PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core Ultra 5 225

2025

Why buy it

✅+11.2% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $59 less on MSRP ($240 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 37.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 129.7 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($240 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Laminar RM2), unlike Ryzen 5 7600X.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (2,653 vs 2,900).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+9.3% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,300 vs 17,020).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 94.7 vs 129.7 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $240 MSRP).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core Ultra 5 225.

Core Ultra 5 225

2025

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+11.2% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅Costs $59 less on MSRP ($240 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 37.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 129.7 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($240 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 105W, a 40W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Laminar RM2), unlike Ryzen 5 7600X.

Why buy it

✅+9.3% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.
✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).
✅16.7% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (2,653 vs 2,900).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,300 vs 17,020).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 94.7 vs 129.7 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $240 MSRP).
❌61.5% higher power demand at 105W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core Ultra 5 225.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 225 better than Ryzen 5 7600X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 5 7600X is ahead with a 1.6% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 225 pulls ahead with 11.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Ryzen 5 7600X also has the bigger cache pool with 60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 225 is the better fit. You are getting 11.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 10 cores and 10 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core Ultra 5 225 is the smarter buy today. Core Ultra 5 225 is $59 cheaper on MSRP at $240 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you 11.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 7600X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 1.6% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 37.0% better value on MSRP (129.7 vs 94.7 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible AM5 + DDR5 setup, Ryzen 5 7600X can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core Ultra 5 225 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022) and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 10 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core Ultra 5 225 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	256 FPS	266 FPS
medium	244 FPS	246 FPS
high	208 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	226 FPS
medium	187 FPS	189 FPS
high	154 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	150 FPS	157 FPS
medium	127 FPS	131 FPS
high	99 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	603 FPS	649 FPS
medium	512 FPS	524 FPS
high	421 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	501 FPS	544 FPS
medium	441 FPS	455 FPS
high	372 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	301 FPS	341 FPS
medium	266 FPS	290 FPS
high	248 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	778 FPS	708 FPS
medium	680 FPS	652 FPS
high	609 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	522 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	725 FPS	708 FPS
medium	588 FPS	554 FPS
high	515 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	504 FPS	463 FPS
medium	422 FPS	392 FPS
high	377 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	281 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	778 FPS	708 FPS
medium	778 FPS	708 FPS
high	777 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	699 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	778 FPS	708 FPS
medium	716 FPS	708 FPS
high	623 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	547 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	560 FPS	560 FPS
medium	510 FPS	502 FPS
high	457 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	402 FPS	391 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 225 and Ryzen 5 7600X

Core Ultra 5 225

The Core Ultra 5 225 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture. It features 10 cores and 10 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 20 MB (total). L2 cache: 3 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1851. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 31,137 points. Launch price was $246.

Ryzen 5 7600X

The Ryzen 5 7600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 28,325 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 225 packs 10 cores / 10 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225 versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 7.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 3.3 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 225 uses the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 31,137 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 9.5% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 17,020 vs 15,300 (10.6% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,653 vs 2,900, a 8.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 7600X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 13,028 vs 13,800 (5.8% advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X). L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 225 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	10 / 10+67%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.3 GHz+8%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz	4.7 GHz+42%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+60%
L2 Cache	3 MB (per core)	6 MB+100%
Process	3 nm-40%	5 nm, 6 nm
Architecture	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	31,137+10%	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,020+11%	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	2,653	2,900+9%
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,028	13,800+6%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 225 uses the LGA1851 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. The Core Ultra 5 225 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Core Ultra 5 225) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Z890,B860,H810 (Core Ultra 5 225) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	LGA1851	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+100%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	28+17%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 7600X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 5 7600X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core Ultra 5 225) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). Both include integrated graphics — Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores) (Core Ultra 5 225) and AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core) (Ryzen 5 7600X) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 5 225 targets Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency, Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 225 rivals Ryzen 5 8600G; Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores)	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core Ultra 5 225 launched at $240 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($240 vs $299), the Core Ultra 5 225 is $59 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core Ultra 5 225 delivers 129.7 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Core Ultra 5 225 the 31.2% better value option.