Intel Teases A New Core Ultra 9 295K Flagship Arrow Lake CPU But Is It Real?
In case you missed it, Intel last week officially launched its Core Ultra 200S series processors, otherwise known as Arrow Lake, for the desktop platform. The initial launch comprises five CPU SKUs in total, including three main "K" models and two "KF" variants, but could there be a faster sixth SKU waiting in the wings? A support document on Intel's website suggests there very well might be, but it could also be a case of someone fat-fingering the description (read: a typo).
The support document in question details which retail boxed Core and Core Ultra CPUs ship without a bundled heatsink and fan combination, thereby requiring that the user supply their own cooler (be it an air cooler, a liquid cooler, or an all-in-one liquid cooling solution). In short, "All Intel Core and Intel Core Ultra Desktop Processors that have the letters K, KF, KS, XE, or X in their number are not shipped with Intel Thermal Solution (fan heatsink)."
It goes on to provide some examples; here's a screenshot...
As you can see, the document lists the Core i7-14700K, Core i5-13600KF, Core i9-12900K, Core i7-11700K, Core i9-1200KF, a Core i9-12900KF, Core i9-12900KS, Core i9-9980XE, and Core i5-10600K as examples of prior generation products that ship without a supplied thermal solution.
More interesting, however, is Intel's examples of current-generation Arrow Lake products that also don't come with a cooler, which include the Core Ultra 5 245K, Core Ultra 7 256KF, and Core Ultra 9 295K. Specifically what sticks out from the list is the Core Ultra 9 295K, as that CPU model does not exist, at least not officially.
It may not exist unofficially, either, assuming it's a typo on Intel's part. However, another possible explanation is that the Core Ultra 9 295K could be the successor to the Core i9-14900KS, a special edition chip with faster turbo clocks than the Core i9-14900K, culminating in a 6.2GHz max turbo frequency. Or it could be an upcoming, non-special edition flagship.
We're not convinced that's it either those, however, given that Intel would be kind of breaking its blueprint for CPU launches. A faster flagship post-launch, at least in recent history, is typically a "KS" model, and the support document lists the chip as a K-series model. So it's most likely a typo.
Just for spits for giggles, if we assume it is an actual upcoming chip, the question it raises is where the top clock speed will land. For comparison, the Core Ultra 9 285K is a 24-core chip with 8 P-cores topping out at 5.7GHz, 16 E-cores hitting a max speed of 4.6GHz, and a 125W TDP.
Perhaps a Core Ultra 9 295K, if it does indeed exist, would push 6GHz at the top end. It would also be interesting to see if a faster flagship would squeeze out more TOPS from the NPU, as every current desktop Arrow Lake part features an NPU with 13 TOPS.
Kudos to prominent leaker @momomo_us for spotting the entry.
