Intel’s recent price slashes have turned heads in the PC community, as the Core Ultra 7 265K and 265KF CPUs have dropped to under $250 in the U.S. Originally priced at $399 and $384, these chips are now available for $239.99 and $229.99 respectively-a stunning 40% discount just months after launch.
Retailers like Microcenter and Amazon are leading the charge with these price cuts, while Microcenter sweetens the deal further with bundles: get the 265K, an ASUS Z890 AYW Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard, and 32GB of G.Skill DDR5-6000 RAM for just $499-$70 off the regular combined price.
Newegg is also jumping in, offering a free Patriot Viper DDR5 6400 16GB kit with the 265K CPU.
The Arrow Lake-based Core Ultra 7 series offers solid multi-thread performance and energy efficiency, but gamers might be underwhelmed compared to AMD’s offerings. While Intel struggles to gain ground with these steep discounts, AMD is gearing up to launch more 3D V-Cache CPUs under $300, which could further shake up the market.
Across the pond, European buyers are seeing similar markdowns. At LambdaTek, the 265KF is just £230.97, with the 265K at £234.04
. Meanwhile, the higher-end 285K sits at £481.18, though some argue it should be closer to $249 given performance expectations.
Despite the aggressive pricing, user sentiment seems split. Some see this as a great opportunity, while others mock Intel’s strategy, pointing to Arrow Lake’s lukewarm reception and continued reliance on discounts to stay competitive. Whether you’re upgrading on a budget or watching the chip wars unfold for the memes, this price drop is hard to ignore.