Best Mid-Range Intel · Processors (CPUs)

Intel Core Ultra 5 245K

The Core Ultra 5 245K pairs six performance cores with eight efficient ones, giving strong all-round performance and much lower power draw than older Intel chips, with built-in graphics as a bonus.

Brand: Intel
Best for: Intel builds for gaming and everyday work
Price range: Mid-range
Our score: 8.0/10

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Our take

The Core Ultra 5 245K is Intel's mid-range desktop processor for this generation. It pairs six performance cores with eight efficient ones, giving strong all-round performance with much lower power draw than older Intel chips, plus built-in graphics.

Performance

The 245K has 14 cores and 14 threads, with the performance cores boosting to 5.2GHz. In published testing its multi-threaded performance is excellent for the money, well ahead of AMD's six-core Ryzen 5 chips in video encoding, rendering and compiling, thanks to its extra efficient cores.

Gaming is good but not class-leading. It's roughly on par with the Ryzen 5 9600X in most games, and well behind AMD's X3D chips. With mid-range graphics cards at 1440p, the difference is small. Install the latest BIOS, which includes Intel's gaming performance fixes.

Efficiency and graphics

The 245K draws much less power than Intel's 14th-generation chips, so it's easier to cool quietly. Intel doesn't include a cooler, but a decent single-tower air cooler is enough.

The built-in graphics, with four Xe cores, run the desktop and video playback without a graphics card, and Intel's Quick Sync engine speeds up video editing and encoding. There's also a small NPU for AI features in Windows.

Platform

It needs a new LGA 1851 motherboard (Z890 for overclocking, or B860) and DDR5 memory. Intel's next generation is expected to use a new socket, so don't plan on a major processor upgrade on the same board.

Who should buy it

Buy the Core Ultra 5 245K for a mid-range PC that's used for work as well as play, especially video editing. For a gaming-first PC at a similar price, AMD's Ryzen 5 9600X is similar and has a better upgrade path, and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is far faster in games.

Key specifications

Architecture	Arrow Lake
Cores / threads	14 (6P + 8E) / 14
Boost clock	5.2GHz (P-cores), 4.6GHz (E-cores)
L2 cache	26MB
L3 cache	24MB
Base power	125W
Maximum turbo power	159W
Socket	LGA 1851
Memory	DDR5 (up to 6400MHz official)
PCIe	PCIe 5.0
Graphics	Intel Graphics (4 Xe cores)
NPU	Yes (Intel AI Boost)
Cooler	Not included

Strengths and weaknesses

Pros

Strong multi-threaded performance for the money
Runs cooler than previous Intel generations
Built-in graphics
Quick Sync speeds up video editing

Cons

Gaming performance trails AMD's X3D chips
Needs a new LGA 1851 motherboard and DDR5
No cooler included

Verdict

The Core Ultra 5 245K pairs six performance cores with eight efficient ones, giving strong all-round performance and much lower power draw than older Intel chips, with built-in graphics as a bonus. It earns our Best Mid-Range Intel award in our guide to the best processors.

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