Intel Core Ultra 7 vs i7: Which One Is Best For You 2024
The Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Core i7 are popular processors marketed for very different users. Understanding how these two CPUs are different can help a future buyer – whether for consumer use, professional use, or gaming – make sense when buying a new desktop, mini PC, or laptop. The Intel Core Ultra 7 is equipped with many new state-of-the-art features, including specialized purpose-built functions like AI processing units and cutting-edge graphics solutions, which makes it a processor optimized for higher usage and creative use case scenarios. The Intel Core i7 has been the dependable workhorse of computing as a general performance factor in computing for consumers on the go and professionals for many years. The Core i7 has served as a mainstream performance processor to achieve a balanced performance experience for general computing purposes. In this section, we plan to investigate further into the formally differing line of processors highlighting their respective performance potential, technology potential, and value potential. Comparing how the Intel Core Ultra 7 differs from the Intel Core i7 hereafter, will help learn if one processor would be the right choice based on personal computing need requirements and budget. Comparison of Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Core i7 Feature/Specification Intel Core Ultra 155H (Series 1) Intel Core Ultra 268V (Series 2) Intel Core i7-1185G7 Total Cores 16 8 4 Performance Cores 8 4 2 Efficient Cores 8 4 2 Max Turbo Frequency 4.8 GHz 5 GHz 4.8 GHz Base Frequency 1.4 GHz (Performance-core) 2.2 GHz (Performance-core) 3.0 GHz L3 Cache 24 MB 12 MB 12 MB Integrated Graphics Intel® Arc™ Graphics Intel® Arc™ Graphics 140V Intel Iris Xe Graphics Max GPU Frequency 2.25 GHz 2 GHz 1.35 GHz AI Capabilities Intel® AI Boost Intel® AI Boost None Memory Support Up to LPDDR5/x 7467 MT/s LPDDR5X up to 8533 MT/s LPDDR4x-4266 Max Memory Size 96 GB 32 GB 64 GB PCIe Lanes 28 8 4 Thermal Design Power (TDP) 28 W – 115 W 17 W – 37 W 12 W – 28 W Technologies Supported Intel® Deep Learning Boost, Intel® Thread Director, Intel® Deep Learning Boost, Intel® Turbo Boost, Intel® Intel® Gaussian & Neural Accelerator 3.5 Intel® Thread Director Hyper-Threading Performance Capabilities The Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Core i7 series represent varying performance tiers within Intel’s wide range of processors. The i7 has always been known for its strong performance in mainstream computing, and it includes capabilities for multitasking and energy efficiency, which makes this processor a go-to for general users and enthusiasts who want performance and affordability when not configuring an extreme build. The Core Ultra 7 is designed for greater performance demands, where the increased computing performance and AI capabilities stand out in tasks related to data, running AI, and high-performing gaming. In terms of benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 generally outperforms the i7 series in multi-threaded workloads, since its core and thread counts are much higher. When you look at CPU benchmarks related to video encoding or rendering 3D,