CPU Comparison
Intel Core Ultra 5 336H vs Intel Core Ultra X7 358H
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core Ultra 5 336H is a 12-core, 12-thread mobile SoC from Intel’s Panther Lake-H family, built on the Intel 18A process and designed for mainstream laptops with strong CPU performance, integrated Xe3 graphics, and dedicated AI acceleration via NPU 5 and IPU 7.5.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Gaming
Virtualization
Efficiency
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- NPU 5 provides 47 INT8 TOPS for sustained AI inference.
- Well‑suited for Windows Studio Effects, local AI assistants, and small LLMs.
- OpenVINO, WindowsML, DirectML, and ONNX RT are supported for easy software integration.
- NPU 5 with 50 TOPS INT8 and strong GPU AI throughput.
- Intel shows up to ~5.5× better GPU AI vs older Raptor Lake‑P and large leads vs some AMD Strix Point competitors in Geekbench AI and UL Procyon AI workloads.
- Well suited for local small‑medium LLMs, AI background effects and image generation.
Content Creation
Gaming
- 4 Xe3 cores deliver a big step up over older Intel UHD/iGPUs but are still behind the 12 Xe3 Arc iGPUs on X‑series SKUs.
- Older or esports titles (CS2, Valorant, LoL) are very playable at 1080p medium/high.
- Demanding AAA games at 1080p high often require lower settings or upscaling (XeSS).
- Arc B390 with 12 Xe3 cores is a major step up from Arc 140V/Xe2 iGPUs.
- Fine for 1080p medium/high in many esports and AAA titles with upscaling.
- Still not a match for a dedicated RTX 4050/4060 laptop GPU at higher settings.
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Modern Intel 18A process on the CPU tile for better efficiency.
- 12 CPU cores (4P + 4E + 4LP‑E) provide strong mainstream multi‑threaded performance.
- Intel Graphics 4 Xe3 iGPU with ray tracing and AV1 encode is a big upgrade over older UHD/iGPUs.
- Dedicated NPU 5 (47 TOPS) for AI workloads and Windows Studio Effects.
- Supports DDR5‑7200 and LPDDR5X‑8533 with up to 128 GB RAM.
- vPro and embedded options suit business and edge devices.
Cons
- No Hyper‑Threading; only 12 threads vs 12 cores.
- 4 Xe3 iGPU cores are slower than 12 Xe3 Arc iGPUs on X‑series Panther Lake parts.
- Not intended for heavy AAA gaming or high‑end content creation without a discrete GPU.
- Maximum turbo power (65 W) may be high for very thin fanless designs under sustained load.
- Limited overclocking due to locked multiplier.
Pros
- 16 hybrid cores with strong multi‑thread performance for mobile
- Arc B390 iGPU is a huge generational leap over older Intel iGPUs
- 50 TOPS NPU enables serious local AI workloads
- Intel 18A brings improved efficiency and performance over Arrow Lake
- Supports LPDDR5X‑9600 and up to 96 GB memory
- Good balance of performance and power for thin designs
Cons
- Only 12 PCIe lanes from the CPU, limiting multi‑GPU / heavy NVMe configs
- Locked multiplier limits enthusiast tuning
- Not intended for desktop‑class sustained workloads at very high TDP
- Platform is still new; early firmware and driver stacks are maturing
- Higher‑end X9 model offers more GPU and CPU headroom in the same family
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core Ultra 5 336H
- Compare head-to-headAMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440Rival
Mainstream Mobile AI PC
- AMD Ryzen 7 8840HSRival
Performance Thin-and-Light
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 7 355Rival
Higher-End Mainstream Mobile
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 5 338HRival
Same Platform, Slightly Faster SKU
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 7 365Rival
Higher-End Panther Lake-H
Intel Core Ultra X7 358H
- Compare head-to-headAMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470Rival
High-End Mobile AI APU
- AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370Rival
High-End Mobile AI APU
- Intel Core Ultra 9 285HRival
High-End Mobile (Arrow Lake-H)
- Apple M5 Pro (10‑core CPU)Rival
Premium Mobile SoC
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E‑84‑100Rival
ARM-based AI PC SoC
Higher‑end Panther Lake SKU with more GPU headroom and slightly higher clocks if you need maximum iGPU performance.
Compare head-to-head- Intel Core Ultra 7 265HAlt
Arrow Lake‑H alternative if you prefer DDR5 SO‑DIMMs and more traditional platform features over Panther Lake’s iGPU and NPU upgrades.
- Apple M5 Pro (15‑core)Alt
Best‑in‑class efficiency and CPU performance per watt on macOS, if you’re not tied to x86.
Our Verdict on Each
A well-balanced mainstream mobile SoC that finally brings Intel’s 18A process, Xe3 graphics, and serious NPU AI acceleration to the volume laptop segment, though gaming and heavy creator workloads still lean more toward higher-SKU or discrete-GPU designs.
Best for: Mainstream laptops where you want modern CPU features, good efficiency, and AI capabilities without paying for a high‑end gaming or creator SKU.
Read the full reviewA very strong mobile SoC for AI PCs and premium thin-and-lights, offering excellent CPU multi-thread, a huge iGPU leap and serious NPU performance, though platform PCIe constraints and locked multiplier limit enthusiast tuning.
Best for: You want a thin‑and‑light AI PC or premium business laptop where strong CPU, iGPU and NPU performance matter more than maximum PCIe expansion or overclocking.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Do Intel Core Ultra 5 336H and Intel Core Ultra X7 358H 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 X7 358H has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Core Ultra 5 336H (12 cores), Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (16 cores).
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (0). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.