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 235H

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌150% higher power demand at 20W vs 8W.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Draws 8W instead of 20W, a 12W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 235H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,500 vs 17,607).

Core Ultra 5 235H

2025

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅40% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Draws 8W instead of 20W, a 12W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌150% higher power demand at 20W vs 8W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 235H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,500 vs 17,607).

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 235H better than Ryzen 9 8945H?

Yes. Core Ultra 5 235H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 3.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core Ultra 5 235H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 3.1% 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, Core Ultra 5 235H is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 14 cores and 14 threads.

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

Core Ultra 5 235H still looks like the safer overall buy. Core Ultra 5 235H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 3.1% 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 235H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2023) and more multi-core headroom with 14 cores / 14 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 Ultra 5 235H Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	299 FPS	269 FPS
medium	262 FPS	243 FPS
high	218 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	245 FPS	236 FPS
medium	193 FPS	193 FPS
high	157 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	168 FPS	164 FPS
medium	134 FPS	136 FPS
high	104 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 235H Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	746 FPS	513 FPS
medium	625 FPS	421 FPS
high	499 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	323 FPS
1440p
low	704 FPS	448 FPS
medium	566 FPS	388 FPS
high	453 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	379 FPS	285 FPS
4K
low	415 FPS	295 FPS
medium	339 FPS	267 FPS
high	311 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	268 FPS	217 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 235H Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	746 FPS	756 FPS
medium	746 FPS	756 FPS
high	746 FPS	647 FPS
ultra	653 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	756 FPS
medium	721 FPS	637 FPS
high	624 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	537 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	628 FPS	541 FPS
medium	519 FPS	473 FPS
high	458 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	383 FPS	355 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 235H Open Ryzen 9 8945H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	746 FPS	756 FPS
medium	746 FPS	756 FPS
high	746 FPS	756 FPS
ultra	741 FPS	754 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	756 FPS
medium	746 FPS	756 FPS
high	677 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	579 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	604 FPS	572 FPS
medium	538 FPS	511 FPS
high	486 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	423 FPS	394 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 235H Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 235H and Ryzen 9 8945H

Core Ultra 5 235H

The Core Ultra 5 235H 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 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 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: 29,820 points. Launch price was $354.

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (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. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

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Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 235H packs 14 cores / 14 threads, while the Ryzen 9 8945H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core Ultra 5 235H has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 235H versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H — a 3.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H (base: 4.4 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 235H uses the Arrow Lake-H (2025) architecture (5 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 235H scores 29,820 against the Ryzen 9 8945H's 30,240 — a 1.4% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 17,607 vs 17,500 (0.6% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 235H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,693 vs 2,617, a 2.9% lead for the Core Ultra 5 235H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 14,040 vs 12,662 (10.3% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 235H). L3 cache: 18 MB on the Core Ultra 5 235H vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
Cores / Threads	14 / 14+75%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz	5.2 GHz+4%
Base Clock	4.4 GHz+10%	4 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB+13%	16 MB
L2 Cache	—	8 MB
Process	5 nm	4 nm-20%
Architecture	Arrow Lake-H (2025)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	29,820	30,240+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,607	17,500
Geekbench 6 Single	2,693+3%	2,617
Geekbench 6 Multi	14,040+11%	12,662

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Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 235H uses the FCBGA2049 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses FP7/FP7r2/FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. The Ryzen 9 8945H supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 192 GB — 28.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Core Ultra 5 235H) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 8945H) — the Core Ultra 5 235H offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: WM880,HM870 (Core Ultra 5 235H) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
Socket	FCBGA2049	FP7/FP7r2/FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	256 GB+33%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	28+40%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core Ultra 5 235H has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 8945H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core Ultra 5 235H) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 8945H). Both include integrated graphics — Intel Arc 140T Graphics (Core Ultra 5 235H) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 8945H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 5 235H targets Thin-and-light Performance Laptop, Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 235H rivals Ryzen 7 9800H; Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 235H	Ryzen 9 8945H
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel Arc 140T Graphics	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Thin-and-light Performance Laptop	Gaming