Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus 18-core LGA 1851

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus delivers a 99th percentile single-thread PassMark score of 4,739 at just USD 210-220. That's best-in-class performance for a budget price. Owners love the value, multitasking, and improved 1% lows, though you'll need to buy a cooler separately.

The single-thread score of 4,739 is the headline number. That's 99th percentile, top of the charts, best-in-class. It beats most of what we've tested, including chips that cost significantly more. The multi-thread score of 51,367 puts it in the 94th percentile, which is one of the best on the market. With 6 P-cores hitting 5.3GHz and 12 E-cores at 4.6GHz, this thing chews through productivity workloads. The 30MB of L3 cache and 30MB of L2 cache help keep those cores fed. DDR5 support up to 256GB means memory bandwidth won't be a bottleneck either.

For AI and LLM workloads, the 13 NPU TOPS and the overall AI score of 94th percentile make this a strong pick. It's not going to replace a dedicated GPU for serious model training, but for inference and lighter AI tasks, it's impressive. The 125W base power and 159W turbo are manageable, and owners report thermals are fine with a decent air cooler like the be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3. One thing to note: you'll need a BIOS update on some 800 Series boards before the chip runs at full speed. Not a dealbreaker, just a heads-up.

Against the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the 250K Plus doesn't win on raw FPS. The 9800X3D's 3D V-Cache gives it an edge in gaming frame rates, and some owners report a potential 5% FPS loss with the Intel chip in certain titles. But the 250K Plus counters with better value and stronger productivity performance per dollar. The 9800X3D costs significantly more, and the Intel chip's 99th percentile single-thread score means it's no slouch in games either, especially when it comes to 1% lows. The G.Skill Trident Z Neo and be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 aren't CPUs, so they're not direct competitors, but they're often paired with this chip in builds. The MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi is an AMD board, so if you're going Intel, you'll need an 800 Series board instead. The Dell Xeon 641329687376-cr is a server chip, and that's where the 250K Plus falls short, with an 81/100 server score.

At USD 210-220, this chip is a steal. The budget score of 94.2/100 puts it near the top of our value rankings. In Canada, prices range from CAD 300 to CAD 338 across four listings, so there's a CAD 38 spread. Memory Express has the best deal at CAD 300, while Best Buy and Amazon sit higher. That's worth checking before you buy. In Europe, EUR 237-241 is consistent across Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. The price per performance ratio here is outstanding, especially when you consider the single-thread performance matches or beats chips costing much more. Owners repeatedly mention value for money as the top reason they bought this.

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus posts a PassMark multi-thread score of 51,367 and a single-thread score of 4,739. That single-thread number lands in the 99th percentile of our database, which is the absolute best right now. For a chip priced around USD 210-220, that's a wild value proposition. The multi-thread score is no slouch either, sitting in the 94th percentile, ahead of most desktop CPUs we track. You get 18 cores (6 P-cores and 12 E-cores), 30MB of L3 cache, and a 5.3GHz boost clock on the P-cores. This is Arrow Lake Refresh on Intel's 3nm process, and it shows in both raw speed and efficiency.

But the story here isn't just benchmark charts. Owners consistently mention the same things: excellent value, strong multitasking, and improved 1% lows in games. The 1% low improvement is interesting because this chip doesn't top raw FPS charts. It's more about smoothness and responsiveness than peak frame rates. The user sentiment score is 82/100, which is solid but not spectacular, mostly dragged down by a few complaints about no included cooler and some unclear return policies at certain retailers. The 4.3/5 customer rating across 22 reviews backs up the positive vibe.

If you're chasing the absolute highest raw FPS in games, look elsewhere. The 250K Plus doesn't top FPS charts, and some owners report a potential 5% FPS loss in certain titles compared to AMD's 3D V-Cache chips. The server score of 81/100 is the weakest area, so if you're building a server or workstation that needs heavy multi-socket performance, this isn't the right tool. And if you're on a tight budget that can't stretch for a separate cooler, factor that extra cost in. The social proof is also thin at 60th percentile with only 22 reviews, so if you prefer buying products with a massive review base, you might want to wait for more data.

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is the best value CPU we've tested this year. The 99th percentile single-thread score at USD 210-220 is almost unfair to the competition. It's not the top raw FPS chip, and you'll need to buy a cooler, but for productivity, AI workloads, and smooth gaming with great 1% lows, this is the chip to beat. The 82/100 user sentiment score and 4.3/5 rating confirm that real owners are happy with their purchase. If you're building a new system on the Intel 800 Series platform, this should be at the top of your list.