Intel Core Ultra 9 285K: #1 in multi-threaded tasks even without HT

Test setup

A new CPU has taken the throne of absolute performance – the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. Yes, it’s a tight race, it’s with higher power consumption and lower efficiency, but that’s a necessary tax to pay for that “absolute peak”. Sure, someone will gladly sacrifice that leadership in favor of better operating characteristics, but either way, the 24-core CPU is the one that sets the pace in compute tasks on a mainstream platform. In this case, it’s Intel LGA 1851.

Test setup

* We use the following BIOSes on motherboards. For the MSI MEG Z890 Ace we use v1.A21, for the ASrock X870E Taichi we use v3.10, for the B650E Aorus Pro X USB4 we use F4c, for the Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi we use v0502, for the MSI MEG X670E Ace we use v1.10NPRP, for the MEG X570 Ace we use v1E, for the MEG Z690 Unify we use v10, for the MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 we use v11, for the MEG Z590 Ace we use v1.14 and for the MEG Z490 Ace we use v17.

Note: The graphics drivers we use are Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and the Windows 10 OS build is 19045 (22H2) at the time of testing.

CPUs from other platforms are tested on the B650E Aorus Pro X USB4, Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, MSI MEG Z690 Unify, MAG Z490 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4, Z590 Ace and Z490 Ace, MEG Z690 Unify (all Intel), and MEG X570 Ace, MEG X670E Ace, ASRock X870E Taichi (AMD) motherboards.

On platforms supporting DDR5 memory, we use two different sets of modules. For more powerful processors with an “X” (AMD) or “K” (Intel) in the name, we use the faster G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo memory (2×16 GB, 6000 MHz/CL30). In the case of cheaper processors (without X or K at the end of the name), the slower Kingston Fury Beast modules (2×16 GB, 5200 MHz/CL40). But this is more or less just symbolic, the bandwidth is very high for both kits, it is not a bottleneck, and the difference in processor performance is very small, practically negligible, across the differently fast memory kits.

• Contents
• Intel Core Ultra 9 285K in detail
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Borderlands 3
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Overall gaming performance
• Gaming performance per euro
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Visual effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Broadcasting (OBS and Xsplit)
• Photos 1/2: Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
• Photos 2/2: Affinity Photo, Topaz Labs AI Apps, ZPS X, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• Processor power draw curve
• Average processor power draw
• Performance per watt
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• Conclusion