The rumor mill is active. This time it's revealing interesting benchmark numbers for Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 7 255H processor. Early listings on Passmark suggest a CPU that's a single-threaded powerhouse but perhaps more measured in multi-core tasks. Let's examine what these leaked benchmarks might indicate about Intel's next-gen mobile chip.
Single-Threaded Supremacy: Lion Cove Roars
If raw, single-core speed is crucial, the Core Ultra 7 255H could be a real challenger. The Passmark leak shows a single-thread score of 4631 points. This number represents a significant leap. Compared to its "Meteor Lake-H" predecessor, the Core Ultra 7 155H, this is a 32% uplift.
This single-threaded dominance is likely due to the new Lion Cove performance cores in the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, manufactured on TSMC's advanced N3B process. These architectural improvements appear to deliver results in workloads reliant on a single core. For context, this result positions the Core Ultra 7 255H roughly 17% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 "Strix Point" in single-threaded tasks.
Multi-Threaded Performance: A Different Story
However, there's another perspective. While Core Ultra 7 255H demonstrates strong single-core performance, the multi-threaded performance presents a slightly different picture. According to the leaked benchmarks, in overall performance, the Arrow Lake-H part trails the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 by almost 20%.
The likely reason for this difference is Intel's decision to disable hyperthreading for Arrow Lake-H. This was probably necessary to further enhance single-core performance. However, it appears to impact multi-threaded workloads that rely on executing multiple threads concurrently.
Generational Gains: A Decent Uplift Overall
Overall performance still shows approximately 12% higher compared to its predecessor, the Core Ultra 7 255H. This is a decent generational uplift. Yet, the primary improvements seem to be in single-threaded workloads. These Arrow Lake-H CPUs are expected to support up to eight Xe LPG+ cores for integrated graphics (iGPUs). While capable, these iGPUs will be less powerful than the Xe2 cores in Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake chips.
Benchmark Caveats: Take with Grain of Salt
As with leaked benchmarks, these numbers should be considered with caution. Synthetic benchmarks like Passmark often do not perfectly reflect real-world performance. Real-world performance can vary significantly depending on the workload. Nonetheless, these early numbers provide insight into what Intel's Core Ultra 7 255H may offer. It appears to be a single-threading speed leader with a more balanced approach to multi-core tasks.
