Core Ultra 9 285K vs Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
Short answer: which is best?
Core Ultra 9 285K is 1.6 % stronger than Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus. Core Ultra 9 285K ranks #2 of 55 measured processors at WhatFPS (15,519 CPU score over 1 verified runs). Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus ranks #3 of 55 measured processors at WhatFPS (15,275 CPU score over 13 verified runs). The numbers are measured in 14 verified WhatFPS runs — not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | Core Ultra 9 285K | Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| CPU score (the processor's own performance) | 15,519 | 15,275 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 11,994 | 10,179 |
| Integer (MT) | 12.7 Gop/s | 13.2 Gop/s |
| Single-thread (1T) | 0.95 Gop/s | 0.94 Gop/s |
| Draw calls/s (DX11) | 11,963,538 | 12,237,707 |
| Cores / threads | 24 / 24 | 24 / 24 |
| L3 cache | 36 MB | 36 MB |
What the numbers mean
The CPU score is the processor's own performance — that is what we rank on. GAMING is the whole rig's score in the best PC we measured the processor in, and leans heavily on the graphics card. A strong processor in a weak PC gets a low GAMING score without being worse. We show both and never mix them.
All numbers come from our benchmark suite: four hand-built 3D scenes written directly against the graphics APIs in Rust, the same load on every PC. The methodology is open at https://whatfps.com/metodik
All measurements for Core Ultra 9 285K · All measurements for Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus