Introduction

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K Arrow Lake desktop processor forms an important link in the new generation, positioned between the enthusiast segment led by the 285K and 265K; and the mainstream segment under the 14th Gen Core i5 series, which will soon be replaced by cheaper models in the Core Ultra 5 Arrow Lake series. It succeeds a long line of successful processor models form Intel, including the Core i5-14600K, and the i5-12600K—chips AMD hasn’t really been able to beat with Ryzen 5 models of comparable generations. This is because Intel doesn’t just offer 6 performance cores, but a number of efficiency cores on top, with which these chips are able to ace in multithreaded productivity. The Core Ultra 5 245K and its predecessors have been able to offer this at or under the $300-mark, so gaming PC builders can spend more on a better graphics card.

The Core Ultra 5 245K comes with a core-configuration of 6P+8E. That’s six Lion Cove performance cores, and eight Skymont efficiency cores. Both core types sit on a single CPU core complex, unlike on Lunar Lake, and share a 24 MB L3 cache. The Lion Cove P-core is claimed by Intel to offer a generational IPC gain over Raptor Cove, but Skymont has extensively been hyped up since its debut on Lunar Lake, for offering an IPC leap nearing 50% over Gracemont, bringing its performance in league of P-cores. This really forms an ace up the sleeves of the Core Ultra 5 245K, especially in a price-sensitive segment like this.

The new Arrow Lake microarchitecture has been extensively detailed in our architecture preview article, but it’s the start of something big for Intel—it’s the first desktop processor implementing Intel’s IDM 2.0 product development strategy, of benefiting from the best foundry nodes in the industry, and building specific IP blocks on the best node Intel can afford at a given performance and price target. Put simply, this is Intel’s first chiplet-based desktop processor, and retains much of the elementary design of the first-gen Core Ultra Meteor Lake mobile processor.

The CPU complex, the iGPU, and the rest of the processor containing the uncore and I/O components, are built on different foundry nodes, and all come together on Intel’s Foveros tile-based chip technology. The Compute tile, which contains the CPU complex, is built on a TSMC 3 nm EUV node, so for all intents and purposes, this is a 3 nm processor, just as the Ryzen 9000 Granite Ridge is a 4 nm one—Intel has its first foundry technology lead over AMD in five years. This is also Intel’s first desktop processor generation with an NPU, but alas, it doesn’t meet Microsoft Copilot+ requirements, but there’s still quite a lot you can do with a 13 TOPS NPU.

Each of the six Lion Cove P-cores on the Core Ultra 5 245K comes with a base frequency of 4.20 GHz, with a maximum P-core boost frequency of 5.20 GHz. Each P-core has a 3 MB L2 cache. The E-cores tick at a base frequency of 3.60 GHz, with a 4.60 GHz maximum E-core boost. If you noticed, besides IPC, Intel has managed to increase the clock speeds of its E-cores, so the IPC becomes a lot more relevant. The Intel Xe LPG integrated graphics features all four Xe cores, but the iGPU frequency only boosts up to 1.90 GHz, about 100 MHz less than that of the 265K and the 285K. There’s also the Core Ultra 245KF, a variant that comes without an iGPU.

Intel is pricing the Core Ultra 5 245K at $309, but you can save $15 by opting for the 245KF, if you don’t need the integrated graphics. The 245K squares off against the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, and perhaps even the Ryzen 7 9700X, which just saw an official price-cut to $329. You have an interesting choice to make between an 8-core/16-thread processor from AMD, and a 14-core/14-thread one from Intel, from which 8 are E-cores (the P-cores lose SMT with this generation).