Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF

Elite single-thread performance at a budget price, if you catch a sale. Skip it at full price and go AM5 instead.

The single-thread score of 4713 is the real story. That's best-in-class territory, which means snappy everyday use, fast game loads, and quick app launches. Multi-thread hits 43112, which is well above average and handles streaming, rendering, and heavy multitasking without breaking a sweat. The 3nm Arrow Lake architecture sips power compared to older Intel chips too. What surprised us? The efficiency. A 125W TDP chip that competes with hungrier parts is a genuine win.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the elephant in the room. It costs more but delivers better gaming performance and includes integrated graphics. If you're building a pure gaming rig and can stretch your budget, go AMD. But if you're doing mixed productivity work and find the 245KF on sale, it's a legitimate alternative. The Dell Xeon E5-2637 V2 isn't even in the same conversation, that's a server chip from a different era. The 245KF's real competition is AMD's AM5 platform as a whole, not any single chip.

Here's the thing: at full price, this chip is a tough sell against AMD's AM5 lineup. But at USD 175 from the cheapest US listing, it's a steal. The price spread is wild though, USD 175 to USD 214 across vendors. Shop around. If you're in Canada, the CAD 209 to CAD 300 spread is even worse. Memory Express has the best CAD deal. Catch this on sale and it's one of the best budget CPUs on the market.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF is the budget chip that punches way above its weight class. 14 cores, 5.2GHz boost, and single-thread performance that lands in the top 2% of everything we've tested. That's the headline here. You're getting near-flagship responsiveness for mid-range money, as long as you don't need integrated graphics.

If you're building a system without a dedicated GPU, this isn't your chip. Get a non-F variant or look at AMD's AM5 options with integrated graphics. And if you're paying full retail price, skip it entirely. The value proposition only works when it's on sale. At USD 214, you're better off saving a bit more for the 9800X3D or grabbing a cheaper AM5 chip.

The Core Ultra 5 245KF is a fantastic chip at the right price. If you already have a dedicated GPU and can find this under USD 190, buy it without hesitation. At full retail, AMD's AM5 platform makes more sense for most people. But on sale? This is the budget king.