Skip the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K – it delivers about 17 % less 1080p gaming performance per euro than the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and draws 71 W more power.
The 245K costs €185.9, scores 67.1 % of the fastest 1080p gaming CPU, and peaks at 159 W. By contrast, the Ryzen 5 9600X is priced at €179, reaches 72.6 %, and tops out at 88 W. This translates to 0.347 % performance per US $ for the 245K versus 0.420 % per US $ for the Ryzen 5 9600X – a short‑fall of roughly 17 %.
Raw numbers at a glance (October 2026)
All prices are listed in euros; US‑dollar figures are shown only to calculate performance‑per‑dollar.
| CPU | Price (EUR) | 1080p gaming score | Max power (W) | Cores / Threads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core Ultra 5 245K | €185.9 | 67.1 % | 159 | 14 / 14 (6+8) |
| Intel Core Ultra 5 225 | €179 | 62.5 % | 121 | 10 / 10 (6+4) |
| AMD Ryzen 5 9600X | €179 | 72.6 % | 88 | 6 / 12 |
Power draw and electricity cost
The 245K’s 159 W peak is 71 W higher than the Ryzen 5 9600X’s 88 W. Assuming a local rate of €0.10 /kWh and four gaming hours per day, the extra 71 W consumes about 0.071 kW × 4 h × 365 ≈ 104 kWh per year, adding roughly €10 to the electricity bill. The Core Ultra 5 225 sits at 121 W, 33 W above the Ryzen, which translates to about €5 per year.
What you actually get for the money
The 245K’s 14 cores are split into six performance and eight efficiency cores. In most 1080p titles the efficiency cores stay idle, so the higher core count rarely improves frame‑rate. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s six performance cores with hyper‑threading (12 threads) hit the same or higher scores while staying cooler.
If you already own an Arrow Lake motherboard, the 245K may look tempting, but the higher power envelope forces a beefier cooler and a stronger PSU – components that erode the thin value margin.
Alternative upgrade paths
For a sub‑€200 CPU that actually lifts 1080p performance, the Ryzen 5 9600X wins on score, power and price. Our dedicated Ryzen 5 9600X: Is It Worth It in 2026? guide breaks down why it’s a solid pick for budget builds.
If you must stay on Intel, the Core Ultra 5 225 costs €6 less than the 245K but only adds 4.6 % to the gaming score (67.1 % – 62.5 %). That’s roughly 0.35 % performance per extra euro – the same marginal return you see when comparing the 245K to the Ryzen.
Spending the €6‑€10 saved by skipping the 245K on a better GPU, such as the GeForce RTX 5050, or on faster DDR5 memory (see our Amd Expo Ull memory guide) yields a direct frame‑rate bump in GPU‑bound games.
Bottom line for Balkan gamers
At €185.9 the Core Ultra 5 245K offers a weak performance‑per‑euro figure, higher electricity cost and no clear advantage over the cheaper 225 or the equally priced Ryzen 5 9600X. For most builds in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria or the wider EU, the Ryzen 5 9600X (new or used) gives more frames, lower power bills and a simpler platform.
What the data can’t tell you
Benchmarks focus on 1080p gaming; workloads that heavily use Intel’s efficiency cores or specific AVX‑512 instructions may behave differently. Pricing fluctuations after October 2026 and future driver optimisations are also unknown.
