Intel Scraps Core Ultra 9 290K Plus Chip Ahead of $399 Launch

Intel has cancelled the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus processor before it reached the market. The flagship chip was scrapped in May 2026 according to leaked benchmark data. The cancellation occurred despite the processor being designed to sit above the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in the product lineup.

Flagship processor cancelled due to marginal performance gains over cheaper sibling.

Leaked specifications indicate the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus would have featured 24 cores and 24 threads. The processor was expected to run at a 3.7 GHz base clock with a maximum boost of 5.8 GHz. It included 36 MB of L3 cache and 40 MB of L2 cache. The chip supported DDR5-7200 memory and had a power draw of 125W base and 250W peak.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus carries a manufacturer suggested retail price of 299 USD (about $299). The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus was expected to cost between 399 USD and 499 USD (about $399-$499). Leaked benchmarks show the 290K Plus offers only a 2 to 3 percent average gaming performance gain over the 270K Plus. Rendering tasks showed a slightly higher gain of approximately 4 percent. Some reviewers noted that overclocking the 270K Plus allows it to match or exceed the 290K Plus performance.

The minimal performance difference between the two chips likely drove the decision to cancel the flagship model. The Core Ultra 9 285K remains the available high-end option in the current generation lineup. Intel has not released an official statement confirming the cancellation or the specific reasons behind it. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus will not be available for purchase by consumers.