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Intel Cuts MSRP of "Arrow Lake" Core Ultra 200S Processors by $100

AleksandarK

AleksandarK

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Intel has revised the recommended retail prices for two of its Core Ultra 7 200S series desktop processors, making the most significant adjustment to its "Arrow Lake‑S" lineup since it launched six months ago. As of right now, the Core Ultra 7 265K carries an MSRP of $299 instead of $399, and the unlocked 265KF model is now $284, down from $384. Intel notes these are suggested prices only—actual costs will vary by retailer, region, taxes, and other factors. These price changes come alongside Intel's Spring Bundle promotion, where buyers receive blockbuster game keys and professional software licenses with qualifying purchases of Core Ultra Series 2 and 14th Gen processors. Intel emphasizes that the new MSRPs are separate from these bundles, so combining both savings opportunities is still possible. Interestingly, Intel has left the pricing for its top‑end Core Ultra 9 285/285K ($549/$589) and its mainstream Core Ultra 5 245/245K/245KF ($270/$309/$294) unchanged.

This suggests the company is focusing on mid‑range SKUs to win back market share rather than adjusting the entire Arrow Lake‑S family. This move also reflects market pressure—early stability issues with the 14th Gen chips and strong performance from AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D series have made Intel's task tougher. A glance at retailer listings shows not everyone has updated prices yet; in some cases, the Core Ultra 7 265K can already be found for under $299. Whether these cuts will drive more gamers, creators, and professionals to Arrow Lake‑S remains to be seen, but Intel is clearly betting on a winning combination of price, recently boosted performance, and bundled extras.



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Nope. Hard pass if I were in the market, still.
 
Not dropping the price on the 285K considering the competition is diabolical. 265KF for 280 is a, on paper, pretty good deal though. Sorta.
 
the cpu itself ultra 7 265kf at $280 is a not a bad deal... but its the current platform... that has no upgrade path...
makes it not an ideal purchase... rumor has it that the next intel desktop cpu will require a new socket..
 
I guess I should cancel yesterday's order for 265K (336 euros) then.

It's very interesting that Intel adjusted the chip with the best value from the lineup.
Now it makes it a no-brainer against 7900X, 9900X and 7950X. Also 14700K.
It absolutely murders the competition. :nutkick:
The 245K and 285K's only purpose is to make the 265K look even more amazing.
 
Interesting. Where I live you can get a 285K on sale for $819 Canadian.
 
Guys... I know shitting on Intel is cool, but this is genuinely an awesome deal if you don't have a recent motherboard (like me). The pricing of a 9700X for single core tied with 9900X and multi-core pulling ahead is absolutely a good deal.
 
qcmadness said:
Zero upgrade path does count.
Click to expand...
There is 0 upgrade path confirmed on every platform, no? Plus who the hell is going to upgrade this next year. Intel cpus are so cheap and amds so expensive that you are effectively saving money for a new mobo when you decide to upgrade
 
qcmadness said:
Zero upgrade path does count.
Click to expand...
I keep my hardware for an extremely long time, so it doesn't matter for me personally. Any modern processor will last most people until the platform it's based on is long obselete.
 
JustBenching said:
There is 0 upgrade path confirmed on every platform, no? Plus who the hell is going to upgrade this next year. Intel cpus are so cheap and amds so expensive that you are effectively saving money for a new mobo when you decide to upgrade
Click to expand...
At least you can upgrade to Zen 6 for AM5.
 
qcmadness said:
At least you can upgrade to Zen 6 for AM5.
Click to expand...
Depends on how much of an upgrade Zen 6 will be. If it will turn out to be another Zen 5% it won’t matter much.
 
INTEL consumer like security bugs and like to buy every 3 years at least a new mainboard for their next intel cpu.

I think I saw it already, the next intel cpu needs another cpu mainboard.

Interestingly, Intel has left the pricing for its top‑end Core Ultra 9 285/285K ($549/$589) and its mainstream Core Ultra 5 245/245K/245KF ($270/$309/$294) unchanged.
Click to expand...

I would also not buy a Ryzen 7700 or similar 8 Core. The middle segment is kinda empty. I do not talk about special X3d Cache 8 cores, they are not in the middle segment, they are ultra high end performance and price wise.

The entry processors will sell. I'm very happy with my ryzen 7600x. So sad the price hardly dropped. I hardly need more performance.
AMD did not offer Ryzen 7500F / 7400F / 7600 in may 2023.

High END. Some professional consumers, equals prosumers, will buy the high core count processors. Because they want it or need it.

-- Hard Pass on any Intel product. Too many issues with INTEL hardware recently, too many security issues with my personal bought, my own money, intel hardware. Barely any update on firmware. no thanks. Long time issues which needs special mainboard settings for a workaround which costs me a lot of money in the long run.

