Intel Core Ultra 7 255H Linux CPU Performance Deep Dive

This article presents an initial deep dive into the CPU performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H "Arrow Lake H" mobile processor on Linux. Benchmarks were conducted using a Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 laptop, offering an early look at this 16-core SoC prior to a comprehensive review of the laptop itself.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is a mid-to-high-tier Arrow Lake H offering, featuring 16 physical cores configured as 6 Performance (P) cores, 8 Efficiency (E) cores, and 2 Low-Power Efficiency (LPE) cores. It boasts a maximum turbo frequency of 5.1GHz for P cores (2.0GHz base), 4.4GHz for E cores, and 2.5GHz for LPE cores. This SoC includes a 24MB Intel Smart Cache, with a default base power rating of 28 Watts and a maximum turbo power rating of 115 Watts.

The Core Ultra 7 255H supports up to 128GB of LPDDR5/LPDDR5x or DDR5-6400 memory across two channels. While it integrates Intel Arc 140T graphics, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 and many other workstation laptops also feature discrete graphics solutions.

This article focuses exclusively on the CPU performance of the Core Ultra 7 255H on Linux, serving as a preview for the upcoming ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 laptop review. The 255H and the laptop demonstrated stable operation on modern Linux distributions. All benchmarks for this analysis were performed on Ubuntu 25.04, utilizing a contemporary software stack including the Linux 6.14 kernel, GCC 14, Mesa 25.0, and other updated components.

Testing of the Core Ultra 7 255H within the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 was conducted in both its default configuration and a "performance" platform profile. This approach allowed for an assessment of the SoC's full capabilities, beyond the balanced default settings.

The following laptops and SoCs were included in this CPU performance benchmarking on Ubuntu 25.04:

• Intel Systems:

  • Core i7 8550U - Dell XPS 9370
  • Core i7 8565U - Dell XPS 9380
  • Core i7 1065G7 - Dell XPS 7390
  • Core i7 1165G7 - Dell XPS 9310
  • Core i7 1185G7 - Dell XPS 9310
  • Core i7 1280P - MSI Prestige 14Evo
  • Core i5 1334U - Framework 12
  • Core Ultra 7 155H - Acer Swift Go 14
  • Core Ultra 7 256V - ASUS Zenbook S14
  • Core Ultra 7 258V - X1 Carbon G13
  • Core Ultra 7 255H - ThinkPad P1 G8
  • Core Ultra 7 255H - ThinkPad P1 G8 - Performance Mode

• AMD Systems:

  • Ryzen 7 4700U - Lenovo IdeaPad 5
  • Ryzen 9 5900HX - ASUS ROG Strix G513QY
  • Ryzen 7 7840HS - Framework 16
  • Ryzen 7 7840U - Acer Swift Edge 16
  • Ryzen 7 7840U - Framework 13
  • Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U - ThinkPad T14s G2a
  • Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U - ThinkPad X13 G3
  • Ryzen 7 PRO 7840U - ThinkPad P14s G4
  • Ryzen AI 5 340 - HP OmniBook 5
  • Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 - ThinkPad T14s G6
  • Ryzen AI 9 365 - ASUS Zenbook S16
  • Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 - ASUS Zenbook S16
  • Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 - Framework 13
  • Ryzen AI Max 390 - HP ZBook Ultra G1a
  • Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 - HP ZBook Ultra G1a