Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus CPU Review - The 285K is now obsolete

TweakTown Rating: 88%

Our Verdict

For just $299, Intel has delivered the Arrow Lake CPU we'd want to buy, though gamers should still look to AMD's X3D chips.

Pros

• Excellent multi-threading performance
• At $299, it's great value
• Strong IGP
• Feature-rich platform
• Good performance per watt

Cons

• Gaming is still a weakness
• Lack of LGA 1851 upgrade incentive

Should you buy it?

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Introduction, Specifications and Pricing

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Intel's Core Ultra 200S series launched back in October 2024 to a lukewarm reception. While its gaming performance was lackluster, it proved very good at highly threaded workloads. Fast forward to March 2026, and it's time for the Arrow Lake refresh. The Core Ultra 200S Plus series aims to minimize Arrow Lake's shortcomings with hardware tweaks and more than a little software assistance. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is joined by the Core Ultra 250K Plus. Do they have what it takes to bring the fight to AMD?

In this review, we're focusing on the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. It's based on the same microarchitecture as the original Arrow Lake series. For an analysis of the architecture, check out our Core Ultra 9 285K review.

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Like the original Arrow Lake family, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus features a disaggregated tile-based design. It includes four primary tiles: a Compute tile, a SoC tile, a Graphics tile, and an I/O tile. There's also a Foveros base tile that serves as an interposer, linking the tiles to each other and the base package and socket pads.

Intel has chosen not to release a flagship 285K refresh at this time. Such a model would surely require a step-up in power consumption and would have attracted criticism, as it did when it released the 13th and 14th Generation families. Instead, the 270K Plus introduces targeted improvements to reduce bottlenecks. It can be considered a replacement for the 265K. Aside from increasing the E-core count from 12 to 16, it also brings small frequency increases to both Lion Cove P-cores and Skymont E-cores. But the really interesting improvements on the hardware side are a 900MHz increase in die-to-die frequency and a 400MHz increase in the memory controller clock, with support for DDR5-7200MHz memory. Also new is support for four-rank CUDIMM memory (CQDIMM). Which means up to 128GB per channel. One can imagine how much a 2x128GB memory kit would cost...

Hardware tweaks are one thing, but Intel is very keen to promote its so-called Post Silicon Performance Optimization. It has introduced the Intel Platform Performance Package, Intel Application Optimization, and Intel Binary Optimization tools. I'll go into those in more detail a little later in this article.

I'll start with the hardware side of things. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is an 8P-16E core design, identical to the 285K, with 8 Lion Cove P-cores and 16 Skymont E-cores. The P-cores lack hyperthreading, but the base architecture is all but identical to that of the 285K.

If Intel copped some criticism for Arrow Lake's gaming performance, it didn't with its power efficiency, as Arrow Lake took a welcome step back from the brink with its performance per watt. The 270K Plus maintains a 250W Maximum Turbo Power and 125W Processor Base Power. Its P-cores have a 3.7GHz base clock and a 5.5GHz boost clock, so it doesn't need extreme power levels to attain the lofty 6GHz turbo clock of the 14900K. The E-cores have a 3.2GHz base clock and a 4.7GHz boost clock. That's very close to the spec of the 285K, which featured a slightly higher maximum P-core clock of 5.7GHz.

The P-cores include their own dedicated 3MB of L2 cache, while each of the four E-core clusters shares a 4MB L2 cache. The P-cores and E-core clusters share a common L3 cache totaling 36MB. The total L2 and L3 cache is 76MB. The 270K Plus features a 13 TOPS NPU, the same as that of the 285K. Integrated graphics is provided by an Xe-LPG tile with 4 Xe cores. It includes HEVC and AV1 encode/decode support, as well as DirectX 12 Ultimate.

Intel did not disclose a die area, but as the 270K Plus is described as 'Arrow Lake maxed out', it's safe to assume the total die area is 243 mm². The 270K Plus is built with a mix of processes, including TSMC's N3B process for the compute tile, N5P for the graphics tile, N6 for the SoC and I/O tiles, and Intel's 16 process for the Foveros base tile. Intel describes the 270K Plus and 250K Plus as having unspecified process improvements, which typically occur over the life of a maturing process.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus MSRP is $299, which is a very aggressive price point. The 285K is nearly double that, making it obsolete without a major price drop.

