Intel Core i7-13790F vs Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus, which wins 15 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons. The margin is not uniform, however, and the two Intel parts split wins in ways that reveal their fundamentally different design priorities.

Starting with the Cinebench suite, the Ultra 5 250KF Plus is consistently about a fifth faster than the Core i7-13790F. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Ultra 5 scores 4305 against 3568, a 20.7% lead. The single-core result mirrors that exactly: 607 versus 503, again 20.7% ahead. Moving to Cinebench R20, the multicore gap stays at 20.7% (17941 versus 14869), while single-core narrows only slightly to 20.6% (2532 versus 2099). Cinebench R23 tells the same story: the Ultra 5's 42718 multicore score beats the i7-13790F's 35404 by 20.7%, and the 6030 single-core score beats 4998 by 20.6%. Across all six Cinebench tests, the Ultra 5's advantage is remarkably consistent, hovering just above the 20% mark.

The PassMark suite reveals a more varied picture. The Ultra 5's biggest win comes in PassMark find prime numbers, where it scores 452 against the i7-13790F's 207, a massive 118.4% advantage. That result suggests a dramatic difference in how the two CPUs handle this particular integer-heavy workload. Floating point math also strongly favors the Ultra 5: 159824 versus 110512, a 44.6% lead. Data encryption shows a 30.2% gap (41292 versus 31703), and extended instructions land at 23.1% (42880 versus 34828). The Ultra 5 also wins PassMark multithread (50146 versus 44737, 12.1% ahead), random string sorting (67209 versus 58607, 14.7% ahead), single thread (4698 versus 4212, 11.5% ahead), and physics (3183 versus 3017, 5.5% ahead).

The i7-13790F's two wins are worth examining closely. In PassMark integer math, it beats the Ultra 5 by a wide margin: 151416 versus 123030, an 18.7% advantage. This is the largest counter-punch from the older chip. The other win is in data compression, where the i7-13790F scores 567473 against 553155, a 2.5% edge. Both wins point to workloads where the i7-13790F's larger thread count (24 versus 18) and different cache arrangement pay off.

Looking at the broader database context, the Ultra 5 250KF Plus sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66159. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 9 273PQE, scores 66099 (0.1% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D scores 65914 (0.4% behind). The Ultra 5 also trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus by 1% (that chip scores 66855) and the AMD EPYC 4465P by 1.1% (66925). The i7-13790F also holds the 93rd percentile, with an average score of 63080, putting it in a different performance tier entirely: its closest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX (63173, 0.1% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (63331, 0.4% ahead). In simple terms, the Ultra 5 competes with high-end desktop and workstation parts, while the i7-13790F sits among mobile and embedded-class rivals in the database's scoring.

Architecture Differences

The two CPUs come from different generations and use entirely different manufacturing approaches. The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is part of the Core Ultra Series 2, built on Arrow Lake Refresh architecture at a 3 nm process node from TSMC. It packs 17,800 million transistors onto a 243 mm² die. The Core i7-13790F is a 13th Gen part based on Raptor Lake-S architecture, manufactured by Intel on a 10 nm process, with a 257 mm² die and no transistor count listed in the database.

Core and thread counts differ significantly. The Ultra 5 has 18 cores and 18 threads, meaning no simultaneous multithreading; every core is a physical core. The i7-13790F has 16 cores but 24 threads, so it uses Hyper-Threading to process more threads than physical cores. This explains the i7-13790F's win in integer math despite the Ultra 5's generally higher scores.

Cache layouts are also distinct. The Ultra 5 offers 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. The i7-13790F has 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3. The i7-13790F has more total L3, but the Ultra 5 has much larger per-core L1 and L2 allocations.

Clock speeds show the Ultra 5's aggressiveness: 4.20 GHz base and 5.30 GHz boost, versus 2.10 GHz base and 5.20 GHz boost for the i7-13790F. The base clock gap is enormous, nearly doubling. The i7-13790F compensates with a 65 W TDP, while the Ultra 5 draws 125 W, reflecting its higher sustained performance envelope.

