Grab the Intel Core Ultra 265K for $67 less with this Amazon deal
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If you were looking to upgrade to the LGA 1851 platform but were looking for the right time to do so, the time is now as the Core Ultra 7 265K has its price cut by 17% on Amazon. It was $404, but now it is going for $336.58, meaning you’re saving $67.42, which you can put toward some other minor upgrades.
In addition, we’ve reviewed the Core Ultra 7 265K and have its complete gaming and synthetic performance benchmarks available. Be sure to check it out before making a decision, and if you decide to get it, we’ve got you covered with the best Z890 motherboards as well.
Intel Core Ultra 7 Desktop Processor 265K
Core Ultra 7 265K performance
While the Core Ultra 200S processors aren’t famous for their gaming performance and received major backlash for the lack of generational improvement, they took the multi-threaded performance to the next level and outperformed their competition easily. The same is the case for the 265K, but we’ll showcase its gaming and synthetic output to give you the complete picture.
Gaming performance
To test its gaming output, we paired it with the RTX 4070 Ti and ran Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p. We also tested the Ryzen 7 9700X as these processors compete with each other to gauge how far apart they are. We got 191 FPS with the 265K, but the 9700X blazed past that with 240 FPS, delivering 22% better gaming output. However, 191 FPS is still more than playable, and when we ramp up the settings or move to a higher resolution, the output will be more dependent on the GPU rather than the CPU.
Synthetic performance
We test the synthetic performance of processors by running benchmarking software like CPU-Z, Geekbench, and Cinebench, and in all of these tests, specifically the single-core tests, the 9700X stayed ahead of the 265K. For example, in the Geekbench single-core test, the 9700X and 265K managed 3376 and 2988 points, respectively, meaning the former is better for tasks that require single-core usage, such as gaming.
However, when we switch to multi-core performance, the 9700X can’t match the performance of the 265K as it delivered 21,739 points compared to the 9700X’s 17,290 points. This means that when it comes to productivity, the 265K is leagues better than the 9700X, and if that is something you want from your rig, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
Should you get the Core Ultra 7 265K?
As we saw, the Core Ultra 7 265K isn’t the best processor for gaming, but playing at 4K should even out the differences as games then depend on the performance of the graphics card. However, opting for the 265K also means that you’ll need to get a new LGA 1851 motherboard, but since it is new and has a long life, it should set you up nicely for future upgrades. Ultimately, it depends on what type of performance you prefer. Are you going to be handling more resource-intensive tasks daily, or will you be playing more gaming on your system? If you said yes to the former, the 265K should serve you well.
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Intel Core Ultra 7 Desktop Processor 265K
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