Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K CPU is one step forward, one step back for PC gaming

Intel’s flagship Core Ultra 200S-series processor runs more efficiently, but PC gaming performance is disappointing.

By Tom Warren, a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.

Image: Intel

There’s one word to describe both Intel’s and AMD’s latest CPUs: disappointing. AMD’s Zen 5 desktop CPUs arrived in August and failed to impress in both productivity and gaming workloads. The Ryzen 9 9950X was supposed to be a “monster,” but in reality, it was very underwhelming for PC gaming. Now, it’s Intel’s turn to disappoint.

I’ve been testing Intel’s $589 next-generation flagship Core Ultra 9 285K processor over the

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