Intel Core Ultra 250K Review: Budget CPU Beats AMD Ryzen 9 9950X

Intel has released two new CPUs for 2016, the Core Ultra 250K and the Core Ultra 270K. 270K has already grabbed some headlines, but it's the 250K that could be more interesting.

It offers considerable enhancements over the previous generation, but at a lower price point. Featuring increased core counts, support for new, faster memory, and strong creative and gaming performance, Intel has targeted this processor at the mainstream market.

What's New With the Core Ultra 250K

Core Ultra 250K is an upgraded version of the Core Ultra 245K. Four new efficiency cores, more cache, and higher clock speeds have been added. The most important improvement for creatives is the integrated memory controller.

The memory controller now supports speeds up to 7200MT/s, compared to 6400MT/s previously. If you have a fast DDR5 memory kit that you couldn't run at its rated memory speed, the 250K is more likely to do so.

Power Efficiency Looks Excellent

When it comes to power use, the 250K shines. Maximum power consumption is around 161W. Under heavier loads, such as rendering Cinebench R24, power draw stabilizes at 150W.

It also has low idle consumption. With background apps like OBS, consumption is around 20W. When idle, removing unwanted background tasks will reduce it to 12W, as with the 285K. Intel's new CPU is far more efficient than the Ryzen 9 9950X, both under load and idle.

Cinebench R24 Performance

Cinebench R24 confirms that the Ryzen 9 9950X continues to perform 24% better in multi-core tests. This is to be expected, as it has more cores. The situation is reversed for single-core performance. 250K actually performs better than the 9950X.

If you're looking to upgrade from an Intel Core i5-12600K, you'll see some significant performance gains. 250K offers 21% faster single-core and 46% faster multi-core performance, all for a similar price.

Intel's Platform Helps Creative Workloads

Synthetic numbers aren't everything. Practical tests show the 250K at its best. This includes Intel's integrated graphics and media engines. With 7200 MT/s memory support, it delivers better performance in many creative applications.

AMD is still ahead in Photoshop. Ryzen 9 9950X is overall faster. But the Core Ultra 250K is still a strong contender. It's only a few percentage points slower than the 270K, but slightly faster than the 285K. For Photoshop, Intel's bargain chip is excellent.

The Lightroom results are slightly different. Ryzen 9 9950X is 7.8% and 6% faster in standard and multi-core tests, respectively. But the Core Ultra 270K opens a strong lead, 13% to 19% ahead of the 250K. 285K actually underperforms the 250K in Lightroom, suggesting that the 250K is a great option for photo editing.

Video editing becomes particularly interesting. Using an RTX 4090 eliminates the benefits of new GPU media engines. This means we can focus on the CPU's role. In this test, the Ryzen 9 9950X underperforms.

It's 1.3% slower in core tests and 8.7% slower in extended. Core Ultra 270K is 6% to 7% ahead, while the 285K is almost the same. If you already own an RTX 40-series GPU, switching to one of these CPUs can give you a performance boost without having to change your graphics card.

AMD gets the edge in After Effects. Ryzen 9 9950X is ahead by 3% to 5%. But the 250K is still a top contender. 270K once again delivers a 6% to 7% boost, but the 250K is more than sufficient for most editing tasks.

DaVinci Resolve Favors Intel

DaVinci Resolve returns to favor Intel. Ryzen 9 9950X is 6% to 7% slower than the Core Ultra 250K. 270K is even further ahead, 6% to 10%. 285K is similar to 270 K. For Resolve users, Intel currently offers one of the best values in this price range.

Rendering is still the best use case for AMD's top chips. In V-Ray, the Ryzen 9 9950X leads by 42%. It's 38.7% faster than the 250K. AMD's previous Ryzen 9 9900X is 13.5% faster, too.

We also see the same when running Blender. 9950X is a CPU rendering beast and, relative to the 250K, the 270K is around 40% faster in Junk Shop, Monster, and Classroom. But if you're coming from a Core i5-12600K, the 250K offers between 41% and 67% more Blender CPU rendering performance.

Price is the key factor. Intel prices the Core Ultra 250K at $199. That's far cheaper than the Ryzen 9 9950X (which it competes with surprisingly well) at less than half the price. In fact, it's faster in some. For the price, the Core Ultra 250K is one of the best values on the market.

Core Ultra 250K is a fast gaming and creator processor with low power draw and the latest platform features, all for a bargain price.

This chip is worth considering if you want to build a new PC or upgrade from an older Intel desktop CPU (like the 12600K). If you want better speed, the Core Ultra 270K is a great choice. Core Ultra 250K from Intel is one of the best CPUs of 2026 and a great deal.