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Intel Core Ultra 7 256V vs Intel Core Ultra 7 265U: Comparison
Core Ultra 7 256V vs Core Ultra 7 265U total cores compared
Expect a near tie. The closest thing to a difference is total cores, Core Ultra 7 256V 8 against Core Ultra 7 265U 12. They differ on tdp too, 17 W on the Core Ultra 7 256V versus 15 W on the Core Ultra 7 265U. There is a split on socket as well, FCBGA2833 on the Core Ultra 7 256V versus FCBGA2049 on the Core Ultra 7 265U. There is a split on release year as well, 2024 on the Core Ultra 7 256V versus 2025 on the Core Ultra 7 265U.
Who each one is for
The Core Ultra 7 256V is the one to take for Ultra-thin and light laptops and all-day battery life, though it is not built for heavy sustained multi-core workloads and gaming laptops. The Core Ultra 7 265U suits premium business thin-and-light laptops and fast, responsive office work, browsing and video calls, 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. Avoid it for heavy video rendering or code compiling, where H-series chips finish sooner. Our rating of the Core Ultra 7 256V (9/10): the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V is a non-vPro Lunar Lake chip for consumer ultra-thin laptops wanting more headroom than the Core Ultra 5 tier.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. L3 cache, integrated graphics, form factor and market segment read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Do the Core Ultra 7 256V and Core Ultra 7 265U differ on performance cores?
Yes. Performance Cores reads 4 on the Core Ultra 7 256V versus 2 on the Core Ultra 7 265U.
Specs and benchmarks
Form Factor
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Laptop
Codename
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Lunar Lake
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Arrow Lake
Release Year
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 2024
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 2025
TDP
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 17 W
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 15 W
iGPU
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Intel Arc 140V GPU
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Intel Graphics
Market Segment
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Laptop
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Laptop
Microarchitecture
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Lunar Lake
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
Socket
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- FCBGA2833
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- FCBGA2049
Process Node
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 3 nm
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 3 nm
Total Cores
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 8
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 12Best
Performance Cores
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 4Best
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 2
Efficiency Cores
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 4
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 10Best
Total Threads
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 8
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 14Best
SMT Enabled
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- No
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 2.2 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 2.1 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 4.8 GHz
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 5.3 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 12 MB
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 12 MB
Base Power
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 17 W
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 15 W
Max Turbo Power
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 37 W
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 57 W
Memory Type
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- LPDDR5X
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- LPDDR5/x up to 8400 MT/s, DDR5 up to 6400 MT/s
Integrated Graphics
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- Yes
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- Yes
NPU Peak TOPS
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
- 45 TOPS (NPU 4)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
- 12 TOPS (Intel AI Boost)
Which one should you pick?
Choose 256V if you want the higher L3 cache (12 MB vs 12 MB).
Choose 265U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Verdict
Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
9 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V is a non-vPro Lunar Lake chip for consumer ultra-thin laptops wanting more headroom than the Core Ultra 5 tier.