CPU Comparison
Intel Core Ultra 5 325 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 366H
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
- 50 TOPS INT8 NPU 5 for local AI inference.
- Combined CPU + iGPU + NPU AI TOPS in the ~180 TOPS range depending on workload.
- Well‑suited for AI assistants, background blur, noise suppression, and local LLMs in optimized frameworks.
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
- 4‑core Xe3 iGPU is similar to Radeon 840M in early Geekbench Vulkan results.
- Adequate for eSports and older titles at 1080p low/medium.
- Modern AAA titles will require reduced settings and/or resolution scaling.
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
- 16 hybrid cores with strong single‑thread and multi‑thread performance for a mobile chip.
- Intel 18A process with good performance per watt and configurable 15–80 W TDP range.
- 50 TOPS NPU 5 and ~180 TOPS platform AI for on‑device AI workloads.
- 20 PCIe 5.0/4.0 lanes, more than many thin‑and‑light mobile CPUs.
- LPDDR5X‑8533 and DDR5‑7200 support with up to 128 GB RAM.
- Xe3 iGPU with ray tracing and modern video codecs including AV1 encode/decode.
Cons
- Only 4 Xe3 iGPU cores; not suitable for serious gaming without a discrete GPU.
- No Hyper‑Threading; 16 threads is decent but less than some 8‑core SMT designs in heavily threaded workloads.
- Locked multiplier; no enthusiast overclocking headroom.
- 80 W turbo requires a laptop chassis capable of cooling that power, which may limit sustained performance in thin designs.
- New platform; early‑driver and firmware maturity may still be improving.
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 7 366H
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 7 356HRival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 9 386HRival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
- AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360Rival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
- AMD Ryzen AI 9 365Rival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265HRival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
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 very capable mobile AI PC processor that balances CPU performance, power efficiency, and on-device AI, but its small 4-core Xe3 iGPU limits serious gaming or heavy GPU compute without a discrete GPU.
Best for: AI‑enhanced business or productivity laptops where you want strong CPU performance, on‑device AI, and good efficiency, but don’t rely heavily on integrated graphics for gaming.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Intel Core Ultra 5 325 or Intel Core Ultra 7 366H?
Based on our editorial ratings, the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H comes out ahead with a score of 8.4/10. That said, the best choice depends on your workload — check the spec and performance breakdown above for gaming, productivity and efficiency differences.
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core Ultra 5 325 or Intel Core Ultra 7 366H?
For gaming, the Intel Core Ultra 5 325 leads with a gaming performance score of 78/100 among Intel Core Ultra 5 325 and Intel Core Ultra 7 366H.
Do Intel Core Ultra 5 325 and Intel Core Ultra 7 366H 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 7 366H has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Core Ultra 5 325 (8 cores), Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (16 cores).
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (34,234). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.