Core i9-7900X vs Core Ultra 5 125H

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 i9-7900X

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 125H across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (14 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $999 MSRP, while Core Ultra 5 125H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 125H moves to FCBGA2049 and DDR5.

Core Ultra 5 125H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.9% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2049 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,754 vs 20,907).

Core i9-7900X

2017

Core Ultra 5 125H

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +30.9% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).
✅Newer platform on FCBGA2049 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 125H across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (14 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $999 MSRP, while Core Ultra 5 125H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 125H moves to FCBGA2049 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,754 vs 20,907).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-7900X better than Core Ultra 5 125H?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core Ultra 5 125H is ahead with a 30.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-7900X pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark. Core Ultra 5 125H also has the bigger cache pool with 28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-7900X is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads.

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

Core i9-7900X is the smarter buy today. Core i9-7900X is at an unclear MSRP at $999 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core Ultra 5 125H is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 30.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (20.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Core Ultra 5 125H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2017), a healthier platform with FCBGA2049 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, and 28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB). 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 i9-7900X Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 5 125H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
1080p
low	178 FPS	192 FPS
medium	142 FPS	153 FPS
high	114 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	155 FPS
medium	117 FPS	121 FPS
high	94 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	82 FPS	86 FPS
medium	69 FPS	73 FPS
high	55 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i9-7900X Open Core Ultra 5 125H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
1080p
low	332 FPS	519 FPS
medium	277 FPS	517 FPS
high	250 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	222 FPS	375 FPS
1440p
low	297 FPS	519 FPS
medium	253 FPS	453 FPS
high	230 FPS	376 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	321 FPS
4K
low	234 FPS	335 FPS
medium	203 FPS	281 FPS
high	189 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	224 FPS

Open Core i9-7900X Open Core Ultra 5 125H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
1080p
low	523 FPS	519 FPS
medium	523 FPS	519 FPS
high	523 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	461 FPS	519 FPS
1440p
low	523 FPS	519 FPS
medium	478 FPS	519 FPS
high	429 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	372 FPS	494 FPS
4K
low	429 FPS	519 FPS
medium	345 FPS	441 FPS
high	310 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	321 FPS

Open Core i9-7900X Open Core Ultra 5 125H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
1080p
low	523 FPS	519 FPS
medium	523 FPS	519 FPS
high	523 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	523 FPS	519 FPS
1440p
low	523 FPS	519 FPS
medium	523 FPS	519 FPS
high	523 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	523 FPS	519 FPS
4K
low	523 FPS	519 FPS
medium	523 FPS	519 FPS
high	484 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	423 FPS	413 FPS

Open Core i9-7900X Open Core Ultra 5 125H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-7900X and Core Ultra 5 125H

Core i9-7900X

The Core i9-7900X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 14 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,907 points. Launch price was $999.

Core Ultra 5 125H

The Core Ultra 5 125H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Meteor Lake-H (2023) architecture. It features 14 cores and 18 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2049. Thermal design power (TDP): + 18 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 20,754 points. Launch price was $375.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-7900X packs 10 cores / 20 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 125H offers 14 cores / 18 threads — the Core Ultra 5 125H has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i9-7900X versus 4.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 125H — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i9-7900X uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 125H uses Meteor Lake-H (2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-7900X scores 20,907 against the Core Ultra 5 125H's 20,754 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i9-7900X. L3 cache: 14 MB (total) on the Core i9-7900X vs 18 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 125H.

Feature	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
Cores / Threads	10 / 20	14 / 18+40%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	14 MB (total)	18 MB (total)+29%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Meteor Lake-H (2023)
PassMark	20,907	20,754
Geekbench 6 Single	1,323	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,536	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-7900X uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 5 125H uses FCBGA2049 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-7900X	Core Ultra 5 125H
Socket	LGA2011	FCBGA2049
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	4	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	44	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-7900X) / not specified (Core Ultra 5 125H). Primary use case: Core i9-7900X targets High-End Desktop.