Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs Announced: Core Ultra 7 270K and 250K Bring More E-Cores

Intel introduces refreshed Core Ultra 200S Plus processors featuring additional E-cores, improved latency, and faster DDR5 memory support.

Hardware by Tanvir Kabbo on Mar 12, 2026

Intel has added two new desktop CPUs to its Core Ultra 200S Plus series. The new chips are an update to the Core Ultra Series 2 processors. They include a number of enhancements that are meant to boost gaming performance, memory support, and workloads that use multiple threads.

The announcement includes the Core Ultra 7 270K and the Core Ultra 5 250K, both arriving with updated core configurations, improved internal communication speeds, and expanded DDR5 memory capabilities.

Intel Core Ultra, 200S Plus CPUs Announced. Core Ultra 7 270K, 250K Bring More E-Cores, NoobFeed

Core Ultra 200S Plus Overview

Intel introduced the Core Ultra 200S Plus series, which is essentially a refresh of the existing Core Ultra Series 2 processors. The lineup includes the Core Ultra 7 270K, which refreshes the 265K, and the Core Ultra 5 250K, which refreshes the 245K.

Intel claims that the 270K is the fastest gaming desktop processor the company has ever built. With that claim in mind, attention turns to what has actually changed between the 200S Plus chips and their previous 200S counterparts.

Core Count Changes

Compared to their previous versions, both CPUs now have four more E-cores. The Core Ultra 7 270K now has 8P-cores and 16E-cores, which is more than the 12E-cores that were in the 265K. The Core Ultra 5 250K now has 6P-cores and 12E-cores instead of the 8E-cores that were in the 245K.

The additional E-cores increase overall thread capacity and are expected to help improve multi-threaded workloads. The model numbers may be confusing, but the key takeaway is that both CPUs receive four extra E-cores across the board.

Clock Speeds and Internal Communication Improvements

Intel has not mentioned any changes to clock speeds, which suggests they remain similar to previous models. The Core Ultra 7 chip is expected to maintain the same 5.5GHz boost clock.

However, Intel did highlight an improvement to the die-to-die communication frequency. According to the company, there is now up to a 900MHz boost in this internal connection. This link connects the CPU cores to the integrated memory controller, which is somewhat comparable to what AMD refers to as the fabric.

The faster communication speed should result in lower latency and improved gaming performance.

Gaming Performance Claims

Intel states that the Core Ultra 7 270K delivers up to15% better gaming performance across 38tested titles. The company ran benchmarks on 38different games, averaged the FPS results from each test, and then calculated an overall performance improvement of up to 15%.

These numbers are based on Intel’s internal testing, and independent benchmarks will determine how the processors perform in real-world scenarios.

Multi-Thread Performance Claims

Intel also shared productivity and creation benchmark comparisons for the Core Ultra 5 250K. According to the company, the processor offers up to 103% better multi-threaded performance compared to the Ryzen 9600X.

The benchmark used for this comparison was the 3DMark CPU Profile Max Threads test. While the result suggests strong multi-thread scaling, the benchmark may not fully represent real-world productivity workloads. The additional E-cores likely contribute heavily to the multi-threaded advantage.

Memory Support Improvements

The Core Ultra 200S Plus series introduces improved memory support. These processors now support DDR5 speeds of up to7200MT/s, an increase from the previous 6400MT/s support.

They also remain compatible with existing 800series chipset motherboards. Anyone already using an 800series motherboard can install the new processors without changing the platform. Support for the 200S Boost BIOS profile is also included.

Early Support for High-Capacity CU-DIMMs

Intel also mentioned early support for four-rank CU-DIMMs. These memory modules can reach capacities of up to128GB per module, allowing systems to scale to extremely high memory configurations.

Such capacities are far beyond typical gaming system requirements, but they could be useful for workstation-level workloads and specialized computing environments.

Intel Core Ultra, 200S Plus CPUs Announced. Core Ultra 7 270K, 250K Bring More E-Cores, NoobFeed

Intel Binary Optimization Tool

Another addition is the Intel Binary Optimization Tool. This software tool is designed to improve IPC and performance even if the workload was originally optimized for another x86 processor, a game console, or an older architecture.

Testing will determine whether the tool produces noticeable improvements in games and applications.

Pricing and Availability

The Core Ultra 7 270K will launch with an MSRP of $299. That price is $100 lower than the launch price of the 265K. The Core Ultra 5 250K will launch at $199.

Both processors will also be available in KF variants, allowing buyers to choose models without integrated graphics.

Availability for the Core Ultra 7 270K and Core Ultra 5 250K begins on March 26.

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