### Introduction
Intel recently updated its Core Ultra 200S product line with the Intel Core™ Ultra 7 270K Plus and the Core™ Ultra 5 250K Plus CPUs. Unlike previous refreshes that focused on top-end products, this update reworks lower-end models significantly.
Intel’s Core Ultra 200S processors are known for excellent performance in professional applications, thanks to their hybrid design with high-performance P-cores and efficient E-cores. The new 250K Plus and 270K Plus models replace the 245K and 265K, with more E-cores, a 100 MHz boost in E-core speed, and faster memory support.
Intel addressed memory-latency issues that affected gaming performance by increasing the die-to-die interconnect speed. These improvements are validated by Intel for reliability in professional use.
These CPUs are direct replacements for current Arrow Lake models but are more likely to appeal to those upgrading from older platforms. Intel offers two new software tools, iPPP and iBOT, designed to simplify driver installation and optimize certain games for these CPUs.
### Specifications
The 270K Plus offers the same core count as the 285K for a significantly lower price. Although not a complete match, the 250K Plus is close to the 265K’s specs and is also priced lower. Intel aims to undercut AMD’s Ryzen™ 7 9700X and 9600X prices, offering more cores and cache.
### Test Setup
Testing involved ASUS ProArt motherboards, NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 5080 GPUs, and the latest software updates. Intel and AMD platforms ran with specific configurations focused on stock performance for reliability.
### Photography: Lightroom Classic
The new Core Ultra 200S Plus processors perform well, with the 270K Plus leading in various benchmarks. Intel’s improvements in memory latency help reduce performance gaps in AI tasks compared to AMD.
### Graphic Design: Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop remains AMD’s domain, with the Ryzen processors outperforming Intel’s CPUs. Nevertheless, the 270K Plus and 250K Plus offer better value compared to their predecessors.
### Video Editing: Adobe Premiere
Intel’s processors excel in video editing, offering superior performance due to QuickSync media acceleration. The 270K Plus and 250K Plus provide excellent value for users without access to high-end GPUs.
### Motion Graphics: Adobe After Effects
Intel’s new processors show strong 2D performance in After Effects, but AMD leads in 3D and tracking tasks. The choice between Intel and AMD will depend on specific workflow needs.
### Video Editing/Motion Graphics: DaVinci Resolve Studio
For DaVinci Resolve, the 270K Plus is the top performer among consumer CPUs, making it an ideal choice for workstations, particularly without NVIDIA’s latest GPUs.
### Game Dev/Coding: Unreal Engine & Visual Studio
Intel’s new processors perform well, but AMD’s processors lead in game development tasks. The 270K Plus remains an excellent choice for budget-conscious developers.
### CPU Rendering: Cinebench, V-Ray, and Blender
The 270K Plus offers impressive CPU rendering performance, competing closely with more expensive processors. Both the 270K Plus and 250K Plus deliver great value for CPU-based rendering tasks.
### AI: MLPerf & Llama Inference
Intel’s processors show improvements in AI benchmarks, with the 270K Plus leading in Llama.cpp performance. The CPU impact on MLPerf is minimal, but the Core Ultra 200S Plus models still outperform previous Intel CPUs.
### Conclusion
Intel’s new 270K Plus and 250K Plus processors excel in professional workflows, often surpassing more expensive CPUs. They offer great performance at competitive prices, making this release one of Intel’s best in recent years.