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 i5-13600K

2022

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (37,655 vs 39,924).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 114.5 vs 155.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $257 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Core Ultra 5 235

2025

Why buy it

✅+6% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $72 less on MSRP ($257 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 35.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 155.3 vs 114.5 PassMark/$ ($257 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i5-13600K

2022

Core Ultra 5 235

2025

Why buy it

✅+6% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $72 less on MSRP ($257 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 35.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 155.3 vs 114.5 PassMark/$ ($257 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (37,655 vs 39,924).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 114.5 vs 155.3 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $257 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 235 better than Core i5-13600K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-13600K is ahead with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 235 pulls ahead with 6% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 235 is the better fit. You are getting 6% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 14 threads.

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

Core Ultra 5 235 is the smarter buy today. Core Ultra 5 235 is $72 cheaper on MSRP at $257 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and it gives you 6% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-13600K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 35.7% better value on MSRP (155.3 vs 114.5 PassMark/$), 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 LGA1700 + DDR5 setup, Core i5-13600K 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 5 235 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 14 cores / 14 threads instead of 14/20. 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 i5-13600K Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 5 235 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
1080p
low	281 FPS	278 FPS
medium	264 FPS	263 FPS
high	220 FPS	222 FPS
ultra	188 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	230 FPS
medium	198 FPS	194 FPS
high	158 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	152 FPS
medium	133 FPS	128 FPS
high	102 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open Core Ultra 5 235

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
1080p
low	632 FPS	663 FPS
medium	533 FPS	562 FPS
high	450 FPS	467 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	427 FPS
1440p
low	540 FPS	574 FPS
medium	474 FPS	509 FPS
high	403 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	369 FPS
4K
low	316 FPS	342 FPS
medium	282 FPS	306 FPS
high	269 FPS	291 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	256 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open Core Ultra 5 235

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
1080p
low	663 FPS	839 FPS
medium	543 FPS	681 FPS
high	477 FPS	610 FPS
ultra	414 FPS	522 FPS
1440p
low	600 FPS	727 FPS
medium	499 FPS	590 FPS
high	434 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	441 FPS	504 FPS
medium	381 FPS	422 FPS
high	344 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	295 FPS	318 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open Core Ultra 5 235

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
1080p
low	941 FPS	989 FPS
medium	941 FPS	891 FPS
high	923 FPS	778 FPS
ultra	831 FPS	699 FPS
1440p
low	941 FPS	810 FPS
medium	850 FPS	717 FPS
high	738 FPS	624 FPS
ultra	651 FPS	548 FPS
4K
low	651 FPS	567 FPS
medium	588 FPS	512 FPS
high	529 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	404 FPS

Open Core i5-13600K Open Core Ultra 5 235

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13600K and Core Ultra 5 235

Core i5-13600K

The Core i5-13600K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 37,655 points. Launch price was $319.

Core Ultra 5 235

The Core Ultra 5 235 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 14 cores and 14 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 24 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: 39,924 points. Launch price was $257.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-13600K packs 14 cores / 20 threads, matching the Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i5-13600K versus 5 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 235 — a 2% clock advantage for the Core i5-13600K (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i5-13600K uses the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 235 uses Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13600K scores 37,655 against the Core Ultra 5 235's 39,924 — a 5.8% lead for the Core Ultra 5 235. L3 cache: 24 MB on the Core i5-13600K vs 24 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 235.

Feature	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
Cores / Threads	14 / 20	14 / 14
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+2%	5 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+3%	3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	24 MB	24 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	3 MB (per core)+50%
Process	Intel 7 nm	3 nm-57%
Architecture	Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022)	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)
PassMark	37,655	39,924+6%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,600
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13600K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core Ultra 5 235 uses LGA1851 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Core Ultra 5 235 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 192 GB — 28.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Intel 600 series,Intel 700 series (Core i5-13600K) and Z890,B860 (Core Ultra 5 235).

Feature	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1851
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	DDR5-6400
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	256 GB+33%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i5-13600K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 770 (Core i5-13600K) and Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU (Core Ultra 5 235) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-13600K targets Desktop, Core Ultra 5 235 targets Mainstream Desktop. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 235 rivals Ryzen 5 8600G.

Feature	Core i5-13600K	Core Ultra 5 235
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 770	Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Desktop	Mainstream Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i5-13600K launched at $329 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 5 235 debuted at $257. On MSRP ($329 vs $257), the Core Ultra 5 235 is $72 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i5-13600K delivers 114.5 pts/$ vs 155.3 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 5 235 — making the Core Ultra 5 235 the 30.3% better value option.