Intel · Updated June 2026
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K: price, specs & release date
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, released 2024-10. Every price and spec below is linked to its source and dated — no guesses.
Source: cpubenchmark.net verified verify in ledger
The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is listed at $589 on cpubenchmark.net as of 2026-06-27, #13 cheapest of 17 CPUs (median $359); other retailers may be lower. It earns a Silver Deskmark — 59/100 pay-blind standing, #9 of 18 in class.
Verified Jun 27, 2026 · figures linked to their source in the table below
- Best for Strong multithreaded/productivity gains over prior gen (TH verdict cites strong productivity gains; PCW measured 2-21% rendering/encoding improvement vs 14900K); Major power/efficiency improvement over 14900K (TPU measured 132 W vs 180 W in apps, 94 W vs 149 W in gaming).
- Skip if Gaming regresses vs prior-gen 14900K and lags AMD (TPU ~5% slower than 14900K at 1080p; PCW measured a 18% Ryzen 9 9950X lead in Cyberpunk 2077) is a dealbreaker.
Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K a good buy?
At $589, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is #13 cheapest of the 17 CPUs we track, where the median is $409. On the spec sheet, its cores of 24 is the highest of the 18, its threads of 24 is above the median of the 18, and its base clock of 3.7 GHz is below the median of the 18. By release date, it is among the newer of the 18 we date.
Evidence of Record
Our data- Independent labsmeasured it
- 3
- Physical metricsrecorded
- 7
- Outlets on recordall tested
- 3
3 independent labs measured this product, logging 7 distinct physical metrics between them — average application power, power, application performance vs and 4 more. That is how much independent evidence stands behind any claim about it — not a rating of the product.
average application power · power · application performance vs · gaming performance vs · latency · rendering/encoding improvement vs · ryzen 9 9950x
Review consensus · sourced & dated
What reviewers say about the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Three whitelisted testers (TechPowerUp, Tom's Hardware, PCWorld), all benchmarked Oct 2024, agree the Core Ultra 9 285K delivers a big power-efficiency improvement and solid multithreaded/productivity gains over Intel's own 14900K, but regresses in gaming versus that same predecessor and trails AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X. All three find it hard to recommend for gamers at launch pricing.
Based on 3 reviews · 3 lab-tested · 2024-10-24
Tested by TechPowerUp, Tom's Hardware, PCWorld
Consistently praised
- Strong multithreaded/productivity gains over prior gen (TH verdict cites strong productivity gains; PCW measured 2-21% rendering/encoding improvement vs 14900K) · 2 sources
- Major power/efficiency improvement over 14900K (TPU measured 132 W vs 180 W in apps, 94 W vs 149 W in gaming)
Commonly flagged
- Gaming regresses vs prior-gen 14900K and lags AMD (TPU ~5% slower than 14900K at 1080p; PCW measured a 18% Ryzen 9 9950X lead in Cyberpunk 2077) · 3 sources
- Poor value at ~$589/$590 launch price; hard to recommend, especially for gamers · 2 sources
- Elevated memory latency from the disaggregated design (TH measured 94.1 ns vs 79.1 ns for the 14900K at DDR5-5600), contributing to weaker gaming
Where reviewers disagree Degree of gaming loss varies by test: TechPowerUp measured only ~5% slower than the 14900K at 1080p (subjectively unnoticeable), while PCWorld's small game set saw the 285K trail the Ryzen 9 9950X by a double-digit 18% in Cyberpunk 2077. Note that many absolute Cinebench/threaded scores were locked in image charts, so several draft figures could not be confirmed in the fetched text and were dropped: Tom's Hardware's claimed '15% measured threaded gain', its '+3%/+6% single-thread' deltas, and its GeekBench AI NPU numbers were not present verbatim and were removed; only its AIDA memory-latency values and verdict quotes survived verbatim verification.
The sources (3)
Average application power (mix of 49 apps): 132 W (vs 180 W for 14900K) · Gaming power draw: 94 W (vs 149 W for 14900K) · Application performance vs Core i9-14900K: +1.2% · Gaming performance vs 14900K at 1080p: ~5% slower · Gaming performance vs 14900K at 4K: 1.5% slower
On average, in our mix of 49 applications, the 285K consumed 132 W while the 14900K used 180 W—very nice, a 30% reduction.
Gaming performance lower than expected, slower than Raptor Lake
Right now, there are so many performance gotchas with Arrow Lake that it's hard to recommend, especially when lacking a clear pricing advantage.
