Core Ultra 7 Desktop Processor, 265K, 20 Core (8P Core + 12 E-Cores) up to 5.5GHz

Been running the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K in my new build for a while now, paired with an MSI Tomahawk Z890, 32GB DDR5 6400MHz RAM, and an RTX 5080, and I’ve got to say — this chip is seriously impressive. From the first boot, it’s been nothing but smooth. No random crashes, no odd temps, and everything just works. I’ve got Intel 200S Boost and XMP enabled, and it runs my RAM at the full 6400MHz with zero issues — no drop-offs, no instability. That’s rare these days. Performance-wise, it’s a beast. My Cinebench R26 multi-core score came in around 34,900, and Steel Nomad hit just over 9,000, all while temps stayed below 80°C. I haven’t even bothered with manual overclocking — it performs that well on its own. Gaming’s been flawless too. I mainly play Red Dead Redemption 2 and a few other demanding titles, and this CPU just flies through them. No bottlenecks, no stutter — just pure, consistent performance. What I really like is how balanced it feels. It’s got the power to handle anything I throw at it, but it stays cool and quiet the whole time. No drama, no noise — just proper stability and speed. If you’re building a serious gaming or high-end PC and want something reliable, quick, and efficient without needing to mess around too much, the Ultra 7 265K is a brilliant choice.

Great CPU especially at the discounted price I got it (260 euros). It completely smokes everything you throw at it when it comes to productivity or gaming workloads. I highly recommend it. Would have like a slightly lower power consumption but I guess having more cores doesn't help here. We need the competition in the cpu space so we should make sure Intel doesn't stay far behind compared to AMD sales wise.

This processor is working just fine in a new pc I have just built. This is new technology to me having just built legacy machines before. Although the new pc is capable of being a gaming machine I am just using it for normal business activity. I am using the intel graphics within the processor via the hdmi port on the motherboard and the quality of the image is superb. Installation was easy and I have used a water cooling setup with it. I'm not really stressing it so running temperatures are low and the noise level is so low I can't detect any even with 4 fans. It's pretty fast too so very happy with it.

Installed the Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265K (20 cores – 8 P-cores + 12 E-cores, up to 5.5 GHz) in a recent build and it has been outstanding. This thing just takes everything thrown at it in its stride. Gaming? Effortless. Multitasking? Laughs at it. Background apps, updates, streaming, editing — it just keeps going without a hint of slowdown. The hybrid core setup works brilliantly. The P-cores handle heavy tasks, the E-cores mop up background processes, and the whole system feels incredibly responsive. Lightning fast is genuinely the right phrase here — it’s one of those processors where you stop thinking about performance because it’s simply not a bottleneck. Boosts up to 5.5 GHz feel properly snappy in real-world use, and it pairs beautifully with fast DDR5 and a decent GPU. Thermals are manageable with a solid cooler, and overall stability has been rock solid. If you’re building a high-performance desktop and want something that can game hard while multitasking like a pro, this is a fantastic choice. Five stars. Serious performance, zero drama. Exactly what you want from a modern CPU.

Intel’s Core Ultra 7 265K is a bold step into the Arrow Lake generation, blending high efficiency with solid multi-core muscle. With 8 performance cores and 12 efficient cores, it’s built for demanding productivity tasks and moderate gaming, though it doesn’t quite dethrone the competition in every category. Performance Highlights: Boosts up to 5.5GHz on P-cores and 4.6GHz on E-cores, delivering snappy responsiveness. 30MB of L3 cache and improved L2 cache per core help with multitasking and heavy workloads. Great for rendering, encoding, and synthetic benchmarks—especially in multi-threaded scenarios. Gaming Caveats: While capable, it trails behind AMD’s X3D chips and even Intel’s own 14th-gen CPUs in some titles. Performance can vary depending on BIOS optimization and Windows scheduling—some games show noticeable dips. Efficiency & Thermals: Built on TSMC’s 3nm process, it runs cooler and draws less power than its predecessors. Stays under 85°C with a decent cooler, even under full load. Platform Notes: Requires a new LGA1851 motherboard, which adds to upgrade costs. Compatible with existing coolers, but benefits from faster DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 5 support. Some may see this as sub standard to the X3D CPU's but when you're running at high resolutions like 4K, the difference is not noticeable with modern GPU's (I'm running a 5080). For other tasks aside from gaming, this thing really covers all angles. Easy to install, typical for Intel.

Fast for productivity not so good for gaming (until DDR5 CUDIMM of 8000 and higher become available at reasonable price). Great for video editing tasks. Personally I can't tell between 250fps and 300fps ;)

Excellent CPU. After 10 years of building systems with AMD, I decided to try Intel, and oh my goodness, it's another world. Way better, great value per pound, excellent thermals.

20 cores for 260 quid ! It's a great processor super powerful and happy I have a great intel rig, it's definitely worth it i know there is no upgrade path except 280k but this will easily be good for 5 years or more.

För priset är det ett monster. Sval. Har en kylare som kostade under 500 spänn men det går att ha alla chassifläktar OCH cpu-fläkten avstängda vid vanligt surfande etc. (!!) Och då är CPUn under 50 grader. Blir cirka 36 grader med fläkten i ett riktigt tyst läge. Ja, den är säkert 3% långsammare i 1080p-spelande än AMD, men det är väl också det enda den INTE är bäst på.

Produto excelente! Vi diversos vídeos sobre o processador. Comprei uma Placa mãe Asus Rog Strix Z790-E nos EUA pra esse Ultra 7 265K, mas ainda não recebi... Mas recebi o Ultra 7 aqui pela Amazon, tudo certinho, e rápido.

すこぶる調子良いです。 買って良かった。

Worked Great, Thanks

A great chip to use for content creation paired with nVidia 5th generation GPU.