Introduction
Intel is announcing its official “Arrow Lake” refresh with the new Core Ultra 200S Plus Desktop CPU series. As the name suggests, these new models are based on the current generation Arrow Lake architecture, based on the LGA1851 CPU socket and motherboards. These are desktop CPUs and intended for the DIY market. In fact, Intel is emphasizing gaming performance improvements with these CPUs today, directly targeting these CPUs for gamers as well as content creation due to the upgrades they provide.
The two CPUs being announced today are specifically the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (and 270KF Plus), and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus (and 250KF Plus). There has been no equivalent or upgrade refresh announced for the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. The important key point in the naming is the new “Plus” moniker, which denotes the upgrade in specifications, whilst keeping to the same core architecture of the 200S generation. Therefore, when you see “Plus” (and you might in future products as well), plus the model number increases, you’ll know it’s the same architecture, but with upgraded or refreshed specifications.
Intel will be launching the CPUs on March 26th, 2026. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus will retail for $299, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K will retail for $199. If we compare this to the previous CPUs that these upgrade from, the Intel Core 7 265K was $394 at launch, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K was $319 at launch in October of 2024. This marks a very large price reduction for a faster CPU with higher specifications, and makes the new models all the more exciting and a value for the mid-range.
| Specification | Intel Core Ultra 5 245K | Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus | Intel Core Ultra 7 265K | Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Family | Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) | Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) | Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) | Intel Core Ultra 200S (Arrow Lake) |
| MSRP | $ 309 | $ 199 | $ 394 | $ 299 |
| Total Cores | 14 | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| Performance Cores | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Efficiency Cores | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Total Threads | 14 | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| Boost Clock | 5.2 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 5.5 GHz | 5.5 GHz |
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.2 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 5.4 GHz |
| E-Core Boost Clock | 4.6 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| TDP | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 159 W | 159 W | 250 W | 250 W |
Intel Upgrades Cores and Frequency
The key features of these new upgrades include 4 more efficiency cores (E-Cores), up to 900MHz boost to the die-to-die frequency, a new Intel Binary Optimization Tool, Support for DDR5 7200MT/s memory, and Early support for 4-Rank CUDIMM memory.
In terms of potential performance uplifts, due to the multi-threading core-count increase, Intel is predicting high levels of multi-threading performance uplift compared to the competition at this same price point. Intel quotes ranges in the 80-90% range of a performance uplift for multi-threaded applications with the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. Intel is quoting as high as 85-100%+ with the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X in multi-threaded applications.
Gaming is also improved quite a bit, Intel states. Intel is showing between a 4-39% uplift in gaming performance with the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compared to the previous Intel Core Ultra 7 265K CPU in games. This is quite the wide range, so it will be game-dependent, but the potential is there for a noticeable impact. With the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, Intel is quoting between 8-24% gaming uplift over the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, with the average seeming to be around 8-10%.
4-More Efficiency Cores
Both the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus increase the E-Core count, bringing the total cores and threads capability up compared to the 265K and 245K. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus therefore has 24-total cores comprised of 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores. This is an upgrade over the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, which has a total of 20-total cores comprising 8 P-Cores and 12 E-Cores. The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus has a total of 18-total cores comprised of 6 P-Cores and 12 E-Cores. This is an upgrade over the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which has 14-total cores comprising 6 P-Cores and 8 E-Cores.
900MHz Die-to-Die Frequency Boost
Both the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus have a large die-to-die frequency boost over the 265K and 245K. Specifically, the die-to-die frequency has been boosted by 900MHz, not the actual max boost frequency or P or E Core frequency. This die-to-die frequency increase improves the speed of the CPU/memory controller link by nearly one gigahertz, lowering system latency and improving gaming performance.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has a Max Core Frequency of 5.5GHz, with an all P-Core boost of 5.4GHz and an all E-Core boost of 4.7GHz. The IMC with DDR5 7200MT/s in Gear 2 runs at 1800MHz. In terms of max boosting frequency, the Max Boost matches the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K at 5.5GHz, and the P-Cores also match at up to 5.4GHz. The E-Cores, however, do get a slight bump in frequency to 4.7GHz compared to the 4.6GHz on the 265K. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus also gets a slight increase in Total L2 Cache at 40MB compared to 36MB on the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. The Base Power (PBP) remains at 125W with Maximum Turbo Power at 250W on the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus.
The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus has a Max Core Frequency of 5.3GHz, with an all P-Core boost of 5.1GHz and an all E-Core boost of 4.6GHz. The IMC with DDR5 7200MT/s in Gear 2 runs at 1800MHz. In terms of max boosting frequency, the Max Boost Frequency and P-Core Frequency increase over the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K from 5.2GHz up to 5.3GHz. The E-Cores, however, do not get a bump in boost frequency; they remain at 4.6GHz on the 250K Plus just as they were on the 245K. The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus also gets a slight increase in Total L2 Cache at 30MB compared to 26MB on the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K. The Base Power (PBP) remains at 125W with Maximum Turbo Power at 159W on the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.
Intel Binary Optimization Tool
Intel will also be launching its new Binary Optimization Tool, which is a new optimization technology to optimize application and game workloads to increase processor instructions per cycle (IPC). This will optimize user performance on workloads that have been optimized for differing x86 architectures, a game console, or other. It will have to be seen how this gets implemented, what support it has for which CPUs, games, applications, and whatnot. The goal is to improve x86 execution on Intel CPUs for games or applications that may not be optimized for the architecture well. This is a way that Intel can optimize these code bases for its CPUs to gain performance and efficiency.
DDR5 7200MT/s Support
Intel will now officially be supporting DDR5 7200MT/s on the new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core 5 250K Plus CPUs. This is an upgrade over the previous support of DDR5 6400MT/s on Intel Core Ultra 200S CPUs. Intel has also improved compatibility with the Intel Core Ultra 200S Boost BIOS profiles and its warranty support for 8,000MT/s memory overclocking.
4-Rank CUDIMM Memory Support
Intel will now be supporting 4-Rank CUDIMM memory (4R CUDIMM) on select motherboards with Intel 800 Series Chipsets. This will allow up to 128GB of memory per module, giving you options in performance and capacity.
What’s Not Changing
To recap, the new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus remain on the same Arrow Lake architecture and the same LGA1851 socket and platform. This means there is full compatibility with all Intel 800-series Chipset motherboards already on the market. However, per-usual, you will want to apply a BIOS update.
With this new launch, Intel has also stated that there will be a refresh of 800-series Chipset motherboards coming throughout the year. This refresh of Z890 motherboards, and the like, will enable early support for 4-Rank CUDIMM memory. These boards are not required for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus; they are a refresh to bring new motherboard features, potentially from motherboard manufacturers.
When will these new CPUs be available? They will be available via retail partners on March 26th, 2026. OEM and system integrator systems powered by the new processors will be available starting around the same time. You can read more at the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 Product Page and official Press Release.