Gaming Performance: (D-S)
We are testing only at 1080p to isolate CPU performance. We are using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition video card with driver version 595.97. All games are generally being run in their highest settings, though some of the games have had to be lowered to “High” settings so that we could get a more meaningful CPU-limited test. We are running at 1080p native resolution, and no Ray Tracing is turned on in the games that have the option. The same DDR5 7600MT/s RAM was used for both CPUs.
Importantly, we are using ALL manual run-throughs for every game; we are using long manual run-throughs in-game of actual gameplay. We are also recording AVG FPS and 1% Lows and reporting them in the graphs.
Dying Light: The Beast
Important for Dying Light: The Beast, we are using the game patched up to version 1.6.1 (4/01), so this represents the latest major 1.6 update. In Dying Light: The Beast, the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is just 2% faster on AVG and 1% on 1% Lows. We didn’t see as much of a difference in this game as we might have expected; perhaps at lower in-game graphics settings, there would be, but we are getting high framerates even at the High game settings on the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, almost 150FPS 1% Lows is nothing to sneeze at.
Hogwarts Legacy
Keep in mind that the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus supports the new Intel Binary Optimization Tool in this game, and we do have that enabled. This game in particular seems to be responding very well to APO and Intel Binary Optimizations. The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 21% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, and 1% lows are 30% better. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K does quite poorly in this game; it has traditionally done so, and still does, the 1% Lows are quite terrible. The new Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus with Intel Binary Optimization Tool enabled seems to fix those problems, and allows the 1% Lows to actually be playable; it’s a big upgrade. This game is an outlier in our testing, however.
Horizon Forbidden West
In Horizon Forbidden West, the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 4% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, and the 1% Lows are also 4% faster.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance II the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 5% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, and the 1% Lows are 7% faster. That’s pretty significant for the 1% Low improvement.
Mafia: The Old Country
In Mafi: The Old Country we did have to lower the in-game quality to “High” to get a result, else the highest game setting was very GPU-limited. At “High” the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 5% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and 1% Lows are an impressive 7% faster. This game is still very GPU-limited, but we can see that the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus allows 126FPS AVG, and the 60’s for 1% Lows.
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem is a new game we have added, and we are using a manual in-game run-through. For this game, we are using the latest title update patch from 3/27/2026. The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 4% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which, with framerates this high, it’s hard to tell. The 1% Lows increase by 6% with the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
In Stalker 2, the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 7% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, and 1% Lows are 10% better. With 1% Lows this low, that 10% makes a bigger difference in the feel of the gameplay positively with the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.