better scheduling or more efficient core utilization.

Multi-core results are more nuanced. The 155U wins Cinebench R15 multicore by 5.2% (1585 vs 1502.5), but the 228V takes R20 multicore by 12.6% (6491 vs 5765) and R23 multicore by 2.7% (9932 vs 9674.5). PassMark multithread also favors the 228V at 18227 vs 16382, an 11.3% win. The 155U's only other victory is in PassMark integer math, where it posts 57564 against 39679, a massive 31.1% advantage. It also edges out the 228V in data compression (177122 vs 173924, a 1.8% delta) and wins the overall head-to-head count 14 to 3, with the 228V taking 14 of 17 tests.

Architecture Differences

The two chips are built on fundamentally different process nodes. The 228V uses a 3 nm process from TSMC, while the 155U relies on Intel's 7 nm node. This explains the efficiency gap: the newer node allows the 228V to achieve higher performance per watt, even with a 17 W TDP versus the 155U's 15 W. The core counts differ significantly—8 cores and 8 threads for the 228V versus 12 cores and 14 threads for the 155U—yet the 228V still wins most multi-threaded workloads, indicating that its cores are substantially more capable.

Cache hierarchies also diverge. The 228V has 192 KB of L1 per core and 2.5 MB of L2 per core, with 8 MB of shared L3. The 155U offers 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3. Despite having 50% more L3 cache, the 155U cannot translate that into benchmark wins. The 228V's memory support is listed as "unknown" and depends on the motherboard, while the 155U explicitly supports DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The 228V uses PCIe Gen 5 with 4 lanes, whereas the 155U uses Gen 4 with 12 lanes—a tradeoff between bandwidth and lane count.

The integrated graphics differ as well, with the 228V featuring Arc 130V and the 155U using Arc Xe-LPG 64EU. The 228V is also newer, with a release date of September 2024 versus December 2023 for the 155U. The 155U carries a launch MSRP of $490, while the 228V has no listed MSRP. Both are mobile parts with dual-channel memory buses, and neither supports ECC memory.

FAQ

Q: Which chip wins in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The 228V wins narrowly with a score of 9932 versus 9674.5, a 2.7% delta. This is a close margin, indicating that the 155U's extra cores almost compensate for its architectural deficit.

Q: Is the 155U better at any compute task?

A: Yes, the 155U wins PassMark integer math by a wide margin (57564 vs 39679, a 31.1% delta) and data compression (177122 vs 173924, a 1.8% delta). It also takes Cinebench R15 multicore (1585 vs 1502.5). These are its only three wins in the head-to-head data.

Q: How does the 228V perform in single-threaded workloads?

A: It wins every single-thread test, with deltas ranging from 5.5% in R23 to 13.8% in PassMark. The R15 single-core score is 267 vs 238.5 (11.9%), and R20 is 916 vs 813 (12.7%). This suggests the 228V's core design is significantly more efficient per clock.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The 228V is built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, while the 155U uses Intel's 7 nm node. This likely explains the 228V's superior performance-per-watt and its ability to win multi-core tests despite having fewer cores.

Q: Does the 155U have more cache?

A: The 155U has 12 MB of shared L3 cache versus 8 MB on the 228V. However, the 228V has larger per-core L1 (192 KB vs 112 KB) and L2 (2.5 MB vs 2 MB). The larger per-core caches may compensate for the smaller shared cache.

Q: Which chip has a higher boost clock?

A: The 155U has a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, while the 228V reaches 4.50 GHz. Despite this 0.30 GHz advantage, the 228V wins most benchmarks, showing that boost clock alone does not determine performance.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the 228V for most users. It wins 14 of 17 benchmarks, including all single-thread tests and the modern multi-thread tests like Cinebench R20 and R23. Its wins in floating-point math (32.4%), physics (41.9%), and extended instructions (49.5%) indicate a superior architecture for general and scientific computing. The 155U's only competitive areas are integer math and data compression, which are niche workloads. The 228V's 3 nm process versus the 155U's 7 nm node explains this performance gap. The 155U's higher core count (12 vs 8) and larger L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB) cannot overcome the architectural efficiency of the 228V. For a mobile user prioritizing performance, the 228V is the better choice based on the benchmark data. The 155U may be relevant for users who specifically need integer-heavy workloads or who value the higher PCIe lane count (12 vs 4), but the 228V is the superior overall processor.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core Ultra 5 228V | Intel Core Ultra 7 155U |

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

| Cores | 8 | 12 |

| Threads | 8 | 14 |

| Base Clock | 2.10 GHz | 1700.00 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.50 GHz | 4.80 GHz |

| TDP | 17 W | 15 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 2833 | Intel BGA 2049 |

| Architecture | Lunar Lake | Meteor Lake |

| Process Node | 3 nm (TSMC) | 7 nm (Intel) |

| L1 Cache (per core) | 192 KB | 112 KB |

| L2 Cache (per core) | 2.5 MB | 2 MB |

| L3 Cache (shared) | 8 MB | 12 MB |

| Memory Support | Unknown (depends on motherboard) | DDR5 (depends on motherboard) |

| Memory Bandwidth | Not listed | 89.6 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 5, 4 Lanes | Gen 4, 12 Lanes |

| Integrated Graphics | Arc 130V | Arc Xe-LPG 64EU |

| Release Date | 2024-09-23 | 2023-12-13 |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | $490 |

Where Each One Wins

The 228V wins in most scenarios. It is the clear choice for single-threaded applications, as shown by its 13.8% lead in PassMark single-thread and 11.9% in Cinebench R15 single-core. It also dominates in multi-threaded rendering, with a 12.6% win in R20 multicore and a 2.7% win in R23 multicore. For scientific and math-heavy tasks, the 228V is superior, evidenced by its 158.5% win in prime number finding and 32.4% in floating-point math. Its 49.5% advantage in extended instructions makes it ideal for cryptography and vectorized code. The 228V's 41.9% physics win suggests better performance in simulation and physics-based applications.

The 155U has a narrow but distinct niche. Its 31.1% win in PassMark integer math indicates an advantage in workloads like image processing or certain compression algorithms. The 1.8% win in data compression makes it slightly better for file archiving tasks. Its 5.2% win in Cinebench R15 multicore, while offset by losses in newer R20 and R23 tests, could matter for legacy software. The 155U's higher PCIe lane count (12 vs 4) offers more connectivity options, though this is a hardware feature rather than a benchmark win. For users running integer-heavy or compression-bound applications on older software, the 155U is the better pick, but for virtually everything else, the data points to the 228V.