Intel Core 3 304 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 245T Comparison

The Intel Core 3 304 and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T represent two distinct interpretations of Intel’s 3 nm process technology, but their benchmark data indicates they are aimed at entirely different workloads. The Core Ultra 5 245T wins every recorded benchmark comparison, making it the dominant choice for compute-intensive tasks, while the Core 3 304 excels in scenarios prioritizing power efficiency and platform simplicity. The data shows a 17-0 sweep in favor of the Core Ultra 5 245T, with the largest gaps appearing in heavily threaded workloads, where the extra cores and higher power envelope deliver substantial advantages. The Core 3 304, by contrast, is not competitive on raw performance, but its single-channel memory, low power draw, and compact BGA package position it for ultraportable designs where thermal constraints outweigh throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark results leave no ambiguity: the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T wins every single test in the database. The most striking advantage appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Core Ultra 5 245T scores 26208 compared to the Core 3 304’s 5263, a delta of 79.9%. This gap reflects the fundamental difference in core count and power allocation, with the Core Ultra 5 245T providing 14 cores versus 5, and a 65 W TDP versus 15 W. For workloads that scale with thread count, such as video rendering, code compilation, or scientific simulation, the Core Ultra 5 245T delivers roughly five times the throughput in the most demanding test.

Single-threaded performance also favors the Core Ultra 5 245T, albeit by a narrower margin. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Core Ultra 5 245T scores 3699 against 1765, a 52.3% lead. The PassMark single-thread test shows a smaller gap of 17.2%, with scores of 4367 and 3614, respectively. This suggests that while the Core Ultra 5 245T has a higher boost clock of 5.10 GHz versus 4.30 GHz, the per-core efficiency of the Core 3 304 narrows the gap, making it less punishing for lightly threaded applications like web browsing or office productivity.

The Core 3 304’s only conceptual advantage lies in its power profile. With a 15 W TDP, it consumes a fraction of the Core Ultra 5 245T’s 65 W budget. The data does not record battery life or sustained performance under thermal limits, but the lower TDP and single-channel memory configuration suggest it is designed for fanless or passively cooled devices, where the Core Ultra 5 245T’s higher power draw would be impractical. For users prioritizing portability and silence over performance, the Core 3 304 is the logical choice, though its benchmark scores indicate it will lag in every measurable computation.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split between the two processors is pronounced. The Core 3 304 uses the Wildcat Lake codename and is built on Intel’s own 3 nm process, while the Core Ultra 5 245T uses the Arrow Lake-S architecture and is fabricated by TSMC on a 3 nm node. Both use 3 nm-class lithography, but the transistor counts diverge sharply. The Core Ultra 5 245T packs 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, whereas the Core 3 304 has no listed transistor or die size data, indicating a much smaller and simpler chip.

Core configuration differs fundamentally. The Core 3 304 offers 5 cores and 5 threads, with no hyper-threading, while the Core Ultra 5 245T provides 14 cores and 14 threads, also without hyper-threading. The cache hierarchy reinforces this gap. The Core 3 304 has 192 KB of L1 cache, 2.5 MB of L2, and 6 MB of shared L3. The Core Ultra 5 245T lists L1 as 192 KB per core, L2 as 3 MB per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. The per-core L2 allocation on the Core Ultra 5 245T, combined with the larger shared L3, gives it a significant advantage in data-heavy workloads that repeatedly access working sets larger than 6 MB.

Memory support and I/O further separate the two. The Core 3 304 supports both DDR5 and LPDDR5X over a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Core Ultra 5 245T supports only DDR5 but over a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s. The latter’s nearly double memory bandwidth directly benefits multi-core rendering and data compression tasks. PCIe connectivity also diverges: the Core 3 304 provides Gen 4 with 6 CPU lanes, while the Core Ultra 5 245T offers Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes, enabling faster expansion for GPUs and NVMe storage.

Integrated graphics differ as well. The Core 3 304 uses Intel Xe3 Graphics with a single Xe core, while the Core Ultra 5 245T uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units. The database does not include graphics benchmarks, but the execution unit count suggests the Core Ultra 5 245T offers substantially more iGPU throughput for media encoding or light gaming. ECC memory support is also exclusive to the Core Ultra 5 245T, which may appeal to workstation users, though the Core 3 304’s mobile segment makes ECC less relevant.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245T has 14 cores and 14 threads, while the Intel Core 3 304 has 5 cores and 5 threads. Neither processor supports hyper-threading.

Q: How large is the performance gap in multi-threaded workloads?

A: The largest gap appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Core Ultra 5 245T scores 26208 versus 5263 for the Core 3 304, a 79.9% difference. The PassMark multi-thread test shows a 62.3% gap, with scores of 30833 and 11625.

Q: Does the Core 3 304 support LPDDR5X memory?

A: Yes, the Core 3 304 supports both DDR5 and LPDDR5X, but only over a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth. The Core Ultra 5 245T supports only DDR5, but uses dual-channel at 102.4 GB/s.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245T boosts to 5.10 GHz, while the Core 3 304 boosts to 4.30 GHz. Despite the lower boost clock, the Core 3 304 trails by only 17.2% in the PassMark single-thread test.

