Price cuts to Intel’s newest generation of budget Core Ultra 5 processors are here, but are they even worth it? We’ve already seen the company slash the price of the Ultra 7 CPUs, such as the 265K, finally making them a more viable option versus AMD. German publication hardwareLUXX recently highlighted that the price of Intel’s entry-level Ultra 5 225 and 225F chips has “fallen significantly” in the region.

Intel has had a tough time selling its latest Core Ultra (Arrow Lake) processors. Releasing at the tail end of last year, the 200S desktop series chips received lukewarm reviews, though we’d say it was a necessary fresh start following all the issues with 13th and 14th-gen CPU instability. The budget Ultra 5 CPUs have also dropped to their lowest price in 30 days at U.S. retailer Newegg.

Core Ultra 5 gets a much-needed price cut

In the U.S., the Core Ultra 5 225F and 225 first launched at $221 and $236, respectively, so they’ve fallen by 10-12% since then. These entry-level options aren’t exactly popular, and while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K should fare a little better, it hasn’t seen any significant price drops lately, though it has at least crept down to $50 below MSRP at the time of writing. The 245K is currently available on Newegg for $259.99, down from its original $309 launch price.

Hardware enthusiast haruhaze2719 on X has also highlighted price drops in Korea, though asserts that there is “no reason” to choose the Arrow Lake platform when you consider the alternatives from AMD and Intel’s previous 14th-gen chips.

Despite Intel’s efforts, sales stats show that Ryzen is still way more popular in the DIY PC building market. Since there is little generational uplift between the 13th, 14th, and new Core Ultra processors – and the fact you’ll need a new LGA 1851 motherboard to upgrade to Arrow Lake – the newest series continues to be a hard sell for existing Intel users. On the flipside, AMD has continued to support its older AM4 platform for a long time, and plans to do the same with AM5.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.