Intel’s new Core Ultra 200 series for desktop PCs hasn’t exactly turned heads. The performance gains over the previous generation are minimal, or in some cases, even a step back. But there’s one mobile chip in the lineup that’s making waves for the right reasons.
The Core Ultra 5 245HX, part of Intel’s high-performance mobile HX series, has started showing up in benchmark databases—and it’s already outperforming its desktop sibling, the Core Ultra 5 245, by a noticeable margin.
Core Ultra 5 245HX is superior to CPUS with more threads
The latest mobile processor from Intel brings a noticeable jump in performance compared to the previous generation Core i5-14500. In single-core tasks, it’s about 19% faster, while multi-core workloads see a boost of up to 30%. When looking at the HX variant—designed for high-performance laptops—the gains are even more impressive, reaching 30% for single-core and 41% for multi-core processing.
First PassMark Samples of 245HX:
+30% ST vs 14500HX
+41% MT vs 14500HXIt even outperforms the 245 desktop! (245K 4.704 ST vs 4.706 245HX).
Intel 7 vs N3B Lion + Skymont
220U Intel 7 vs 225U Intel 3 RWC + CMT +15% ST + 34% MT (+2 ecores).
Draw your own conclusions! pic.twitter.com/yf53uTyBMZ
— X86 is dead&back (@x86deadandback) July 12, 2025
What stands out most is how well it handles multi-threaded tasks, despite having fewer threads than the older i5-14500 and its HX model. Those older chips benefit from Hyper-Threading, a feature not included in the newer Arrow Lake architecture. Even without it, the new chip manages to pull ahead in performance.
Interestingly, the Core Ultra 5 245HX edges out AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D in PassMark’s benchmark scores—albeit by a small margin. Still, it’s a notable achievement considering the competition.
Overall, laptops powered by the Core Ultra 5 245HX offer a strong balance of performance and efficiency, making them a solid choice for users shopping in the mainstream segment.
