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 225F

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.8% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $98 less on MSRP ($231 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 100.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 136.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($231 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1851 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 225F across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 31,541).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 136.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $231 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 225F moves to LGA1851 and DDR5.

Core Ultra 5 225F

2025

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +8.8% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $98 less on MSRP ($231 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 100.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 136.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($231 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on LGA1851 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+60% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 20 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (20 MB vs 32 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 225F across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,430 vs 31,541).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 68.2 vs 136.5 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $231 MSRP).
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while Core Ultra 5 225F moves to LGA1851 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 225F better than Ryzen 7 3700X?

Yes. Core Ultra 5 225F is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 8.8% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data, 40.6% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core Ultra 5 225F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 8.8% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 225F is the better fit. You are getting 40.6% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 10 threads.

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

Core Ultra 5 225F is the smarter buy today. Core Ultra 5 225F is $98 cheaper on MSRP at $231 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you a 8.8% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.3% better value on MSRP (136.5 vs 68.2 PassMark/$), 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 AM4 + DDR4 setup, Ryzen 7 3700X 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 225F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2019), a healthier platform with LGA1851 and DDR5 instead of AM4, and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 10 threads instead of 8/16. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 225F Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	256 FPS	200 FPS
medium	244 FPS	163 FPS
high	208 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	156 FPS
medium	187 FPS	121 FPS
high	154 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	150 FPS	84 FPS
medium	127 FPS	71 FPS
high	99 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	44 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225F Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	603 FPS	561 FPS
medium	512 FPS	525 FPS
high	421 FPS	428 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	383 FPS
1440p
low	501 FPS	545 FPS
medium	441 FPS	471 FPS
high	372 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	301 FPS	350 FPS
medium	266 FPS	304 FPS
high	248 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	242 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225F Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	789 FPS	561 FPS
medium	680 FPS	561 FPS
high	609 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	522 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	725 FPS	561 FPS
medium	588 FPS	561 FPS
high	515 FPS	538 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	504 FPS	499 FPS
medium	422 FPS	394 FPS
high	377 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	275 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225F Open Ryzen 7 3700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	789 FPS	561 FPS
medium	789 FPS	561 FPS
high	777 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	699 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	789 FPS	561 FPS
medium	716 FPS	561 FPS
high	623 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	547 FPS	555 FPS
4K
low	560 FPS	561 FPS
medium	510 FPS	501 FPS
high	457 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	402 FPS	396 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225F Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 225F and Ryzen 7 3700X

Core Ultra 5 225F

The Core Ultra 5 225F 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: 31,541 points. Launch price was $231.

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 225F packs 10 cores / 10 threads, while the Ryzen 7 3700X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225F has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225F versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225F (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 225F uses the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 225F scores 31,541 against the Ryzen 7 3700X's 22,430 — a 33.8% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225F. L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 225F vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
Cores / Threads	10 / 10+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+11%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)	32 MB+60%
L2 Cache	3 MB (per core)+500%	512K (per core)
Process	3 nm-57%	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	31,541+41%	22,430
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,050	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,653	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,028	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 225F uses the LGA1851 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-6400 on the Core Ultra 5 225F versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 7 3700X — the Core Ultra 5 225F supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core Ultra 5 225F 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. Both provide 24 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Z890,B860 (Core Ultra 5 225F) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 3700X).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
Socket	LGA1851	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400+25%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+100%	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core Ultra 5 225F) / not specified (Ryzen 7 3700X).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225F	Ryzen 7 3700X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	Yes	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core Ultra 5 225F launched at $231 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 3700X debuted at $329. On MSRP ($231 vs $329), the Core Ultra 5 225F is $98 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core Ultra 5 225F delivers 136.5 pts/$ vs 68.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 3700X — making the Core Ultra 5 225F the 66.8% better value option.