Key Points
- Intel is preparing a minor “Plus” refresh for its Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU lineup.
- The refresh includes three new models: the Core Ultra 290K Plus, 270K Plus, and 250K Plus.
- The new chips offer slight increases in core counts and clock speeds compared to the current models.
- They will support faster DDR4-7200 memory, but real-world gains are uncertain.
After a somewhat lackluster release of its Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs, Intel is getting ready to refresh the lineup with three new models. According to a report from Videocardz, these new chips will offer only small improvements. The new processors—the Core Ultra 290K Plus, Core Ultra 270K Plus, and Core Ultra 250K Plus—are expected to be the last products for the current LGA 1851 socket before Intel moves to the new LGA 1954 socket for its upcoming Nova Lake chips.
The top-of-the-line model is the Core Ultra 290K Plus, which will succeed the current Core Ultra 285K. It keeps the same 8 P-Core + 16 E-Core configuration but gets a slight speed bump, with the P-Core turbo now at 5.6 GHz and the E-Core turbo at 4.8 GHz.
Next is the Core Ultra 270K Plus, which will replace the Core Ultra 265K. It gets a core count increase from 8P+12E to 8P+16E, matching the higher-end Core Ultra 9 models. It also sees a small 100 MHz increase in its E-Core turbo speed.
Finally, the Core Ultra 250K Plus is a slightly upgraded version of the Core Ultra 245K. Its core configuration is changing from 6P+8E to 6P+12E, with small 100 MHz increases in both E-Core and P-Core boost clocks.
All of these new chips will support faster DDR4-7200 memory, a nice jump from the current maximum of 6400 MT/s. However, it’s unclear how much of a real-world improvement this will bring, especially with the ongoing memory shortage.
Intel is marketing these chips with a “Plus” modifier instead of calling them a new generation, which is a welcome change from the confusing branding of the past. A previous benchmark leak for the Core Ultra 270K Plus showed its performance sitting between the current 285K and 265K models, suggesting very small performance gains across the board. The success of these new chips will likely depend on their pricing, especially with strong competition from AMD.
