A Final Update for Intel’s Current Desktop Platform
Intel’s strategy of mid-generation “Refresh” CPUs continues, with a new model appearing in benchmark databases ahead of its expected launch. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, part of the upcoming Arrow Lake Refresh series, has been spotted in a Geekbench test, revealing its specifications and performance. This refresh appears to be the last major update for the LGA-1851 socket before Intel moves on to its next platform.
The leak provides a clear look at Intel’s attempt to inject new life into its current desktop lineup with slightly tweaked models that offer minor spec bumps, a common tactic to maintain market competitiveness between major architectural generations.
Specifications: More Cores for the Mid-Range
The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus represents one of the more substantial changes in the refresh lineup. Unlike the flagship model, which only gets a clock speed increase, the 270K Plus gains a significant core count uplift.
It features a 24-core configuration with 8 Performance cores and 16 Efficiency cores. This is an upgrade over the current Core Ultra 7 265K, which has 20 cores (8P + 12E). The leak shows a maximum boost clock of 5.4 GHz. The chip also supports faster DDR5-7200 memory officially, an upgrade from the previous generation’s DDR5-6400 support.
Performance and Market Context
In the Geekbench tests, the 270K Plus showed modest performance improvements. It scored approximately 5-6% higher than the 265K in both single and multi-core tests, even when paired with relatively slow DDR5-4800 memory.
Industry reports suggest this refresh may not dramatically shift the market. According to the article, motherboard partners are already shifting their focus to the next-generation LGA-1954 platform for Nova Lake-S CPUs and do not expect this update to drive significant new demand for current motherboards.
Also, Read
- Intel Confirms High-End “Battlemage BMG-G31” GPU Is Coming, Hints at CES 2026 Launch
- Intel Arc B580 GPU Drops to $229, Offering 12GB of VRAM Amid Industry-Wide Price Hikes
- Intel’s next-gen Arc B390 “Panther Lake” has been spotted in benchmarks
For consumers, the Arrow Lake Refresh serves as a minor update that offers slightly better specifications for those buying at the exact right time, but it signals the approaching end of the road for the current platform. The larger architectural leaps are reserved for what comes next.
Source: geekbench