Intel Core Ultra 5 235H

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235H is a 14-core, 14-thread mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 2 family, built on Intel's Arrow Lake architecture (codename Arrow Lake-H) and fabricated by TSMC on a 3 nm process node. It runs from a 2.40 GHz base clock up to a 5.00 GHz boost clock within a 28 W TDP envelope, and it integrates an Arc Graphics 140T GPU. The chip is soldered to the Intel BGA 2049 socket, placing it firmly in the mobile segment with no upgrade path. Its average benchmark score of 35063 lands it at the 89th percentile of all CPUs in the database, and its cache hierarchy consists of 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3.

Benchmark Performance

The Core Ultra 5 235H posts an average benchmark score of 35063, which places it at the 89th percentile of all CPUs tracked. That percentile figure tells the story: this is a well-above-average mobile chip, but it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The nearest rivals in the database are separated by less than one percentage point in either direction, making the 235H a tightly competitive part in its class.

In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 24180, while the single-core score is 3413. The R20 run shows 10155 multicore and 1433 single-core, and R15 shows 2437 multicore and 343 single-core. The R23 multicore figure is particularly strong for a 28 W mobile part; it indicates that the chip can sustain heavy all-core workloads without collapsing under thermal pressure, which is consistent with the low TDP class. The single-core R23 score of 3413 is equally notable — a figure that would have been flagship-level just a few generations ago, now available in a thin-and-light power envelope.

Passmark results reinforce the same picture. The multithread score is 28448, and the single-thread score is 4361. Data compression scores 276729, data encryption scores 21757, and extended instructions scores 21159. Floating-point math comes in at 90304, integer math at 71248, physics at 2027, random string sorting at 33467, and find prime numbers at 244. The gap between multithread and single-thread Passmark scores — 28448 versus 4361 — is a ratio of roughly 6.5:1, which is what you would expect from a 14-core part without simultaneous multithreading.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 235H is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700HX, which averages 34960. It trails the Intel Core i5-13600T by 0.5% (average 35256), the Intel Core i9-12900HX by 0.6% (average 35289), and the Intel Core i5-14400 by 0.8% (average 35336). These deltas are tiny — well within run-to-run variance for most benchmarks — so the practical takeaway is that the 235H trades blows with all four rivals, and the ranking among them is effectively a statistical tie. The consistency of the Cinebench multicore ratios across R15, R20, and R23 — each hovering around 7.1:1 against the single-core result — indicates predictable scaling with thread count and no severe throttling as the workload extends.

Power and Thermals

The 235H is rated at a 28 W TDP. That is a low-power mobile class, typical of ultrabooks and thin-and-light laptops rather than thick gaming machines. The 3 nm TSMC process node helps keep power draw in check while still allowing a 5.00 GHz boost clock. The combination of a 28 W envelope and a 3 nm process means a modest cooling solution should suffice — a thin heatpipe or a small vapor chamber paired with a single fan is likely adequate for sustained workloads.

Because the chip is soldered to the board via Intel BGA 2049, there is no aftermarket cooler upgrade path. The thermal solution is whatever the OEM integrates into the laptop chassis. That said, the 28 W TDP class means the chip will not demand exotic cooling, and the data shows it can sustain high multicore scores — the R23 multicore figure of 24180 is evidence that the thermal design holds up under load. The locked multiplier further reinforces the intended use case: this is a chip designed to run within its specified envelope, not to be pushed beyond it.

How It Compares

Intel Core i7-13700HX: The 235H edges out the 13700HX by 0.3% in average benchmark score (35063 versus 34960). The 13700HX is an older HX-series part, so the fact that a 28 W Ultra 5 can match or slightly exceed it speaks to the efficiency gains of the newer Arrow Lake architecture and the 3 nm process. In practice, the two chips will feel identical in most workloads, but the 235H achieves parity at a fraction of the power budget.

Intel Core i5-13600T: The 235H trails the 13600T by 0.5% (35063 versus 35256). The 13600T is a desktop part with a low TDP, so this comparison pits a mobile chip against a desktop chip with similar power limits. The 0.5% gap is negligible; the 235H holds its own against a desktop rival, which is a strong result for a mobile processor and suggests that the efficiency of the 3 nm node largely closes the gap between form factors.

Intel Core i9-12900HX: The 235H is 0.6% behind the 12900HX (35063 versus 35289). The 12900HX is a previous-generation flagship HX part with a much higher power budget, so the fact that the 235H comes within 0.6% of it — while using a fraction of the power — is a significant efficiency story. The 12900HX may edge ahead in raw throughput, but the 235H delivers comparable performance in a far thinner chassis.

Intel Core i5-14400: The 235H trails the 14400 by 0.8% (35063 versus 35336). The 14400 is a current desktop mid-range part, and again the mobile chip is within a single percentage point. This is the largest gap among the four rivals, but 0.8% is still within the noise for most real-world applications. The comparison demonstrates that the 235H can hang with desktop parts from the same era, which is a meaningful accomplishment for a 28 W mobile chip.

Who Should Consider It

The benchmark data points to a mobile chip that handles a broad range of workloads. The R23 multicore score of 24180 and the Passmark multithread score of 28448 indicate strong all-core performance for content creation tasks — video encoding, 3D rendering, and batch photo processing will all run comfortably. The single-core R23 score of 3413 and Passmark single-thread score of 4361 mean that everyday productivity, web browsing, and office applications will feel responsive.

For gaming, the integrated Arc Graphics