Intel‘s Arrow Lake Refresh flagship delivers 10.5% single-core and 11% multi-core gains over 285K in latest Geekbench leak, topping charts ahead of Q1 2026 launch.
Core Ultra 9 290K Plus Performance
| Metric | 290K Plus | 285K | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Core | 3,535 | 3,200 | +10.5% |
| Multi-Core | 25,106 | 22,560 | +11.3% |
| Boost Clock | 5.8 GHz | 5.7 GHz | +100 MHz |
Chart-Topping Benchmarks
Intel’s Core Ultra 9 290K Plus appeared on Geekbench with scores placing it atop processor charts. The chip netted 3,535 points in single-core—10.5% higher than predecessor’s 3,200—and 25,106 multi-core, cementing 11.29% lead.
Test ran on ASUS ROG Strix Z890-E with 64GB DDR5-6800—explore CPU tech at Technosports.
Arrow Lake Refresh Strategy
Core Ultra 9 290K Plus maintains 24-core (8P + 16E) configuration as 285K but gains performance through higher clocks and platform tuning rather than architecture changes.
Specifications:
- 8 Lion Cove P-cores + 16 Skymont E-cores
- Base: 3.7 GHz
- Boost: 5.8 GHz (P-cores), 4.8 GHz (E-cores)
- DDR5-7200 MT/s native
- 250W TDP (rumored)
Clock Speed Focus
100 MHz P-core and 200 MHz E-core boost drives improvements. Intel achieves gains through binning and optimization versus core increases.
Versus AMD
Against Ryzen 9 9950X3D, 290K Plus offers 2% single-core advantage and 11% multi-core lead synthetically. However, AMD’s 3D V-Cache retains gaming advantages.
Last LGA 1851 Product
Arrow Lake “Plus” represents final LGA 1851 products before Nova Lake transitions to LGA 1954. Lineup appears designed to clear Z890 inventory with incremental updates.
Plus Lineup:
- Core Ultra 9 290K Plus (flagship)
- Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (24 cores)
- Core Ultra 5 250K Plus (pending)
Launch & Outlook
Expected Q1 2026, likely after Panther Lake mobile CPUs. Pricing determines competitiveness against AMD.
Don’t expect gaming improvements over 285K—AMD’s 3D V-Cache maintains lead. 290K Plus targets productivity and multi-threaded workloads where clocks matter most.
