CPU Showdown

Ryzen Threadripper 9960XvsCore Ultra 5 250K Plus

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a mainstream desktop chip for gamers and everyday power users, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is a workstation monster built for creators and professionals running heavy multi-threaded tasks.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X
24C / 48T · 350W
VS
Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
18C / 18T · 125W
AMD

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025

56score
4.9/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
24 / 48
TDP
350W
Boost Clock
5.3 GHz
L3 Cache
128 MB

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Intel

Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

Arrow Lake Refresh · 3 nm · 2026

31score
4.4/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
18 / 18
TDP
125W
Boost Clock
5.3 GHz
L3 Cache
30 MB

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.

Ryzen Threadripper 9960XWinner
56
Core Ultra 5 250K Plus
31
Ryzen Threadripper 9960X leads by 80.6% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#5Ryzen Threadripper 7970X60
#6Ryzen Threadripper 9960X56
#7Ryzen Threadripper 7960X50
#28Ryzen 9 9900X33
#29Core Ultra 5 250K Plus31
#30Core i7-14700KF31
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsRyzen Threadripper 9960XCore Ultra 5 250K Plus
Cores
Total Cores2418
Threads4818
Base Clock4.2 GHz4.2 GHz
Boost Clock5.3 GHz5.3 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache24 MB54 MB
L3 Cache128 MB30 MB
Platform
SocketsTR51851
MemoryDDR5DDR5
PCIePCIe 5.0PCIe 5.0
iGPUArc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU
Power
Base TDP350W125W
General
Process4 nm3 nm
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 9960X wins overall for heavily threaded workstation tasks, thanks to its many more cores and triple the cache.

Best value

For budget buyers needing raw multi-core grunt for professional work, the Threadripper 9960X offers far more processing power per dollar.

When the other wins

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is the right choice for a compact, lower-power office PC where extreme multi-core speed is unnecessary.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X better than the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus?

Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (56 vs 31 out of 100), so it leads the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X than the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X is roughly 81% faster than the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X or the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9960X. If the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.