Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus “$299” & Core Ultra 5 250K Plus “$199” Official: More E-Cores, Near 1GHz D2D Bump, 4-Rank CUDIMM Ready

Intel has introduced its brand new desktop CPUs, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, featuring awesome value.

Intel Adds More Performance & Value To Its LGA 1851 Platform With Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Core Ultra 5 250K Plus CPUs

Intel's Core Ultra 200S Plus family is designed to offer a soft refresh to the Arrow Lake family, enhancing their value proposition with new technologies and more performance. The Plus family brings three big changes: Architecture and process refinements, More performance for an existing platform, and the ultimate expression of a new architectural generation.

Intel is calling 200S Plus its fastest gaming desktop processors to date, offering up to twice the multi-core performance versus the competition, more performance per dollar, and a new set of features. The lineup includes two new chips, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.

The specifications and high-level features of these chips are mentioned below:

Core Ultra 7 270K Plus

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is the fastest in the refresh lineup. It features a total of 24 cores, which are a combination of 8 P-Cores based on the Lion Cove architecture and 16 E-Cores based on the Skymont architecture. The chip features a max boost clock of 5.5 GHz, and all-core boost clocks of 5.4 GHz for the P-Cores and 4.7 GHz for the E-Cores. The chip offers 36 MB of L3 and 40 MB of L2 cache, a 3.0 GHz D2D frequency, and 4Xe iGPU cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. The MTP is set at 250W.

Core Ultra 7 270K Plus vs 265K:

• 24 Cores (8+16) vs 20 Cores (8+12)
• Same Boost Clock
• +100 MHz All E-Core Boost
• 36 MB L3 vs 30 MB L3
• 40 MB L2 vs 36 MB L2
• 3.0 GHz D2D vs 2.1 GHz D2D
• Same 250W MTP
• $299 US vs $394 US MSRP

Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is the successor to the Core Ultra 5 245K. It features a total of 18 cores, which are a combination of 6 P-Cores based on the Lion Cove architecture and 12 E-Cores based on the Skymont architecture. The chip features a max boost clock of 5.3 GHz, and all-core boost clocks of 5.1 GHz for the P-Cores and 4.6 GHz for the E-Cores. The chip offers 30 MB of L3 and 36 MB of L2 cache, a 3.0 GHz D2D frequency, and 4Xe iGPU cores clocked at 1.9 GHz. The MTP is set at 159W.

Core Ultra 5 250K Plus vs 245K:

• 18 Cores (6+12) vs 14 Cores (6+8)
• +100 MHz Boost Clock
• +100 MHz All P-Core Boost
• 30 MB L3 vs 24 MB L3
• 36 MB L2 vs 26 MB L2
• 3.0 GHz D2D vs 2.1 GHz D2D
• Same 159W MTP
• $199 US vs $309 US MSRP

Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" and Arrow Lake Refresh CPU Specs:

CPU	Cores/Threads	Base Clock (P/E Core)	Max Boost (P/E Core)	Cache (L3 / L2)	Memory Support	TDP (PL1 / PL2)	Price (SEP)
Core Ultra 9 290K Plus	24/24 (8+16)	3.7 / 3.2 GHz	5.8 / 4.8 GHz	36 MB / 40 MB	DDR5-7200	125W / 250W	Cancelled
Core Ultra 9 285K	24/24 (8+16)	3.7 / 3.2 GHz	5.7 / 4.6 GHz	36 MB / 40 MB	DDR5-6400	125W / 250W	$589 US
Core Ultra 7 270K Plus	24/24 (8+16)	3.7 / 3.2 GHz	5.5 / 4.7 GHz	36 MB / 40 MB	DDR5-7200	125W / 250W	$299 US
Core Ultra 7 265K	20/20 (8+12)	3.9 / 3.3 GHz	5.5 / 4.6 GHz	30 MB / 36 MB	DDR5-6400	125W / 250W	$394 US
Core Ultra 7 265KF	20/20 (8+12)	3.9 / 3.3 GHz	5.5 / 4.6 GHz	30 MB / 36 MB	DDR5-6400	125W / 250W	$379 US
Core Ultra 5 250K Plus	18/18 (6+12)	4.2 / 3.5 GHz	5.3 / 4.7 GHz	24 MB / 26 MB ?	DDR5-7200	125W / 159W	$199 US
Core Ultra 5 245K	14/14 (6+8)	4.2 / 3.6 GHz	5.2 / 4.6 GHz	24 MB / 26 MB	DDR5-6400	125W / 159W	$309 US
Core Ultra 5 245KF	14/14 (6+8)	4.2 / 3.6 GHz	5.2 / 4.6 GHz	24 MB / 26 MB	DDR5-6400	125W / 159W	$294 US

