PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-13700K

2022

Why buy it

✅+9% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $41 less on MSRP ($409 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (2,846 vs 2,990).
❌127.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 55W.

Core Ultra 7 265HX

2025

Why buy it

✅+5.1% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅Draws 55W instead of 125W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (17,417 vs 18,980).
❌
10% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$409 MSRP

Core i7-13700K

2022

Core Ultra 7 265HX

2025

Why buy it

✅+9% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $41 less on MSRP ($409 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+5.1% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅Draws 55W instead of 125W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (2,846 vs 2,990).
❌127.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (17,417 vs 18,980).
❌
10% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$409 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 7 265HX better than Core i7-13700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core Ultra 7 265HX is ahead with a 2.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-13700K pulls ahead with 9% better Geekbench multi-core.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-13700K is the better fit. You are getting 9% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core Ultra 7 265HX is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i7-13700K makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Core Ultra 7 265HX is 10.0% more expensive on MSRP at $450 MSRP versus $409 MSRP, and it gives you a 2.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i7-13700K is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 9% better Geekbench multi-core. Core i7-13700K is also 2.9% better value on MSRP (111.9 vs 108.8 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core Ultra 7 265HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022). That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-13700K Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 7 265HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
1080p
low	284 FPS	280 FPS
medium	268 FPS	273 FPS
high	223 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	192 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	226 FPS
medium	200 FPS	194 FPS
high	159 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	151 FPS
medium	134 FPS	129 FPS
high	103 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Core Ultra 7 265HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
1080p
low	689 FPS	696 FPS
medium	580 FPS	595 FPS
high	484 FPS	499 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	450 FPS
1440p
low	595 FPS	607 FPS
medium	525 FPS	540 FPS
high	441 FPS	453 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	385 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	357 FPS
medium	314 FPS	325 FPS
high	295 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	261 FPS	266 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Core Ultra 7 265HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
1080p
low	648 FPS	839 FPS
medium	530 FPS	685 FPS
high	467 FPS	610 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	522 FPS
1440p
low	591 FPS	727 FPS
medium	491 FPS	596 FPS
high	427 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	371 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	515 FPS
medium	374 FPS	434 FPS
high	339 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	336 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Core Ultra 7 265HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
1080p
low	970 FPS	998 FPS
medium	883 FPS	903 FPS
high	766 FPS	784 FPS
ultra	689 FPS	712 FPS
1440p
low	829 FPS	817 FPS
medium	740 FPS	726 FPS
high	642 FPS	628 FPS
ultra	566 FPS	558 FPS
4K
low	567 FPS	557 FPS
medium	515 FPS	503 FPS
high	463 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	398 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Core Ultra 7 265HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-13700K and Core Ultra 7 265HX

Core i7-13700K

The Core i7-13700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 45,784 points. Launch price was $409.

Core Ultra 7 265HX

The Core Ultra 7 265HX is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2025-01-01. It is based on the Arrow Lake-HX (2025) architecture. It features 20 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 3 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2114. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 48,975 points. Launch price was $500.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-13700K packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Core Ultra 7 265HX offers 20 cores / 20 threads — the Core Ultra 7 265HX has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Core i7-13700K versus 5.3 GHz on the Core Ultra 7 265HX — a 1.9% clock advantage for the Core i7-13700K (base: 3.4 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i7-13700K uses the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 7 265HX uses Arrow Lake-HX (2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-13700K scores 45,784 against the Core Ultra 7 265HX's 48,975 — a 6.7% lead for the Core Ultra 7 265HX. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,846 vs 2,990, a 4.9% lead for the Core Ultra 7 265HX that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 18,980 vs 17,417 (8.6% advantage for the Core i7-13700K). Both processors carry 30 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
Cores / Threads	16 / 24	20 / 20+25%
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+2%	5.3 GHz
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+31%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)	30 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	3 MB (per core)+50%
Process	Intel 7 nm	3 nm-57%
Architecture	Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022)	Arrow Lake-HX (2025)
PassMark	45,784	48,975+7%
Cinebench R23 Multi	31,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,846	2,990+5%
Geekbench 6 Multi	18,980+9%	17,417

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-13700K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core Ultra 7 265HX uses FCBGA2114 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. Both support up to 192 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Intel Z790,Intel H770,Intel B760,Intel Z690,Intel H670,Intel B660,Intel H610 (Core i7-13700K) and WM880,HM870 (Core Ultra 7 265HX).

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
Socket	LGA1700	FCBGA2114
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	DDR5-6400
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	192 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Core Ultra 7 265HX supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: true (Core i7-13700K) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core Ultra 7 265HX). Both include integrated graphics — Intel UHD Graphics 770 (Core i7-13700K) and Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU (Core Ultra 7 265HX) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Core i7-13700K rivals Ryzen 9 7900X.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Core Ultra 7 265HX
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 770	Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	true	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-13700K launched at $409 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 7 265HX debuted at $450. On MSRP ($409 vs $450), the Core i7-13700K is $41 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-13700K delivers 111.9 pts/$ vs 108.8 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 7 265HX — making the Core i7-13700K the 2.8% better value option.