AORUS Z890 motherboards get with update for “Upcoming Core Ultra 2-Series Processors”
GIGABYTE has released a new F18 BIOS for its Z890 motherboards, adding support for upcoming Intel desktop CPUs. The update, dated December 1st, is based on microcode 0x11B, which Uniko’s Hardware notes is newer than the previous 0x11A code used since October. ASRock is already listing even newer 0x11D firmware for its boards, but unlike GIGABYTE, it does not state what the update is targeting.
In its official notes, GIGABYTE confirms that the new BIOS enables support for “ upcoming Core Ultra 2-Series ” processors, which refers to the Core Ultra 200K Plus desktop refresh. These Arrow Lake-based CPUs are expected to be announced next month and will drop into existing LGA-1851 motherboards with a BIOS update.
Source: Uniko’s Hardware
Intel has already outlined key changes for this S Refresh lineup, including official CUDIMM memory support up to 7200 MT/s. This is an increase over the current generation, which is rated for 6400 MT/s at stock. The new figure reflects guaranteed operation under JEDEC spec without overclocking, while enthusiasts will still be able to push memory beyond 8000 MT/s on suitable boards.
On the CPU side, Core Ultra 9 290K Plus replaces the 285K with a small frequency bump of around 100–200 MHz. The more noticeable change is for Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and 250K Plus, which gain four extra E-cores to improve multi-threaded performance. The lineup is expected to debut around CES 2026 with Q1 availability, positioned against AMD’s Ryzen 9000 and Ryzen 9000X3D processors. For LGA-1851, the 200K Plus series will act as the last major desktop refresh before Intel moves to a new socket with future generations such as Nova Lake-S.
The new series are expected to debut at CES 2026.
| Arrow Lake vs Arrow Lake Refresh | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz.com | Ultra 9 290K Plus🆕 | Ultra 9 285K | Ultra 7 270K Plus🆕 | Ultra 7 265K | Ultra 5 250K Plus🆕 | Ultra 5 245K |
| Cores (P+E) | 8P+16E | 8P+16E | 8P+16E | 8P+12E | 6P+12E | 6P+8E |
| TVB | 5.8 GHz | 5.7 GHz | – | – | – | – |
| Turbo Boost Max | 5.6 GHz | 5.6 GHz | 5.5 GHz | 5.5 GHz | – | – |
| P-Core Turbo | 5.6 GHz | 5.5 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| E-Core Turbo | 4.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 4.6 GHz |
| P-Core Base | 3.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| E-Core Base | 3.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Memory Support | DDR5-7200 | DDR5-6400 | DDR5-7200 | DDR5-6400 | DDR5-7200 | DDR5-6400 |
| Base Power | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W | 125 W |
| Max Turbo Power | 250 W | 250 W | 250 W | 250 W | 159 W | 159 W |
Source: Uniko’s Hardware
