Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Ultra 5 250K Plus Review: Intel Boosts Cores, Clocks And Gaming
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Overclocking - Sort of
Upon configuring a new processor in the MSI MEG Z890 Ace motherboard we used for testing (and many other Z890-based boards), users are prompted to select their preferred power level. Users can choose between Intel's default recommendations, a high-performance profile, or an unlocked profile where the CPU is essentially unleashed with a "4,096W" max power level as reported by the UEFI. That kind of power will obviously never run through the socket; it is just MSI's way of saying the processor can use as much power as it needs and as is available until running into its thermal limits.For our quick and dirty overclocking tests, we jumped right to the fully unlocked power mode and ensured XMP was enabled on our memory kit (7,200MT/s). Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to do any manual tweaking, but will follow up with more overclocking results soon.
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Hardware Details w/ Unrestrained Power Profile
Here’s what frequencies and thermals looks like on the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with fully unlocked and using a 240mm AIO cooler. As we’ve mentioned, in its stock configuration, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus’ thermals are fairly modest and remained mostly below the mid-70°C mark, even under sustained load. With unrestrained power levels, though, temps can quickly shoot up over 90°C, which can cause the chip to throttle.
We re-ran a handful of tests with the processor’s power unrestrained and saw only slight performance improvements. Intel has wrung much of the performance from the higher-end Core Ultra 200S series processors in their default configs. If you want to push one much further, you’ll want a high-flow 360mm AIO cooler and top-notch thermal paste—MX7 is a good, easy to apply option.
Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Series Review Conclusion
The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is launching with a $299 MSRP, while the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus will list for only $199. Given the performance and capabilities of these processors, those are some highly competitive prices.
Disregarding market conditions and Intel’s roadmap for a moment, these processors are an easy recommendation. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is one of the fastest desktop processors currently available for productivity and creator workloads. Its multi-threaded performance per dollar is stellar and it only trails AMD’s higher priced offerings in some gaming workloads. That said, its gaming performance is still good and not likely to affect the user experience very much, especially if you game at higher resolutions and image quality levels.
We can heap much of the same praise on the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. At under $200, the 250K Plus punches well above its weight. It typically outruns the higher priced Ryzen 7 9700X and 9850X3D in creator focused, multi-threaded workloads. Gaming performance, while not as strong as AMD, is still "good enough," especially for the price point. Both of these processors are well-rounded, high-value options.
To get the most out of these chips, however, expensive 7200MT/s CU-DIMMs are required and there’s not much life left in their socket either. Intel’s next-generation Nova Lake processors are due to arrive early next year, and rumor has is they’re going to kick some serious tail. Nova Lake will also arrive with a new socket that will reportedly offer multi-generation support, but that’s not the case with the current platform.
If you’re absolutely dead-set on building or purchasing a new Intel-based system today or in the near future, the Core Ultra 200S Plus series is the way to go. The platform offers leading-edge features (such as rich I/O), and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus offer excellent performance and value at their price points.
