Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: Which Is the Better CPU?

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X are two great budget CPUs. They promise to deliver the best performance, but which is better?

If you are a budget gamer looking to build a new PC or upgrade your existing one, the most critical component is the CPU. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X are considered two of the best processors for budget gamers, but they vary wildly in specs. One is a 10-core CPU, while the other is a 6-core. However, higher cores don’t always translate into more gaming performance, which is why many users are confused about which to choose.

In this article, we will compare the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X to determine which is the better processor.

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

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Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: Detailed Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is Intel’s latest 15th Gen budget CPU, while the Ryzen 5 7600X is a bit older but one of the most popular processors from AMD. Let’s check out what the two chips are capable of delivering, starting with their specifications.

Specs Comparison

Picture of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 — Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (Image via Intel)

Here are the specs of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X:

Specifications	Intel Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Architecture	Arrow Lake	Zen 4
P-Core/Thread count	6/6	6/12
E-Core/Thread count	4/4	—
Total Core/Thread count	10/10	6/12
Max clock speed	4.9 GHz	5.3 GHz
L3 cache	20 MB	32 MB
RAM support	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5200
PCIe Gen support	Gen 5	Gen 5
Platform Socket	LGA 1851	AM5
Thermal design power (TDP)	65W Typical \| 121W Max	105W Typical \| 142W Max
Manufacturing nodes	3nm	5nm, 6nm

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a monster of a CPU, considering its price point. It has a total of 10 cores, which consist of six P-cores and four E-cores. The more powerful P-cores can go up to 4.9GHz, while the E-cores are clocked lower for more efficiency.

On the other hand, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X has a total of six Zen 4 cores, which can reach up to 5.3GHz. Essentially, Intel CPU targets a higher core count, while AMD processors aim for a higher clock speed. Both chips support DDR5 RAM, but the Intel processor supports the faster DDR5-6400 kits.

However, as we know, specs don’t always translate to real-world performance. Therefore, it is essential to check their performance in some actual benchmarks.

Synthetic Performance Comparison

Here’s how the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X perform in popular benchmark suites:

Benchmarks	Intel Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)	2081	1951
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)	17050	15210
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	2765	2941
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	14910	13615
Passmark CPU (Single-Core)	4470	4133
Passmark CPU (Multi-Core)	30976	28358

According to the benchmarking numbers, the Intel processor wins in both single and multi-core benchmarks. In the single-core benchmarks, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scored 3.2% more than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X. It achieved a higher 10% performance improvement over AMD in the multi-core benchmarks. Usually, synthetic benchmarks are quite similar to productivity applications, but the same cannot be said for the gaming side of things.

Therefore, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is the winner in productivity, but can it maintain the same lead in gaming benchmarks? Let’s find out.

Game Performance Comparison

Here’s how Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X perform in actual games:

Games	Intel Core Ultra 5 225	Ryzen 5 7600X
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows	93 FPS	105 FPS
Baldur’s Gate 3	108 FPS	108 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	105 FPS	106 FPS
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2	170 FPS	173 FPS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl	66 FPS	64 FPS
Total War Saga: Troy	87 FPS	77 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 GECID Benchmarks channel on YouTube.

On average, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is around 0.6% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which can be chalked off to run-to-run variance error. Therefore, the two CPUs will deliver extremely similar performance in gaming, which is a bit disappointing considering the performance uplift we saw in gaming.

Price Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 currently costs $220.66 on Amazon, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X regularly sells for around $179.19 on Amazon. Therefore, the Intel processor is 23% more expensive than the AMD CPU.

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Final Verdict on Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

While the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is better than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X in productivity, their gaming performance is extremely similar. Besides, the former is $41 more expensive than the latter. Therefore, it’s the Ryzen 5 7600X that provides more value than the Intel CPU, and that’s what we will recommend.

However, Intel Core Ultra 5 225’s higher core count will be more beneficial in the long term. Therefore, if the Intel CPU’s price drops, it would be a better choice instead.

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Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: Which Is the Better CPU?