Intel announced its latest desktop processors this week, the Intel Core Ultra 200 series, which is the first desktop processor with a built-in NPU for AI workloads.
Previously known under the codename Intel Arrow Lake, the new processor series has been completely redesigned to focus on efficiency and performance per watts and has the same multi-module die architecture as Intel Meteor Lake notebook processors.
The new processors are a big change for Intel’s desktop portfolio, offering new performance and efficiency core architecture.
The new Skymont efficiency cores have a claimed 32% instruction-per-clock (IPC) increase over the previous generation Gracemont cores featured in Intel Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh.
Intel also says its Lion Cove performance core architecture has a 9% IPC increase over its previous generation Raptor Cove performance cores.
In addition to the new P-core and E-Core architecture, the new Core Ultra 200 series processors will feature Intel Xe-LPG graphics architecture, the same architecture that powers Intel’s Arc Alchemist graphics cards.
This gives the CPU’s integrated GPU powerful new hardware-accelerated ray tracing support as well as Intel XeSS support built right into the CPU.
While this won’t replace the best graphics cards in a desktop system, for more budget-oriented desktops or all-in-one PCs, the new Core Ultra 200 series processors will provide significantly better graphics performance than the iGPU found in Intel Raptor Lake processors currently on the market.
The Core Ultra 200 series will also be the first desktop processors to have integrated neural processing capabilities that previously required a dedicated graphics card. And while the 13 TOPS NPU in the Intel Core Ultra 200 series is not as powerful as the recently released Intel Lunar Lake notebook processors, for AIO desktops, this NPU will provide a number of new features that are simply not possible on a previous-gen Intel desktop chip.
The entire chip architecture is capable of 36 TOPS across CPU, NPU, and iGPU, and the sky’s the limit when you factor in dedicated GPUs, which have much more powerful neural network capabilities.
The new processors will go on sale on October 24, with five SKUs available at launch.
| Header cell – column 0 | CPU cores/threads | CPU Max frequency | GPU cores | NPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | 24 (8P+16E) / 24 | 5.7 GHz | 4 | 13 TOPS |
| Intel Core Ultra 7 265K | 20 (8P+12E) / 20 | 5.5 GHz | 4 | 13 TOPS |
| Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF | 20 (8P+12E) / 20 | 5.5 GHz | REACH | 13 TOPS |
| Intel Core Ultra 5 245K | 14 (6P+8E) / 14 | 5.2 GHz | 4 | 13 TOPS |
| Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF | 14 (6P+8E) / 14 | 5.2 GHz | REACH | 13 TOPS |
Significantly improved power efficiency without sacrificing performance
One of the biggest problems with recent generations of Intel desktop processors has been their relatively high power consumption. The Intel Core i9-14900K, the top processor from the previous generation, regularly drew more than 300W of power under intensive workloads.
While this translates into best-in-class performance (as well as record speeds in excess of 6.0GHz out of the box), for many this performance was not worth the additional investment required in terms of cooling and PSU support .
In terms of performance, recent benchmark leaks have shown that the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor is unlikely to beat the gaming performance of the previous generation Core i9-14900K, but it will come within a hair of the previous generation’s performance for a significantly lower TDP.
Intel says the new flagship Core Ultra 9 285K processor will deliver about 8% better single-core performance over the Core i9-14900K and about 4% better performance than the recently released AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.
In terms of multi-core workloads, the new Core Ultra 285K will deliver up to 15% faster performance over the 14900K and up to 13% better performance over the Ryzen 9 9950X. The latter is particularly noteworthy, as the 9950X has two threads per core compared to the individual thread per core in the Intel Core Ultra 200 series.
Intel says it will be able to deliver this performance at significantly lower power. For light-threaded workloads like Zoom calls, the new Core Ultra 9 285K will use up to 58% less power, with up to 42% less power on intensive single-core tasks like video and 3D rendering (as tested in CineBench R24).
Intel says the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K will be able to deliver around 95% of the gaming performance of the Intel Core i9-14900K with up to 188W lower power consumption and around 15°C lower temperature, meaning a quieter system with a smaller cooling solution.
A new chipset means a new motherboard socket
While there is going to be a lot of excitement surrounding the new Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors, there will also be some pain for those hoping to upgrade from a previous generation system.
The new Core Ultra 200 series processors will require the new Intel 800 series chipset on LGA 1851 socket motherboards, which will go on sale this month from major manufacturers such as NZXT, MSI, Asus and more.
If you have a 12th, 13th, or 14th generation Intel system, you will need to purchase a new motherboard as well as the new processor. And since the new chip design will require different CPU cooler mounting, your existing CPU will need new mounting hardware to ensure it cools the chip effectively.
What you do get for the new chipset, however, is more maximum memory capacity (192GB, with support for 48GB DDR5 RAM modules, integrated WiFi 6E and Thunderbolt 4 support (with WiFi 7 and Thunderbolt 5 support as discrete add-on components), and improved overclocking with 16.67 MHz stepping for more precise tweaking and stable performance.
Can the Intel Core Ultra 200 series keep AMD at bay?
The Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors come at a good time for Intel, as the new processors will be able to blunt any remaining momentum that AMD built up with its previous Ryzen launch a few months ago.
AMD’s recent launch of the Ryzen 9000 series wasn’t the best either, as the new chips have been met with some disappointment, especially from enthusiasts who were hoping for significant performance gains over the well-received Ryzen 7000 series processors.
Those same enthusiasts are likely to be equally disappointed with the Intel Core Ultra 200 series, and Intel is already tempering performance expectations.
Users shouldn’t expect 15-20% better performance over and over again like we saw with the 13th Gen Intel Raptor Lake chips, but I’ve thoroughly tested, retested, and retested all of these chips just for old time’s sake , and the only people who would even notice the performance improvements from last generation processors are people like me who obsess over CPU benchmarks.
For everyday users, the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 200 series will be more than enough for their needs, and the energy efficiency of these new chips – assuming they meet Intel’s requirements – will make smaller form factor PCs more powerful and make larger desktop systems more efficient, ultimately saving users money in long-term energy costs.
I’ve long argued that AMD, Intel, and Nvidia needed to call a truce on the performance race (which was far more about industry bragging rights than actual customer value) and focus more on making their products more efficient and practical.
While I’m currently finishing up my reviews of the Ryzen 9000 series, I can tell you that AMD’s latest chips won’t blow the roof off your PC any more than the Ryzen 7000 series will in terms of performance, but the new Ryzen chips deliver better performance at a much lower power consumption.
So Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series is taking the right step at the right time, as Intel would have been ill-served to release even more power-hungry chips that delivered more advanced performance that very few people would actually need, even for very resource-intensive workloads such as video editing or gaming.
With the Intel Core Ultra 200 series, along with the recent launch of Intel Lunar Lake, Intel has an opportunity to stem some of its financial bleeding that has dominated the news in recent months, giving it a solid foundation to try to beat yourself back. to its previous position as a leader in the industry. Whether it succeeds remains to be seen, but if the Intel Core Ultra 200 series lives up to its promise, Intel will be off to a good start.