Intel’s latest "0x114" microcode appears to be struggling to fix the nagging performance problems plaguing Arrow Lake processors, as indicated by some disappointing new benchmarks.
Intel’s Arrow Lake Desktop CPUs Struggle Again: BIOS Update Falls Short
Intel’s desktop CPUs, which have already been facing challenges in the market, continue to encounter issues. After dealing with the thermal instability concerns plaguing the "Raptor Lake Refresh" series, a new issue seems to be brewing with the Arrow Lake-S processors. To give you some context, Intel had noticed a significant drop in ARL-S performance when running on consumer systems compared to their internal tests. In response, they rolled out the "0x114" microcode, hoping to rectify several root problems they identified in a recent "Field Update." Unfortunately, the performance issues are far from resolved.
A recent tweet from @CapFrameX highlights ongoing struggles, revealing a drastic performance decline with the latest BIOS, MC, and ME, causing memory latency to jump from about 69ns to 80ns. This frustration reflects the sentiments of many users who are rapidly losing patience with this platform.
@CapFrameX’s benchmarks further corroborate the microcode’s inability to solve the Arrow Lake-S issues. In particular, testing revealed a significant decrease in gaming performance. For instance, when running Cyberpunk 2077 on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, there was an alarming 18% drop in average FPS. This is a substantial decline, especially given Intel’s assurance of a "double-digit" performance improvement with the new BIOS update. However, actual results paint a very different picture.
The increase in memory latency is another concern, with a reported rise of around 14%—a disappointing outcome for users. It’s noteworthy that this testing is considered one of the more credible evaluations of the new 0x114 microcode. While it does suggest that Intel’s ARL-S BIOS update may have flaws, further evidence would be necessary to confirm this view fully. Nonetheless, it seems evident that Intel might need to reevaluate its strategy regarding desktop CPUs.
Looking ahead, Intel is set to host a media briefing during CES 2025 to delve into the issues with the Core Ultra 200S. This event is likely to be pivotal in understanding the future of Intel’s Arrow Lake-S series. In the meantime, ARL-S consumers will need to wait for an official update from Intel to determine whether these new benchmarks showing performance degradation with the 0x114 microcode are consistent across all systems.
