Places to acquire Intel's Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus — secure these powerful Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs through these vendors, beginning at $219

Two of Intel's latest CPUs, the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, are now available to buy. Entries have started to surface for Both Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, featuring the 250K Plus popping up for $219.99 and Newegg listing the 270K Plus for $349.99. The Core Ultra 5 250K also has a KF version available for sale, with KF referring to overclockable CPUs without an integrated GPU.

This duo of processors marks a compelling recovery for Intel, at least in part, when contrasted with the lackluster reception (and release-day execution) of its prior Intel Core Ultra collection. As our 250K Plus review illustrates, this processor delivers results far beyond its class, with capabilities that exceed chips twice as expensive in various programs.

Meanwhile, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a formidable option for productivity users, even if gaming isn't quite its focus. Our 270K Plus review reveals the extent of the turnaround from Arrow Lake here, priced $100 less than the Core Ultra 7 265K, with chart-topping single and multi-threaded performance.

These Arrow Lake Refresh processors are competitively priced with better performance than many would expect. While the LGA 1851 socket is nearing the end of its life, these CPUs would be a serious upgrade for your existing build.

Intel Core Ultra 5 250K

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a budget-friendly processor with an MSRP of $200. It provides identical gaming results to the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, but for multi-threaded productivity duties, it surpasses several costlier alternatives, including the gaming-centric 9800X3D. It features 18 cores, comprising six performance cores and 12 efficient cores, and 18 threads. P-cores can boost up to 5.3 GHz, while E-cores can boost to 4.6 GHz, and the chip has a base TDP of 125W.

This CPU was recently released, so anticipate that inventory amounts (and costs) will fluctuate throughout the market. We'll be consistently refreshing this manual with the latest costs and URLs from every prominent seller, as the K (overclockable) and KF (overclockable, no IGPU) versions are available at a discount.

Where to buy the Intel Core Ultra 7 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus represents a $299 high-performance unit with a Janus-like quality: a processor possessing two different sides. At a cost below $300, you receive top-tier professional power for a mid-range investment, rivaling the Ryzen 9 9950X while spending only half as much. Gaming performance is less stellar, sitting closer to the Core i7-14700K and Ryzen 7 9700X. The 270K Plus is a 24-core processor containing eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores, reaching a peak boost clock of 5.5 GHz and a 125W base TDP.

Its cost renders this CPU a highly attractive choice, nonetheless. Retailers have priced it above MSRP for the time being, but it's still early days, and we'll be looking to update this table with the latest stock (and prices) as it launches.

Comparative statistics for gaming and professional efficiency.

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The benchmark data above speaks for itself. Intel has knocked it out of the park with its Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, with pricing and performance that, depending on your use case, makes them truly compelling.

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus delivers similar gaming capabilities compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, yet it vastly surpasses it in productivity tasks. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, meanwhile, is able to rival the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in multi-threaded work, but for gaming, it's a little slower.

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