The Great CPU Con: Intel’s Ultra 9 285K Debacle
Intel’s latest and greatest CPU, the Core Ultra 9 285K, has arrived, and it’s a complete and utter disappointment. After months of hype, the reality is that this CPU is a letdown in both gaming and productivity workloads.
The Ultra 9 285K is the flagship model in Intel’s new LGA 1851 socket, but its gaming performance is a joke. In my tests, it failed to impress, often falling behind Intel’s own 14th Gen Core i9-14900K. The same chip that was supposed to be the "monster" that AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X was meant to be. Alas, it’s just not living up to the hype.
The issues don’t stop there. This CPU is also bogged down by Windows 11’s virtualization-based security (VBS) features, which can throttle performance. Disabling this feature on both the Ultra 9 285K and 14900K can improve performance, but not by much.
So, what’s next? Intel’s LGA 1851 socket is already facing uncertainty, with rumors of an Arrow Lake S refresh being canceled in favor of a leap to Nova Lake. This means that if you upgrade to the Ultra 9 285K now, you might have to swap out your motherboard again in the future.
The verdict is in: AMD’s 7800X3D CPU comfortably beats the Ultra 9 285K in gaming, and their next-generation Zen 5 processors will be released on November 7th. With AMD committed to supporting its AM5 platform until 2027 or later, Intel’s footprint in the market is shrinking.
The Ultra 9 285K’s only saving grace is its power efficiency, but even that comes at the cost of gaming performance. This chip is a misfire, and Intel needs to rethink its strategy if it wants to stay relevant in the market.
The Verdict:
The Ultra 9 285K is a disappointing CPU that fails to deliver in gaming and productivity workloads. Its gaming performance is subpar, and its power efficiency comes at the cost of performance. With AMD’s 7800X3D and upcoming Zen 5 processors looming, Intel is struggling to stay relevant in the CPU market.