Best Deals: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K

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Arrow Lake Plus

Hardware Tweaks

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus brings several hardware improvements over the 265K. The headline improvement is an increase in E-core count from 12 to 16. This alone will add significant improvement in heavily threaded workloads. The L3 cache has increased from 30MB for the 265K to 36MB for the 270K Plus. All P-cores and E-cores are connected via a ring-bus interconnect, which provides all cores with access to the 36 MB of L3 cache. More cache equals better performance. Just ask AMD with its X3D chips.

As mentioned in the introduction, the 270K Plus features a die-to-die clock speed increase of a whopping 900MHz. The faster inter-die bus aims to reduce system latency and improve gaming performance, which was the original Arrow Lake family's biggest weakness. Intel claims a performance gain of up to 15% over the 265K. That kind of gain would be impressive with a new architecture, so achieving it with just a few tweaks is particularly impressive.

Along with four-rank CQDIMM memory support, the 270K adds support for JEDEC standard DDR5-7200 CUDIMM memory. Though such speeds are easily achievable on most motherboards, official support is always a nice thing to have.

Software Optimizations - Why rely on Microsoft?

There are those who say that consumer x86 big.LITTLE core architectures are too complex, being better suited to low-power devices. In the desktop space, there's a valid argument for fewer high-performance full-fat cores (e.g., Zen 5) over lots of little ones. But power efficiency and multi-threading performance are important too. The key is to optimize and find the right balance between the two. With that in mind, Intel has gone all-in on a suite of software tools that aim to better optimize app-specific workflows, schedule threads efficiently, and integrate various firmware interfaces and libraries into one app so they run more efficiently on Intel's mix of P-cores and E-cores.

With Arrow Lake Refresh, Intel has introduced what it calls the Intel Platform Performance Package. It's a single installer that integrates four different applications into one. The first three are the Processor Power Management (PPM), Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT), and Innovation Platform Framework (IPF). These packages dynamically adjust thread scheduling, power states, and clock speeds. They work alongside IPF, which functions as the firmware to the OS interface.

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More interesting are the Intel Application Optimization (APO) and Intel Binary Optimization tools. APO is designed to efficiently schedule and allocate threads to the optimal core type. It works on a per-application basis and requires Intel to provide support for individual apps.

The Binary Optimization Tool takes supported applications and optimizes them for Intel's x86 compute pipeline. It can restructure code and function calls on-the-fly to improve IPC. It's a work in progress for now, and it's an opt-in feature. So far, there are 12 supported game titles, including Assassin's Creed Mirage, Far Cry 6, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and Hogwarts Legacy.

Intel reports gains of up to 22% in the case of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We'll have a look at this in a separate article in the near future.

Intel expects this app to grow significantly in the future. It also says there's no AI involved at any point. Another particularly important point is that Intel is not yet committing to backporting the tool to first-generation Arrow Lake, claiming that Arrow Lake Refresh has architectural dependencies that make backporting difficult.

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Above, you'll see one of Intel's slides showing the relative benefits of both its hardware and software optimizations relative to the 265K. While these numbers show 'up to', even a high single-digit average improvement in general performance can be considered very good for a refreshed architecture.

My take on this is that free performance is a good thing. Intel clearly isn't relying on Microsoft to optimize for its architectures, and why would it? Microsoft has enough on its plate with basic functionality fixes. They should get Windows working properly first before focusing on optimizations. I'm also pleased Intel has incorporated its product suite into a single app. I didn't see anything notable, such as resource hogging, and it seems to function more like driver-level software.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Test System

Core Ultra 7 270K

Our test CPU arrived in non-retail packaging. The picture above, on the left, provided by Intel, shows the packaging you can expect when you buy a Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. The retail box is on the right.

