Core Ultra 5 225U vs Xeon E-2356G

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 225U

#27

Core Ultra 7 265HX

MSRP: $450|Avg: N/A

115%

#31

Ryzen 5 230

MSRP: $200|Avg: $190

106%

#35

Core Ultra 5 225U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#36

Core i5-11500B

MSRP: $185|Avg: $185

97%

#42

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

MSRP: $749|Avg: N/A

92%

#49

Core i9-12900HX

MSRP: $606|Avg: N/A

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E-2356G

#155

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX

MSRP: $799|Avg: $999

103%

#169

Xeon E-2356G

MSRP: $311|Avg: $544

100%

#171

Xeon W-2140B

MSRP: $294|Avg: $99

99%

#176

Xeon 6325P

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#178

Xeon Silver 4510

MSRP: $563|Avg: $563

98%

#179

Xeon W-3223

MSRP: $294|Avg: $294

97%

#182

EPYC Embedded 8224P

MSRP: $855|Avg: $1048

96%

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 ($544) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E-2356G is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core Ultra 5 225U	Xeon E-2356G
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($544)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Arrow Lake-U (2025) / 5 nm)	✨ Modern (Rocket Lake-E (2021) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core Ultra 5 225U ($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 ($544 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core Ultra 5 225U	Xeon E-2356G
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($544)

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 225U Benchmark Check

Xeon E-2356G Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 225U and Xeon E-2356G

Core Ultra 5 225U

The Core Ultra 5 225U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Arrow Lake-U (2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB. Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2049. Thermal design power (TDP): 14 MB + 12 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 18,434 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon E-2356G

The Xeon E-2356G is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Rocket Lake-E (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 18,459 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 225U packs 12 cores / 14 threads, while the Xeon E-2356G offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225U has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225U versus 5 GHz on the Xeon E-2356G — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Xeon E-2356G (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 225U uses the Arrow Lake-U (2025) architecture (5 nm), while the Xeon E-2356G uses Rocket Lake-E (2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 225U scores 18,434 against the Xeon E-2356G's 18,459 — a 0.1% lead for the Xeon E-2356G. L3 cache: 12 MB on the Core Ultra 5 225U vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon E-2356G.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225U	Xeon E-2356G
Cores / Threads	12 / 14+100%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz	5 GHz+4%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.2 GHz+33%
L3 Cache	12 MB	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	512K (per core)
Process	5 nm-64%	14 nm
Architecture	Arrow Lake-U (2025)	Rocket Lake-E (2021)
PassMark	18,434	18,459
Geekbench 6 Single	2,374	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	7,846	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 225U uses the FCBGA2049 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E-2356G uses LGA1200 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225U	Xeon E-2356G
Socket	FCBGA2049	LGA1200
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400 / LPDDR5x-8400	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x / VT-d / EPT (Core Ultra 5 225U) / not specified (Xeon E-2356G). The Core Ultra 5 225U includes integrated graphics (Intel Graphics (4 Xe Cores)), while the Xeon E-2356G requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 5 225U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 225U rivals Ryzen 5 8640U.