Intel’s next-generation Core Ultra 200-series (codenamed Arrow Lake) desktop chips are rumored to arrive in October to compete with the best CPUs. With only a few weeks until the rumored launch, many retailers are likely preparing their backend systems for the arrival of these chips in their inventories and the subsequent launch. As shared by X (formerly Twitter) user Charlie, one European retailer, LambdaTek, has added Intel’s latest desktop chips to its listings. They’re already live on their website, showing us the potential prices of these CPUs.
As is customary for Intel processor launches, the K-series SKUs will launch first. The first wave of Arrow Lake chips includes the Core Ultra 9 285K, Core Ultra 7 265K, Core Ultra 5 245K, and their KF-series counterparts, which lack the iGPU. As with all early retailer listings, we recommend cautiously approaching them. Note that these are not official Intel prices just yet. After all, these numbers might be placeholders that LambdaTek put on its website to make a valid listing.
Since LambdaTek is primarily based in Europe and we were accessing its UK website, the prices were shown in British Pounds. So, we’ve converted the pricing based on the prevailing rate of £1 to $1.31. We’re utilizing the pricing excluding VAT (value-added tax) to compare the Arrow Lake chips with the previous Raptor Lake Refresh lineup.
Looking at our results, the Core Ultra 9 285K is up to 5.26% more expensive than the Core i9-14900K. The most significant increase comes from the Core Ultra 7 265KF, with pricing jumping by 8.07% from the previous generation. Meanwhile, the Core Ultra 7 265 K’s price increase was 5.13%, falling in line with the Core Ultra 9 285K. On the other hand, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K had the smallest increase, with the launch price only going up by 3.44%. However, the Core Ultra 5 245KF appears to be 6.12% more expensive than the Core i5-14600KF.
These price increases are slightly higher than the average U.S. inflation rate in 2023, which is 4.1%. Nevertheless, since the 14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh chips had the same launch prices as their predecessors, we’re essentially getting the Arrow Lake chips at a lower price, mainly because the average U.S. inflation rate in 2022 was a whopping 8%.
Arrow Lake allegedly hits the market on October 10, and until then, we won’t know exactly how much these chips will retail for. But if these prices are accurate, Arrow Lake could be a serious competitor against AMD’s Ryzen 9000 processors, which have been on the market for a few months now.
