Ultra 9 290HX Plus vs Xeon 6960P
Aggregate performance score
Xeon 6960P outperforms Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus by a whopping 118% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 16 | 151 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 6.28 | 26.16 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | TSMC |
| Architecture codename | Granite Rapids (2024−2026) | Arrow Lake-HX Refresh (2026) |
| Release date | 24 September 2024 (1 year ago) | 17 March 2026 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus: 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 cores | 72 (Doheptaconta-Core) | 24 (Tetracosa-Core) |
| Performance-cores | no data | 8 |
| Efficient-cores | no data | 16 |
| Threads | 144 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 5.5 GHz |
| L1 cache | 112 KB (per core) | 192 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 2 MB (per core) | 3 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 432 MB (shared) | 36 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | Intel 3 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | no data | 243 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 80 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 17,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus 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 configuration | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA7529 | FCBGA2114 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 500 Watt | 55 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | - |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | + |
| Supported AI Software Frameworks | - | OpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN |
Security technologies
Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| SGX | + | no data |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5(6400MT/s), MRDIMM(8800MT/s) | DDR5-6400 |
| Maximum memory size | 3 TB | 256 GB |
| Max memory channels | 12 | 2 |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Intel® Graphics |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 2 GHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS)7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 FRL) |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 3840 x 2400 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon 6960P and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | 5.0 and 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 96 | 24 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 76.32 | 34.99 |
| Recency | 24 September 2024 | 17 March 2026 |
| Physical cores | 72 | 24 |
| Threads | 144 | 24 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 500 Watt | 55 Watt |
Xeon 6960P has a 118% higher aggregate performance score, and 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads.
Ultra 9 290HX Plus, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, and 809% lower power consumption.
The Intel Xeon 6960P is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon 6960P is a server/workstation processor while Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is a notebook one.
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