AIDA memory latency at DDR5-5600: 94.1 ns (vs 79.1 ns for 14900K) · AIDA memory latency at CUDIMM DDR5-6400: 91.9 ns
Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K makes strong gains in productivity workloads, but it struggles to match its prior-gen counterpart in gaming performance.
our tests found that Arrow Lake struggles to keep pace in gaming with Intel's own previous-gen Raptor Lake Refresh processors
Rendering/encoding improvement vs Core i9-14900K: 2 to 21 percent depending on task · Ryzen 9 9950X lead over 285K in Cyberpunk 2077: 18 percent
Across our rendering and encoding benchmarks, the Core Ultra 9 285K consistently pulled ahead of last generation's 14900K flagship, with improvements ranging between 2 to 21 percent depending on the task.
In our small selection of gaming benchmarks, the 285K generally held even with the 14900K, but often trailed by a double-digit margin behind AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X.
the gains aren't spectacular enough to compel most Core i9-14900K owners to upgrade just yet.
Specifications
| Price (US) | $589 US launch MSRP (Intel RCP) $589 at October 24, 2024 Arrow Lake launch; PassMark current price ~$585 (May 2026) consistent with launch price |
|---|---|
| Brand | Intel |
| Released | 2024-10 |
| Cores | 24 |
| Threads | 24 |
| Base clock (GHz) | 3.7 |
| Boost clock (GHz) | 5.7 |
| L3 cache (MB) | 36 |
| Tdp (W) | 125 |
| Socket | LGA1851 |
| Igpu | Intel Graphics |
Source: cpubenchmark.net (verified 2026-06-15). Specs from PassMark (confirmed 285K model): 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores), 24 threads (Arrow Lake dropped Hyper-Threading on P-cores), P-core base 3.7 GHz, max turbo 5.7 GHz, 36 MB L3, 125W PBP (base TDP), FCLGA1851 socket, Intel Graphics iGPU, Q4 2024 (launched October 24, 2024). PassMark price ~$585 (May 2026); Intel RCP at launch was $589. base_clock_ghz reflects P-core base; E-core base is 3.2 GHz.
Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K worth it vs cheaper CPUs?
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K against its closest cheaper and pricier CPUs on the specs that matter — every value sourced. See all 17 ranked
| Product | Price | Cores | Threads | Base clock (GHz) | Boost clock (GHz) | L3 cache (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K this | $589 | 24 | 24 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 36 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D | $479 | 8 | 16 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 96 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D | $599 | 12 | 24 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 128 |
Frequently asked questions
What do reviewers say about the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?
Three whitelisted testers (TechPowerUp, Tom's Hardware, PCWorld), all benchmarked Oct 2024, agree the Core Ultra 9 285K delivers a big power-efficiency improvement and solid multithreaded/productivity gains over Intel's own 14900K, but regresses in gaming versus that same predecessor and trails AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X. All three find it hard to recommend for gamers at launch pricing. Praised: Major power/efficiency improvement over 14900K (TPU measured 132 W vs 180 W in apps, 94 W vs 149 W in gaming); Strong multithreaded/productivity gains over prior gen (TH verdict cites strong productivity gains; PCW measured 2-21% rendering/encoding improvement vs 14900K). Flagged: Gaming regresses vs prior-gen 14900K and lags AMD (TPU ~5% slower than 14900K at 1080p; PCW measured a 18% Ryzen 9 9950X lead in Cyberpunk 2077); Poor value at ~$589/$590 launch price; hard to recommend, especially for gamers; Elevated memory latency from the disaggregated design (TH measured 94.1 ns vs 79.1 ns for the 14900K at DDR5-5600), contributing to weaker gaming. (From 3 tester reviews, 3 lab-tested.)
How much does the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K cost?
The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has a US price of $589 (US launch MSRP (Intel RCP) $589 at October 24, 2024 Arrow Lake launch; PassMark current price ~$585 (May 2026) consistent with launch price), as of 2026-06-15.
How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K compare on price?
At $589, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is #13 cheapest of the 17 CPUs we track, where the median is $409.
When was the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K released?
The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K was released 2024-10.
What are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's key specs?
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Intel): cores 24, threads 24, base clock ghz 3.7, boost clock ghz 5.7, l3 cache mb 36. Full sourced spec sheet verified 2026-06-15.
Price of record: $589 at cpubenchmark.net, 2026-06-27. Other retailers may be lower — check the current price:
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All CPUs ranked · Open data & methodology · Queryable via MCP
Compare with
Head-to-head
Cheaper CPUs
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D $479
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D $449
- Intel Core i7-14700K $409
- AMD Ryzen 7 9700X $359
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X $328.99
- Intel Core i5-14600K $319
Step up
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D $599
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X $649
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D $699
More from Intel
- Intel Core Ultra 7 265K $307.99
- Intel Core Ultra 5 245K $309
- Intel Core i5-14600K $319
- Intel Core i9-14900K $589
- Intel Core i7-14700K $409
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