Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more
Intel Core 5 220U vs Intel Core Ultra 5 225U: Comparison
Core 5 220U vs Core Ultra 5 225U: the total cores difference
Expect a near tie. The closest thing to a difference is total cores, Core 5 220U 10 against Core Ultra 5 225U 12. They differ on product line too, Core 5 on the Core 5 220U versus Core Ultra 5 on the Core Ultra 5 225U. Microarchitecture is not the same on both, Raptor Lake on the Core 5 220U versus Arrow Lake on the Core Ultra 5 225U.
Which should you buy, Core 5 220U or Core Ultra 5 225U?
The Core 5 220U suits budget student and office laptops and browsing, documents, video calls and streaming, though it is the wrong buy for heavy video editing, rendering or large code builds and gaming beyond older or light titles at low settings. It is the wrong buy for copilot+ PC and on-device AI features, since it has no NPU. The Core Ultra 5 225U is the one to take for affordable business and student thin-and-light laptops and office work, browsing, video calls and streaming, though it is not the pick for gaming beyond older or light titles at low settings and copilot+ PC AI features, which need a 40+ TOPS NPU. It is not the one for heavy video rendering or code compiling, where H-series chips finish sooner.
What Core 5 220U and Core Ultra 5 225U have in common
Where they agree, they agree completely, performance cores, e-core boost clock, tdp, l3 cache and integrated graphics included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 15 further specifications as well.
Do the Core 5 220U and Core Ultra 5 225U differ on efficiency cores?
Yes. Efficiency Cores reads 8 on the Core 5 220U versus 10 on the Core Ultra 5 225U.
Is the Form Factor the same on the Core 5 220U and Core Ultra 5 225U?
It is. Both are listed at Laptop, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Intel
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Intel
Product Line
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Core 5
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Core Ultra 5
Form Factor
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Laptop
Model Number
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 220U
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 225U
Codename
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Raptor Lake
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Arrow Lake
Release Year
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 2025
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 2025
TDP
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 15 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 15 W
iGPU
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Intel Graphics
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Intel Graphics
Market Segment
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Raptor Lake
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Arrow Lake
Socket
- Intel Core 5 220U
- FCBGA1744
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- FCBGA2049
Process Node
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 7 nm
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 3 nm
Total Cores
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 10
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 12Best
Performance Cores
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 2
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 2
Efficiency Cores
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 8
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 10Best
Total Threads
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 12
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 14Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Yes
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 1.4 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 1.5 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 5.0 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 4.8 GHz
E-Core Base Clock
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 0.9 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 1.3 GHz
E-Core Boost Clock
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 3.8 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 3.8 GHz
Unlocked Multiplier
- Intel Core 5 220U
- No
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- No
L3 Cache
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 12 MB
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 12 MB
Base Power
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 15 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 15 W
Max Turbo Power
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 55 W
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 57 W
Max Operating Temp
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 100 C
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 110 C
Memory Type
- Intel Core 5 220U
- DDR5 up to 5200 MT/s, DDR4 up to 3200 MT/s, LPDDR5/x up to 6400 MT/s, LPDDR4x up to 4267 MT/s
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- LPDDR5/x up to 8400 MT/s, DDR5 up to 6400 MT/s
Max Memory Speed
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 6400 MT/s
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 8400 MT/sBest
Memory Channels
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 2
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 2
Max Memory Capacity
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 96 GB
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 128 GBBest
ECC Support
- Intel Core 5 220U
- No
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- No
Integrated Graphics
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Yes
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Yes
iGPU Model
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Intel Graphics
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Intel Graphics
NPU Peak TOPS
- Intel Core 5 220U
- None
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 12 TOPS (Intel AI Boost)
Copilot Plus Certified
- Intel Core 5 220U
- No
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- No
PCIe Generation
- Intel Core 5 220U
- PCIe 4.0
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- PCIe 4.0
PCIe Lanes
- Intel Core 5 220U
- 20
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- 20
Retail Availability
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Soldered Only
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Soldered Only
Thunderbolt
- Intel Core 5 220U
- Thunderbolt 4
- Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
- Thunderbolt 4
Which one should you pick?
Choose 220U if you want the higher L3 cache (12 MB vs 12 MB), the higher memory channels (2 vs 2) and the higher PCIe lanes (20 vs 20).
Choose 225U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.