Core Ultra 5 125H vs Xeon Gold 6226

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 Ultra 5 125H

#102

Core i3-1220P

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

105%

#107

Core Ultra 5 228V

MSRP: $295|Avg: $295

104%

#111

Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $180

103%

#117

Core Ultra 5 125H

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#119

Ryzen 7 PRO 250

MSRP: $400|Avg: $380

98%

#120

Core i7-11850HE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $75

97%

#124

Core i5-1240P

MSRP: $309|Avg: $200

95%

#125

Core i7-13700H

MSRP: $502|Avg: N/A

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon Gold 6226

#115

Xeon W-1370

MSRP: $323|Avg: $323

103%

#119

Xeon 6505P

MSRP: $563|Avg: $563

102%

#125

Xeon Gold 6226

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#130

EPYC 9115

MSRP: $726|Avg: $726

97%

#131

EPYC 74F3

MSRP: $913|Avg: $824

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon Gold 6226 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core Ultra 5 125H	Xeon Gold 6226
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Meteor Lake-H (2023) / 7 nm)	✨ Modern (Cascade Lake (2019−2020) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core Ultra 5 125H ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core Ultra 5 125H	Xeon Gold 6226
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 Ultra 5 125H Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6226 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 125H and Xeon Gold 6226

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.

Xeon Gold 6226

The Xeon Gold 6226 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB. L2 cache: 12 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,619 points. Launch price was $1,776.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 125H packs 14 cores / 18 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6226 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Core Ultra 5 125H has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 125H versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6226 — a 19.5% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 5 125H (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 125H uses the Meteor Lake-H (2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6226 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 125H scores 20,754 against the Xeon Gold 6226's 20,619 — a 0.7% lead for the Core Ultra 5 125H. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 125H vs 19.25 MB on the Xeon Gold 6226.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 125H	Xeon Gold 6226
Cores / Threads	14 / 18+17%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+22%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+33%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	19.25 MB+7%
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	12 MB+500%
Process	7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Meteor Lake-H (2023)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	20,754	20,619

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 125H uses the FCBGA2049 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon Gold 6226 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.