Core i9-11900F vs Core Ultra 5 135H

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i9-11900F

2021

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,052 vs 22,116).
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 135H moves to FCBGA2049 and DDR5.

Core Ultra 5 135H

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2049 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i9-11900F

2021

Core Ultra 5 135H

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2049 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (22,052 vs 22,116).
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 135H moves to FCBGA2049 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 135H better than Core i9-11900F?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-11900F is ahead with a 2.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 135H pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 135H is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 18 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core Ultra 5 135H still looks like the safer overall buy. Core Ultra 5 135H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.3% better PassMark.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core Ultra 5 135H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2021), a healthier platform with FCBGA2049 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 14 cores / 18 threads instead of 8/16. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i9-11900F Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 5 135H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-11900F	Core Ultra 5 135H
1080p
low	286 FPS	193 FPS
medium	256 FPS	154 FPS
high	217 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	102 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	156 FPS
medium	189 FPS	122 FPS
high	155 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	86 FPS
medium	133 FPS	73 FPS
high	103 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i9-11900F Open Core Ultra 5 135H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-11900F	Core Ultra 5 135H
1080p
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	507 FPS	521 FPS
high	442 FPS	422 FPS
ultra	390 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	551 FPS	549 FPS
medium	473 FPS	457 FPS
high	407 FPS	379 FPS
ultra	346 FPS	324 FPS
4K
low	386 FPS	337 FPS
medium	328 FPS	283 FPS
high	309 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i9-11900F Open Core Ultra 5 135H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-11900F	Core Ultra 5 135H
1080p
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	551 FPS	553 FPS
high	551 FPS	553 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	553 FPS
1440p
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	551 FPS	553 FPS
high	504 FPS	553 FPS
ultra	433 FPS	494 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	548 FPS
medium	445 FPS	441 FPS
high	396 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	321 FPS

Open Core i9-11900F Open Core Ultra 5 135H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-11900F	Core Ultra 5 135H
1080p
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	551 FPS	553 FPS
high	551 FPS	553 FPS
ultra	551 FPS	553 FPS
1440p
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	551 FPS	553 FPS
high	551 FPS	553 FPS
ultra	551 FPS	553 FPS
4K
low	551 FPS	553 FPS
medium	551 FPS	524 FPS
high	503 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	435 FPS	413 FPS

Open Core i9-11900F Open Core Ultra 5 135H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-11900F and Core Ultra 5 135H

Core i9-11900F

The Core i9-11900F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 22,052 points. Launch price was $299.

Core Ultra 5 135H

The Core Ultra 5 135H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Meteor Lake-H (2023) architecture. It features 14 cores and 18 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2049. Thermal design power (TDP): + 18 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 22,116 points. Launch price was $342.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-11900F packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 135H offers 14 cores / 18 threads — the Core Ultra 5 135H has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-11900F versus 4.6 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 135H — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Core i9-11900F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i9-11900F uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 135H uses Meteor Lake-H (2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-11900F scores 22,052 against the Core Ultra 5 135H's 22,116 — a 0.3% lead for the Core Ultra 5 135H. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-11900F vs 18 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 135H.

Feature	Core i9-11900F	Core Ultra 5 135H
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	14 / 18+75%
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+11%	4.6 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+44%
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	18 MB (total)+13%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB (per core)+700%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Rocket Lake (2021)	Meteor Lake-H (2023)
PassMark	22,052	22,116

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-11900F uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core Ultra 5 135H uses FCBGA2049 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.