Intel's new Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus processors present a complex offering, excelling in productivity tasks while faltering in gaming performance compared to competitors. These chips build upon the Arrow Lake architecture with enhancements like four additional E-cores and increased boost clock speeds, aiming to provide strong multi-core capabilities at competitive price points.
The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, featuring 24 cores (8 performance, 16 efficient), matches the core count of the Core Ultra 9 285K but operates at a slightly lower 5.5GHz boost clock, all while costing approximately half as much. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus upgrades to 18 cores (6p, 12e), a notable increase from the 245K's configuration. Both processors also benefit from expanded L3 cache and support for up to 7200MT/s DDR5 RAM.
For non-gaming workloads, these processors present a compelling case. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus demonstrates performance on par with the Core Ultra 9 285K in multi-core benchmarks like Cinebench R23 and is only marginally behind in single-core performance. Against AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the 270K Plus offers significantly better multi-core performance (approximately 83% more) and slightly superior single-core performance (around 9% more). Compared to the Ryzen 7 9700X, the 270K Plus boasts a substantial 117% advantage in multi-core performance. Similarly, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus outperforms its predecessor, the Core Ultra 245K, by 25% in multi-core performance and shows a 35-40% improvement over its AMD Ryzen 7 3D V-Cache competitors. The 250K Plus also significantly outpaces the Ryzen 5 9600X in multi-core tasks, achieving 107% better results in Cinebench R23. Creative applications also see substantial gains, with the 250K Plus even surpassing the Core Ultra 9 285K in Photoshop benchmarks by over 8%.
However, when it comes to gaming, the performance narrative shifts. The Core Ultra 200S Plus chips struggle to keep pace with AMD's offerings and, in some instances, even Intel's own non-Plus counterparts. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p ultra settings, the 250K Plus performs comparably to the Ryzen 5 9600X, but it falls behind in Total War: Warhammer 3 by approximately 16%. Compared to the Core Ultra 245K, the 250K Plus shows mixed results, performing slightly better in Cyberpunk 2077 but slower in Total War: Warhammer 3, resulting in an overall gaming performance decrease of about 6%.
The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus experiences similar challenges. While it offers a slight edge over the Ryzen 7 9700X in Cyberpunk 2077, it lags considerably behind the Ryzen 7 9800X3D by roughly 25% in average FPS. It also underperforms the Ryzen 5 9600X in Cyberpunk 2077 and falls slightly behind the 250K Plus. In Total War: Warhammer 3, the 270K Plus is outperformed by both the Ryzen 7 9700X and the 9800X3D, and also by the considerably less expensive Ryzen 5 9600X.
The value proposition for these processors also diminishes significantly in a gaming context. Despite offering better overall performance per dollar compared to some AMD chips, their gaming performance per dollar does not align. The 270K Plus, while cheaper than the 9800X3D and offering better overall value, provides only marginally better gaming value. It also looks unfavorable when compared to the Ryzen 5 9600X, which costs substantially less but delivers superior gaming performance. The 250K Plus, while offering the third-best gaming performance per dollar among current processors, is still significantly outclassed in this metric by the Ryzen 5 9600X.
Power consumption and thermals are also points of concern. AMD's competing chips operate at much lower wattages, with the Ryzen 5 9600X and 9700X topping out at 88W. In contrast, the 250K Plus draws up to 163.5W, and the 270K Plus consumes nearly 268W. The 270K Plus also runs the hottest, reaching a maximum temperature of 90C, whereas the 250K Plus remains cooler at a maximum of 69C.
The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is available for $219.99 and the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus for $299.99. However, as with any CPU launch, prices may fluctuate post-release based on market demand.