Intel Core Ultra 7 265K Plummets To $269 Plus A Killer LG OLED Monitor Deal
In case you missed it, Intel recently announced a surprise round of price cuts to two of its Arrow Lake processors, including the Core Ultra 7 265K and Core Ultra 7 265KF, slashing $100 off the suggested retail price of both chips. That knocked them down to a few bucks below $300, though both are discounted even further on Amazon right now. There's also a sweet deal on an LG OLED gaming monitor.
Starting with the processors, you can score the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K for $269 at Amazon (33% off the original MSRP) and the Core Ultra 7 265KF for $279 (28% off). Our advice? Ignore the 265KF for now and focus on the 265K, as it offers more value.
On Intel processors, a "K" designation means it has an unlocked multiplier, which in turn makes it easier to overclock. Both discounted Arrow Lake models fall into the category. Speaking of which, Intel recently released 200S Boost Overclocking profiles that goose select CPUs while keeping the warranty intact.
Meanwhile, the "F" designation means Intel disabled the onboard graphics. Granted, if you're building a gaming PC, you're going to rock a discrete GPU either way. But since the 265K is actually $10 cheaper than the 265KF, you might as well pick that one up. If nothing else, the onboard graphics provide a backup in case your discrete GPU ever calls it quits.
Otherwise, the specifications are the same. Both processors features 20 cores comprised of 8 Performance cores clocked at 3.9GHz to 5.5GHz, 12 Efficient cores clocked at 3.3GHz to 4.6GHz, 20 threads, 36MB of L2 cache, and 30MB of Intel Smart cache (L3).
As an added bonus, both chips also qualify for Intel's Spring Gaming Bundle promotion. This entails a couple of free games—Dying Light: The Beast (releases this summer) and Sid Meier's Civilization VII ($70 value)—plus a 30-day subscription to Vegas Pro 365 ($20 value) and three-month subscriptions to XSplit Premium Suite ($60 value) and Canvid ($30 value).
You can build a nice gaming PC around the Core Ultra 7 265K/265KF. See our recent build guide for other parts to surround it with, then check out this monitor deal...
You can bag LG's 27-inch Ultragear OLED monitor (27GX790A-B) for $799.99 at Amazon (20% off). That's $200 off the list price and also another all-time low.
We have not spent any hands-on time with this unit, but the display gurus at Rtings have and they gave it exceptionally high marks almost across the board, including a 9.2 score (out of 10) for PC gaming, 9.0 for console gaming, and 9.9 for both response time and SDR picture.
This one features a 2560x1440 resolution (1440p) with a fast 480Hz refresh rate. It's a FreeSync Premium Pro display with NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility as well, and for inputs, you're looking at a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort 2.1 connector. You'll also find three downstream USB 3.0 Type-A ports.
