Core Ultra 7 255H vs Core i7-12850HX

The Core Ultra 7 255H packs 16 cores / 16 threads, matching the Core i7-12850HX's 16 cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core Ultra 7 255H versus 4.8 GHz on the Core i7-12850HX — a 6.1% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 7 255H (base: 4.4 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core Ultra 7 255H uses the Arrow Lake-H (2025) architecture (5 nm), while the Core i7-12850HX uses Alder Lake-HX (2022) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 7 255H scores 30,932 against the Core i7-12850HX's 30,596 — a 1.1% lead for the Core Ultra 7 255H. L3 cache: 24 MB on the Core Ultra 7 255H vs 25 MB (total) on the Core i7-12850HX.

The Core Ultra 7 255H uses the FCBGA2049 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i7-12850HX uses FCBGA1964 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 28 (Core Ultra 7 255H) vs 20 (Core i7-12850HX) — the Core Ultra 7 255H offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Only the Core i7-12850HX has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Core i7-12850HX supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — Intel Arc Graphics 140T (Core Ultra 7 255H) and UHD Graphics 770 (Core i7-12850HX) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 7 255H targets High-End Laptop, Core i7-12850HX targets Mobile Workstation.