Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus review

Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus review | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Jump to: Gaming Content creation Power and thermals Verdict Don’t miss these Processors Intel announces Arrow Lake ‘Plus’ desktop chips with more cores and clocks for less cash—and IPC-boosting ‘BOT’ tool Processors AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU review Processors Best CPU for gaming in 2026: These are the chips I recommend for gaming, productivity, and peace of mind Processors Intel adds mobile chips to its updated Arrow Lake ‘Plus’ family with 8% more gaming performance despite no changes to core counts or their clock speeds Processors Intel’s new top-end Core Ultra Series 3 mobile chips promise up to 77% faster iGPU gaming performance than Lunar Lake, and come with a whole host of friends Graphics Cards Fast, feisty, fabulous: I’ve benchmarked Intel’s new Panther Lake processor and it’s dragging gaming laptop performance out of integrated graphics Hardware Puget Systems crowns the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K as the most reliable processor in its consumer PCs, with Nvidia Founders Edition cards leading the charge for GPUs Cooling Thermaltake Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync review Motherboards Best gaming motherboards in 2026: these are the AMD and Intel mobos I’d build a system around today Processors AMD launches its fastest gaming CPU yet, though the new Ryzen 7 9850X3D is clocked just 8% higher than the 9800X3D Gaming PCs Best mini PCs in 2026: The compact computers I love the most Processors It’s 2026, CES is over, and there’s still no sign of Intel’s Arrow Lake refresh, but one hardware channel is adamant it’ll be here in the spring Processors I did some quick and dirty testing of the Intel Arc B390 iGPU in Intel’s new top-end Core Ultra chip and I’m pretty impressed Processors The AMD Ryzen AI Max range gets two more entries, one of which looks perfect for the ultimate in handheld PC gaming Gaming Laptops Intel’s new high-end mobile chip is an impressive game-cruncher, but I don’t think proper gaming laptops should worry just yet Popular PC Gamer ClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearGDCQuizzes Hardware Processors When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 87 Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus review The dark horse of Arrow Lake: Ultra 7 class performance for an Ultra 3 class price tag. Reviews By Nick Evanson published 23 March 2026 0 Comments Join the conversation (Image: © Future) Our Verdict Don’t be fooled by the $199 price tag. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus might look like a budget processor, but it performs like an Ultra 7 class chip, and there’s nothing to touch it for the money. That said, the Core Ultra 7 265K isn’t that much more expensive, and it is the better chip for content creation tasks. For Exceptional value for money Solid performance Great all-round chip Against The 20-core 265K is only $70 more expensive A little more power hungry than the 245K Dead-end platform PC Gamer’s got your back Our experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you. Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware. Jump to: Gaming Content creation Power and thermals Verdict For the refresh of its Arrow Lake-based desktop processor range, Intel has released just two new chips: the brilliant Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and this one, the equally brilliant $199 Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. Apologies for throwing in a review spoiler right at the start like that, but if you’ve already seen the score and the hardware specs, you won’t be surprised in the least bit.Given its Ultra 5 name, it makes sense to directly compare the 250K Plus to the Core Ultra 5 245K, which was launched back in October 2024. While both processors sport six P-cores, Intel has added four more E-cores to the 250K Plus, for a total of 18 cores and 18 threads.If that was the only change, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little disappointed. However, in my talks with Intel of late, the company has stressed that things are very different now, with new staff, new structures, and new ways of thinking and doing things. Which is why the 250K Plus also sports a raft of internal changes to lift it well clear of the 245K.Core Ultra 5 250K Plus specs (Image credit: Future)Cores (P+E): 8+12Threads: 18Base clock: 4.2 GHz (P-core)Boost clock: 5.3 GHz (P-core)L3 Cache: 30 MBL2 Cache: 30 MB (Total)Unlocked: YesMax usable PCIe lanes: 24Graphics: Intel Graphics (4 Xe cores)Memory support (up to): DDR5-7200Processor Base Power (W): 125Maximum Package Power (W): 159Recommended customer price: $199/£199.99The P-core boost clock has been raised by 100 MHz to 5.3 GHz, but the E-core boost clocks remain unchanged at 4.2 GHz. However, the Die-to-Die (D2D) clock has been significantly increased, from 2.1 to 3.0 GHz. This clock controls the links between all the tiles in the Arrow Lake processor, and a higher clock means less waiting for data to arrive.Additionally, Intel has bumped the NGU clock for the fabric that links all the components inside the SoC tile (which is home to the memory controller), from 2.6 to 3.0 GHz, and it’s also given the cache memory ring clock a slight nudge: 100 MHz more, so that it runs at 3.9 GHz in the 250K Plus.Along with a faster memory controller, which now supports DDR5-7200 without resorting to overclocking, you now have a Core Ultra 5 chip that isn’t massively different on the outside but is seriously quicker internally. And it’s not merely a hand-picked bunch of Arrow Lake chips with an overclock, as the compute tile is a fresh wafer design. You might think that this won’t make any difference, but the benchmark results tell you everything you need to know.PC Gamer test PC specs (Image credit: Future)MSI MEG Z890 Ace | 32 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL32 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 | Corsair MP700 2 TB | Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W | Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtableThe biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware dealsKeep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Gaming performance Gaming performance < Prev Cyberpunk 2077 (1080