The first taste of Arrow Lake Refresh has come to light, as single and multi-threaded benchmarks for the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus have leaked ahead of release. While the CPU seems to handily outclass its predecessor in one performance category, there’s a slim difference between these two chips in another one.
This glimpse of Intel’s upcoming processor arrives by way of a lone entry in the CPU Benchmark database. It appears that Intel’s Core Ultra 5 250K Plus will indeed arrive with 18 cores (6P + 12E), cementing prior Arrow Lake Refresh rumours about the chip deviating from Core Ultra 5 245K by adding four E-Cores cores.
Those additional cores go a fair way toward boosting the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus’ multi-threaded capabilities, with the newer chip enjoying a 14.3% lead (50,478 points vs. 43,276 points) over the 245K. Hopefully, we can expect similar results from the 270K Plus, as rumours suggest that this higher-end Intel CPU will enjoy a similar boost to core count.
Unfortunately, results are less rosy for single-core improvements. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus pulls ahead of the 245K by a mere 2.9% (4,854 points vs. 4,713 points). Presumably this small lead stems from changes to maximum boost clock speeds, if this refresh echoes prior Intel efforts, much like going from a Core i5 13600K to a 14600K.
While we should treat this single set of scores with due scepticism, should these improvements reflect final retail performance, then it’s difficult to mount much excitement for these chips. It appears even Intel may be sheepish about the launch, reportedly cancelling the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus in favour of keeping its Core Ultra 9 285K as flagship.
Hopefully, we’ll get an official word from Intel in the near future. While I’m curious to learn how these processors stack up against the current Core Ultra Series 2 lineup, what’s ultimately more important is how they fare against the likes of the Ryzen 5 9600X. I doubt the Ryzen 7 9850X3D has much to worry about here.
In the meantime, check out our best CPU guide for recommendations on what processors are worth picking up for your next system. Ben’s also put together a hall of shame for the worst CPUs of all time, which includes stinkers new and old.
