Core i9-9980XE vs Core Ultra 5 225H

The Core i9-9980XE packs 18 cores / 36 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 225H offers 14 cores / 14 threads — the Core i9-9980XE has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i9-9980XE versus 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225H — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225H (base: 3 GHz vs 4.3 GHz). The Core i9-9980XE uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 225H uses Arrow Lake-H (2025) (5 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9980XE scores 29,127 against the Core Ultra 5 225H's 28,802 — a 1.1% lead for the Core i9-9980XE. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 22,000 vs 14,526 (40.9% advantage for the Core i9-9980XE). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,459 vs 2,678, a 58.9% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 12,177 vs 12,337 (1.3% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225H). L3 cache: 24.75 MB (total) on the Core i9-9980XE vs 18 MB on the Core Ultra 5 225H.

The Core i9-9980XE uses the LGA2066 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 5 225H uses FCBGA2049 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i9-9980XE versus DDR5-6400 on the Core Ultra 5 225H — the Core Ultra 5 225H supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Memory channels: 4 (Core i9-9980XE) vs 2 (Core Ultra 5 225H). PCIe lanes: 44 (Core i9-9980XE) vs 28 (Core Ultra 5 225H) — the Core i9-9980XE offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X299 (Core i9-9980XE) and WM880,HM870 (Core Ultra 5 225H).

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Core i9-9980XE supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. The Core Ultra 5 225H includes integrated graphics (Intel Arc 130T GPU), while the Core i9-9980XE requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i9-9980XE targets HEDT / Workstation / Content Creation, Core Ultra 5 225H targets Professional Content Creation Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i9-9980XE rivals Ryzen Threadripper 2950X; Core Ultra 5 225H rivals Ryzen 7 9800H.