Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Which Is the Better CPU?

The Core i9 14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K are two flagship CPUs from Intel. We are going to find out which is better through proper benchmarks.

Picture of Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K — Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K (Image via Intel)

Table of Contents

The Core i9 14900K CPU is Intel’s crown achievement. It could reach 6 GHz, which is great for gaming. Two years later, Intel released another flagship processor called the Core Ultra 9 285K. It is launched as the direct successor to the Core i9 14900K. However, the new CPU lacks Hyper-Threading and can’t even reach 6 GHz clock speed. These are things the previous generation of CPUs supported but are missing in the newer ones.

Nonetheless, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has one advantage which is the fact that it is built on a newer architecture. The question is: Will the new architecture be enough for this CPU to triumph over the Core i9 14900K? Let’s find out with a detailed comparison of the two processors with proper benchmarks. Read on to learn more.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

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Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Detailed Comparison

The Intel Core i9 14900K is based on the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh architecture and features Hyper-Threading. On the other hand, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is designed on the latest 15th Gen Arrow Lake architecture but doesn’t feature Hyper-Threading. However, both CPUs feature a similar hybrid core configuration of P and E cores. Let’s check out the other specs of the two processors before we start with the benchmarks.

Specs Comparison

Picture of Intel Core Ultra 9 285K — Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Image via Intel)

Here are the specs of the Intel Core i9 14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K:

Specifications	Intel Core i9 14900K	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Architecture	Raptor Lake Refresh	Arrow Lake
P-Core/Thread count	8/16	8/8
E-Core/Thread count	16/16	16/16
Total Core/Thread count	24/32	24/24
Max clock speed	6 GHz	5.7 GHz
L3 cache	36 MB	36 MB
RAM support	DDR4-3200 DDR5-5600	DDR5-6400
PCIe Gen support	Gen 5	Gen 5
Platform Socket	LGA 1700	LGA 1851
Thermal design power (TDP)	125W Typical \| 253W Max	125W Typical \| 250W Max
Manufacturing nodes	10nm	3nm

As per the specs table, the differences are pretty clear. The newer Core Ultra 9 285K lacks Hyper-Threading and sports a slightly lower max clock speed, but other specs remain the same or are quite similar. However, specs don’t always tell the full tale, so let’s begin with the actual benchmarks.

Synthetic Productivity Benchmarks Comparison

Here’s how the Intel Core i9 14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K perform in popular synthetic benchmarks:

Benchmarks	Intel Core i9 14900K	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)	2293	2320
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)	40400	41558
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	3171	3379
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	22629	23095
Passmark CPU (Single-Core)	4697	5095
Passmark CPU (Multi-Core)	58570	67587

In single-core benchmarks, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K delivered 6.2% higher score on average than the Core i9 14900K. However, in multi-core benchmarks, the former is around 8.7% more performance than the latter. These single-digit improvements don’t seem that impressive, considering the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor is designed on a brand new architecture. The gaming performance could be better than the productivity results.

Game Performance Comparison

Here’s how the Intel Core i9 14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K handle some of the popular games on the market:

Games	Intel Core i9 14900K	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Silent Hill 2	159 FPS	157 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	138 FPS	125 FPS
Starfield	145 FPS	147 FPS
Forza Horizon 5	278 FPS	269 FPS
Star Wars Outlaws	151 FPS	136 FPS
Counter-Strike 2	679 FPS	660 FPS
Microsoft Flight Simulator	77 FPS	75 FPS
Hogwarts Legacy	81 FPS	77 FPS
Ghost of Tsushima	187 FPS	180 FPS
The Witcher 3 Next-Gen	110 FPS	102 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	184 FPS	179 FPS

Note: The two CPUs were tested at 1080p resolution with the RTX 4090 GPU to eliminate any GPU bottleneck. All FPS numbers were sourced from the Hardware Tested channel on YouTube.

On average, the Intel Core i9 14900K delivered 3.9% more frame rates than the Core Ultra 9 285K, despite being an older CPU. It seems the higher clock speed and Hyper-Threading did play a part in gaming. The Intel Core i9 is the better processor here.

Price Comparison

Picture of Intel Core i9 14900K — Intel Core i9 14900K (Image via Intel)

The Intel Core i9 14900K usually sells for $463.99 on Amazon. Moreover, there is a coupon, which will further slash $14.99 off this CPU. This is certainly a great deal. On the other hand, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is currently selling for $527 on Amazon, but that price often reduces. However, at their current prices, the new Intel Core Ultra processor is 13% more expensive, or even more if you factor in the coupon.

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Final Verdict on Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K

The Intel Core i9 14900K wins in gaming by 3.9%, but the Core Ultra 9 285K wins in productivity by up to 8.7%. However, the latter is also 13% more expensive, which decreases its value further. Also, there’s the matter of platform compatibility and longevity. If you currently have a 12th or 13th Gen CPU, then you have an LGA 1700 motherboard, which supports the Intel Core i9 14900K.

However, for the Core Ultra 9 285K, you must buy a new motherboard with an LGA 1851 socket. For longevity, both CPUs are dead-end and will not support any new generation of Intel CPUs. With these things in mind and benchmarks, we are going with the Intel Core i9 14900K for our recommendation. It delivers slightly lower performance but higher gaming performance and a cheaper price tag.

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Intel Core i9 14900K vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Which Is the Better CPU?