Intel has significantly reduced the prices of two Core Ultra 5 SKUs. The Core Ultra 5 225 now sells for $193.79 on Amazon and Newegg, while the Core Ultra 5 225F is available for $194.32 on Amazon and Newegg. There's a slight price difference of a few dollars depending on which retailer you purchase the processor from.
In the absence of any Core Ultra 3 or Pentium SKUs, the Core Ultra 5 225 serves as the entry-level option for consumers seeking to upgrade to a Core Ultra 200S (codenamed Arrow Lake) processor. A purported Core Ultra 3 model, namely the Core Ultra 3 205, is reportedly under development; however, unless it becomes a reality, the Core Ultra 5 225 remains the most economical option within Intel's Arrow Lake product lineup.
The Core Ultra 5 225 launched with an MSRP between $236 and $246. However, the chip is now available for as low as $193.79 on Amazon and Newegg, 21% below its MSRP. The Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor with six E-cores and four E-cores. The processor features a 4.9 GHz boost clock with a 65W PBP (Processor Base Power).
The Core Ultra 5 225F, the iGPU-less variant of the Core Ultra 5 225, has also enjoyed a nice price reduction. Initially sold for between $221 and $231, the Core Ultra 5 225F retails for $211.24 on Amazon and Newegg, representing a 9% discount from the MSRP. Performance-wise, the Core Ultra 5 225F is identical to the Core Ultra 5 225, except that it doesn't have the integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics engine. Therefore, you must pair the Core Ultra 5 225F with a discrete graphics card.
Processor | Current Pricing | MSRP | Cores / Threads (P+E) | P-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | E-Core Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | PBP / MTP (W) | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core Ultra 5 225 | $193.79 | $236 - $246 | 10 / 10 (6+4) | 3.3 / 4.9 | 2.7 / 4.4 | 20 | 65 / 121 | DDR5-6400 |
Core Ultra 5 225F | $211.24 | $221 - $231 | 10 / 10 (6+4) | 3.3 / 4.9 | 2.7 / 4.4 | 20 | 65 / 121 | DDR5-6400 |
The price cuts aren't just exclusive to the U.S. market, either. Andreas Schilling reports that the Core Ultra 5 225 and Core Ultra 5 225F are down 26% and 22%, respectively, in Germany. Meanwhile, hardware leaker Harukaze5719 noticed that Core Ultra 5 225F's price has dropped by 26%.
The Core Ultra 5 225 and Core Ultra 5 225F look more enticing with their revamped pricing. However, there's still some competition in the segment, such as AMD's latest Ryzen 5 9600X, which hovers around the $200 mark. For consumers who want more value but don't mind using an older part, there's also the Ryzen 7 5800X at $175.
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