i7-5960X vs Ultra 7 255H

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Aggregate performance score

Core Ultra 7 255H
2025, $514
16 cores / 16 threads, 26 Watt
17.51
+131%
Core i7-5960X
2014, $999
8 cores / 16 threads, 140 Watt
7.59

Core Ultra 7 255H outperforms Core i7-5960X by a whopping 131% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking4121108
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation30.300.89
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
Seriesno dataCore i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiencyno data5.81
DesignerIntelIntel
Manufacturerno dataIntel
Architecture codenameArrow Lake-H (2025)Haswell-E (2014)
Release date1 January 2025 (less than a year ago)1 September 2014 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$514$999

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ultra 7 255H has 3304% better value for money than i7-5960X.

Performance to price scatter graph

Detailed specifications

Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)8 (Octa-Core)
Performance-cores6no data
Efficient-cores8no data
Low Power Efficient-cores2no data
Threads1616
Base clock speed4.4 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed5.1 GHz3.5 GHz
Bus rateno data0 GT/s
L1 cacheno data64K (per core)
L2 cacheno data256K (per core)
L3 cache24 MB20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography5 nm22 nm
Die sizeno data356 mm2
Maximum core temperature110 °C67 °C
Number of transistorsno data2,600 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibilityno data-
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configurationno data1
SocketFCBGA2049FCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)26 MB + 24 MB140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shift+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
TSX-+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring++
Smart Responseno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data
Deep Learning Boost+-
Supported AI Software FrameworksOpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN-

Security technologies

Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Identity Protection-+
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR5-6400DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GB64 GB
Max memory channels24
Maximum memory bandwidthno data68 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel® Arc™ 140T GPUno data
Quick Sync Video+-
Graphics max frequency2.25 GHzno data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported4no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS)7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 FRL)no data
Max resolution over eDP3840 x 2400 @ 120Hzno data
Max resolution over DisplayPort7680 x 4320 @ 60Hzno data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12.2no data
OpenGL4.6no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core Ultra 7 255H and Core i7-5960X.

PCIe version5.0 and 4.03.0
PCI Express lanes2840

Synthetic benchmarks

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating.

Ultra 7 255H 17.51
+131%
i7-5960X 7.59

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.

Ultra 7 255H 30873
+131%
Samples: 716
i7-5960X 13382
Samples: 1353

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Ultra 7 255H 2539
+94.7%
i7-5960X 1304

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Ultra 7 255H 13541
+82.3%
i7-5960X 7428

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Ultra 7 255H 11500
+121%
i7-5960X 5193

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Ultra 7 255H 65269
+92.4%
i7-5960X 33929

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Ultra 7 255H 3.64
+16.8%
i7-5960X 4.25

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

Ultra 7 255H 2796
+102%
i7-5960X 1387

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

Ultra 7 255H 309
+122%
i7-5960X 139

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Ultra 7 255H 8.3
+1.2%
i7-5960X 8.2

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Ultra 7 255H 155
+88%
i7-5960X 82

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Ultra 7 255H 355
+85.6%
i7-5960X 191

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 17.51 7.59
Recency 1 January 2025 1 September 2014
Physical cores 16 8
Chip lithography 5 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 26 Watt 140 Watt

Ultra 7 255H has a 130.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, 100% more physical cores, a 340% more advanced lithography process, and 438.5% lower power consumption.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core i7-5960X in performance tests.

Be aware that Core Ultra 7 255H is a notebook processor while Core i7-5960X is a desktop one.

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Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Core Ultra 7 255H
Intel Core i7-5960X
Core i7-5960X

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Community ratings

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