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 Ultra 5 225H

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 20W instead of 35W, a 15W reduction.
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (14,526 vs 17,200).

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌75% higher power demand at 35W vs 20W.

Core Ultra 5 225H

2025

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅Draws 20W instead of 35W, a 15W reduction.
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (14,526 vs 17,200).

Trade-offs

❌75% higher power demand at 35W vs 20W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7940H better than Core Ultra 5 225H?

Yes. Ryzen 9 7940H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 7.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 18.4% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 1.2% higher PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 9 7940H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 7.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 7940H is the better fit. You are getting 18.4% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 7940H still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 9 7940H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 7.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Core Ultra 5 225H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2023). 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 Ultra 5 225H Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 7940H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	299 FPS	268 FPS
medium	262 FPS	241 FPS
high	218 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	245 FPS	234 FPS
medium	193 FPS	191 FPS
high	157 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	168 FPS	160 FPS
medium	134 FPS	132 FPS
high	104 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225H Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	685 FPS	502 FPS
medium	543 FPS	417 FPS
high	432 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	319 FPS
1440p
low	566 FPS	439 FPS
medium	471 FPS	385 FPS
high	385 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	282 FPS
4K
low	349 FPS	291 FPS
medium	293 FPS	267 FPS
high	267 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	233 FPS	216 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225H Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	720 FPS	729 FPS
medium	720 FPS	729 FPS
high	720 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	653 FPS	650 FPS
1440p
low	720 FPS	729 FPS
medium	720 FPS	637 FPS
high	624 FPS	548 FPS
ultra	537 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	628 FPS	534 FPS
medium	519 FPS	460 FPS
high	458 FPS	409 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	344 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225H Open Ryzen 9 7940H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	720 FPS	729 FPS
medium	720 FPS	729 FPS
high	720 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	720 FPS	729 FPS
1440p
low	720 FPS	729 FPS
medium	720 FPS	729 FPS
high	677 FPS	716 FPS
ultra	579 FPS	631 FPS
4K
low	604 FPS	619 FPS
medium	538 FPS	553 FPS
high	486 FPS	496 FPS
ultra	423 FPS	434 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225H Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 225H and Ryzen 9 7940H

Core Ultra 5 225H

The Core Ultra 5 225H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Arrow Lake-H (2025) architecture. It features 14 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 4.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB. Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2049. Thermal design power (TDP): 20 MB + 18 MB. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 28,802 points. Launch price was $385.

Ryzen 9 7940H

The Ryzen 9 7940H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 29,151 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 225H packs 14 cores / 14 threads, while the Ryzen 9 7940H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225H has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225H versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7940H — a 5.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940H (base: 4.3 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 225H uses the Arrow Lake-H (2025) architecture (5 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses Phoenix (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 225H scores 28,802 against the Ryzen 9 7940H's 29,151 — a 1.2% lead for the Ryzen 9 7940H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 14,526 vs 17,200 (16.9% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,678 vs 2,646, a 1.2% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 12,337 vs 13,495 (9% advantage for the Ryzen 9 7940H). L3 cache: 18 MB on the Core Ultra 5 225H vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7940H.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
Cores / Threads	14 / 14+75%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.2 GHz+6%
Base Clock	4.3 GHz+7%	4 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB+13%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	1 MB (per core)
Process	5 nm	4 nm-20%
Architecture	Arrow Lake-H (2025)	Phoenix (2023−2024)
PassMark	28,802	29,151+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	14,526	17,200+18%
Geekbench 6 Single	2,678+1%	2,646
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,337	13,495+9%

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Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 225H uses the FCBGA2049 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. The Ryzen 9 7940H supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Core Ultra 5 225H) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 7940H) — the Core Ultra 5 225H offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: WM880,HM870 (Core Ultra 5 225H) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 7940H).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
Socket	FCBGA2049	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	28+40%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Ryzen 9 7940H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core Ultra 5 225H) vs AMD-V, SVM (Ryzen 9 7940H). Both include integrated graphics — Intel Arc 130T GPU (Core Ultra 5 225H) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 7940H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 5 225H targets Professional Content Creation Laptop, Ryzen 9 7940H targets High-performance Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 225H rivals Ryzen 7 9800H; Ryzen 9 7940H rivals Core i9-13900H.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225H	Ryzen 9 7940H
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel Arc 130T GPU	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V, SVM
Target Use	Professional Content Creation Laptop	High-performance Gaming Laptop