Core Ultra 5 226V: CPU benchmarks and laptop guide

The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V is the budget Lunar Lake — the entry into Intel's efficiency-first generation at 17 W, with 43 catalog models carrying it. An 8-core design on a 3 nm-class process, it meets the recommended CPU requirement in 68 of the 69 games the catalog tracks. This guide covers where it sits among laptop CPUs, what it brings, and which laptops carry it.

Where the Core Ultra 5 226V sits in 2026

A catalog score of 80.5 places the chip 39th of 672 scored laptop CPUs — the top six percent from a 17 W envelope. The neighborhood: the Ryzen 7 8840U (81.6), Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS (81.2) and Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H (80.5) just above, the Ryzen 9 6900HX (80.2), Ryzen 7 8840HS (80) and Ryzen 7 7840U (79.3) just below. Matching previous-generation Ryzen 9 and 7840U-class parts while wearing an "Ultra 5" price is the value proposition in one row.

What the chip brings

Lunar Lake's value cut: 8 cores and 8 threads on a 3 nm-class process at a 17 W P-class rating, 2.1 GHz base and up to 4.5 GHz boost. The Arc Graphics 130V integrated tile runs 300–1,850 MHz; on-package memory fixes the RAM ceiling at purchase. GeekBench places the chip at 2,216 single-core and 8,746 multi-core — single-thread speed competitive with the whole mid-flagship field, multi-thread honest about eight threads.

Games: CPU-side readiness

As a processor, the chip clears the recommended CPU tier for 68 of 69 cataloged games — Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2 and the competitive field included. The lone miss is Starfield, above its minimum but under its recommended CPU requirement. The verdicts are CPU-only, and this fleet runs integrated graphics: esports and older titles are the realistic gaming envelope, with the processor comfortably ahead of what the 130V tile can render.

Laptops that carry it

The 43-model roster is convertible-and-ultraportable country: Lenovo's Yoga 7i Gen 10 in 14 and 16 inch, Yoga Slim 7 and the ASUS Vivobook 14/16 Flip at $1,275; Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro, Acer Swift Edge 14 AI and the 2026 IdeaPad Slim 5i Ultra at $1,232–$1,400; the Aspire 14/16 AI at $765 is the value entry. Roster medians are pure Lunar Lake: energy efficiency 92.5 and mobility 83 with office comfort a perfect 100 — gaming index 19 and a zero best-GPU median confirm the integrated-only fleet.

Bottom line

The Core Ultra 5 226V is the cheapest way into Lunar Lake's battery-life-and-weight formula, and it gives up almost nothing that matters for the target buyer: recommended-tier CPU clearance for everything but Starfield, single-thread speed that shames its badge, and a convertible-heavy roster from $765. It is not a gaming machine and does not aim to be. The compare pages against the 256V and the Arrow Lake 225H price the efficiency-versus-headroom choice.