-- The intel prices are a joke. Especially when adding 250-350€ for a mainboard also on top. the processor itself has insane price
My personal reference, as it is my area: https://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.p...core-ultra-7-265k-und-kf-fallen-im-preis.html

Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, 8C+12c/20T, 3.90-5.50GHz, boxed ohne Kühler​

My software does not execute on those 12 Fake Cores. So its a 8 Core processor for 320€. Far too expensive.
I need avx512, but no avx512 on that outdated, old silicion: https://www.techpowerup.com/cpu-specs/core-ultra-7-265kf.c3778

I would also be more bold and compare it not to my existing, very old, ryzen 7600x with avx512. It should be compared to the ryzen 9600x with reduced price and much better avx512 instruction set.
Several bigger packages which i compile regularly already demands avx512.

100€ processor? because of the mainboard costs? with no upgrade path? with outdated instruction set? NOPE

-- for months bulk ryzen 7700 without "good warranty" is quite cheap. This would be my buy choice if I would buy new.

Those expensive graphic cards partly reduces the demand for newer processors. Windows 11 pro kinda runs nice on a m2 nvme with pcie 3.0, 8gib dram and a ryen pro 4650u apu which is more than 4 years old.
 
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qcmadness said:
At least you can upgrade to Zen 6 for AM5.
Click to expand...
What would be the point? You'll overspend now to get a cpu as fast as the 265k, and then you'll overspend again within a year to get the new zen 6 - which you have no idea how it will perform anyways. You are just gambling at this point.

Just save that money and replace your motherboard when you see fit.

Just checked the prices, 320 for 265k, 460 for a 9900x...you are paying through the nose for that upgradability
 
Onasi said:
Depends on how much of an upgrade Zen 6 will be. If it will turn out to be another Zen 5% it won’t matter much
Click to expand...
I doubt it will be that horrible. There's a substantial node upgrade to N3E (from N4X/N4P)
 
Onasi said:
Depends on how much of an upgrade Zen 6 will be. If it will turn out to be another Zen 5% it won’t matter much.
Click to expand...
I have already upgraded from Zen 4 to Zen 5, and the performance uplift is more than 5%. However that's most likely because I'm using AVX-512 under Linux where there can be over 50% difference (source Phoronix article). At the same time I do get where the Zen 5% meme comes from since not every workload will benefit as much as mine does.
I'm quite likely to upgrade to Zen 6 on the same platform as well.
 
@ncrs
No, yeah, Zen 5 is awesome for certain workstation tasks. For general desktop use it’s kind of a dud though, unless one is a “hardcore gamer” and “needs” to max out their FPS, in case of which the 9800X3D is there. But generally there is little reason to upgrade from Zen 4 to 5 unless one can make use of the AVX512 uplift.
 
I used to upgrade a lot, at the time of PII/PIII and then PIV.

But since my conroe, I never upgraded anything, besides buying a new GPU to replace the old one that died (happened several times by the way, both Nvidia and AMD).

So upgrade path is not so important anymore i would say.

That being said, price of entry in the plateform is important. current price of entry in the newest platforms seems very high last time i checked. Still happily using my i5 7600K btw.

Will update in a year with whatever works well (so far, looking like a Zen4/5 3D.
 
Too late. AI demand is nowhere close to what Intel expected. Sales are poor for Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake.
Over 90% of CPUs that are sold by Mindfactory.de are AMD. There is no Arrow Lake CPU in this shop's TOP 10 sold CPUs.

Intel 265K for $100 less might be very well worth it, especially for gaming. Not cutting price of 285K is a mistake.

There is still bigger demand for Intel 14th gen chips than for Arrow Lake ones.
The shop where I've recently purchased new GPU (very popular in SK/CZ/HU region) reports nearly 18% RMA rate for 14900KS and 7% for 14900K.
 
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This is too late for cpu's which shouldn't have been so expensive in the first place for chips that aren't faster than the previous gen, boards are also expensive.
Having the upgrade path is nice, even if you don't upgrade right away, you have the option to get a better CPU later on the used market without having to buy another motherboard.
 
Onasi said:
Depends on how much of an upgrade Zen 6 will be. If it will turn out to be another Zen 5% it won’t matter much.
Click to expand...
Zen 6 is what I'm holding on for it's got the potential to be a cracking chip. I'm hoping for a 24 core all x3d cache 10950x3d but probably zero chance but even a 12 core 10800x3d with new memory controller would be fantastic. Memory controller upgrade is key though as it's holding the chips back.
 
Same problem that AMD has been having in GPU land, discounts are inadequate.
 
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