When the first rumors about Arrow Lake Refresh started to circulate, many were expecting to see three references, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, and especially the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus meant to top off the range.
Ultimately, this scenario did not materialize. Intel chose to focus on only two models, leaving out this flagship of the series. This absence is no longer just a rumor. The processor giant has just confirmed that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus will not be marketed.
Arrow Lake Refresh ultimately focuses on value for money
The heart of Intel’s strategy is therefore to position itself in the mid-range with an excellent Core Ultra 7 270K Plus according to our tests. Instead of focusing on a new top of the range very close to this Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the current Core Ultra 9 285K, the proposal is to be aggressive on the price and value front. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus comes with a powerful technical specification offering 8 P-cores, 16 E-cores, a maximum turbo frequency up to 5.5 GHz, and a recommended retail price of 299 dollars.
In this context, the new AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 finds itself alone in the high-end field. It will still be interesting to compare it to the 285K and 270K.
If Intel will not market this Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, it does not mean that it does not exist. Traces of the processor have been circulating in recent weeks, notably through benchmark results and various leaks, suggesting that the SKU was indeed considered, or even tested.
Here is the official statement from Florian Maislinger, Tech Communication Manager at Intel Germany.
Intel is excited to deliver exceptional value with our Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus series processors. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus are positioned to deliver outstanding gaming performance and incredible value compared to our competition. Our objective was to maximize performance for the desktop SKUs that are most widely available. As a result, Intel is not launching a U9 290K Plus SKU.
