Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
Head-to-head CPU comparison: cores, clocks, cache, benchmarks, and value. Which belongs in your next build?
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Intel's Arrow Lake flagship. Massive multithreaded performance and dramatically improved efficiency over the previous generation. Gaming performance trails AMD's X3D chips, but productivity is competitive with the 9950X3D.
Buy on Amazon →Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
Intel's mid-range Arrow Lake. 14 cores in a 125W envelope is impressive. Solid all-rounder when you want Intel.
Buy on Amazon →Spec Comparison
| Spec | Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | Intel Core Ultra 5 245K |
|---|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $589 | $309 |
| Cores / Threads | 24 / 24 | 14 / 14 |
| Performance Cores | 8 | 6 |
| Efficiency Cores | 16 | 8 |
| Base Clock | 3.7 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 5.7 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 36 MB | 24 MB |
| TDP | 125W | 125W |
| Socket | LGA 1851 | LGA 1851 |
| Memory Support | DDR5-6400 | DDR5-6400 |
| Process Node | TSMC 3nm | TSMC 3nm |
| Cinebench R23 Multi | 42,800 | 24,800 |
| Cinebench R23 Single | 2,240 | 2,150 |
| Gaming Score | 82/100 | 73/100 |
| Productivity Score | 96/100 | 78/100 |
| Value Score | 70/100 | 78/100 |
The Verdict
Based on our benchmark database and scoring, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K wins on gaming by about 9 points, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K pulls ahead in productivity by 18 points. Overall the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K comes out ahead in this matchup, but the right pick depends on what you're actually building: gaming-first rigs favor higher single-thread and 3D V-Cache designs, while streaming and content-creation rigs benefit more from raw multi-core output.