Intel Core Ultra 9 285K/15900K: Lower Boost Clocks Compared to i9-14900KS

Intel’s Arrow Lake-S Processors: What to Expect

Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake-S processors, set to launch in October/November 2024, have a lot to prove. With a focus on stability, power efficiency, and performance, these processors aim to win back consumer trust after the high failure rates of the 13th and 14th Gen chips. Fortunately, Arrow Lake features upgraded core architectures and more efficient process technology.

Core Counts and Architectures

Arrow Lake will maintain the same core counts as the 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake family. The Core Ultra 9 285K/15900K will pack 24 cores, including 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores. While hyper-threading will be absent, this shouldn’t impact most users, especially gamers. However, the CPU boost clocks will see a significant drop, with the Core Ultra 9 285K/15900K clocked 500 MHz lower than the i9-14900KS.

Boost Clock Comparisons

Table

CPU	Cores	Threads	All-Core Boost	1C Boost Clock
Core Ultra 9 285K	24	24	5.4 GHz?	5.70 GHz
Core i9-14900KS	24	32	5.9 GHz	6.20 GHz
Core i9-14900K	24	32	5.7 GHz	6 GHz
Core i9-13900KS	24	32	5.7 GHz	6 GHz
Core i9-13900K	24	32	5.5 GHz	5.8 GHz
Ryzen 9 9950X	16	32	5.7 GHz	5.85 GHz

Performance and Efficiency

With Arrow Lake, Intel returns to pre-Raptor Lake boost clocks. This is similar to Alder Lake, Intel’s first 7nm (Intel 7) desktop family, while Arrow Lake will be the first 4nm/2nm (Intel 4/20A) desktop lineup. These clocks are still higher than Alder Lake’s 5.20 GHz and comparable to AMD’s Ryzen 9000 series at 5.85 GHz.

Thermal Considerations

Despite the lower operating clocks, the Core Ultra 9 285K (15900K) and its K-series siblings are expected to run as hot as Raptor Lake due to the denser node. This will likely affect the effective boost clocks achieved by most users.

Conclusion

Intel’s Arrow Lake-S processors, particularly the Core Ultra 9 285K/15900K, promise significant improvements in architecture and efficiency. However, the lower boost clocks compared to the i9-14900KS may impact performance, especially in gaming scenarios. As we approach the launch, it will be interesting to see how these new processors perform in real-world applications.