Intel has officially unveiled its new line of desktop processors, the Core Ultra 200S series, which are built on the innovative Arrow Lake architecture. While performance gains are modest, the real highlight of this release is the significant boost in efficiency, offering a 40% reduction in package power and cooler operating temperatures. This improvement promises longer gaming sessions with consistent performance.
Key Features and Improvements
- Efficiency Boost: The new processors show a 40% reduction in package power, resulting in lower temperatures and more efficient performance during extended use, such as gaming.
- IPC Gains: Intel reports a 9% increase in IPC (instructions per clock) for the P-cores and an impressive 32% IPC boost for the E-cores, leading to up to 13% better multi-threaded performance compared to previous generations.
- Tile-Based Design: Moving away from the monolithic design, Intel has adopted a tile-based approach, with key components (CPU, GPU, SoC, and IO) placed on individual tiles. The compute tile features a shared L3 cache for both P-cores and E-cores, while each core maintains its own L2 cache.
New Processor Lineup
Intel has introduced five new SKUs, including:
- Core Ultra 9 285K: The flagship model, replacing the Core i9-14900K.
- Core Ultra 7 265K and 265KF: Replacing the Core i7-14700K and 14700KF.
- Core Ultra 5 245K and 245KF: Replacing the Core i5-14600K and 14600KF.
Although the new processors share many similarities with the 14th generation, they lack HyperThreading, meaning each performance core handles a single thread, just like the efficiency cores. Some models also have slightly lower clock speeds compared to their predecessors.
Performance Highlights
Intel has shared benchmark data for the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K, showing performance comparisons against the AMD 9950X and the Intel 14900K. Gaming performance, in particular, stands out with impressive results in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Far Cry 6. Running at 1080p with high graphics settings, the Core Ultra 9 285K maintains similar framerates as the Raptor Lake CPUs, with up to 165W lower system power. Intel claims about 73W of power reduction while maintaining identical FPS output.
The 285K processor is also about 13°C cooler on average than the 14900K, thanks to its greater efficiency.
Power and Socket Specifications
- Turbo Power: The Core Ultra 9 285K draws a maximum turbo power of 250W, similar to the 14900K. The Core Ultra 7 265K shares this power ceiling, while the Core Ultra 5 245K operates at 159W.
- LGA1851 Socket: Intel introduces the new LGA1851 socket alongside the Intel 800 Series chipset, which includes an increased number of PCIe lanes and drops support for DDR4 memory. The 800 Series chipset pushes forward with a focus on newer memory technologies, supporting up to 6400MHz memory, with Intel recommending speeds up to 8000MHz for optimal performance.
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Price and Availability
Intel’s new Core Ultra 200S series processors are priced as follows:
- Core Ultra 9 285K: $589
- Core Ultra 7 265K: $479
- Core Ultra 7 265KF: $469
- Core Ultra 5 245K: $349
- Core Ultra 5 245KF: $294
Sales for the new processors are set to begin on October 24.
