The first comprehensive reviews of the Intel Core Ultra 3 205 have been released, revealing that this entry-level Arrow Lake-S processor surpasses expectations across various benchmarks and gaming scenarios. Evaluated by the Korean reviewer Bulls Lab with the H810 chipset motherboard, the results demonstrate the Ultra 3 205's clear superiority over its predecessor, the Core i3-14100, in almost every category.

In the Cinebench R23 benchmark, the Ultra 3 205's multi-threaded score outstrips the i3-14100 by nearly 48%, and its single-threaded score of 1983 exceeds its predecessor by about 16%. This positions it close to the higher-end Core Ultra 5 225 regarding single-core performance. In the 3DMark Time Spy GPU test, the Ultra 3 205's integrated graphics score is 1,125, compared to 643 for the i3-14100, marking an improvement of almost 75%. This score aligns closely with the Ultra 5 225, highlighting Intel's architectural enhancements in the entry-level segment.

Frequency-wise, the Ultra 3 205's P-core reaches nearly 4.8 GHz, and its E-core surpasses 4.3 GHz, drastically outperforming its predecessor. Even under prolonged operation, the processor maintains a power consumption of around 62W, with core temperatures holding steady at about 51°C, indicating stable energy efficiency. In real-world gaming tests, while the Ultra 3 205's integrated GPU cannot handle high-demand AAA titles, it performs smoothly in lighter games like DOTA 2 and Valorant. The iGPU frequency stabilizes at 1800 MHz, with CPU usage ranging between 40% and 60%. When combined with a discrete graphics card, this processor is more than capable of handling entry-level gaming platforms. In demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, the CPU usage nears 90%, emphasizing its compatibility with lighter games and mainstream applications.

Priced at approximately 199,000 KRW (~$140) for a single unit, the Ultra 3 205 is slightly more expensive than the rumored $120 mark. However, in the pre-installed PC market, a complete system featuring the Ultra 3 205, 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB SSD costs around 499,000 KRW (~$360), offering remarkable value for money. In this price bracket, its main competition comes from AMD's Ryzen 3 7300X and Ryzen 5 7500F. The Ryzen 3 7300X, with its 4-core, 8-thread Zen 4 architecture up to 5.0 GHz, delivers slightly better single-threaded performance but lacks energy-efficient cores, while offering comparable multi-threaded performance to the Ultra 3 205. The Ryzen 5 7500F excels in multi-threaded performance with 6 cores and 12 threads but is more expensive, generally priced around $170. Both Ryzen models lack integrated graphics, requiring additional discrete GPUs, which makes the Ultra 3 205's integrated GPU a distinctive advantage in the entry-level market.

In summary, the Core Ultra 3 205 incorporates a hybrid 4P+4E architecture. Despite its entry-level classification, it achieves performance gains similar to higher-tier models thanks to architectural refinements and increased frequencies. Offering significant improvements in multi-threaded and graphical performance over the i3-14100, and narrowing the gap with the Core Ultra 5 225, this processor is an excellent option for cost-effective gaming setups and lightweight office notebooks. As the Arrow Lake series expands, the Ultra 3 205 is poised to become central to the next wave of mainstream entry-level CPUs.