Left · Intel
Intel Core i5-12600KF
Spec score
Spec score 61
$209
Amazon US, Oct 24
Core i5-12600KF against Core Ultra 5 225F
Core Ultra 5 225F leads on the overall index. The price beside each button is the Amazon US reading where ScoutPrices has one; the comparison below is worked on typical prices.
Right · Intel
Intel Core Ultra 5 225F
Spec score
Spec score 64
$135
Amazon US, Oct 24
Which one for what
Office & everyday
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
66 vs 71 on the office & everyday blend.
Coding & development
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
61 vs 64 on the coding & development blend.
Light gaming
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
65 vs 68 on the light gaming blend.
Gaming
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
63 vs 65 on the gaming blend.
Heavy gaming
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
62 vs 64 on the heavy gaming blend.
Content creation
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
3D & rendering
Either
Within 1 points; buy on price.
Gaming & streaming
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
58 vs 60 on the gaming & streaming blend.
AI & local models
Core Ultra 5 225Fright
56 vs 58 on the AI & local models blend.
Head to head
Scores
Indices out of 100 on ScoutSpecs' own scale, one per kind of work. They are not frames per second and not a measurement of any one sample.
Spec score
Core i5-12600KF: 61
Core Ultra 5 225F: 64
3 ptsto the right
Gaming
Core i5-12600KF: 61
Core Ultra 5 225F: 62
1 ptsto the right
Multi-core
Core i5-12600KF: 43
Core Ultra 5 225F: 42
1 ptsto the left
Single-core
Core i5-12600KF: 79
Core Ultra 5 225F: 87
8 ptsto the right
Price and value
Worked on typical prices, the figures the comparison is built on.
Value, points per $100
Core i5-12600KF: 29.6
Core Ultra 5 225F: 46.7
58%to the right
Typical price
Core i5-12600KF: $206
Core Ultra 5 225F: $137
$69to the right
From the spec sheets
Cores
Core i5-12600KF: 10
Core Ultra 5 225F: 10
level
Threads
Core i5-12600KF: 16
Core Ultra 5 225F: 10
60%to the left
Boost clock
Core i5-12600KF: 4.9 GHz
Core Ultra 5 225F: 4.9 GHz
level
Turbo power
Core i5-12600KF: 150 W
Core Ultra 5 225F: 121 W
24%to the right
The verdict
- Core i5-12600KF and Core Ultra 5 225F are level on gaming.
- Core i5-12600KF and Core Ultra 5 225F are level on multi-core.
- The Core Ultra 5 225F is 10% quicker in single-threaded work, which is most of what a desktop does.
- The Core Ultra 5 225F typically costs $69 less.
- Per dollar, the Core Ultra 5 225F is the better buy: 46.7 points per $100 against 29.6.
Specifications
| Spec | Core i5-12600KF | Core Ultra 5 225F |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Alder Lake | Arrow Lake |
| Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1851 |
| Cores / threads | 10 / 16 | 10 / 16 |
| Base clock | 3.7 GHz (better) | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.9 GHz | 4.9 GHz |
| TDP / turbo power | 125 / 150 W | 65 / 121 W (better) |
| Memory | DDR4 or DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Built-in graphics | No | No |
| Cooler in the box | No | Yes (better) |
| Brand | Intel | Intel |
| Released | 2021 | 2025 (better) |
| Typical price | $206 | $137 (better) |
The better figure of each pair is in green, with a tick.