TurboVS
AMD Ryzen 5 230
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

AMD Ryzen 5 230 Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Overview

Welcome to our in-depth specification comparison between the AMD Ryzen 5 230 and the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H. These two processors take distinctly different approaches to mobile and desktop computing, with key battlegrounds spanning multi-core performance, integrated graphics capability, memory support, and architectural design. Whether you are building a versatile workstation or seeking a high-performance laptop chip, understanding how these two processors stack up across benchmarks and features is essential to making the right choice.

Common Features

  • ✓ Integrated graphics are available on both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 28W.
  • ✓ 64-bit support is present on both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • ✓ Neither AMD Ryzen 5 230 nor Intel Core Ultra 7 255H has an unlocked multiplier.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H support up to 4 displays.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H support OpenGL version 4.6.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H use DDR5 memory.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H have 2 memory channels.
  • ✓ ECC memory is not supported on either AMD Ryzen 5 230 or Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • ✓ Both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H share the same instruction sets: MMX, F16C, FMA3, AES, AVX, AVX2, SSE 4.1, and SSE 4.2.
  • ✓ The NX bit is present on both AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.

Main Differences

  • • The AMD Ryzen 5 230 is available for both Laptop and Desktop form factors, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is designed for Laptop only.
  • • The semiconductor size is 4 nm on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 3 nm on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The maximum CPU temperature is 100 °C on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 110 °C on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The PCI Express version is 4 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 5 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • CPU speed is 6 x 3.5 GHz on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 6 x 2 GHz & 8 x 1.5 GHz on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • CPU threads are 12 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 16 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Turbo clock speed is 4.9 GHz on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 5.1 GHz on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • L3 cache is 16 MB on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 24 MB on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • big.LITTLE technology is not used on AMD Ryzen 5 230, but is present on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The clock multiplier is 35 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 20 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The PassMark result is 21009 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 30756 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The PassMark single-core result is 3490 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 4373 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The integrated GPU base clock speed is 800 MHz on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 300 MHz on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The integrated GPU is the Radeon 760M on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and the Arc 140T on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The integrated GPU turbo clock is 2600 MHz on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 2250 MHz on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The DirectX version supported is DirectX 12 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and DirectX 12 Ultimate on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • The OpenCL version is 2.1 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 3 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Texture mapping units (TMUs) number 32 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 64 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Render output units (ROPs) number 16 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 32 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Shading units number 512 on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 1024 on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Maximum RAM speed is 7500 MHz on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 8400 MHz on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Maximum memory amount is 256 GB on AMD Ryzen 5 230 and 128 GB on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
  • • Multithreading is supported on AMD Ryzen 5 230 but is not available on Intel Core Ultra 7 255H.
Specs Comparison
AMD Ryzen 5 230

AMD Ryzen 5 230

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

General info:
Type Laptop, Desktop Laptop
Has integrated graphics ✓ ✓
release date January 2025 January 2025
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 28W 28W
semiconductor size 4 nm 3 nm
CPU temperature 100 °C 110 °C
PCI Express (PCIe) version 4 5
Supports 64-bit ✓ ✓

Both the AMD Ryzen 5 230 and the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H share a 28W TDP, meaning neither has a thermal envelope advantage — both are designed for similar power budgets, which is relevant for cooling requirements and sustained performance under load. They also both include integrated graphics and full 64-bit support, making these shared traits non-differentiating for most buyers.

Where meaningful gaps emerge is in manufacturing process and platform modernity. The Core Ultra 7 255H is built on a 3 nm process versus the Ryzen 5 230's 4 nm, which in practice translates to greater transistor density — generally enabling better performance-per-watt at the same TDP. The Intel chip also supports PCIe 5.0 compared to PCIe 4.0 on the Ryzen 5 230, which future-proofs the platform for next-generation NVMe SSDs and discrete GPUs that can saturate PCIe 5.0 bandwidth. Additionally, the Core Ultra 7 255H has a higher maximum CPU temperature ceiling of 110 °C versus 100 °C, giving it slightly more thermal headroom before throttling.