Memory support diverges as well. The Ultra 5 supports only DDR5, dual-channel, with a listed memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and ECC support. The i7-13790F supports both DDR4 and DDR5, dual-channel, with no ECC and no bandwidth figure in the database. Both use PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes. The Ultra 5 has no integrated graphics; the i7-13790F's iGPU is not listed, so it may or may not have one.

Other notable differences: the Ultra 5 has an unlocked multiplier, while the i7-13790F is locked. The Ultra 5 uses Intel Socket 1851; the i7-13790F uses Intel Socket 1700. The Ultra 5 was released on 2026-03-10, while the i7-13790F launched on 2023-02-09. The Ultra 5 carries a launch MSRP of $184, and the i7-13790F carries a launch MSRP of $441.

Where Each One Wins

The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is the clear choice for rendering and content creation. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42718 versus 35404 is a 20.7% advantage that will translate directly into faster video exports, 3D renders, and other heavily threaded creative workloads. The single-core lead of 20.6% in Cinebench R20 also matters for applications that rely on per-thread responsiveness, such as photo editing filters or spreadsheet recalculation.

The Ultra 5 also dominates mathematical and cryptographic tasks. The 44.6% lead in floating point math (159824 versus 110512) makes it better suited for scientific computing, simulations, and financial modeling. The 30.2% lead in data encryption (41292 versus 31703) favors workloads involving secure communications, database encryption, or VPN traffic. The 118.4% lead in find prime numbers is extreme and likely reflects the Ultra 5's architecture-level strengths in integer loops and branch handling.

The i7-13790F wins in two specific areas. Its 18.7% lead in integer math (151416 versus 123030) points to applications that process large volumes of integer arithmetic, such as compression algorithms, image processing pipelines, and some database operations. Its narrow 2.5% win in data compression (567473 versus 553155) suggests the larger L3 cache and higher thread count help with the memory access patterns common in archiving and file compression tools.

For gaming and general desktop use, the Ultra 5's higher single-thread score (4698 versus 4212, an 11.5% lead) gives it an edge in frame pacing and physics simulation. The PassMark physics test shows a 5.5% advantage (3183 versus 3017), which typically correlates with game engine performance. Users who prioritize multi-tasking with many background threads may still find the i7-13790F's 24 threads useful, but the benchmark data does not show a broad multitasking advantage beyond the two specific wins.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus scores 42718, which is 20.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-13790F's 35404.

Q: Does the Core i7-13790F win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins PassMark integer math (151416 versus 123030, an 18.7% advantage) and PassMark data compression (567473 versus 553155, a 2.5% advantage).

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two CPUs?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the Ultra 5 250KF Plus scores 452 against the i7-13790F's 207, a 118.4% difference.

Q: Which CPU has more threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-13790F has 24 threads across 16 cores, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus has 18 threads across 18 cores. The i7-13790F uses simultaneous multithreading; the Ultra 5 does not.

Q: How do the two CPUs compare in average benchmark score?

A: The Ultra 5 250KF Plus has an average benchmark score of 66159, while the i7-13790F averages 63080. Both sit at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Which CPU supports ECC memory?

A: Only the Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus supports ECC memory. The Intel Core i7-13790F does not list ECC support in the database.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus | Intel Core i7-13790F |

|---|---|---|

| Series | Core Ultra Series 2 | Core 13th Gen |

| Architecture | Arrow Lake Refresh | Raptor Lake |

| Process Node | 3 nm (TSMC) | 10 nm (Intel) |

| Transistors | 17,800 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 243 mm² | 257 mm² |

| Cores | 18 | 16 |

| Threads | 18 | 24 |

| Base Clock | 4.20 GHz | 2.10 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 5.30 GHz | 5.20 GHz |

| TDP | 125 W | 65 W |

| L1 Cache | 192 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 3 MB (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 30 MB (shared) | 33 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR5 only | DDR4, DDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 115.2 GB/s | Not listed |

| ECC Memory | Yes | No |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1851 | Intel Socket 1700 |

| Integrated Graphics | N/A | Not listed |

| Multiplier Unlocked | Yes | No |

| Release Date | 2026-03-10 | 2023-02-09 |

| Launch MSRP | $184 | $441 |

| Part Number | SA4V3 | SRMBZ |