AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against desktop processors at a similar price

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D scores 6.7/10 overall, ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus at 6.0/10.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D leads on single-core performance, efficiency and platform.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus leads on multi-core performance.

They score the same on integrated graphics.

The biggest difference is multi-core performance, where the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus scores 9/10 to the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 6/10.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

6.7/10verdict: buy

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is for gamers building an AM5 desktop who want strong gaming performance from an eight-core chip. It also suits developers and homelabbers who want DDR5, PCIe 5.0 and optional ECC support on one platform. Buyers who need many cores, low power draw or media transcoding from the processor itself should check the limits first.

Typically about £265 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

6.0/10verdict: good, not the best

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus suits developers and homelabbers who want a lot of cores for builds, rendering and parallel workloads. It also suits anyone who needs ECC memory support on a desktop socket. It is a weaker fit for always-on servers where idle power matters, or for buyers whose main aim is gaming.

Typically about £216.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
Multi-core performance	25%	6/10	9/10
Single-core performance	20%	8/10	6/10
Efficiency	20%	6/10	3/10
Platform	20%	8/10	6/10
Integrated graphics	15%	5/10	5/10
Overall		6.7/10	6.0/10

Specifications

Spec	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D	Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
Cores / threads	8 cores / 16 threads	18 total (6 performance + 12 efficient), 18 threads
Base / boost clock	4.2 GHz base, up to 5 GHz boost	P-core base 4.2 GHz, P-core max turbo 5.3 GHz; E-core base 3.3 GHz, E-core max turbo 4.6 GHz
Socket	AM5	FCLGA1851
TDP	120 W default	Processor Base Power 125 W; Maximum Turbo Power 159 W
Cache	L1 512 KB, L2 8 MB, L3 96 MB	30 MB Intel Smart Cache; total L2 cache 30 MB
Integrated graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics, 2 graphics cores, 2200 MHz	Intel Graphics, 4 Xe-cores, 300 MHz base, 1.9 GHz max dynamic, 8 GPU peak TOPS
Memory support	DDR5, 2 channels, max 128 GB, UDIMM, ECC supported with motherboard support	Up to DDR5-7200 MT/s; 2 memory channels; max 256 GB; ECC supported

Strengths and weaknesses

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

+ Strong gaming performance reported by owners
+ AM5 platform with PCIe 5.0 and ECC support
+ Good value reported at current UK prices
− 120 W default TDP
− Eight cores caps heavy parallel workloads
− Basic integrated graphics only

Skip it if:

Buyers who need many cores for heavy rendering or large VM hosts
Homelabbers who want a low-power always-on server
Anyone relying on the integrated graphics for more than basic display output

Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review ›

Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

+ 18 cores and 18 threads for parallel work
+ ECC memory supported, up to 256 GB DDR5
+ Reviewers praised its low price and multi-core performance
− Reviewers criticised high idle power draw
− 125 W base power, 159 W maximum turbo
− Reviewers noted gaming shortfalls and limited Gen 5 SSD speeds

Skip it if:

Homelabbers building a low-power server that stays on around the clock
Gamers who want the best gaming results above all
Buyers planning around the fastest Gen 5 SSD speeds

Read the full Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus review ›

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