One structural distinction worth noting is that the Ryzen 5 230 targets both laptop and desktop form factors, while the Core Ultra 7 255H is exclusively a laptop chip. For desktop use cases, the Ryzen 5 230 is simply the only applicable option here. For laptop configurations specifically, the Core Ultra 7 255H holds a clear edge in process node maturity, I/O bandwidth via PCIe 5.0, and thermal tolerance — making it the more capable and forward-looking platform among the two.

Performance:
CPU speed 6 x 3.5 GHz 6 x 2 & 8 x 1.5 GHz
CPU threads 12 threads 16 threads
turbo clock speed 4.9GHz 5.1GHz
Has an unlocked multiplier ✕ ✕
L3 cache 16 MB 24 MB
Uses big.LITTLE technology ✕ ✓
clock multiplier 35 20

The AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H differ in several performance-related specifications. The Ryzen 5 230 has a CPU speed of 6 x 3.5 GHz, while the Core Ultra 7 255H features a mixed setup of 6 cores running at 2 GHz and 8 cores running at 1.5 GHz, offering a total of 16 threads compared to the Ryzen's 12 threads. This configuration may affect multi-threaded performance, with the Core Ultra 7 255H potentially being better suited for workloads that can utilize more threads.

Both processors have a turbo clock speed of nearly the same range, with the Ryzen 5 230 reaching 4.9 GHz and the Core Ultra 7 255H reaching 5.1 GHz, a marginal 0.2 GHz difference. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier, meaning overclocking potential is limited on both. The Ryzen 5 230 features a 16 MB L3 cache, while the Core Ultra 7 255H has a larger 24 MB L3 cache, which could help with performance in tasks involving large amounts of data.

Additionally, the Core Ultra 7 255H uses big.LITTLE technology, which is not present in the Ryzen 5 230. This design allows the Intel chip to switch between high-performance and energy-efficient cores, potentially improving power management. The clock multiplier is also lower for the Core Ultra 7 255H at 20, compared to 35 for the Ryzen 5 230.

Benchmarks:
PassMark result 21009 30756
PassMark result (single) 3490 4373

The PassMark benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H show a notable difference in performance. The Ryzen 5 230 has a total PassMark score of 21009, while the Core Ultra 7 255H achieves a significantly higher score of 30756. This suggests the Intel processor offers a stronger overall performance in general computing tasks.

When looking at the single-threaded performance, the Ryzen 5 230 has a PassMark score of 3490, while the Core Ultra 7 255H scores 4373. This indicates the Intel processor also outperforms the Ryzen chip in single-threaded tasks, with a 26% higher score.

Overall, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H has higher PassMark results in both total and single-threaded categories, which may translate to better performance in both multi-core and single-core workloads.

Integrated graphics:
GPU clock speed 800 MHz 300 MHz
GPU name Radeon 760M Arc 140T
GPU turbo 2600 MHz 2250 MHz
DirectX version DirectX 12 DirectX 12 Ultimate
supported displays 4 4
OpenGL version 4.6 4.6
OpenCL version 2.1 3
texture mapping units (TMUs) 32 64
render output units (ROPs) 16 32
shading units 512 1024

The integrated graphics on the AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H show some key differences. The Ryzen 5 230 features a Radeon 760M GPU with a base clock speed of 800 MHz and a turbo clock speed of 2600 MHz. In contrast, the Core Ultra 7 255H comes with an Arc 140T GPU that has a much lower base clock speed of 300 MHz but a slightly lower turbo clock speed of 2250 MHz.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12, but the Intel chip supports the higher DirectX 12 Ultimate version, which offers advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading, while the Ryzen 5 230 supports the standard DirectX 12. Both products also support OpenGL 4.6, but the Core Ultra 7 255H supports OpenCL version 3, whereas the Ryzen 5 230 supports OpenCL version 2.1.

