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Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX vs Intel Core Ultra 9 285H: Comparison

Core Ultra 7 265HX vs Core Ultra 9 285H: the total cores difference

These two are close on paper, and total cores is the only measure that separates them at all: Core Ultra 7 265HX 20 against Core Ultra 9 285H 16. The benchmark result agrees. Geekbench 6 (Single-Core) puts Core Ultra 7 265HX 1% ahead, 2,963 against 2,940. Add l3 cache to that, 30 MB on the Core Ultra 7 265HX versus 24 MB on the Core Ultra 9 285H, and the pattern holds. There is a split on socket as well, FCBGA2114 on the Core Ultra 7 265HX versus FCBGA2049 on the Core Ultra 9 285H.

Who each one is for

The Core Ultra 7 265HX suits high-end gaming laptops and mobile content creation, though it is not the pick for thin-and-light laptops and battery-life-focused use. The Core Ultra 9 285H is the one to take for everyday laptop computing and on-device AI features, though it is not built for gaming laptops and heavy sustained workloads. Our rating of the Core Ultra 7 265HX (8.8/10): the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX brings desktop-class core counts to a mobile package, suited to high-end gaming and creator laptops that can handle the higher TDP. Our rating of the Core Ultra 9 285H (8.3/10): the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H is a performance-oriented Meteor Lake mobile chip, well suited to premium laptops.

What Core Ultra 7 265HX and Core Ultra 9 285H have in common

Where they agree, they agree completely, integrated graphics, form factor, release year, market segment and smt enabled included, so the decision does not turn on any of those.

Frequently asked questions

Do the Core Ultra 7 265HX and Core Ultra 9 285H differ on performance cores?

Yes. Performance Cores reads 8 on the Core Ultra 7 265HX versus 6 on the Core Ultra 9 285H.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Form Factor

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Laptop
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Laptop
  • Codename

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Arrow Lake
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Arrow Lake
  • Release Year

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    2025
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    2025
  • TDP

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    55 W
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    45 W
  • iGPU

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Intel Graphics
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Intel Arc 140T GPU
  • Market Segment

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Laptop
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Laptop
  • Microarchitecture

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Arrow Lake-HX
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Meteor Lake
  • Socket

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    FCBGA2114
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    FCBGA2049
  • Process Node

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    3 nm
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    3 nm
  • Total Cores

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    20Best
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    16
  • Performance Cores

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    8Best
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    6
  • Efficiency Cores

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    12Best
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    10
  • Total Threads

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    20Best
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    16
  • SMT Enabled

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    No
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    No
  • P-Core Base Clock

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    2.6 GHz
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    2.9 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    5.3 GHz
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    5.4 GHz
  • L3 Cache

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    30 MBBest
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    24 MB-20%
  • Base Power

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    55 W
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    45 W
  • Max Turbo Power

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    160 W
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    115 W
  • Memory Type

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    DDR5
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    LPDDR5/X, DDR5
  • Integrated Graphics

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    Yes
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    Yes
  • NPU Peak TOPS

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    13 TOPS (NPU 3)
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    11 TOPS (NPU 3)

Benchmarks

  • General CPU
  • Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

    Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX
    2,963Best
    Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
    2,940-1%

    The same everyday tasks on one core. Tracks how responsive the PC feels.

Which one should you pick?

Choose 265HX if you want the higher L3 cache (30 MB vs 24 MB) and the higher geekbench 6 (Single-Core) (2,963 vs 2,940).

Choose 285H if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

Verdict

Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX

8.8 / 10 Expert Rating

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX brings desktop-class core counts to a mobile package, suited to high-end gaming and creator laptops that can handle the higher TDP.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285H

8.3 / 10 Expert Rating

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H is a performance-oriented Meteor Lake mobile chip, well suited to premium laptops.

More comparisons in Processors (CPUs)