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The 270K Plus is drop-in compatible with LGA 1851 motherboards with 800-series chipsets after a BIOS update. All manufacturers should have supporting BIOSes ready for download. Do buy one with a BIOS flashback feature if you don't already have access to an Arrow Lake CPU!

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The backside offers 1851 pads. Compared to LGA 1700 chips, the pad area of LGA 1851 CPUs occupies some of the space formerly occupied by the middle of the CPU.

Test System

• Motherboard: MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk WiFi - Buy from Amazon
• GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo RGB 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30 - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux - Buy from Amazon
• OS Storage: Teamgroup T-Force Z540 2TB - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex Titanium 850W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro - Buy from Amazon

Benchmarks - Rendering and Encoding

Cinebench 2024

Cinebench is a well-established rendering benchmark. It has two tests: a single-core workload that utilizes one thread, or 1T, and a multi-threaded test that uses all threads, or nT, of a tested CPU.

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First up, we have an excellent result for the 270K Plus. Its nT test result of 2,461 puts it ahead of every other desktop CPU, and its single thread result of 142 is strong too.

Blender

A rendering application like Blender is just one of many reasons a user will consider a high-core-count CPU. We use the Whitelands demo file and record how long it takes to render the image.

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The 270K Plus really is a multi-threading monster. Not bad at all for a $299 chip!

Handbrake

Handbrake is a simple-to-use video encoding and transcoding application. Here, we convert a 4K movie trailer to 1080p. The results below show the average FPS, where a higher result means the task will take less time to complete.

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There's a pattern emerging here. There's no reason to buy a 285K anymore.

Benchmarks - File Compression and Memory Latency

7Zip

7Zip is a commonly used free file compression and decompression app. It's sensitive to changes in memory speed and latency, and scales with the number of CPU threads.

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As 7zip is sensitive to memory speeds, the faster die-to-die communication and ring bus put it a good step ahead of the 285K, though the monolithic 14900K is still ahead.

AIDA64 Memory Latency

Memory latency is an area that's traditionally favored by Intel and its monolithic designs. AMD's chiplet architecture and the Infinity Fabric link inevitably add some latency in comparison. A nanosecond or two here or there is not noticeable, but more significant margins, particularly when the memory is frequently accessed, will result in more undesirable and cumulative idle cycles.

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Though the 270K Plus shows improved latency, it's still a weakness of the architecture relative to its rivals. If Intel can improve this with Nova Lake, I'd expect a strong showing from Intel versus Zen 6.

Benchmarks - 3DMark

3DMark Time Spy Extreme

Time Spy Extreme has lost favor as a graphics benchmark in favor of Speed Way and Steel Nomad, but its CPU test is still a good measure of multi-core performance.

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The 270K beats the 285K again!

Benchmarks - Gaming

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is brutal on graphics cards, but when things like ray tracing are removed, it becomes more sensitive to CPU and memory performance differences.

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Here, our RTX 4070 Ti Super is still GPU bottlenecked at 1080p. It serves as an example of how virtually all modern CPUs are sufficient for gaming in graphically demanding scenarios. Only the mighty X3D chips get ahead here, even if only by a tiny amount.

Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6 is an example of a game that exhibits CPU bottlenecking with powerful graphics cards.

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Far Cry 6 shows the 270K Plus improving slightly, but it's no match for the X3D chips. The 14900K remains a strong gaming option.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn can achieve high frame rates with powerful graphics cards when using the 'Favor Performance' preset.

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This is the weakest of the games we tested for the 270K Plus. It's a decent step up over the 285K, but AMD is well ahead here, especially the X3D chips.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition

Metro Exodus received an update that improved DLSS support, enhanced ray tracing features, and variable rate shading, among other things. Still, with a powerful graphics card, it is affected by CPU and memory performance at 1080p, though less so with a card like the RTX 4070 Ti Super.

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If it's possible to ignore the X3D chips, the 270K Plus puts in a decent showing. Metro Exodus doesn't really favor high-core-count CPUs, so this isn't bad.

F1 22

F1 22 isn't particularly demanding, and it doesn't require a high-end graphics card to achieve smooth frame rates. We tested at 1080p with high settings.

