Core i9-10980HK vs Core Ultra 5 135U

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i9-10980HK

#187

Core Ultra 9 288V

MSRP: $600|Avg: $600

128%

#188

Core i7-10870H

MSRP: $417|Avg: N/A

127%

#202

Core i9-10980HK

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core Ultra 5 135U

#64

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

MSRP: $600|Avg: $600

106%

#73

Core i9-13950HX

MSRP: $590|Avg: $199

103%

#77

Core Ultra 5 135U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#82

Core i7-11700B

MSRP: $323|Avg: $311

99%

#83

Core i7-13700HX

MSRP: $485|Avg: N/A

98%

#86

Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

MSRP: $500|Avg: $500

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i9-10980HK delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core Ultra 5 135U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i9-10980HK	Core Ultra 5 135U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Comet Lake-H (2020) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Meteor Lake-P (2023) / 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core i9-10980HK	Core Ultra 5 135U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

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 i9-10980HK Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 5 135U Benchmark Check

League of Legends

No prediction data available

League of Legends

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-10980HK and Core Ultra 5 135U

Core i9-10980HK

The Core i9-10980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,037 points. Launch price was $583.

Core Ultra 5 135U

The Core Ultra 5 135U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Meteor Lake-P (2023) architecture. It features 12 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2049. Thermal design power (TDP): + 12 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 16,900 points. Launch price was $332.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-10980HK packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 135U offers 12 cores / 14 threads — the Core Ultra 5 135U has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10980HK versus 4.4 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 135U — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980HK (base: 2.4 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Core i9-10980HK uses the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 135U uses Meteor Lake-P (2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-10980HK scores 17,037 against the Core Ultra 5 135U's 16,900 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i9-10980HK. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-10980HK vs 12 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 135U.

Feature	Core i9-10980HK	Core Ultra 5 135U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	12 / 14+50%
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+16%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz+50%	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+33%	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+700%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Comet Lake-H (2020)	Meteor Lake-P (2023)
PassMark	17,037	16,900
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,315
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,948
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-10980HK uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 5 135U uses FCBGA2049 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-10980HK	Core Ultra 5 135U
Socket	BGA1440	FCBGA2049
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	—	96 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-10980HK) / Yes (Core Ultra 5 135U). The Core Ultra 5 135U includes integrated graphics (Intel Arc Graphics), while the Core i9-10980HK requires a dedicated GPU.