Core Ultra 5 228V vs Ryzen 5 6600U

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 228V

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Arc 130V, while Ryzen 5 6600U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,955 vs 16,992).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $295 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 6600U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Ryzen 5 6600U

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 17W, a 2W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 228V across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core Ultra 5 228V can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core Ultra 5 228V

2024

Ryzen 5 6600U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Arc 130V, while Ryzen 5 6600U needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 17W, a 2W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,955 vs 16,992).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $295 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 6600U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 228V across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core Ultra 5 228V can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 228V better than Ryzen 5 6600U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core Ultra 5 228V is ahead with a 5.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 6600U pulls ahead with 0.2% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 6600U also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 6600U is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, 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?

Core Ultra 5 228V is the smarter buy today. Core Ultra 5 228V is at an unclear MSRP at $295 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 5.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 6600U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.2% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (57.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Core Ultra 5 228V is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022). 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 228V Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 6600U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
1080p
low	180 FPS	167 FPS
medium	145 FPS	145 FPS
high	117 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	142 FPS
medium	117 FPS	121 FPS
high	95 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	83 FPS	79 FPS
medium	71 FPS	72 FPS
high	57 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 228V Open Ryzen 5 6600U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
1080p
low	212 FPS	353 FPS
medium	176 FPS	294 FPS
high	158 FPS	259 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	228 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	304 FPS
medium	154 FPS	258 FPS
high	142 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	202 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	226 FPS
medium	122 FPS	195 FPS
high	115 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	146 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 228V Open Ryzen 5 6600U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
1080p
low	424 FPS	425 FPS
medium	424 FPS	425 FPS
high	424 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	344 FPS
1440p
low	424 FPS	425 FPS
medium	424 FPS	400 FPS
high	424 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	301 FPS
4K
low	424 FPS	340 FPS
medium	384 FPS	284 FPS
high	343 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	193 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 228V Open Ryzen 5 6600U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
1080p
low	424 FPS	425 FPS
medium	424 FPS	425 FPS
high	424 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	425 FPS
1440p
low	424 FPS	425 FPS
medium	424 FPS	425 FPS
high	424 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	425 FPS
4K
low	424 FPS	425 FPS
medium	424 FPS	425 FPS
high	424 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	408 FPS	359 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 228V Open Ryzen 5 6600U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 228V and Ryzen 5 6600U

Core Ultra 5 228V

The Core Ultra 5 228V 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: 16,955 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 5 6600U

The Ryzen 5 6600U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 16,992 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 228V packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 6600U offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core Ultra 5 228V has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 228V versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 6600U — identical boost frequencies (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 228V uses the Lunar Lake (2024) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 5 6600U uses Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 228V scores 16,955 against the Ryzen 5 6600U's 16,992 — a 0.2% lead for the Ryzen 5 6600U. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 228V vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 6600U.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	2.9 GHz+38%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	2.5 MB (per core)+400%	512K (per core)
Process	3 nm-50%	6 nm
Architecture	Lunar Lake (2024)	Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022)
PassMark	16,955	16,992
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,932	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,585	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	10,053	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 228V uses the FCBGA2833 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 6600U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 228V	Ryzen 5 6600U
Socket	FCBGA2833	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR5X-8533	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	8	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Core Ultra 5 228V) / not specified (Ryzen 5 6600U). The Core Ultra 5 228V includes integrated graphics (Arc 130V), while the Ryzen 5 6600U requires a dedicated GPU.