Despite rumors suggesting a December launch, Intel’s Arrow Lake-S processors and Z890 motherboards are still expected to hit shelves in mid-to-late October according to Benchlife and leaker @harukaze5719 on X. Earlier reports indicated a possible delay for the Arrow Lake-S processors, codenamed Intel Core Ultra 2, pushing back their release to December as we previously reported. However, sources now suggest this information is inaccurate.

Similar to the launch strategy for the 13th and 14th Gen Core processors, Intel plans to unveil the Arrow Lake series at Innovation 2024. The K-series processors for desktops will be the first to launch, with the non-K series expected after CES 2025.

K-series Intel Core Ultra 2 series and Z890 motherboards

From what we know so far, the K-series Intel Core Ultra 2 lineup will include five processors:

• Intel Core Ultra i9-285K
• Intel Core Ultra i7-265K
• Intel Core Ultra i7-265KF
• Intel Core Ultra i5-245K
• Intel Core Ultra i5-245KF

These processors will utilize the LGA 1851 socket and be compatible with Intel’s 800 chipset motherboards, including Z890, B860, and H810. Only the Z890 chipset allows overclocking for K-series processors. In case you missed it, Intel has rebranded their premium CPUs with the ‘Core Ultra’ title, something that started back with the 14th gen mobile chips. As we can see above, the Ultra naming scheme now continues with the Arrow Lake desktop processors.

Intel has reportedly provided PreQS samples to motherboard manufacturers for testing, further solidifying the mid-to-late October launch timeframe for both the K-series Intel Core Ultra 2 processors and Z890 motherboards. This goes against previous rumors suggesting a December release.

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Tom Valentine

Tom is a tech writer with a detailed view on ensuring the best buying advice, most useful information, and latest news makes its way into PC Guide's articles.