Intel’s highly anticipated Core Ultra 200 series “Arrow Lake” desktop CPUs are finally nearing their release, with leaked retail packaging revealing the new design direction Intel has taken. The packaging, a darker blue rectangular box with subtle dot accents, houses the latest Core Ultra processors, signifying a departure from the familiar Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 branding. The new nomenclature, featuring Core Ultra 5, 7, and 9 processors, reflects the advancements in these CPUs.
The flagship Core Ultra 9 285K processor is set to make a splash with its impressive specifications. It features a powerful combination of 8 P-Cores based on the Lion Cove architecture and 16 E-Cores based on the Skymont architecture, resulting in a total of 24 cores and 24 threads. This configuration, combined with its maximum boost clock of 5.5GHz, promises significant performance enhancements.
The Core Ultra 9 285K boasts a substantial cache capacity, with 36MB of L3 cache and 40MB of L2 cache, totaling 76MB. The base clock speeds are 3.7GHz for the P-Cores and 3.2GHz for the E-Cores, while the maximum boost clock speeds reach 5.7GHz for the P-Cores and 4.6GHz for the E-Cores. With a 125W PL1 TDP and a 250W MTP, it’s clear that these CPUs are designed for high-performance computing.
The new Core Ultra 9 285K retail packaging, though visually appealing with its darker blue shade and dot accents, bears a striking resemblance to the Core i9-12900KS box, albeit without the dot accents. While the packaging redesign is certainly a step in the right direction, some might argue that Intel could have gone further with a more dramatic and memorable design, especially considering the significant changes they’ve made with the Core Ultra processors.
Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series “Arrow Lake” CPUs will be launched on October 24th, bringing with them the new LGA 1851 socket and 800-series motherboards. The initial lineup will include the Core Ultra 9 285K, Core Ultra 7 265K, Core Ultra 7 265KF, Core Ultra 5 265K, and Core Ultra 5 265KF, with non-K and T series processors expected in 2025.
