First Look – Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Processor

Intel now offers CPUs with better value and higher performance

The subtitle above sums up this launch. No, the Core Ultra 200S Plus processors are not going to dethrone AMD’s X3D on any 1080p gaming charts, but there have been enough performance improvements to make this launch technically interesting – though specs and performance have to take a back seat to the value proposition.

Intel made it pretty clear to media leading up to this launch that performance per dollar is their biggest consideration, and a $299 USD retail for the new Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is compelling – as you will find that it matches or exceeds the Core Ultra 9 285K, which launched at $589 USD. Both the existing Ultra 9 285K and new Ultra 7 270K Plus offer the same 24 core (8P+16E) configuration, though there have been some changes (more on technical differences shortly).

The new Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is possibly the more interesting product from the retail standpoint, as it offers 18 cores (6P+12E) at just $199 USD, compared to the Core Ultra 5 245K‘s 14 core (6P+8E) configuration with a launch price of $309 USD.

Architectural improvement from the 200S Plus CPUs include significantly higher die-to-die frequencies (up to 900 MHz faster) and a faster DDR5 memory spec, with 7200 MT/s now officially supported.

Other frequency enhancements include a +100 MHz all E-core boost, +200 MHz all P-core boost, and +400 MHz DRAM and IMC frequency.

There are many more features and improvements of these new processors, including a major emphasis on optimization (including Intel’s Binary Optimization Tool, an optional feature within Intel Application Optimization), which will require further exploration, though not in today’s brief “first look”.

A first look at performance

Initial impressions are very good, with performance on par with, or slightly above, the Core Ultra 9 285K. This margin gets a big wider when the new DDR5-7200 standard is employed with the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, but gaming workloads are not going to show much scaling unless you only game at lower resolutions.

First, a couple of CPU benchmarks, with Cinebench and Blender results showing what the new flagship Intel CPU can do:

Graphics testing is only practical at 1920×1080 (and below), but here are some 3DMark results anyway. Both of these tests are rendered at 2560×1440, but the older Time Spy test does show the very beginnings of some scaling at least. 

Moving on to the old reliable Cyberpunk 2077, run with no DLSS at the “Ultra” preset, we see the expected scaling:

One final result here, this time from The Talos Principle 2:

There isn’t much scaling of note when performance is so close to that of the Ultra 9 285K. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus will probably make for a more interesting subject compared to its predecessor and AMD’s midrange offerings.

Final Thoughts

Intel may not have a refreshed Core Ultra 9 (though they said that was something they could have done), but what they do have is a big price cut and a small performance bump. The price drop has very real implications in the era of $400 32GB DDR5 kits, so right now Intel is making a pretty good case for going team blue for your next build (though this is probably the end of the road for this particular socket).

A more comprehensive look at Intel CPU performance is planned, with 14th Gen added back to the charts, and a look at Core Ultra 5 / 5 Plus. Ryzen 5 and 7 processors must also be added, as suddenly Intel is playing in the value segment, rather than the high-end ~$600 flagship CPU space.

Bottom line for this launch, from what we have seen so far Intel has a really good value proposition with the Core Ultra Plus. The refreshed processors add performance, offer unique optimization possibilities, and the $199/$299 price points are excellent. Now if only Intel would go back to their pre-CPU memory production roots and offer similar prices for 32GB and 64GB kits…