Intel Atom S1240 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 255U

The Intel Atom S1240 was introduced in the fourth quarter of 2012 and was primarily aimed at the market for micro-servers and embedded systems, where energy efficiency and basic computing power were paramount.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U, as part of the "Meteor Lake U Refresh" architecture, was launched in the first quarter of 2024 and is designed for modern, slim and light mobile devices that require high performance and energy efficiency for demanding applications.

The Intel Atom S1240 is manufactured using a 32 nm process and offers 2 cores and 2 threads. It features 1 MB of Level 3 cache and supports PCIe 2.0. In contrast, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255U is based on a state-of-the-art 3 nm manufacturing process. It integrates a hybrid architecture with a total of 12 cores and 14 threads, including specialized Performance, Efficiency, and Low Power Efficiency cores, and has 12 MB of Level 2 cache.

In terms of computing performance, the difference is significant. Due to its older architecture and low core count, the Intel Atom S1240 offers very low single-core and multi-core performance, which is only sufficient for undemanding tasks. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U, on the other hand, delivers many times higher single-core and multi-core performance, enabling smooth execution of complex applications and efficient multitasking.

For gaming scenarios, the Intel Atom S1240 is completely unsuitable due to the lack of integrated graphics performance and low computing power. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U is equipped with powerful Intel Iris Xe 4 Core Graphics 64 EUs (Meteor Lake), which enables light to medium gaming.

The high memory bandwidth of 134 GB/s supports the performance of the integrated graphics unit. Regarding power consumption and TDP, the Intel Atom S1240 shows high energy efficiency for its specific applications with a very low TDP of 6.5 Watts. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U has a typical TDP of 15 Watts, which can be configured up to 28 Watts.

This offers a flexible balance between performance and battery life in mobile devices. The price-performance ratio of the Intel Atom S1240 is low today, as it is an outdated processor primarily found in used or specialized embedded systems. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U is sold as an integral component of modern, high-performance notebooks and offers a very good price-performance ratio in this segment due to its efficiency and advanced features.