Intel is struggling to shift Core Ultra 200S processors, to the point that the company is still selling more of its older 13th and 14th Gen Core chips. In a bid to improve the attractiveness of at least one of its new CPUs, the company has made dramatic reductions its manufacturer suggest retail price (MSRP).
Intel shared a new post on its Community subdomain on May 6, containing new pricing for Core Ultra 7 265K(F). Prior to these changes, the processor cost $384-399 putting it in direct competition with the likes of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. Now, it will be available for just $284-299, marking a $100 (25%) drop and making its closest competitor in terms of price now AMD Ryzen 5 9600X.
Intel Core Ultra 7 265K
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It’s unclear why Intel has chosen to reduce the price of this particular SKU, leaving Core Ultra 9 285K(F) and Core Ultra 5 245K(F) untouched. Both CPUs would undoubtedly benefit from a similar adjustment, boosting their value relative to 14th Gen Core predecessors, namely Core i9-14900K and Core i5-14600K. Perhaps further announcements will follow suit.
This change in price marks the latest in a series of moves from Intel to improve the standing of Core Ultra 200S processors. The company worked for months following their release to fix unexpected performance gaps, and has since launched a more-affordable motherboards with B860 chipsets.
Welcome as this move is, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that it’s perhaps too late to save Intel’s LGA1851 platform. The socket will apparently only receive one additional batch of compatible processors, which will be no more than a refresh of what’s currently available to buy. After that, it seems all-new LGA1954 boards will take charge.
In the meantime, this price adjustment should at least partly stimulate Core Ultra 200S sales beyond their current woefully low numbers, by which AMD outsells Intel 4:1. Although, the company’s prospects don’t appear particularly rosy with just one Panther Lake processor likely to launch this year.
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