At the pre-CES 2025 press conference, Intel officially launched its new Intel Core Ultra 200HX/H series mobile processors, alongside the desktop Core Ultra 200S series non-K processors. In this article, we’ll break down the new products, their specifications, and the performance experience they offer.
Intel Core Ultra 200H Series
The Core Ultra 200H series offers significant upgrades over its predecessor, the Core Ultra 100H series. The top-tier model features a 16-core CPU combined with an 8-core GPU, delivering a total CPU + GPU + NPU computing power of 99TOPS. It supports PCIe 5.0 and offers a TDP of 28W to 45W, making it ideal for high-performance thin and light laptops.
The series includes five models, from high to low: Core Ultra 9 285H, Core Ultra 7 265H, Core Ultra 7 255H, Core Ultra 5 235H, and Core Ultra 5 225H. The Core Ultra 9 and Core Ultra 7 models feature 16 cores and 16 threads (6 performance cores + 8 efficiency cores + 2 low-power cores), while the Core Ultra 5 models come with 14 cores and 14 threads.
For GPU, the Core Ultra 5 225H is equipped with a 7-core Ruixuan 130T, while the other models feature an 8-core Ruixuan 140T GPU with support for Intel’s latest XeSS2 supersampling technology. This enables excellent gaming performance, including the ability to run AAA games on ultra-thin laptops.
The processors feature turbo boost speeds ranging from 4.9GHz to 5.4GHz, with cache sizes of 18MB for Core Ultra 5 and 24MB for the other models. In performance benchmarks, the Core Ultra 9 285H outperforms the Ryzen AI 365 by 18% in single-thread performance (CINEBENCH 2024) and 10% (Geekbench), with multi-thread performance leading by 3% and 22%, respectively.
In creative productivity tasks, the Core Ultra 9 285H shows a 26% lead in Pugetbench AE and a 17% lead in Pugetbench PR. The AI performance is also impressive, with the Core Ultra 9 285H outperforming the Snapdragon X Elite and Ryzen AI 365 in AI image generation and deep learning tasks, aided by Intel’s OpenVINO.
Additionally, the Core Ultra 200H series improves energy efficiency, with the Core Ultra 9 285H offering a 21% better performance per watt compared to its predecessor, the Core Ultra 9 185H.
The GPU upgrades include a four-fold increase in AI throughput due to the expanded XMX matrix engine (128 units), a 2x increase in ray-tracing performance, and an 8MB L2 cache, doubling its capacity. In gaming, the GPU delivers 22% higher average frame rates in 1080p games compared to the Core Ultra 9 185H, and 58% higher than the Snapdragon X Elite.
Intel’s XeSS2 technology also enhances game frame rates, with the Ruixuan 140T GPU demonstrating a 2x improvement in frame rates when super-resolution is enabled.
Intel Core Ultra 200H Series Summary:
- Single-core performance: Up to 18% better than competitors
- Multi-core performance: Up to 22% improvement
- Productivity performance: Up to 26% improvement in some applications
- Gaming performance: 58% better than Snapdragon X Elite
- Performance per watt: 21% improvement over the previous generation
- More than 100 thin and light laptops will feature Core Ultra 200H processors in 2025.
Intel also introduced the AIBUILDER platform, which allows AI developers and OEM manufacturers to easily build custom AI assistants by selecting a large language model and configuring simple parameters, dramatically accelerating AI PC development.
Core Ultra 200HX: The First Mobile Processor with 150W+ Power Consumption
The Core Ultra 200HX series targets high-performance gaming laptops. These processors feature up to 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base TDP of 55W and the potential to push beyond 150W for intense gaming performance. Despite the higher power consumption, Intel has focused on maintaining excellent energy efficiency, providing a 50% improvement in performance per watt.
The series includes six models, featuring turbo speeds from 5.1GHz to 5.5GHz and an NPU computing power of 13TOPS. These processors are paired with first-generation Xe-LPG architecture core graphics, making them ideal for gaming laptops powered by Intel’s new RTX 50 series graphics cards.
Intel claims that compared to the Snapdragon X Elite, the Core Ultra 200HX offers up to 50% better performance per watt, with significant improvements in both single-core and multi-core performance. In SPEC tests, the Core Ultra 9 285HX outperforms the Ryzen 9 7945HX by 23% on average across 24 tests.
Core Ultra 200HX Series Features:
- Core count: Up to 24 cores and 24 threads
- Turbo acceleration: 5.1GHz to 5.5GHz
- NPU computing power: 13TOPS
- PCIe support: 48 channels
- Performance per watt: 50% improvement over previous models
- Energy efficiency: Excellent thermal management even at 150W power consumption
More than 40 gaming laptops featuring Core Ultra 200HX processors are expected to be released in Q1 2025, from brands like Acer, Lenovo, MSI, HP, and ROG.
Intel Core Ultra 200S Series: Desktop Non-K Processors and Improved BIOS
Intel also launched the Core Ultra 200S series of desktop processors, including the Core Ultra 9 285, Core Ultra 7 265, and Core Ultra 5 245 models. These 65W processors offer up to 24 cores and 24 threads and are complemented by the new B860 and H810 motherboards, starting at $99 and $129, respectively.
The new BIOS update (0x113) resolves performance issues on the Core Ultra 200S platform, improving gaming and productivity performance. In particular, games that support Intel’s APO (Adaptive Power Optimization) now show up to a 14% improvement in performance. The 0x114 microcode update, arriving in January 2025, will bring further improvements to application performance.
Intel 18A Process and Panther Lake
Lastly, Intel previewed its next-generation 18A process and the Panther Lake processors, set to debut in the second half of 2025. This upcoming platform is highly anticipated, with Intel expecting it to deliver groundbreaking performance.
In summary, Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series offers major advances in CPU, GPU, and AI performance, with improvements in gaming, productivity, and energy efficiency. The new processors will power a wide range of laptops and desktops in 2025, setting the stage for an exciting year of computing innovation.
Read Also: Intel Core Ultra 200U Series Launches for Thin and Light Laptops
