Test Setup
At first notice, you will recognize we are using an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF CPU for testing. The only difference between the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF is the lack of an integrated iGPU inside the CPU. There are no other differences; clock speeds in all domains are the same between them. We are not testing iGPU performance, and it would not impact scores for anything we are doing, so it does not matter here. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF performs exactly the same as the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, and the 265KF is an exact stand-in for a 265K in testing; the name can be used interchangeably in the text for our purposes.
We are using an MSI MEG Z890 ACE motherboard with the latest BIOS installed: 7E22v1AA0 dated 3/25/2026 for both CPUs. We have the 7600MT/s DDR5 RAM installed with XMP enabled. We are using the latest possible Intel Chipset Driver software: 10.1.20398.8776, and we have the Intel Platform Performance Package: 26.03.101.171 installed on both CPUs. We are using a GeForce RTX 5090 FE for all testing with driver 595.97, and we have Windows 11 25H2, all updates to 26200.8117. We are using the Intel Application Optimization Tool with everything enabled on both CPUs. All data was captured at the same time, with the same game patches, and everything was up to date at the time of testing.