Intel’s next wave of desktop processors is almost here, and an early benchmark leak suggests one model could be a standout value for budget PC builders. The Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus, part of the Core Ultra 200S “Arrow Lake Refresh” lineup, has surfaced in PassMark results showing a sizable jump over the Core Ultra 5 245KF—while reportedly landing at a much more affordable price.
According to the listing, the Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is built with 18 total cores, combining 6 performance cores (Lion Cove) and 12 efficiency cores (Skymont). That’s a notable increase over the Core Ultra 5 245KF’s 14-core setup (6 performance cores plus 8 efficiency cores). Clock speeds also tick upward, with the 250KF Plus reaching up to 5.3 GHz on boost. It’s also listed with all-core boost behavior of up to 5.1 GHz on the P-cores and up to 4.6 GHz on the E-cores.
Cache and internal fabric improvements appear to be part of the story as well. The 250KF Plus is shown with 30 MB of L3 cache and 36 MB of L2 cache, compared to 24 MB L3 and 26 MB L2 on the 245KF. There’s also a big jump in the listed D2D frequency, moving from 2.1 GHz to 3.0 GHz. Power limits, however, seem unchanged, with the same 159W maximum turbo power (MTP) indicated. The leak also mentions 4Xe integrated graphics cores clocked at 1.9 GHz.
In PassMark performance, the Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus reportedly scores 4,907 points in single-thread and 53,977 points in multi-thread. For comparison, the Core Ultra 5 245KF comes in at 4,734 single-thread and 43,227 multi-thread. That works out to roughly a 4% gain in single-core performance and a much larger 25% uplift in multi-core results—likely driven by the additional efficiency cores and the bigger cache configuration.
What makes this leak especially interesting is the price claim. The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is said to be priced at $174, and the post suggests that puts it in the same neighborhood as the 245KF despite the major multi-core improvement. If that holds true at retail, the 250KF Plus could become one of Intel’s most compelling lower-cost options for gaming and everyday productivity, particularly for buyers who want stronger multi-threaded performance without stepping up to a higher tier.
There are a few platform considerations to keep in mind. The LGA 1854 motherboard ecosystem is expected to include plenty of options under $150, which could help build an affordable Arrow Lake-based system. On the other hand, DDR5 pricing remains a pain point for many builders, and that cost impacts Intel and AMD systems alike.
The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is expected to arrive alongside other chips such as the 250K and 270K, with a retail launch date listed as March 26 and reviews expected around March 23. More clarity should arrive soon on real-world gaming performance, including how Intel’s Binary Optimization Tool may improve game results on Arrow Lake processors.
