Core Ultra 5 226V vs Ryzen 5 8540U

CPU

GPU

Core Ultra 5 226V

8 Cores8 Thrd17 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2024

Popular choices:

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Ryzen 5 8540U

6 Cores12 Thrd28 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2023

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core Ultra 5 226V

8 / 8

18,400

+0.2%

18,359

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

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 226V

2024

Why buy it

✅Draws 17W instead of 28W, a 11W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8540U across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (9,041 vs 9,823).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $300 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8540U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Ryzen 5 8540U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.4% higher average FPS across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅75% more PCIe lanes (14 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌64.7% higher power demand at 28W vs 17W.

Core Ultra 5 226V

2024

Ryzen 5 8540U

2023

Why buy it

✅Draws 17W instead of 28W, a 11W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.4% higher average FPS across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅75% more PCIe lanes (14 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8540U across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (9,041 vs 9,823).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $300 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8540U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌64.7% higher power demand at 28W vs 17W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 8540U better than Core Ultra 5 226V?

Yes. Ryzen 5 8540U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 15.4% average FPS lead across 34 shared CPU game tests in our data and 8.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 8540U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 15.4% more average FPS across 34 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 8540U is the better fit. You are getting 8.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 8540U is the smarter buy by a wide margin for any fresh desktop build. Ryzen 5 8540U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and it gives you a 15.4% average FPS lead across 34 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core Ultra 5 226V only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop CPU, not because it is a serious desktop gaming option. It simply cannot keep up with modern games, especially when the gap is already 15.4% in the shared gaming data.

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

Core Ultra 5 226V is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 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 226V Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 8540U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	180 FPS	265 FPS
medium	145 FPS	237 FPS
high	117 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	232 FPS
medium	117 FPS	187 FPS
high	95 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	83 FPS	163 FPS
medium	71 FPS	133 FPS
high	57 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 226V Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	212 FPS	434 FPS
medium	176 FPS	341 FPS
high	158 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	250 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	362 FPS
medium	154 FPS	297 FPS
high	142 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	219 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	272 FPS
medium	122 FPS	227 FPS
high	115 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 226V Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	460 FPS	459 FPS
high	460 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	460 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	460 FPS	459 FPS
high	460 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	445 FPS
4K
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	384 FPS	438 FPS
high	343 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	309 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 226V Open Ryzen 5 8540U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
1080p
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	460 FPS	459 FPS
high	460 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	460 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	460 FPS	459 FPS
high	460 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	460 FPS	459 FPS
4K
low	460 FPS	459 FPS
medium	460 FPS	459 FPS
high	460 FPS	434 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	370 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 226V Open Ryzen 5 8540U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 226V and Ryzen 5 8540U

Core Ultra 5 226V

The Core Ultra 5 226V is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 September 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Lunar Lake (2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 2.5 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2833. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,400 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 5 8540U

The Ryzen 5 8540U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,359 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 226V packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 8540U offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core Ultra 5 226V has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 226V versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8540U — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U (base: 2.1 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 226V uses the Lunar Lake (2024) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 5 8540U uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 226V scores 18,400 against the Ryzen 5 8540U's 18,359 — a 0.2% lead for the Core Ultra 5 226V. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 9,041 vs 9,823 (8.3% advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,962 vs 2,504, a 24.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 8540U that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,898 vs 9,280 (132.1% advantage for the Ryzen 5 8540U). L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 226V vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 8540U.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	4.9 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	3.2 GHz+52%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	2.5 MB (per core)+150%	1 MB (per core)
Process	3 nm-25%	4 nm
Architecture	Lunar Lake (2024)	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4 + Zen 4c) (2023−2025)
PassMark	18,400	18,359
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,041	9,823+9%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,962	2,504+28%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	9,280+389%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 226V uses the FCBGA2833 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 8540U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to LPDDR5X-8533 memory speed. The Ryzen 5 8540U supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Core Ultra 5 226V) vs 14 (Ryzen 5 8540U) — the Ryzen 5 8540U offers 6 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SoC (Core Ultra 5 226V) and SoC (Ryzen 5 8540U).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 226V	Ryzen 5 8540U
Socket	FCBGA2833	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR5X-8533	DDR5-5600, LPDDR5x-7500
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	256 GB+1500%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	8	14+75%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core Ultra 5 226V) vs AMD-V (SVM) (Ryzen 5 8540U). Both include integrated graphics — Arc 130V (Core Ultra 5 226V) and Radeon 740M (Ryzen 5 8540U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 8540U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 8540U rivals Core i5-1335U.