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 i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 225 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 31,137).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 129.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $240 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Core Ultra 5 225

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +56.4% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $145 less on MSRP ($240 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 246.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 129.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($240 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i7-9700K

2018

Core Ultra 5 225

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +56.4% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $145 less on MSRP ($240 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 246.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 129.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($240 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core Ultra 5 225 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 31,137).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 20 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 129.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $240 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 225 better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Core Ultra 5 225 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 56.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data, 116.3% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core Ultra 5 225 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 56.4% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 225 is the better fit. You are getting 116.3% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 10 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core Ultra 5 225 is the smarter buy today. Core Ultra 5 225 is $145 cheaper on MSRP at $240 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 56.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 246.9% better value on MSRP (129.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core Ultra 5 225 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2018), a healthier platform with LGA1851 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 66.7% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 10 threads instead of 8/8. 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 i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Core Ultra 5 225 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
1080p
low	308 FPS	256 FPS
medium	278 FPS	244 FPS
high	231 FPS	208 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	219 FPS
medium	221 FPS	187 FPS
high	178 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	150 FPS
medium	140 FPS	127 FPS
high	108 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core Ultra 5 225

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
1080p
low	360 FPS	603 FPS
medium	321 FPS	512 FPS
high	291 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	378 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	501 FPS
medium	282 FPS	441 FPS
high	258 FPS	372 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	319 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	301 FPS
medium	221 FPS	266 FPS
high	208 FPS	248 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	218 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core Ultra 5 225

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
1080p
low	360 FPS	778 FPS
medium	360 FPS	680 FPS
high	360 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	522 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	725 FPS
medium	360 FPS	588 FPS
high	360 FPS	515 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	439 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	504 FPS
medium	360 FPS	422 FPS
high	360 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	318 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core Ultra 5 225

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
1080p
low	360 FPS	778 FPS
medium	360 FPS	778 FPS
high	360 FPS	777 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	699 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	778 FPS
medium	360 FPS	716 FPS
high	360 FPS	623 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	547 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	560 FPS
medium	360 FPS	510 FPS
high	360 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	402 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core Ultra 5 225

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Core Ultra 5 225

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Core Ultra 5 225

The Core Ultra 5 225 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 10 cores and 10 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 20 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: 31,137 points. Launch price was $246.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Core Ultra 5 225 offers 10 cores / 10 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225 — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core Ultra 5 225 uses Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) (3 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Core Ultra 5 225's 31,137 — a 73.5% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 20 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 225.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	10 / 10+25%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	4.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	20 MB (total)+67%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	3 MB (per core)+1100%
Process	14 nm	3 nm-79%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)
PassMark	14,397	31,137+116%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	17,020
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,653
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,028

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core Ultra 5 225 uses LGA1851 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus DDR5-6400 on the Core Ultra 5 225 — the Core Ultra 5 225 supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core Ultra 5 225 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 24 (Core Ultra 5 225) — the Core Ultra 5 225 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and Z890,B860,H810 (Core Ultra 5 225).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1851
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-6400+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	16	24+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core Ultra 5 225). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores) (Core Ultra 5 225) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Core Ultra 5 225 targets Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 225 rivals Ryzen 5 8600G.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Core Ultra 5 225
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores)
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	Desktop	Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 5 225 debuted at $240. On MSRP ($385 vs $240), the Core Ultra 5 225 is $145 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 129.7 pts/$ for the Core Ultra 5 225 — making the Core Ultra 5 225 the 110.5% better value option.