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The first images of Intel’s upcoming budget Arrow Lake CPUs have leaked, and surprisingly, they feature a smaller integrated heat spreader (IHS) than the one used for other Core Ultra 200 Series chips (via @harukaze5719 On the tenth).
The images are from Chinese e-commerce site Taobao, where a merchant listed the Core Ultra 5 245 and Core Ultra 5 225 for sale before Intel officially launched them. The same dealer also sells the Core Ultra 7 265 and Core Ultra 9 285. At least in China, the launch of the new Core Ultra 200 models is within reach, made clear not only by the appearance of listings on Taobao but also since Intel’s China branch has already opened pre-orders For many SKUs other than K Core Ultra 5 and 7.
The Taobao listings wouldn’t be particularly interesting if they weren’t because the IHS used for the 245 and 225 is noticeably smaller than that used for the 285, 265 and the unlocked CPUs that Intel launched in October. Specifically, the raised portion of the smaller IHS, the part that connects to the CPU cooler, has been shrunk slightly, especially at the top of the chip. The bezel, which sits below the CPU chip on the motherboard, is now larger, and the total surface area of the smaller IHS appears to be about the same as the original IHS.
Changing the IHS like this will likely affect how these CPUs fit into LGA 1851 motherboards. While the 245 and 225 are compatible with the LGA 1851 socket, the mounting bracket around the socket is designed to also fit the original IHS. For now, we can only guess whether the smaller IHS will pose any setup issues.
Additionally, the code printed on the IHS for the 245 and 225 begins with a V instead of an L, which is observed on models using the original IHS, including the unreleased 285 and 265. These codes contain details about where and when Intel CPUs are manufactured, either for the process step when the CPU die is made or when the CPU is fully packaged or assembled.
While codes beginning with L indicate Ireland as the country of origin, V stands for Vietnam. The Core Ultra 200 CPUs with the larger original IHS appear to be made in Ireland, and the chips using the smaller variant (which appear to be only the 245 and 225 at the moment) are made in Vietnam.
The Taobao listings also come with screenshots of CPU-Z, and assuming they’re accurate, they show that the 245 and 225 have the same family, model, and step definition as the 285.
Intel has traditionally used a mix of larger and smaller dies, and even architectures, for the Core 5 series, while the Core 3 uses a smaller die and previous generation architecture. The smaller IHS could indicate that the company decided to use a smaller heatsink for the models with the smaller die. We’ve been pinging Intel to see if the company will share more details.
We won’t know the official reasons behind the various IHS until these CPUs make their official debut, which is expected to happen in Consumer Electronics Show 2025 Next week at Intel’s presentation at the conference.
