Ryzen 5 9600 vs Ultra 5 245K
They perform within a few percent of each other at 1080p, and the Ryzen 5 9600 costs about $230 less right now. For the money, the Ryzen 5 9600 is the better buy.
Processor · better value
Ryzen 5 9600
—
No new stock · used about $179
- Cores / threads
- 6C/12T
- Socket
- AM5
- Memory
- DDR5
- Peak power
- 88 W
- Cooler in the box
- Yes
- Built-in graphics
- Yes
- Released
- 2025
Processor
Core Ultra 5 245K
$409
cheapest new: at PC Case Gear · used about $240
- Cores / threads
- 14C/14T
- Socket
- LGA1851
- Memory
- DDR5
- Peak power
- 159 W
- Cooler in the box
- No
- Built-in graphics
- Yes
- Released
- 2024
Average frame rates
Estimated across demanding games at High settings, each tested with an RTX 5090 and 32 GB of fast memory, so the processor is what limits the frame rate.
Cost per frame at 1080p: Ryzen 5 9600 $1 · Ultra 5 245K $3
Game by game at 1080p
| Game | Ryzen 5 9600 | Ultra 5 245K | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 131 | 128 | Ryzen 5 9600 +2% |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 136 | 134 | about the same |
| Fortnite | 192 | 187 | Ryzen 5 9600 +3% |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 385 | 374 | Ryzen 5 9600 +3% |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | 163 | 158 | Ryzen 5 9600 +3% |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | 118 | 115 | Ryzen 5 9600 +3% |
Which processor should you buy?
- Better value: the Ryzen 5 9600 costs less per frame ($1 vs $3 per fps at 1080p).
- They need different motherboards: the Ryzen 5 9600 uses AM5 and the Ultra 5 245K uses LGA1851.
- For video editing, 3D and other work that uses every core, the Ultra 5 245K is about 54% faster.
- The Ryzen 5 9600 comes with a cooler in the box; budget about $40–80 for a cooler for the other.
See how either processor pairs with your graphics card in the bottleneck checker.
Related comparisons
Frame rates are Rigsmith estimates from its performance indices, not measured benchmarks. Prices are the cheapest in-stock new price at Australian stores as of 12/11/2026, including GST.