Disappointing results: Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus gaming CPU hits Geekbench 6 with underwhelming multi-core score

Intel is widely expected to unleash the Core Ultra 200K Plus gaming CPUs in the coming weeks. We already know what the lineup will consist of - the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. As we have reported earlier, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is no longer on the table.

Until now, we had only discovered leaked benchmarks of the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. Now, it appears that the budget-oriented 250K Plus has finally broken cover, popping up on Geekbench 6. As the listing reveals, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus will boast an 18-core setup, consisting of 12 efficiency cores and 6 performance cores. Basically, the chip will sport 4 additional E-cores compared to its predecessor, the 245K.

Clock speeds are likely to be updated - the P-cores and E-cores will be faster by 100 MHz (boost) respectively, while the E-core base clock will drop by 100 MHz. DDR5-7200 support has also been floated. The test setup was based on an Asus Prime Z890-P motherboard, and the CPU was paired with 32 GB of DDR5 memory (Crucial Pro kit curr. $366.26 on Amazon). 

Modest improvement in single-core performance

In the single-core department, the Intel Core Ultra 250K Plus managed to score an impressive 3,113 points. For context, the outgoing 245K typically scores around 3,000 points in the same test, indicating a very modest uplift. In the multi-core department, things look even worse - the 250K managed to score only around 15,251 points, which is quite a bit lower than the roughly 18,000 points we have come to expect from its predecessor.

Being an early benchmark, the final scores are definitely subject to change. Considering that the 250K Plus packs more physical cores and higher P-core boost clocks, there appears to be no reason why the chip was found lagging behind its predecessor. 

Other details of the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus revealed by the benchmark include 6 MB and 30 MB of L2 and L3 cache respectively, base clock of 4.2 GHz, and a peak boost clock of 5.3 GHz. Unsurprisingly, the CPU will continue utilizing the LGA 1851 socket.