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(Image credit: Future / Intel / MSI) There’s an incredible bundle on offer that lets you score a 20-core Intel gaming CPU, along with an MSI 360mm AIO cooler, for just under £290 at Scan right now. To sweeten the deal even further, however, you’re also able to take advantage of Intel’s holiday bundle giveaway, which lets you claim a free copy of Battlefield 6 , or alternatively, one of three other AAA games, completely free.
With the MSI AIO cooler costing around £119.99 on its own, and games like Battlefield 6 selling for around £60, the retail value of this collection is around £450. That makes the £289.99 sale price for this Intel Core Ultra 7 265K bundle an absolute steal, especially if you’ve already sorted out the RAM for your build.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core processor with 8 P-cores and 12 E-cores, along with 20 threads. The boost clocks of 5.4 GHz for the P-cores and 4.6 GHz for the E-cores enable this processor to perform well in gaming and multithreaded applications. This bundle comes with a free MSI 360mm AIO cooler. You can also claim one of four games, including Battlefield 6 , for free, thanks to Intel's Holiday Bundle.
Let’s consider the elephant in the room first: performance. It’s fair to say that Intel’s Arrow Lake launch wasn’t a huge success for gamers, as our benchmarks below show, with performance that lagged behind AMD X3D rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and even against Intel’s older Raptor Lake CPUs like the Core i9-14900K.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Luckily, two things have changed since launch day to make this a better option for a gaming rig. First, the price, with the Core Ultra 7 265K dropping by around £100 since launch, and costing around £200 less than the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K, despite only lagging around 4.4% behind in our initial tests .
Combine that with Intel’s 200S Boost mode for these CPUs, which is able to boost gaming performance using memory overclocking by at least 7%, and you’ve got yourself a decently powerful CPU for gaming and multi-threaded work without breaking the bank.
The value proposition improves further with the free MSI AIO. Our CPU cooling expert, who tested the MSI MAG Coreliquid A13 360mm cooler, awarded it 3 out of 5 stars. It doesn’t have a particularly flashy design, lacking higher spec features like LCD screens, but it does have a set of three ARGB fans to keep your CPU cool. Our tests found it offered good thermal performance, along with a budget-friendly retail price – luckily, you’re getting it completely free in this bundle, so it’s even better value.
And, just to top things off, there is the free game, thanks to Intel’s holiday bundle. Running until 31st January, 2026, you can claim a free copy of Battlefield 6, Dying Light: The Beast, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, or Civilization VI with each purchase. The approximately £60 retail value of these games, plus the £119.99 price for the MSI AIO cooler, makes the equivalent value of this Intel Core Ultra 7 265K CPU just £110.
A £289.99 bundle price for this 20-core Intel CPU, AIO cooler, and a free game is hard to beat right now. This would be a great start to a new gaming rig, especially if you’re only fussed about gaming at 1080p. Make sure to grab this bundle fast, however, as it won’t be around for long.
If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals , Gaming Monitor Deals , Graphics Card Deals , Gaming Chair , Best Wi-Fi Routers , Best Motherboard or CPU Deals pages.
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/this-gbp289-99-intel-core-ultra-265k-gaming-cpu-bundle-is-a-huge-bargain-for-a-pc-build-includes-free-msi-360mm-aio-cooler-and-battlefield-6-code#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.