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 Ultra 5 225

2025

Why buy it

✅+3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Laminar RM2), unlike Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $240 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (16,529 vs 17,020).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core Ultra 5 225.

Core Ultra 5 225

2025

Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

2024

Why buy it

✅+3% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).
✅20% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Laminar RM2), unlike Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $240 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (16,529 vs 17,020).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 20 MB).
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core Ultra 5 225.

Quick Answers

So, is Core Ultra 5 225 better than Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS is ahead with a 4.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core Ultra 5 225 pulls ahead with 3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Core Ultra 5 225 also has the bigger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB).

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 3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 10 cores and 10 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 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 at an unclear MSRP at $240 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 3% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 4.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (129.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 2024), 25% larger total L3 cache (20 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 10 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 Ultra 5 225 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
1080p
low	256 FPS	265 FPS
medium	244 FPS	240 FPS
high	208 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	234 FPS
medium	187 FPS	192 FPS
high	154 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	150 FPS	162 FPS
medium	127 FPS	135 FPS
high	99 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
1080p
low	603 FPS	488 FPS
medium	512 FPS	401 FPS
high	421 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	305 FPS
1440p
low	501 FPS	427 FPS
medium	441 FPS	369 FPS
high	372 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	269 FPS
4K
low	301 FPS	281 FPS
medium	266 FPS	255 FPS
high	248 FPS	239 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	205 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
1080p
low	778 FPS	767 FPS
medium	680 FPS	767 FPS
high	609 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	522 FPS	623 FPS
1440p
low	725 FPS	767 FPS
medium	588 FPS	644 FPS
high	515 FPS	544 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	467 FPS
4K
low	504 FPS	540 FPS
medium	422 FPS	474 FPS
high	377 FPS	421 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	357 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
1080p
low	778 FPS	767 FPS
medium	778 FPS	767 FPS
high	777 FPS	767 FPS
ultra	699 FPS	756 FPS
1440p
low	778 FPS	767 FPS
medium	716 FPS	761 FPS
high	623 FPS	657 FPS
ultra	547 FPS	572 FPS
4K
low	560 FPS	574 FPS
medium	510 FPS	511 FPS
high	457 FPS	455 FPS
ultra	402 FPS	393 FPS

Open Core Ultra 5 225 Open Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core Ultra 5 225 and Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

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.

Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

The Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,689 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core Ultra 5 225 packs 10 cores / 10 threads, while the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core Ultra 5 225 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core Ultra 5 225 versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS — a 5.9% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS (base: 3.3 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core Ultra 5 225 uses the Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 31,137 against the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS's 30,689 — a 1.4% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 17,020 vs 16,529 (2.9% advantage for the Core Ultra 5 225). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,653 vs 2,617, a 1.4% lead for the Core Ultra 5 225 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 13,028 vs 13,098 (0.5% advantage for the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS). L3 cache: 20 MB (total) on the Core Ultra 5 225 vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
Cores / Threads	10 / 10+25%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.2 GHz+6%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz	4 GHz+21%
L3 Cache	20 MB (total)+25%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	3 MB (per core)+200%	1 MB (per core)
Process	3 nm-25%	4 nm
Architecture	Arrow Lake-S (2024−2025)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	31,137+1%	30,689
Cinebench R23 Multi	17,020+3%	16,529
Geekbench 6 Single	2,653+1%	2,617
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,028	13,098

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core Ultra 5 225 uses the LGA1851 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. Both support up to 256 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 24 (Core Ultra 5 225) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS) — the Core Ultra 5 225 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Z890,B860,H810 (Core Ultra 5 225) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS).

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
Socket	LGA1851	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB	256 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24+20%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core Ultra 5 225) vs AMD-V, SVM (Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS). Both include integrated graphics — Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores) (Core Ultra 5 225) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core Ultra 5 225 targets Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency, Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS targets Professional AI Business Laptop. Direct competitor: Core Ultra 5 225 rivals Ryzen 5 8600G; Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS rivals Core Ultra 9 185H.

Feature	Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel Arc Graphics (2 Xe-cores)	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V, SVM
Target Use	Mainstream Desktop / Efficiency	Professional AI Business Laptop