Key Takeaways
1. The Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, specifically the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, show significant performance improvements over previous models and AMD competitors.
2. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus offers excellent productivity performance, outperforming the Ryzen 5 9600X in multi-core tasks by 85% in Cinebench 2026.
3. Gaming performance varies, with the Ryzen 5 9600X leading by 18% in some games, highlighting the importance of checking multiple reviews before purchasing.
4. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus competes closely with the Ryzen 9 9950X in application performance while being priced at $299 compared to the Ryzen’s $649.
5. Both the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus are recommended as budget-friendly options for users seeking versatile CPUs.
Pre-launch leaks regarding the Intel Arrow Lake Refresh Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs were not very thrilling. Nevertheless, Intel has seemingly excelled with the introduction of the new Core Ultra 200S Plus Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs. Both the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus show significant enhancements compared to the standard Core Ultra 5 and Core Ultra 7 Arrow Lake CPUs, proving to be better options than their AMD Ryzen rivals.
Performance Highlights
In our evaluation of the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, we observed that these new Intel processors excel in productivity tasks, deliver improved gaming performance over the standard Core Ultra 200 CPUs, and are incredibly efficient in terms of power consumption. We commended the CPUs for their excellent price/performance ratio, as the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus are priced at $199 and $299, respectively.
Various tech outlets, such as TechPowerUp and Hardware Unboxed, echo our views. For example, TechPowerUp indicates that the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus has effectively bridged the gaming performance gap that separated the Core Ultra 5 245K from the Ryzen 5 9600X. Now, the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus perform similarly.
Application Performance Gains
Moreover, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus outpaces the Ryzen 5 9600X in application performance. Tests conducted by Hardware Unboxed reveal an impressive 85% increase in multi-core performance for the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus compared to the Ryzen 5 9600X in Cinebench 2026, along with smaller yet significant performance improvements in other cases. It’s worth noting that the Cinebench 2026 result represents an optimal scenario where the software efficiently utilizes all available cores and threads.
Thus, with the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, you’re acquiring a CPU that is competitively priced and comparable in gaming performance to the Ryzen 5 9600X, but it significantly outshines it in productivity tasks.
Gaming Performance Variability
However, in the games we tested using the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, the Ryzen 5 9600X held a 18% performance lead. This highlights that CPU performance can vary greatly depending on the game. Therefore, it’s crucial to check multiple reviews before making a final buying decision.
Similarly, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has also exhibited substantial improvements in gaming and application performance over the Core Ultra 7 265K. According to TechPowerUp, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus now reportedly rivals the Ryzen 7 9700X in gaming scenarios.
Competitive Pricing
In terms of application performance, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is almost on the same level as the far pricier Ryzen 9 9950X. For instance, during our tests in Blender, both the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Ryzen 9 9950X delivered identical performance.
In simpler terms, the $299 Core Ultra 7 270K Plus matches the performance of the Ryzen 9 9950X, which debuted at $649. Given these findings, it’s disappointing that Intel is supposedly not launching the flagship Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. Recent leaks suggest that this CPU significantly surpasses the Ryzen 9 9950X in both single-core and multi-core performance.
To sum it up, if you’re working within a limited budget and searching for a versatile CPU, both the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus seem to be ideal choices.
Buy the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K | Ryzen 5 9600X on Amazon
Notebookcheck, TechPowerUp (1,2), Hardware Unboxed on YouTube, Teaser image source: Sebastian Bade for Notebookcheck, geralt on Pixabay, edited
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