CPU Comparison
Intel Core Ultra X7 358H vs Intel Core Ultra X9 378H
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H is a 16-core, 16-thread high-end mobile SoC from Intel’s Panther Lake family, built on the Intel 18A compute tile and paired with a 12-Xe3 Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU and a 50 TOPS NPU, targeting thin-and-light AI PCs and premium creator laptops.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Gaming
Virtualization
Efficiency
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- 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.
- 50 TOPS NPU enables local AI features like Windows Studio Effects and lightweight LLM inference.
- Combined CPU + GPU + NPU acceleration benefits OpenVINO, DirectML and ONNX workflows.
- Not aimed at heavy datacenter‑style training, but strong for client‑side AI PC experiences.
Content Creation
Gaming
- 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.
- Arc B390 iGPU is a major upgrade over earlier Intel mobile iGPUs.
- Suitable for 1080p gaming in many esports and AAA titles at medium–high settings.
- Ray tracing is supported but best used selectively due to iGPU limitations.
- Discrete GPUs still preferred for high‑refresh 1440p+ gaming.
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
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
Pros
- 16 hybrid cores with strong single‑thread and multi‑thread performance.
- Arc B390 iGPU is a big step up for integrated gaming and content workloads.
- 50 TOPS NPU enables serious AI PC experiences without a discrete GPU.
- Intel 18A and advanced packaging bring good efficiency for the performance level.
- 25–80 W configurable TDP fits a wide range of laptop designs.
Cons
- Confusing X9 vs 9 branding and near‑identical specs to X7 368H make positioning unclear.
- No vPro or embedded support limits use in business and industrial designs.
- iGPU still can’t replace a discrete GPU for high‑refresh 1440p/4K gaming.
- Locked multiplier offers limited overclocking fun.
- Real‑world laptop performance depends heavily on OEM power and thermal tuning.
Competitors & Alternatives
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.
Intel Core Ultra X9 378H
- AMD Ryzen AI 9 365Rival
High-End Mobile / AI PC
- AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370Rival
High-End Mobile / Creator + Gaming
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra X7 368HRival
High-End Mobile / Business + Creator
- Apple M4 Pro (12‑core CPU)Rival
Premium Thin-and-Light / Creator
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core Ultra 9 386HRival
High-End Mobile / vPro Business
- Intel Core Ultra 7 258V / 268V (Lunar Lake)Alt
Lower power and very good efficiency for lighter thin‑and‑light designs where 16 cores are overkill.
Our Verdict on Each
A 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 reviewA very capable high-end mobile SoC that brings strong multi-threaded performance, a potent integrated GPU and serious AI acceleration to thin laptops, though its confusing naming and near-identical specs to the X7 368H make it hard to justify on price alone.
Best for: Premium thin‑and‑light laptops where strong iGPU, AI features and multi‑threaded performance matter more than ultra‑low price or maximum gaming FPS.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Intel Core Ultra X7 358H or Intel Core Ultra X9 378H?
Based on our editorial ratings, the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H 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.
Do Intel Core Ultra X7 358H and Intel Core Ultra X9 378H use the same socket?
Yes — all of these CPUs use the FCBGA2540 socket, so they share compatible motherboards.