Q: Are both processors built on the same process node?

A: Both use 3 nm-class lithography, but the Core 3 304 is fabricated by Intel, while the Core Ultra 5 245T is fabricated by TSMC. The Core Ultra 5 245T also has a listed transistor count of 17,800 million on a 243 mm² die.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: Only the Core Ultra 5 245T supports ECC memory. The Core 3 304 does not list ECC support.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every specification field. The Core 3 304 is a mobile part with a 15 W TDP and an Intel BGA 1516 socket, while the Core Ultra 5 245T is a desktop part with a 65 W TDP and an Intel Socket 1851. Core and thread counts stand at 5/5 for the Core 3 304 and 14/14 for the Core Ultra 5 245T. Base clocks are 1.50 GHz and 2.20 GHz, respectively, with boost clocks of 4.30 GHz and 5.10 GHz.

Cache configurations differ: the Core 3 304 offers 192 KB L1, 2.5 MB L2, and 6 MB shared L3, while the Core Ultra 5 245T lists 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3. Memory support shows the Core 3 304 accepting DDR5 and LPDDR5X over a single-channel bus at 59.7 GB/s, while the Core Ultra 5 245T accepts DDR5 over a dual-channel bus at 102.4 GB/s. ECC memory is unavailable on the Core 3 304 but supported on the Core Ultra 5 245T.

PCIe capabilities favor the Core Ultra 5 245T with Gen 5 and 20 CPU lanes, compared to Gen 4 and 6 CPU lanes on the Core 3 304. Integrated graphics are listed as Intel Xe3 Graphics (1 Xe) for the Core 3 304 and Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU for the Core Ultra 5 245T. The Core Ultra 5 245T also has a listed transistor count of 17,800 million and a die size of 243 mm², while the Core 3 304 has no such data. The Core Ultra 5 245T is based on the Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-S codename, while the Core 3 304 uses the Wildcat Lake codename. The Core Ultra 5 245T launched on 2025-01-06 with a launch MSRP of $270, while the Core 3 304 launched on 2026-04-15 with a launch MSRP of $309. Both processors have locked multipliers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark table shows a comprehensive sweep by the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T across all 17 recorded tests. The most decisive victory occurs in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Core Ultra 5 245T scores 26208 against 5263 for the Core 3 304, a 79.9% delta that represents the largest gap in the entire dataset. This result aligns with the core count disparity and the larger shared L3 cache, which allows the Core Ultra 5 245T to sustain high throughput on threaded rendering workloads.

Cinebench R15 multi-core tells a similar story, with scores of 2641 and 849, a 67.9% delta. The R20 multi-core test shows 11007 versus 4160, a 62.2% gap. These three multi-core results consistently place the Core Ultra 5 245T between 62% and 80% ahead, confirming that the performance advantage scales with thread utilization. The PassMark multi-thread test records 30833 versus 11625, a 62.3% delta, reinforcing the same conclusion.

Single-core benchmarks show a smaller but still decisive lead for the Core Ultra 5 245T. Cinebench R23 single-core scores 3699 versus 1765, a 52.3% delta, while R20 single-core scores 1553 versus 587, a 62.2% delta, and R15 single-core scores 372 versus 264, a 29% delta. The PassMark single-thread test narrows the gap further to 17.2%, with scores of 4367 and 3614. The boost clock advantage of 5.10 GHz versus 4.30 GHz explains part of this lead, but the smaller delta in PassMark suggests that the Core 3 304’s architecture is relatively efficient per clock in lightly threaded scenarios.

Specialized workloads follow the same pattern. PassMark data compression scores 283812 for the Core Ultra 5 245T against 114775 for the Core 3 304, a 59.6% delta. Data encryption shows 23656 versus 8501, a 64.1% delta. Floating-point math delivers 108499 versus 29722, a 72.6% delta, while integer math scores 88676 versus 24640, a 72.2% delta. Find prime numbers, a test sensitive to memory latency and integer throughput, records 324 versus 68, a 79% delta, matching the largest multi-core gaps. Extended instructions show 22071 versus 9686, a 56.1% delta. Random string sorting scores 34931 versus 13659, a 60.9% delta, and the physics test records 2278 versus 868, a 61.9% delta.

The average benchmark score in the database places the Core Ultra 5 245T at 38194, compared to 13745 for the Core 3 304. The Core Ultra 5 245T sits at the 86th percentile against all CPUs, while the Core 3 304 sits at the 68th percentile. The nearest rivals for the Core Ultra 5 245T include the AMD Ryzen 7 250 at a 0.1% higher average score and the Intel Core i5-14490F at a 0.1% lower score, placing it in a competitive midrange desktop bracket. The Core 3 304’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX at a 0.3% higher score and the Intel Core 5 120UL at a 1.1% lower score, positioning it as a low-power mobile chip with performance comparable to older high-end parts. The recorded data leaves no doubt that for any compute-intensive task, the Core Ultra 5 245T is the superior processor, while the Core 3 304 justifies its existence through power efficiency and platform integration rather than raw performance.