Intel's Flagship Core Ultra 9 285K CPU Receives Major Price Cut to $489
The price drop to an all-time low of $489 at Amazon for the high-end Arrow Lake desktop processor Core Ultra 9 285K brings more than a $100 discount and such a value proposition for the CPU, especially compared to its direct rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.
Core Ultra 9 285K Key Specs
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is manufactured using TSMC's 3 nm process node and is aimed at high-performance gaming and multithreaded workloads.
- Architecture: 24 cores (8 P-cores, 16 E-cores) and 24 threads.
- Clock Speeds: P-cores boost to 5.7 GHz; E-cores boost to 4.6 GHz.
- On-Chip Cache: 36 MB of L3 cache and 40 MB of L2 cache.
- Power: Maximum Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 250W.
Performance and Platform Considerations
The Core Ultra 9 285K indeed performs extremely competitively against the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with respect to all applications Benchmarked. The X3D processors from AMD may still be favored in some top-tier gaming scenarios; however, the 285K is one serious all-round contender. Now at this new price, the 285K becomes a serious contender for a lot of high-end builds.
Upgrades to this CPU require a new platform, specifically a motherboard with the LGA1851 socket and DDR5 memory. The Intel platform comes loaded with advanced overclocking capabilities and demonstrates considerable power efficiency at low-intensity workloads, such as video playback, where only the efficient cores can be made to run.
Summary of the Deal
Amazon's current price just puts the Core Ultra 9 285K back on the map in the high-end desktop CPU segment. The price drop from its usual $599 range makes this deal extra sweet for system builders looking for a powerful yet flexible processor for a fresh build.