In terms of texture mapping units (TMUs) and render output units (ROPs), the Core Ultra 7 255H has 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs, compared to the Ryzen 5 230’s 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs. Additionally, the Core Ultra 7 255H has more shading units, with 1024 compared to the Ryzen 5 230’s 512 shading units. Both processors support a maximum of 4 displays, making them equally capable in terms of multi-monitor setups.

Memory:
RAM speed (max) 7500 MHz 8400 MHz
DDR memory version 5 5
memory channels 2 2
maximum memory amount 256GB 128GB
Supports ECC memory ✕ ✕

The AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H have similar memory specifications in some areas but differ in a few key aspects. Both processors support DDR5 memory and feature dual memory channels. The Ryzen 5 230 supports a maximum RAM speed of 7500 MHz, while the Core Ultra 7 255H can reach a higher RAM speed of 8400 MHz.

In terms of memory capacity, the Ryzen 5 230 supports up to 256GB of maximum memory, while the Core Ultra 7 255H is limited to 128GB. Both processors do not support ECC memory, meaning error-correcting code memory is not a feature for either chip.

While the memory speeds and capacities differ, both processors are similarly equipped with dual-channel memory support and DDR5 compatibility, ensuring they can handle high-performance memory configurations.

Features:
instruction sets MMX, F16C, FMA3, AES, AVX, AVX2, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2 MMX, F16C, FMA3, AES, AVX, AVX2, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2
uses multithreading ✓ ✕
Has NX bit ✓ ✓

The AMD Ryzen 5 230 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H share many similar features, with both supporting a range of instruction sets, including MMX, F16C, FMA3, AES, AVX, AVX2, SSE 4.1, and SSE 4.2. These instruction sets are designed to optimize performance for various workloads, such as multimedia processing and cryptographic tasks. However, the Core Ultra 7 255H does not support multithreading, while the Ryzen 5 230 does, which could make a difference in tasks that benefit from multiple threads.

Both processors include the NX bit, which provides protection against certain types of malware by preventing the execution of code from non-executable memory regions. This feature is available on both the Ryzen 5 230 and the Core Ultra 7 255H, ensuring a level of security in both products.

In summary, the main difference in features between the two products is the Ryzen 5 230's support for multithreading, which may offer a performance advantage in workloads designed to utilize it, while the Core Ultra 7 255H lacks this capability.

Comparison Summary & Verdict

After examining the full specification set, both processors reveal clear strengths tailored to different users. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H holds a commanding lead in raw performance, posting significantly higher PassMark scores, a faster turbo clock of 5.1 GHz, a larger 24 MB L3 cache, and a vastly superior integrated GPU with the Arc 140T boasting 1024 shading units and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. It also supports faster RAM at 8400 MHz and benefits from big.LITTLE efficiency architecture. The AMD Ryzen 5 230, on the other hand, counters with broader platform flexibility by supporting both laptop and desktop deployments, a higher maximum memory capacity of 256 GB, multithreading support, and a higher base GPU clock. For users who need elite integrated graphics, top-tier single and multi-core performance, or a cutting-edge laptop chip, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is the stronger pick. For those who need desktop compatibility, larger memory headroom, or multithreading on a 28W budget, the AMD Ryzen 5 230 remains a compelling and practical choice.

AMD Ryzen 5 230
Buy AMD Ryzen 5 230 if...

Buy the AMD Ryzen 5 230 if you need a flexible processor that works in both laptop and desktop systems, require a higher maximum memory capacity of up to 256 GB, or depend on multithreading support within a 28W power envelope.

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Buy Intel Core Ultra 7 255H if...

Buy the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H if you want superior multi-core and single-core benchmark performance, significantly better integrated graphics with the Arc 140T, faster RAM support up to 8400 MHz, and the efficiency benefits of big.LITTLE architecture in a high-performance laptop chip.