Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus falls to $259 while delidded version costs far more

Intel’s Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has become an even stronger value pick after dropping to $259.99 at Microcenter. The processor launched at $299, recently fell to $279.99 at Amazon, and is now $40 below its original price at Microcenter.

The 270K Plus is a 24 core CPU and is currently one of Intel’s better value options for desktop builders. It sits close to the higher end Core Ultra 9 285K in some workloads, especially when using Intel’s Binary Optimization Tool, which can help boost gaming performance in supported titles.

The new price also puts the 270K Plus only about $60 above the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, while offering more cores and stronger overall performance. For people building a productivity focused PC that can also handle gaming, the $259.99 price makes the chip much easier to recommend.

The more unusual part of the story is Thermal Grizzly’s delidded version of the same chip. That model costs $525.33, which is roughly twice the current Microcenter price. Thermal Grizzly says the delidded CPU can reduce temperatures by up to 22 degrees Celsius when used with a direct die water block and high end liquid cooling.

Delidding is not meant for normal PC builders. It removes the CPU’s heat spreader so cooling hardware can contact the die more directly. This can improve temperatures and overclocking headroom, but it also adds risk and requires specialized cooling hardware.

Thermal Grizzly is trying to reduce that risk by handling the delidding process itself. The company says each chip is tested before shipping and comes with a test protocol card showing Cinebench R23 temperature results. Buyers also receive a USB drive with pictures of the delidded processor.

The company includes the original heat spreader in the package, but it does not recommend using it again because of height differences between the die and the heat spreader after delidding.

For extreme overclockers, the delidded version may make sense. Lower temperatures, direct die cooling, and testing from Thermal Grizzly could appeal to people chasing benchmark scores or building custom liquid cooled systems.

For everyone else, the normal Core Ultra 7 270K Plus at $259.99 is the better deal. It gives buyers a strong 24 core Intel CPU at a much lower price, without the extra cost, risk, and setup demands of a delidded chip.