Intel Core Ultra 205 Almost Doubles Core i3-14100 Performance in Early Tests

Intel’s entry-level Arrow Lake CPU, the Core Ultra 205, has been benchmarked by South Korean reviewer Bullslab, who found it extremely capable (considering its specifications). With just four performance cores and four efficiency cores, the entry-level CPU dominated the older Core i3-14100, hitting a 75% higher score in 3Dmark. It was also over 45% faster in Cinebench R23. Although not widely available, the CPU is priced at around $120 in select markets, making it an exciting entry-level CPU with impressive capabilities.

Despite the Core Ultra 200 generation of Arrow Lake processors being less than a year old, some of Intel’s best chips are still older designs. The 14600K, 14700K, and 14900K are still arguably better for gaming than anything newer, and Intel’s Core i3 14100 has been the best $100-ish Intel CPU for years now. However, if these new benchmarks prove accurate, the Core Ultra 205 might supplant that entry-level spot.

The Core Ultra 205 is an eight-core design, split evenly across the two architectures. That gives it two cores less than the Core Ultra 225, but—crucially—four more than the 14100. That and the newer onboard graphics (Xe2 vs. UHD) help it hit the much higher score in 3Dmark. The 205 managed 1,125 points, which is within the margin of error of the 225 and close to double that of the 14100, which pulled just 643 points.

Credit: BullsLab

In Cinebench R23, the results were closer, with the 14100 managing a multi-threaded score of 9,044. The 205 still pulled well ahead with 13,394 points. The 225, with its two additional P cores and higher clock speeds, managed 17,253.

The only issue here is availability. As VideoCardz explains, the 205 was launched and then seemingly pulled, but it’s now available in South Korea. BullsLab claims that entire systems with this CPU inside can be bought for a mere $360, while the CPU itself is priced at just $120. That massively undercuts the AMD Ryzen 9600, as well as the incoming entry-level 9500F.

Intel has held a firm position as the budget CPU maker of choice at around the $100 mark for a few generations now, and this CPU looks set to maintain that moving forward. Oh, how the tables have turned since the mid-’00s, when that was AMD’s role, and Intel held the performance crown.

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