Xeon Gold 6226
VS
Core Ultra 5 125H

Xeon Gold 6226 vs Core Ultra 5 125H

Intel

Xeon Gold 6226

12 Cores24 Thrd125 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2019
VS
Intel

Core Ultra 5 125H

14 Cores18 Thrd0 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2023

Performance Spectrum - CPU

About PassMark

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

Technical Specifications

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

Intel

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.

Intel

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.

Processing Power

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

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

Memory & Platform

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

FeatureXeon Gold 6226Core Ultra 5 125H
Socket
LGA3647
FCBGA2049
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 5.0+67%