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Intel Core 5 120U vs Intel Core Ultra 5 125U: Comparison
Core 5 120U vs Core Ultra 5 125U: the total cores difference
These two are close on paper, and total cores is the only measure that separates them at all: Core 5 120U 10 against Core Ultra 5 125U 12. Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core) backs the spec sheet up. Core Ultra 5 125U scores 516 to 424, 18% clear.
Core 5 120U vs Core Ultra 5 125U: which one fits your build
The Core 5 120U is the one to take for affordable everyday and business thin-and-light laptops and office work, browsing, video calls and streaming, though it is the wrong buy for gaming beyond older or light titles at low settings and AI features that need an NPU, since it has none. The same goes for buyers who want a quick, simple laptop without paying for AI features. It is not the one for heavy video rendering or code compiling, where H-series chips finish sooner. Buy the Core Ultra 5 125U for everyday laptop computing and on-device AI features, though it is not the pick for gaming laptops and heavy sustained workloads. Our rating of the Core 5 120U (7.7/10): the Intel Core 5 120U prioritizes battery life and portability, fitting thin business and everyday laptops. Our rating of the Core Ultra 5 125U (7.9/10): the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is a efficiency-oriented Meteor Lake mobile chip, well suited to thin-and-light everyday laptops.
What Core 5 120U and Core Ultra 5 125U have in common
Where they agree, they agree completely, performance cores, tdp, l3 cache, integrated graphics and form factor included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 3 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Core 5 120U and Core Ultra 5 125U differ on efficiency cores?
Yes. Efficiency Cores reads 8 on the Core 5 120U versus 10 on the Core Ultra 5 125U.
Is the Market Segment the same on the Core 5 120U and Core Ultra 5 125U?
It is. Both are listed at Laptop, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Form Factor
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Laptop
Codename
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Raptor Lake
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Meteor Lake
Release Year
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 2024
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 2023
TDP
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 15 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 15 W
iGPU
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Intel Graphics
Market Segment
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Laptop
Socket
- Intel Core 5 120U
- BGA 1744
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- FCBGA2049
Process Node
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 7 nm
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 4 nm
Total Cores
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 10
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 12Best
Performance Cores
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 2
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 2
Efficiency Cores
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 8
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 10Best
Total Threads
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 12
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 14Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Yes
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 1.4 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 1.3 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 4.7 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 4.3 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 12 MB
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 12 MB
Base Power
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 15 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 15 W
Max Turbo Power
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 55 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 57 W
Memory Type
- Intel Core 5 120U
- DDR5, DDR4, LPDDR5, LPDDR5x, LPDDR4x
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- DDR5, LPDDR5/X
Integrated Graphics
- Intel Core 5 120U
- Yes
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- Yes
Benchmarks
- General CPU
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
- Intel Core 5 120U
- 424-18%
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
- 516Best
Renders a 3D scene on every core. Shows speed in rendering and other heavy work.
Which one should you pick?
Choose 120U if you want the higher L3 cache (12 MB vs 12 MB).
Choose 125U if you want the higher cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core) (516 vs 424).
Verdict
Intel Core 5 120U
7.7 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core 5 120U prioritizes battery life and portability, fitting thin business and everyday laptops.
Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
7.9 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U is a efficiency-oriented Meteor Lake mobile chip, well suited to thin-and-light everyday laptops.