• 4 more efficiency cores (E-cores), bringing the Core Ultra U7 270K Plus to 24 cores (8P+16E) and the Core Ultra U5 250K Plus to 18 cores (6P+12E).
• Up to 900MHz boost to the die-to-die frequency compared to Core Ultra U7 265K and Core Ultra U5 245K. This increases the speed of the CPU/memory controller link by nearly one gigahertz, driving system latency down and gaming performance up.
• New Intel Binary Optimization Tool, a first-of-its-kind optimization technology leveraging Intel’s 40-year history in workload optimization to increase processor instructions per cycle (IPC) and user performance, even if the workload has been optimized for another x86 processor, a game console, or an earlier architecture. This technology sits next to exciting hardware advancements as a key aspect of Intel’s long-term performance roadmap for enthusiasts.
• Support for DDR5 7200 MT/s memory, up from 6400 MT/s on non-Plus Intel Core Ultra 200S series CPUs, in addition to compatibility with the Intel Core Ultra 200S Boost BIOS profile and its warranty support for 8,000 MT/s memory overclocking. This continues Intel’s legacy of offering the fastest and most advanced memory controllers for PC enthusiasts.
• Early support for 4-Rank CUDIMM memory, which can pack up to 128GB of memory per module to give enthusiasts incredible performance and memory capacity on their desktop setups. New “4R CUDIMM” modules are an emerging technology, supported on select motherboards with Intel 800 Series chipsets, that combines HEDT-class capacity with the latency and bandwidth of gaming-optimized RAM.

So, talking about features, first up, Intel has a new Binary Optimization Tool which focuses entirely on enhancing enthusiast performance on supported workloads. The tool leverages Intel compiler and profiling IP to streamline library and executable performance. And ensures that no work is skipped.

Next up, Intel is raising the die-to-die (D2D) fabric frequency by nearly 1 GHz. The +900 MHz bump to 3.0 GHz dials up the CPU/memory controller link speeds, boosting gaming performance while simultaneously reducing system latency.

Intel's Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs will also be the first to feature early support for 4-Rank CUDIMM DDR5 memory on a select range of motherboards. For this purpose, Intel and its partners will be offering a total of 12 new LGA 1851 motherboards along with 100 system integrator designs. With the Plus IMC, the Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs will support up to 7200 MT/s standard and up to 8000 MT/s out-of-the-box OC support (backed by warranty support). The 4-Rank kits will drive CUDIMM DDR5 capacities up to 128 GB per DIMM for an unprecedented level of memory densities on a mainstream platform.

Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Core Ultra 5 250K Plus CPU Performance

For performance comparisons, Intel is pitting the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus against the Ryzen 7 9700X and the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus against the Ryzen 5 9600X. Both of these CPUs are valid comparisons based on their prices.

In multi-threaded environments, the new Plus offerings offer up to double the performance in a variety of workloads, which is to be expected since you are comparing 24 cores versus 8 cores/16 threads, and 18 cores versus 6 cores/12 threads.

Intel is also comparing the gaming performance for the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus against the Core Ultra 7 265K Plus. Based on the slides, the 270K Plus offers double-digit gains across a range of games at 1080p and averages around 15% ahead of the 265K.

Meanwhile, the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus averages 13% faster in gaming versus the Core Ultra 5 245K, and also shows double-digit improvements.

Pricing Information & Competition Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is going to be available at $299, while the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is going to be available at $199. These are very competitive prices given the performance on offer. The 270K Plus's competition is the Ryzen 7 9700X, which retails for $299 right now, and the 270K Plus should offer much better MT performance and either similar or better gaming performance. The same is true for the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, which matches the current retail pricing of the Ryzen 5 9600X at $199. That too is very strong in MT, and the gaming improvements should help Intel close the gap versus AMD's offerings.

The question, though, remains about the platform itself. Intel has made some nice feature improvements to its LGA 1851 platform, and the new PLUS chips should help carry some momentum, but at the end of the day, we all know that the LGA 1851 platform is going to be replaced later this year by a new socket.

So users who are already on the LGA 1851 platform and running a Non-Plus chip will find little reason to upgrade unless they are on a lower tier or Non-K chip. Similarly, new PC builders might go with AMD's AM5 platform versus LGA 1851, given the competition has confirmed support till 2027+, while going with Intel means that if you want to upgrade from the Core Ultra 200S/200S Plus, you will need to switch over to a new motherboard again.

The Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs will be hitting retail shelves on the 26th of March, while new boards will be launching in the coming months.

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