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With a result like this, I don't mind Intel claiming the 270K Plus is its fastest gaming chip. Nova Lake with an L3 cache die would certainly be interesting...

Benchmarks - Power Consumption and Temperatures

Power

The 270K Plus has a base power level of 125W and a Maximum Turbo Power of 250W. A Cinebench looping test showed the 270K peaking just over that limit, and notably, it was higher than the 285K. Some variances between chips can be expected, but based on our tests, the 270K Plus uses more power than the 285K.

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Temperatures

It goes without saying that temperature results heavily depend on your cooler's capabilities, case airflow, and ambient temperature. We aim to maintain a constant ambient temperature of 22 degrees Celsius for temperature testing.

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A peak temperature reading of 87 degrees is a little on the toasty side, but thankfully, it's well within the capabilities of our 360m AIO. It did not have to ramp up excessively as it did with the nuclear 14900K. But I would not opt for a cheap cooler with the 270K Plus.

Final Thoughts

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus remains a somewhat difficult chip to judge, though it is a solid improvement over the 285K, which at twice the price is now obsolete. It is a multi-threading monster, and at $299 it offers excellent value for money. Its performance per watt is strong, and it includes an NPU if you're AI inclined. That's something AMD still lacks.

It's a little surprising that Intel didn't name Arrow Lake Refresh the Core Ultra 300S Series. The company said it listened to customers after the 13th and 14th generation Raptor Lake families were introduced, though they added relatively little compared to 12th Gen Alder Lake. Intel says the 'Plus' nomenclature is better at reflecting the ultimate version of an architecture, which definitely makes sense.

Its gaming performance is still generally lackluster, though again, it is an improvement over the 285K, and much better than the 265K, even though we did not have the SKU on hand to compare. It's also important to remember that all CPUs from the last few years will keep a GPU fed under graphically limited scenarios. If you want to push hundreds of FPS in competitive shooters or you have a high refresh rate monitor, then AMD's mighty X3D chips remain the ones to beat. Having said that, if you're primarily a creator or general-purpose user and value multi-threading prowess, the 270K Plus is a perfectly capable chip.

Some will roll their eyes at the thought of a focus on software over hardware, but I believe that if threading and code-execution optimizations can improve performance without incurring a resource penalty, then bring it on. The APO and Binary Optimization tools are a work in progress. There are no signs Intel plans to abandon its E-core approach anytime soon, and such tools certainly have their place. If Microsoft won't optimize properly, then I'm happy for Intel to do it.

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The Arrow Lake Refresh series is certainly the last hurrah for the LGA 1851 platform. While the 270K plus itself offers good value, it's still a bummer that you have to buy an 800-series board that won't last beyond this generation. AMD still has an advantage with AM5 expected to last at least one more generation. At least you have PCIe 5.0 GPU and SSD support. PCIe 6.0 and DDR6 memory are not expected for some time, so an Arrow Lake Refresh system is hardly going to be obsolete overnight.

Arrow Lake's integrated graphics performance is a highlight. As there is no change to the Xe-LPG tile, we did not test IGP performance. However, you can check our 285K and 245K reviews to see how it performs. 1080p with older titles is definitely doable, particularly if you add some XeSS to the mix.

How do we rate the Core Ultra 7 270K? Much better than the first Arrow Lake chips, that's for sure. Intel has obviously identified the bottlenecks and done what it can to speed up inter-core and inter-die latency. It's harder to recommend for owners of AMD AM5 or Intel 13th or 14th generation systems, but if you're looking for a general-purpose chip or you have software that can fully utilize lots of threads, it's a very good option, and it's the first Arrow Lake CPU we can genuinely recommend. If your PC is several years old, you will be impressed by the performance and efficiency gains on offer.

Serious gamers should still opt for an AMD X3D CPU, but the likes of AMD's 9900X and 9950X have serious competition in the form of the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. And let's not forget, it is a $299 chip.

My excitement for the Zen 6 versus Nova Lake battle late in 2026 has been well and truly ignited.