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Which CPU delivers better value for money? Intel Core Ultra 5 225F or Core i5-14400F? Find out here in this detailed comparison.
The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F and Core i5-14400F are two great budget CPUs available for under $200. They both promise to deliver the best performance for the money you pay. Most people would look at the naming scheme and think the former is better, as it sports the Ultra monitor. However, it’s not the name that matters but rather what’s inside. Therefore, the only way to verify which CPU performs better is to compare them in actual benchmarks, and that’s exactly what we plan to do.
In this article, we are comparing Intel Core Ultra 5 225F and Core i5-14400F to find out which is the better CPU and which one you should buy.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.
Intel Core Ultra 5 225F vs Core i5-14400F: Detailed Comparison
The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F is based on the latest 15th Gen Arrow Lake architecture, but it lacks hyperthreading. On the other hand, the Intel Core i5 14400F is based on the refresh of an older Raptor Lake architecture. However, it supports hyperthreading.
There are also some other fundamental differences between the two processors, and they are targeted towards different users. Let’s look at their specs to get a better understanding of what they are capable of.
Specs Comparison
Here are the specs of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Core i5-14400F:
| Specifications | Intel Core Ultra 5 225F | Intel Core i5-14400F |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Arrow Lake | Raptor Lake Refresh |
| P-Core/Thread count | 6/6 | 6/12 |
| E-Core/Thread count | 4/4 | 4/4 |
| Total Core/Thread count | 10/10 | 10/16 |
| Max clock speed | 4.9 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| L3 cache | 20 MB | 20 MB |
| RAM support | DDR5-6400 | DDR4-3200 DDR5-5200 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 5 | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | LGA 1851 | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 65W Typical | 121W Max | 65W Typical | 148W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 3nm | 10nm |
According to the specs, Intel Core Ultra 5 225F has the same core count but supports faster DDR5 RAM and consumes less power. Its clock speed is also slightly higher. On the other hand, the Intel Core i5-14400F has hyper-threading, so it has six extra threads, which can boost the performance in some productivity applications like Blender. It also supports older DDR4 RAM, so budget gamers can build cheaper PCs.
Synthetic Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Core i5-14400F perform in popular synthetic benchmarks:
| Benchmarks | Intel Core Ultra 5 225F | Intel Core i5-14400F |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 (Single-Core) | 2081 | 1816 |
| Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core) | 17050 | 15926 |
| Geekbench 6 (Single-Core) | 2765 | 2394 |
| Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) | 14910 | 11183 |
| Passmark CPU (Single-Core) | 4470 | 3759 |
| Passmark CPU (Multi-Core) | 30976 | 25321 |
| Blender | 175.37 | 194.72 |
The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F outperforms the Core i5 14400F in both single and multi-core benchmarks. In single-core, the former scored around 17% more than the latter. In multi-core benchmarks, the new Ultra CPU is 20% faster than the old one.
However, as we mentioned earlier, some applications, such as Blender, are dependent on multi-threading. Such apps will run poorly on CPUs that lack multi-threading, and that also seems to be the case here. The Intel Core i5 14400F scores 11% more than the Ultra 5 225F, despite losing in other benchmarks.
Game Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs Core i5-14400F handle some of the popular games on the market:
| Games | Intel Core Ultra 5 225F | Intel Core i5-14400F |
|---|---|---|
| Black Myth Wukong (DLSS, FG) | 115 FPS | 116 FPS |
| PUBG (Very Low) | 167 FPS | 155 FPS |
| GTA 5 | 141 FPS | 135 FPS |
| Forza Horizon 5 (DLSS, FG) | 237 FPS | 239 FPS |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 163 FPS | 155 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (DLSS, FG, PT) | 147 FPS | 148 FPS |
| The Last of Us: Part 1 (DLSS, FG) | 245 FPS | 254 FPS |
| Indiana Jones and The Great Circle (DLSS, FG, PT) | 181 FPS | 183 FPS |
Note: The two CPUs were tested at 1080p resolution with the RTX 4070 Super to eliminate GPU bottlenecks. All FPS numbers were sourced from the Hardware Tested channel on YouTube.
On average, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225F delivered 0.7% more FPS than the Core i5 14400F. However, both CPUs won and lost in individual games. Therefore, it’s mostly a tie in gaming.
Price Comparison
The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F is currently priced at $189 on Amazon, while the Core i5 14400F sells for $135.97. Therefore, the new Ultra CPU is 39% more expensive.
Final Verdict on Intel Core Ultra 5 225F vs Core i5-14400F
The Intel Core Ultra 5 225F is a better CPU compared to the Core i5-14400F. The former scored 17 – 20% more than the latter. In gaming, both processors tied. Therefore, the Core Ultra 5 225F is still the better processor. However, the Core Ultra 5 225F is also 39% more expensive, which destroys its value.
Therefore, our recommendation for budget gamers is to get the Intel Core i5-14400F. It will deliver the same gaming performance as the new Ultra CPU but at a much lower cost.
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