We’re getting ever closer to the release of the new Intel Arrow Lake processors. These will have to restore Intel’s reputation on desktop PCs. The problem is that Arrow Lake will have to take on a completely new architecture that represents a complete break with previous generations. However, the first leaks look rather promising, as it’s the case with the Core Ultra 265K, which has appeared in a few benchmarks over the past few hours. This reference should replace the i7-14700K (for those who have trouble with the new nomenclature). This Core Ultra 7 265K is a processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, as Intel will not be using hyper-threading on this generation. In detail, this processor has 8 high-performance cores and 12 efficient E-Core cores.
A quick run through Geekbench 6.3.0 gives us a glimpse of the potential of this Core Ultra 7 265K. If the figures are to be believed, this processor is capable of outperforming Intel’s top-of-the-range processor, the Core i9 14900K. But it also looks set to tease AMD’s current top-of-the-range processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X.
Core Ultra 7 265K: promising leaks.
This latest leak reinforces the information we’ve been hearing for several days. If we were to compile these leaks and summarise them, here’s what we could learn from them:
- When the Core Ultra 7 265K is put against the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, the future Intel slightly outperforms the current top-of-the-range AMD processor in terms of multi-core performance in certain benchmarks. The Intel processor shows a 10% lead in tests such as CPU-Z, thanks to its 20 cores and a turbo frequency of up to 5.5 GHz. However, under more intense load, the Ryzen 9 9950X can regain the advantage, particularly in applications requiring more physical cores. But in the latter cases, the difference is really minimal.
- When the Core Ultra 7 265K is put against its big brother the i9-14900K: here again, the future Intel CPU is competitive. It is around 4% faster in single-core performance, thanks to optimisations in the new Arrow Lake architecture. In Geekbench, the Core 265K also outperforms its predecessor, despite the presence of hyper-threading.
- In single-core mode, the Core Ultra 7 265K also seems at ease. The next Intel processor is 11.4% faster than the Core i7-14700K, 6.3% faster than the Core i9-14900K and 2.2% slower than the Ryzen 9 9950X in single-core tests.
It now remains to be seen whether this is the definitive picture of this new generation’s performance, or whether further optimisations are still in progress. At the moment, however, Intel’s promises seem tantalising…