Recently, Intel unveiled its new Core Ultra 200 series processors, targeting the entry-level workstation market. This series, based on the Arrow Lake architecture, includes both desktop and laptop platforms, featuring the Core Ultra 200S desktop processors and the Core Ultra 200H and 200HX mobile processors.
The Core Ultra 200S series is designed for desktop workstations, supporting up to 256GB of DDR5 ECC memory and offering features like WiFi 6E, remote KVM, Intel vPro, and Pro Codec. In Cinebench Multicore 2024 tests, its multi-threaded performance showed a 13% improvement over AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 9950X processor, and it achieved an 11% lead in performance per watt at 125W TDP. This series supports PCIe 5.0, providing faster storage and expansion capabilities, making it suitable for high-load multitasking scenarios such as 3D rendering and video editing.
In the mobile workstation segment, the Core Ultra 200H and 200HX are designed for thin-and-light and high-performance laptops, respectively. The 200HX shows an 8% improvement in single-threaded performance and up to a 42% improvement in multi-threaded performance compared to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375. It also offers a 41% increase in power efficiency over the previous-generation Meteor Lake architecture, delivering stronger performance at the same power consumption, effectively extending battery life.
The 200H focuses on cost-effectiveness. A Dell Pro Max 16 laptop equipped with the 200H showed a 22% performance improvement over the Ryzen AI 9 365 in Geekbench 6.3 multi-core tests and achieved over 21 hours of battery life.
The flagship Core Ultra 9 285HX model features a built-in NPU, supporting local AI workloads such as machine learning model inference and data analysis. It delivers a 26% performance increase over the Ryzen AI 9 365 in six professional applications and excels in content creation and engineering simulation tasks.
Intel has optimized its integrated Arc 140T graphics, showing a 2.15x improvement in Autodesk Inventor and a 1.3x improvement in Chaos V-Ray for Cinema 4D compared to the iGPU of the previous-generation Core Ultra 185H. For users requiring higher graphics performance, Intel also offers dedicated workstation GPUs: the Arc Pro B60 (24GB) and Arc Pro B50 (16GB), though these are limited to desktop platforms.
HP and Dell are the first to launch workstation laptops featuring the Core Ultra 200 series. The HP ZBook Fury 18 is expected to be available in June 2025, supporting 256GB ECC DDR5 memory and equipped with an NPU to accelerate AI tasks, making it suitable for data scientists and AI developers. The Dell Pro Max 16 stands out with its thin-and-light design and long battery life, balancing professional workloads with light gaming needs. Its Arc 140T integrated graphics can smoothly run mainstream design software. Both of these devices support Thunderbolt 5, offering high-speed data transfer and expansion capabilities.
The Core Ultra 200 series utilizes the 3nm process Arrow Lake architecture, integrating multi-core CPUs, NPUs, and enhanced GPUs, optimizing AI acceleration and graphics processing capabilities. The NPU enables local AI tasks without relying on the cloud, reducing latency and enhancing data privacy, making it suitable for real-time video analysis and generative AI applications. Compared to AMD’s Zen 5 architecture processors, Intel holds an advantage in multi-threaded performance and power efficiency. The Core Ultra 200H shows a 36% performance improvement over the Ryzen 9 8945HS in nine applications, including Adobe Premiere Pro and Autodesk AutoCAD.
Through the combination of NPUs and Arc graphics, Intel aims to maintain its competitiveness in the AI and graphics processing fields. In the future, as AI workloads become more prevalent, processors with built-in NPUs are expected to become standard for workstations.