Intel's upcoming flagship desktop processor, the Core Ultra 9 285K, is set to offer improved power efficiency but may fall short in gaming performance compared to its predecessor, according to leaked internal slides.
Mixed Performance Results
The leaked benchmarks paint an interesting picture of Intel's next-generation CPU:
- Gaming Performance : On average, the Core Ultra 9 285K achieved 261 FPS across a set of games, slightly behind the 264 FPS of the current Core i9-14900K.
- Power Efficiency : The new chip consumes significantly less power, with a system-level difference of 80W (447W vs 527W) compared to 14900K-based systems.
- Game-Specific Results : Performance varied by title, ranging from 13% slower (Far Cry 6) to 15% faster (F1 23) than the 14900K.
Content Creation Strengths
While gaming results were mixed, the Core Ultra 9 285K showed consistent advantages in content creation applications:
- Outperformed AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D in benchmarks like PugetBench, Blender, Cinebench 2024, and POV-Ray.
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| The Intel Core i9-14900K processor, a benchmark competitor to the upcoming Core Ultra 9 285K in content creation efficiency |
Competitive Landscape
The Core Ultra 9 285K faces stiff competition:
- vs. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D : Gaming performance ranged from 21% slower (Cyberpunk 2077) to 15% faster (Rainbow Six: Siege).
- vs. AMD Ryzen 9000X3D Series : Early Cinebench R23 results suggest the 285K may have an advantage in single-core performance, but gaming benchmarks are still uncertain.
Considerations
- Benchmarks were conducted at 1080p resolution, which may not reflect real-world usage for high-end CPUs.
- The Core Ultra 9 285K features fewer threads (24) compared to competitors' 32 threads.
- Engineering samples were used for these tests, so final performance may differ.
As we await official reviews and benchmarks, the Core Ultra 9 285K appears to offer a more power-efficient option for desktop users. However, its position as a gaming powerhouse remains uncertain, especially with AMD's upcoming X3D processors on the horizon.