CPU Comparison
Intel Core Ultra 5 325 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 338H
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core Ultra 5 325 is an 8-core, 8-thread mainstream mobile SoC from Intel’s Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3) family, built on the Intel 18A process. It combines four Cougar Cove performance cores with four Darkmont low‑power efficient cores, 12 MB of shared Smart Cache, and an integrated 4‑core Xe3‑class GPU with 40 GPU TOPS and a 47 TOPS NPU, targeting thin‑and‑light AI PCs with a 25–55 W configurable TDP.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Gaming
Virtualization
Efficiency
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- 47 TOPS NPU supports Windows Studio Effects and on‑device inference
- 40 TOPS GPU AI compute complements NPU for hybrid workloads
- Total CPU+GPU+NPU TOPS competitive for mainstream thin‑and‑light AI PCs
- Dedicated NPU 5 with 47 INT8 TOPS accelerates Windows Studio Effects and local AI models.
- CPU and GPU also support DL Boost and XMX-based AI workloads, but TOPS are lower than on higher-end Ultra 7/9 models.
- Well suited for consumer AI features and small models, not for training or large-scale inference.
Content Creation
Gaming
- 4‑core Xe3 iGPU suitable for 1080p low/medium in many titles
- Much faster than older 11th‑gen Xe but slower than 8‑core Xe or Arc B‑series iGPUs
- Best for light and casual gaming rather than high‑refresh or high‑detail AAA
- Arc B370 10 Xe3 cores at up to 2.4 GHz deliver roughly 70% more performance than Intel’s previous Arc 140V/140T iGPUs and comfortably outpace AMD’s Radeon 890M in synthetic tests.
- At 35 W, the B370’s Time Spy Graphics score is around 5,933 points, placing it between older RTX 3050 Ti and RTX 4050 laptop GPUs in some scenarios.
- Best suited for 1080p medium settings; more demanding AAA titles may require resolution scaling or lower presets.
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Strong single‑thread and responsiveness for everyday tasks
- Meaningful AI compute with 47 TOPS NPU and 40 TOPS GPU
- Good efficiency on Intel 18A at 25 W base power
- Capable 4‑core Xe3 iGPU with AV1 and modern display outputs
- 12 MB Smart Cache improves gaming and threaded workloads
- Supports DDR5‑6400 and LPDDR5X‑7467 with up to 128 GB RAM
Cons
- Only 8 threads with no SMT; weaker in heavily threaded workloads than higher‑core SKUs
- Locked multiplier limits overclocking headroom
- 12 PCIe lanes may constrain expansion in some designs
- Only four P‑cores; not ideal for sustained all‑core workloads compared to 6+ core rivals
- OEM‑dependent GPU branding (Intel Graphics vs Arc) can be confusing
Pros
- Major leap in integrated GPU performance vs older Intel iGPUs
- Good single-threaded performance for everyday and lightly threaded workloads
- 12-core design provides solid multi-core throughput for the TDP
- NPU accelerates AI features without heavily loading CPU or GPU
- 25 W base power enables thin-and-light designs with decent battery life
- Modern I/O: PCIe 5.0, Thunderbolt 4, LPDDR5X, Wi-Fi 7 (platform dependent)
Cons
- Not intended for heavy sustained multi-threaded workloads like high-end rendering
- iGPU still falls short of low-end discrete GPUs like RTX 4050 in more demanding games
- Locked multiplier limits overclocking headroom
- Actual performance and thermals depend heavily on laptop OEM power tuning
- New platform; early firmware and drivers may still be maturing
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core Ultra 5 325
- AMD Ryzen AI 7 350Rival
Mainstream Mobile AI APU
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 5 332Rival
Mainstream Mobile / Thin-and-Light
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 7 355Rival
Mainstream Mobile / Premium Thin-and-Light
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 5 322Rival
Entry-Level Mobile / Value
- AMD Ryzen 7 8840URival
Thin-and-Light Mobile
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125HAlt
Older Meteor Lake part with 14 cores/18 threads; more threaded performance but lower efficiency and weaker NPU/GPU AI features.
Intel Core Ultra 5 338H
- AMD Ryzen AI 7 350Rival
Mid-Range Mobile AI APU
- Intel Core Ultra 7 255HRival
Higher-End Panther Lake Mobile
- AMD Ryzen 7 8840HSRival
Mainstream Mobile APU
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100Rival
Premium Arm-Based Mobile
- Intel Core Ultra 5 228VRival
Lower-Power Lunar Lake Mobile
- Laptop with RTX 4050/5050 discrete GPUAlt
If gaming is your priority and you can tolerate a thicker chassis, a low-end discrete GPU will outperform the Arc B370 iGPU in more demanding titles.
Our Verdict on Each
A solid mainstream mobile SoC that delivers meaningful CPU and NPU upgrades over prior Ultra 5 generations, with good efficiency and capable integrated graphics—best for users who want AI features and balanced performance in a thin laptop rather than outright compute headroom.
Best for: Thin‑and‑light AI PC where you want strong efficiency, modern AI features, and better integrated graphics than older Ultra 5 chips, but don’t need the extra cores or GPU power of Core Ultra 7 or X7 SKUs.
Read the full reviewA well-rounded mid-range mobile SoC that finally delivers competitive integrated graphics and solid multi-core CPU performance in a reasonable power envelope, though its value depends heavily on laptop design and pricing.
Best for: You want a thin-and-light laptop with strong integrated graphics and AI features for light gaming, content creation, and everyday work, and you value battery life more than maximum CPU/GPU performance.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Do Intel Core Ultra 5 325 and Intel Core Ultra 5 338H use the same socket?
Yes — all of these CPUs use the FCBGA2540 socket, so they share compatible motherboards.
Which has more cores?
The Intel Core Ultra 5 338H has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Core Ultra 5 325 (8 cores), Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (12 cores).