Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus' Geekbench Benchmark Results Might Disappoint You

Intel’s upcoming Core Ultra 5 250K Plus desktop CPU has just popped up on Geekbench, giving us one of the first real looks at performance from the Arrow Lake Refresh processors ahead of their expected March 2026 launch.

Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus spotted on Geekbench with modest performance bump

The leaked Geekbench results show the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus running on an ASUS PRIME Z890‑P WiFi system with 32GB of DDR5 memory. The CPU scores about 3,113 points in single‑core and 15,251 in multi‑core tests. Those numbers are in line with what you’d expect from a mid‑tier refresh, but it’s not groundbreaking.

It’s worth noting that single‑core performance appears slightly improved compared with the current Core Ultra 5 245K, though multi‑core performance is modest. Under the hood, this new SKU bumps up the core count to 18 total cores (6 performance + 12 efficiency cores), up from 14 cores on its predecessor, and pushes boost clocks up to around 5.3 GHz. It also retains the same 125W base power and 159W maximum turbo power as the current model, and is expected to support DDR5‑7200 memory natively.

Price rumored to be under $300

Pricing leaks from retail listings suggest Intel could position the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus under the $300 mark, making it a competitive choice for mainstream desktops ahead of the transition to Intel’s next‑gen Nova Lake platform later this year.

As always with early Geekbench leaks, these numbers aren’t definitive. BIOS updates, driver optimizations, and final silicon tweaks could bump performance when independent reviews emerge after the expected late‑March embargo. However, this leak gives a solid early look at what Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh might bring to the mid‑range CPU market.