Intel has seemingly changed plans for its next-gen flagship processor, cancelling it just a month ahead of the expected launch. According to Videocardz’s sources, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has been removed from the Arrow Lake Refresh lineup, leaving only the mid-range Ultra 7 270K Plus and Ultra 5 250K Plus to cover consumers’ and OEMs’ needs. Shame, if true.
On the big assumption this is correct, this would be a surprising move as the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has been spotted in leaked benchmarks, indicating Intel has already delivered samples to its partners. One such sample showed about a 10% performance uplift compared to the Core Ultra 9 285K, which is not bad considering their small spec differences. Apparently, Intel has explained this change of heart as a move toward performance-per-value.
If the remaining Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus replace their predecessors at the same or lower price, the company’s reasoning seems to hold up. Furthermore, considering how the 290K Plus and 270K Plus share similar core configurations, removing one is a sensible choice to reduce consumer confusion. Actually, this also explains why the 290K Plus was missing from a recent retail listing.
For those wondering how Core Ultra 7 and 9 share similar specs, well, the new refreshed lineup adds a 4-E-core cluster to the 250K Plus and 270K Plus, bringing the latter on par with the 290K Plus, albeit with a 200MHz frequency deficit. This apparent lack of differentiation isn’t enough to warrant an entire support stack, i.e. dedicated marketing, boxes, drivers, etc.
| Ultra 9 290K Plus | Ultra 7 270K Plus | Ultra 5 250K Plus | |
| Cores | 8P+16E | 8P+16E | 6P+12E |
| TVB | 5.8 GHz | – | – |
| Turbo Boost Max | 5.6 GHz | 5.5 GHz | – |
| P-Core Turbo | 5.6 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 5.3 GHz |
| E-Core Turbo | 4.8 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| P-Core Base | 3.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| E-Core Base | 3.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Memory Support | DDR5-7200 | DDR5-7200 | DDR5-7200 |
| Base Power | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 250 W | 250 W | 159 W |
It is also important to note that Intel hasn’t declared the current Core Ultra 9 285K end of life, meaning it will remain available in retail. In other words, keeping the 290K Plus would have resulted in three CPU models sharing very similar specs, potentially confusing customers while wasting marketing resources. Now, with just two models to manage – 270K Plus and 250K Plus – Intel can divert more hands to prepare its true next-gen architecture, Nova Lake-S, which is expected sometime later this year.
While Intel is unlikely to officially speak about the 290K Plus’ cancellation since this model has never been announced to begin with, leaks leave little doubt about its existence. Regardless, these Arrow Lake Refresh chips are expected to appear in reviews on March 23, likely coupled with a launch the same day.
