CPU Comparison
Intel Core i7-13700H vs Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core i7-13700H is a high-performance mobile processor designed for thin-and-light gaming laptops and portable creator workstations.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Easily handles 4K video editing and heavy multi-tasking.
16 cores and 22 threads handle heavy creative workloads easily.
Gaming
Provides high frame rates when paired with RTX 4050/4060 mobile GPUs.
Arc 128EU is a huge upgrade over older Intel iGPUs, capable of 1080p medium gaming.
Virtualization
Adequate for light VM usage on the go.
Good for running VMs on a laptop, though limited by thermal constraints.
Efficiency
Excellent power scaling for battery life during light tasks.
Meteor Lake is efficient, but the 185H is a 45W part and can get warm.
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- Good CPU inference capabilities.
- Integrated GPU can assist with light AI workloads via OpenVINO.
- 11 TOPS NPU is sufficient for background blur and noise cancellation
- Does not meet Copilot+ PC standards (requires 40+ TOPS)
- AI tasks often fall back to CPU/GPU for maximum performance
Content Creation
Gaming
- Rarely bottlenecks mobile GPUs up to RTX 4070.
- Intel Thread Director ensures smooth background task management.
- Arc 128EU graphics allow decent 1080p gaming without a dGPU
- Supports hardware ray tracing (though limited)
- Performance depends heavily on laptop cooling solution
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Excellent single-threaded performance
- Great hybrid core balance for mobile
- Supports fast LPDDR5 memory
- Integrated Iris Xe 96EU graphics
- PCIe 5.0 support for storage
Cons
- BGA socket means it cannot be upgraded
- Thermal throttling is common in thin laptops
- 115W turbo power is hard to sustain on battery
Pros
- Massive 16-core, 22-thread configuration
- Powerful Arc 128EU integrated graphics
- Includes a dedicated NPU for AI
- High 5.1 GHz boost clock
- Supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X
Cons
- NPU is weak (11 TOPS) by modern standards
- Can run hot under sustained 115W loads
- Replaced quickly by Lunar Lake
- High power consumption compared to newer mobile chips
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core i7-13700H
- AMD Ryzen 7 7840HSRival
Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 9 7940HSRival
Mobile
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i9-13900HRival
Mobile
- Compare head-to-headApple M2 ProRival
Mobile
- Intel Core i5-13500HRival
Mobile
Slightly higher clocks if you want a bit more peak performance.
Compare head-to-headFor desktop-replacement laptops needing true 16-core power.
Compare head-to-head
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
- AMD Ryzen 9 8945HSRival
Mobile
- Compare head-to-headApple M2 ProRival
Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 9 7940HSRival
Mobile
Much better efficiency and AI performance if you don't need 16 cores.
Compare head-to-headPrevious gen, cheaper, similar CPU performance but no NPU/Arc.
Compare head-to-head- Alt
Better battery life and efficiency for macOS users.
Compare head-to-head - AMD Ryzen 7 8845HSAlt
More budget-friendly alternative with similar performance.
Our Verdict on Each
An excellent mobile CPU that offers a perfect sweet spot of clock speeds and core counts for premium thin-and-light laptops.
Best for: Purchasing a thin-and-light gaming or creator laptop.
Read the full reviewA solid first-generation Core Ultra chip that brought tiled architecture and NPUs to laptops, offering great multi-core and iGPU performance.
Best for: Buying a high-performance creator or gaming laptop at a discount.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core i7-13700H or Intel Core Ultra 9 185H?
For gaming, the Intel Core i7-13700H leads with a gaming performance score of 85/100 among Intel Core i7-13700H and Intel Core Ultra 9 185H.
Do Intel Core i7-13700H and Intel Core Ultra 9 185H use the same socket?
No. They use different sockets (Intel Core i7-13700H: Intel BGA 1744, Intel Core Ultra 9 185H: BGA 2049), so each needs a compatible motherboard.
Which has more cores?
The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Core i7-13700H (14 cores), Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (16 cores).
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core i7-13700H posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core i7-13700H (32,000), Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (16,000). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.