Core Ultra 7 164U

The Core Ultra 7 164U is a 12-core / 14-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake-U (2023) architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process node. It reaches a maximum boost clock of 4.8 GHz from a base frequency of 1.1 GHz— higher boost clocks directly translate to better single-threaded performance and responsiveness in gaming. It carries 12 MB (total) of L3 cache, plus 2 MB (per core) of L2 cache and 112 kB (per core) of L1 cache per core. In the PassMark benchmark (a comprehensive multi-threaded test), it scores 12,625, placing it in the Budget performance tier as a Recent generation product. Geekbench 6 single-core (the most relevant metric for gaming FPS) records 2,131, while multi-core reaches 8,973. Cinebench R23 multi-core (measuring sustained rendering workload performance) scores 8,766.

The Core Ultra 7 164U fits into the FCBGA2551 socket and supports PCIe 5.0 with 12 total PCIe lanes for expansion cards and storage. It supports DDR5 memory at speeds up to LPDDR5x-6400 (faster RAM improves bandwidth-sensitive workloads), with a maximum capacity of 64 GB across 2 channels (dual-channel doubles bandwidth). Integrated graphics: Intel Arc — allows display output without a dedicated GPU, useful for troubleshooting and light tasks.

The Core Ultra 7 164U is primarily designed for Enthusiast. Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d — enables running virtual machines efficiently (important for development and server workloads). Its primary market competitor is the Ryzen 7 7840U.

The Core Ultra 7 164U has a rated TDP (Thermal Design Power) of + 12 MB — this indicates the amount of heat generated under sustained load and determines what cooling solution is needed. No stock cooler is included — you will need to purchase an aftermarket cooler separately. Recommended cooling: Tower 120mm.

It currently holds Rank #675 in the overall cost-benefit ranking — this ranking factors in performance-per-dollar relative to all available processors. Performance ranking position: #1163 out of all indexed processors.